Stewardson, Robert Ernest 1878 - 1961

Robert Ernest Stewardson was born in Burton on Trent, Staffordshire, England in 1878 and was  was articled to Robert Macfarlane Cameron in Edinburgh from 1894 to 1898.  He then moved to London where he worked as an assistant to William Henry White (1862-1949) for a year; in H M Office of Works in Westminster for a year; in the London County Council Architects Department under William Edward Riley (1852-1937) for a year; and to George Hornblower (1858-1940) for three-and-a-half years.

After working for a period in the Public Works Department in Bloemfontein, South Africa from 1905 to 1908, he moved to Shanghai, China, where he worked as an assistant to Walter Scott (1860-1917) until 1913 when he set up his own independent architectural practice.  From 1919  he was in partnership with Herbert Marshall Spence (1883-1958) as Stewardson & Spence, In 1924 a third partner, Bryan Watson (c.1884-1927) joined the practice which was renamed Stewardson, Spence & Watson.

Stewardson was elected an Associate of the Royal Institute of British Architects (ARIBA) in 1904 and a Fellow of the Royal institute of British Architects (FRIBA) in 1921.   

His address was given as 17, Pall Mall East, London in 1904; c/o Messrs Scott & Carter, 27 Kingse Road, Shanghai in 1910; 22, Ming Yuen Road, Shanghai, China in 1920; 22 Yuen Ming Yuen Road, Shanghai in 1922; and 3 Peking Road, Shanghai in 1926 and 1927.  In 1928 Stewardson seems to have returned to England as his address was given that as 1928 and 1930 as Thatched House Club, St. James. By 1932 he had returned to China and his address was given as 2 Canton Road, Shaghai. However, appears no longer to have been in partnership with Spence and Watson.  By 1938 he had retired to England and his address was given as 25b Grove Road, Eastbourne, Sussex. He died in Ashford, Kent on 18 December 1961.  His address at the time of death was given as 10 Parklands Court, Great West Road, Heston, Middlesex.