Tatton Brown, William 1910 - 1997

William Eden Tatton Brown [commonly known as William Tatton Brown; also known as William Eden Tatton-Brown] was born in Lewes, Sussex, England on 13 October 1910.  Following a year at the Architectural Association in London in 1928 he read first history and then architecture at Cambridge University, completing his final year under Hugh Casson (1910-1999).  Failing to obtain commissions after leaving university, he moved to France where he worked with André Lurcat (1894-1970). On his return to England, he completed his studies at the Architectural Association and then, in 1934, obtained work with the London-based architectural firm Tecton, founded by Berthold Lubetkin (1901-1990) in 1932.  During his time with Tecton, Tatton Brown worked on several important schemes, including the winning entry in a competition to design working-class flats, and he was job architect for Highpoint 2 flats in Highgate, London. In 1936 he won first prize in a Timber House Competition organized by the Timber Development Council.  In 1936 he married Aileen Sparrow  (1912-1997), an architect who also worked at Tecton.   In 1938 Tatton Brown left Tecton to set up his own practice in London and soon after went into partnership with Lionel Brett, 4th Viscount Esher (1913-2004).

With the outbreak of World War Two in 1939 he closed his practice and served in the Army in India and Burma.  In 1946 he left the Army and took a course in town planning at the Architectural Association, and in 1948 was appointed County Architect for Hertfordshire. In 1959 he became Chief Architect to the Ministry of Health (later Department of Health and Social Security), and over the next twelve years supervised a large-scale hospital building programme.  In 1985, with W. Paul James, he co-wrote the book Hospitals: Design and Development.  Tatton Brown died on 2 February 1997. His death was registered in Westminster, London.

A biographical file on William Tatton Brown is available on request at the Enquiry Desk, Royal Institute of British Architects Library, London.