Gordon Sanderson born in Scarborough, Yorkshire, England in October 1887. Nothing is known about his training as an architect. He practised for a period as an architect in Settle in Yorkshire, London, and for the Egyptian Government, before, in 1910 being appointed Superintendent of Muhammadan and British Monuments in Northern India. He was charged with overseeing the exploration and conservation of archaeological monuments in the new imperial city at Delhi.
A house near Settle designed by Sanderson is briefly discussed and illustrated in 'The Studio' March 1910 (pp.134-135); and a design for a village hall by Sanderson is discussed and illustrated in 'Some Remarks Upon a Series of Designs for a Village Hall' in 'The Studio' March 1911 (pp.132-138).
In 1915, following the outbreak of World War One, he was called up to serve in the Army. He joined the King Edward’s Own Gurkha Rifles and subsequently died in Loos, Belgium, as a result of wounds received in action on 13 October 1915. He is buried in the Gorre British and Indian Cemetery on the Somme
Directory of British Architects 1834-1914. Compiled by Antonia Brodie, et al. Volume 2: L-Z. London; New York: British Architectural Library, Royal Institute of British Architects/Continuum, 2001
‘Obituary’. The Builder vol. 109, 22 October 1915 pp. 296-297
‘Obituary’. The Builder vol. 109, 29 October 1915 pp. 311, 318
Settle, Gordon. Architectural features of the Settle district. London: Percy Lund, Humphries, 1911.
Sanderson, Gordon. Types of modern Indian buildings at Delhi, Agra, Allahabad, Lucknow, Ajmer, Bhopal, Bikanir, Gwalior, Jaipur, Jodhpur and Udaipur, with notes on the craftsmen employed on their design and execution. Allahabad, India: Government Press, United Provinces, [Printed by F. Luker, supdt.], 1913.
Sutton, Deborah. ‘Gordon Sanderson’s ‘Grand Programme’: Architecture, Bureaucracy and Race in the Making of New Delhi, 1910-1915’. South Asian Studies vol.36, no.1, 26 March 2020 pp.72-87