Walter Ernest Hewitt was born in London, England on 3 October 1865 and was baptised at Christ Church, Surbiton Hill, Surrey, England on 25 November 1865. Between 1883 and 1887 he was articled to Rowland Plumbe (1838-1919) in London. He also attended classes at the Architectural Association in London. In 1888 he worked in the offices of Somers Clarke (1841-1926) and John Thomas Micklethwaite (1843-1906) in London. In c.1889 Hewitt established his own independent practice in London.
Architectural work by Hewitt included several houses in the London suburbs of Wimbledon, Surbiton, Northwood and Pinner, and in Warlingham, Whyteleafe, Caterham, Beaconsfield, Dorking, Reigate, Thames Ditton, Haslemere in Surrey; Christ Church Parish Hall in Surbiton; YMCA premises in Surbiton; and a Working Men's Club in Caterham. A photograph of a house at Wimbledon designed by Hewitt is illustrated in 'The Studio Yearbook of Decorative Art' 1911 (p.39); a photograph and floor plan of 'Woodbury', Surbiton, designed by him is illustrated in 'The Studio yearbook of Decorative Art' 1912 (p.28); photographs of 'Rowandene' and 'Heorthfest' in Wimbledon Common, by designed by him are illustrated in 'The Studio Yearbook of Decorative Art' 1915 (pp.78, 79); and two photographs of 'Holmlea' in Wimbledon Common, by him are illustrated in 'The Studio Yearbook of Decorative Art' 1916 (p.38).
Hewitt was Architect to Queen Alexandra's Hospital for Children in Bloomsbury, London. He qualified as an architect in 1891 and was elected an Associate of the Royal Institute of British Architects (ARIBA) in 1892. Hewitt exhibited at the Royal Academy in London in 1901 and 1910. He died in Kingston, Surrey on 16 February 1919.
Fifteen Houses in Wimbledon; four houses in Surbiton; Christ Church Parish Hall, Surbiton: Y.W.C.A. premises, Surbiton; two houses in Warlingham, Whyteleafe; additions, "Greenlands", and "Essendene", Caterham; Working Men's Club, Caterham: Parr's Bank, Kingston-on-Thames (in conjunction with Mr. F. J. Garlick); additions, Wimbledon houses, &c.; houses in Northwood, Pinner, Chorley Wood, Bovlngdon and Sarratt; houses in Beaconsfield, Dorking, Reigate, Thames Ditton, Walton-on-Thames, Haslemere, Putney, and Old Maiden; additions to houses in Bournemouth
Directory of British Architects 1834-1914. Compiled by Antonia Brodie, et al. Volume 1: A-K. London; New York: British Architectural Library, Royal Institute of British Architects/Continuum, 2001
‘Obituary’. Builder vol. 116, 21 February 1919 p. 177
‘Obituary’. RIBA Journal vol. 26, 1919 pp. 107, 119
Who's Who in Architecture 1914. London: Techical Journals Ltd., 1914