Henry John Alexander Seely [commonly known as John Seely; also known as 2nd Baron Mottistone] was born in Ryde, Isle of Wight, Hampshire, England 1 May 1899 and studied architecture at Trinity College, Cambridge where he met Paul Edward Paget (1901-1985). In 1922 they founded the London-based architectural practice Seely & Paget. Notable among the firm's commissions was the conversion of Eltham Palace, a 14th century palace in Greenwich, London into an Art Deco mansion for Stephen Courtauld and Virginia Courtauld in 1936. They also designed interiors for celebrities including the writer J.B. Priestley and the actress Gladys Cooper.
Following World War Two, Seely & Paget designed St Andrew and St George in Stevenage, Hertfordshire.
In 1947 Seely was appointed Surveyor of the Fabric of St Paul's Cathedral and designed the Chapel of the Order of the British Empire, at the eastern end of the crypt. He designed the St George's chapel, Windsor Castle and was Lay Canon and architect at Portsmouth Cathedral. He was responsible for the restoration of several churches damaged by bombing during World War Two including All Saints Church in Cottesbrooke in 1959-60.
Seely was elected an Associate of the Royal Institute of British Architects (ARIBA) in 1926 and a Felloew of the Royal Institute of British Architects (FRIBA) in 1932. He was also elected a member of the Art Workers Guild in 1946. He died in London on 18 January 1963
See
Historic England for details of 27 architectural projects by Seely & Paget [link below]
Harwood, Elain. Art Deco Britain: Buildings of the Interwar Years. London: Batsford, 2019
Paget, Paul. ‘Templewood, a country house near Cromer’ [Architects: Seely & Paget] House & Garden November 1970 pp. 80-84
Richardson, C. ‘Uppingham Theatre: conversion’ [Architects: Seely, Paget Partnership] Tabs vol. 31, no. 1, March 1973 pp. 23-27.
‘Bede College Chapel, Durham’ [Architects: J. Seely and P. Paget] Building October 1947 pp. 305-307
‘Central public library, Orpington’. [Architects: Seely & Paget’. Official Architecture & Planning June 1965 pp. 821-823
‘Church of St. Francis, Duston, Peterborough’. [Architects: Seely & Paget] Building 28 June 1968 pp. 67-70
‘Hostel for women teachers, Hockerill’ [Architects: Seely & Paget]. The Builder 13 January 1950 pp. 566=60
‘Rebuilding of the City Temple, Holborn Viaduct’ [Architects: Seely & Paget] The Builder 19 December 1958 pp. 1033-1037
‘St. Mark church, Gabalfa, near Cardiff’. Architects: Seely & Paget. Churchbuilding October 1969 pp. 18-19
‘The New Chapel at the College of the Venerable Bede’ [Architects: J. Seely and P. Paget] Building October 1947 pp. 305-307.
‘The New Chapel at the College of the Venerable Bede’ [Architects: J. Seely and P. Paget] Architect & Building News 1 March 1947 pp. 222-225
‘Uppingham School chapel enlargement’ [Architects: J. Seely & P. Paget] Churchbuilding October 1964 pp. 10-12
‘Westminster College, Oxford’. [Architects: Seely & Paget] The Builder 27 May 1960 pp. 995-998