Henry Vaughan Lanchester was born in St. John's Wood, London, on 9 August 1863 and was articled to his father, Henry Jones Lanchester (1834-1914) from 1879. He then worked as an assistant to Frederick James Eedle, Thomas William Cutler (1841?-1909) and George Campbell Sherrin (1843-1909). He also attended classes at the Architectural Association Schools and the Royal Academy Schools in London. He was awarded the Aldwinckle Studentship in 1888 and the Owen Jones Studentship in 1889-90.
Lanchester commenced independent practice as an architect in London in 1887 and was in partnership with James S. Stewart (1865?-1904) and Edwin Alfred Rickards (1872-1920) as Lanchester, Stewart & Rickards from 1896 to 1904, and, following the death of Stewart, as Lanchester & Rickards from 1904 to 1920. In 1923 or 1920 [sources differ] Lanchester joined forces with the London practice Lucas & Lodge, established by Thomas Geoffry Lucas (1872-1947) and Thomas Arthur Lodge (1888-1967) in c.1913, to form Lanchester, Lucas & Lodge. After the departure of Lucas from the practice in 1930, Lanchester and Lodge continued the practice as Lanchester & Lodge. Lanchester's son, Henry Robert Lanchester (1941-) joined the practice in 1939.
In 1912, H. V. Lanchester visited India and prepared a report on the planning of New Delhi as well as preparing plans for Madras. He also visited India again in the 1920s. He was consulting architect to the University of London from 1929 to 1931 and lectured on Civic Design at University College, London. He was editor of The Builder from 1910 to 1912.
Lanchester was elected an Associate of the Royal Institute of British Architects (ARIBA) and a Fellow of the Royal Institute of British Architects (FRIBA) in 1906. He was a founder member of the Town Planning Institute and its President in 1922-23, the first President of the South Eastern Society of Architects in 1928, and President of the Franco-British Union of Architects. In 1934 he was awarded the RIBA Royal Gold Medal. He was the author of several books on town planing. Henry Vaughan Lanchester died in Seaford, Sussex, on 16 January 1953
Prior to partnership: Bovril warehouse and offices. Old Street; laboratory of Institute of Chemistry: house at Sydenham for J. L. Johnston. In partnership : Cardiff City Hall and Law Courts: Wesleyan Hall, Westminster; Hull School of Art; Deptford Town Hall; Colnaghi and Obach's premises. New Bond Street; Third Church of Christ Scientist, Curzon Street, Mayfair; King Edward VII. Memorial, Bristol; town-planning schemes for Gwallor, Indore, and Ujjain. [Source: Who's Who in Architecture 1914]
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As senior partner of Lanchester and Rickards (1899-1920), and of Lanchester, Lucas and Lodge (since 1921): — Bovril premises. Old Street, E.C., 1896-1923; Cardiff City Hall and Law Courts, 1899- 1904; Deptford Town Hall, 1900; Hull Art School, 1901: Central Hall, Westminster (1906-10); Third Church of Christ. Scientist, Curzon Street, 1910; Colnaghl and Obach's premises. Bond Street, 1912; Cold Overton Hall, Rutland, 1918: Lucknow Christian College and schools, 1921; Canning College hostels, etc., Lucknow, 1922; Council Hall for U.P., Lucknow, 1922; Housing scheme, Fortsdown Hill, Hants, 1922; Stockton-on- Tees war memorial, 1923; Housing scheme, Weybridge, 1923; etc., etc. [Source: Who's Who in Architecture 1923]
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'Mr. H. V. Lanchester' The Builder vol. 151, 16 October 1936 p. 722
Obituary'. The Architects' Journal vol. 117, 22 January 1953 p. 122
'Obituary'. The Architects' Journal vol. 117, 29 January 1953 p. 147
'Obituary'. The Builder vol. 184, 23 January 1953 p. 154
'Obituary'. RIBA Journal vol. 160, February 1953 p. 163
'Obituary'. The Town Planning Institute Journal vol. 39, February 1953 p. 72
Reilly, C. H. Representative British Architects of the Present Day. London: B. T. Batsford, 1931 [Chapter IX. H. V. Lanchester pp. 112-125]
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