Sidney Roberts Stevenson was born in Basford, Nottingham, Nottinghamshire in c.1850 and was articled to Richard Charles Sutton (1833?-1915) in Nottingham. He also attended Nottingham School of Art. After gaining practical experience with the building firm Cubbitt's in London, he set up his own architectural practice in Nottingham in 1872. From 1908 he began collaborating with John Rigby Poyser (1872-1954), however, they appear not to have had a formal partnership.
Notable among Stevenson's architectural projects were Wallingford Grammar School in Wallingfor, Oxfordshire (1875-77); 111 Forest Road West, Nottingham (1884); and St James’ Church, Brightwell-cum-Sotwell, Oxfordshire (1884)
Stevenson was elected a Fellow of the Society of Architects ( F.S.Arc.) and in 1925 he was admitted a Fellow of the Royal Institute of British Architects (FRIBA). He was a keen amateur photographer and exhibited at the Royal Photographic Society in London in 1889
His address was given as 12, Burns Street, Nottingham in 1889; "Holmden", Clipstone Avenue, Mapperley, Nottingham in 1911 and 1914; Queen's Chambers, King Street, Nottingham in 1914 and 1923; and 47 Glenlea Road, Eltham, Kent in 1926 and 1928. He died in London on 21 January 1928.
Wallingford Grammar Schools; Broughton Board Schools, Leicestershire; Sotwell Church; St. Peter's Church, Walllngford, new apsldal chancel, organ chamber, vestry, &c.; St. Andrews Church, Nottingham, western extension, north porch, &c.; several large lace manufactories in district of Nottingham; large and small country houses, bungalows, and cottages in the counties of Nottingham, Lincolnshire and Berkshire [Source: Who's Who in Architecture 1914]
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