About C. H. B. Quennell
Lived 1872 – 1935 (aged 62–63). C. H. B. Quennell was an architect, illustrator and historian.
Charles Henry Bourne Quennell (1872–1935), was an English architect, designer, illustrator and historian. According to the heritage architect Cath Layton, "his great influence [as an architect and urban planner] can be felt in the houses and streets of London’s suburbs and across the country." His obituary in Nature noted that his books for children and young people had "strongly stimulated interest in the cultural background of the more formal study of history".
Life and career Quennell was the son of Henry Quennell, a builder, and his wife Emma Rebecca (née Hobbs), and grew up in a house at Cowley Road on the Holland Town Estate, Kennington, London.
He was articled to Newman and Newman, and worked in the offices of J. McK. Brydon and of J. D. Sedding and Henry Wilson. He obtained the National Gold medal for Architecture, and RIBA Medal of Merit and £5 in the Soane Medallion competition in 1895. He began practice in 1896 working with his brother William developing houses at Hampstead Garden Suburb and then with developer George Washington Hart.
He designed a house for Francis Crittall window manufacturer at Braintree, Essex in 1908.
He designed a house for Walter Crittall son of window manufacturer Francis Crittall at Braintree, Essex in 1912.
He co-designed a 'show house' with Walter Crittall at 156-158 Cressing Road, Braintree, Essex. the house incorporated many modernist features such as a drying yard for clothes, a scullery, a larder, fuel store, outside lavatory, living room, parlour, three bedrooms and an inside bathroom and hot press.
Discussing the leading English furniture designs of the time, Herman Muthesius wrote in his book The English House (1904): '... that inspired artist Henry Wilson and the excellent designer C. H. B. Quennell far outshine the rest of the group and produce work of high artistic sensibility.' In that book Muthesius discussed certain features of Quennell's illustrations and designs: fireplaces, garden furniture and garden gates.
Positions 1912–15: Member of the Council of Royal Institute of British Architects 1914–25: Member of the Town Planning Committee of Royal Institute of British Architects 1928–30: Member of the Board of Architectural Education
Personal life He was the husband of Marjorie Quennell whom he met in 1903 at the Junior Art Worker's Guild and father of Peter Quennell. With his wife, he wrote extensively on social history.
Quennell died in December 1935.
His brother, Walter, a builder and property developer, was father of Joan Quennell, a Conservative M.P.
Architectural works 14 Templewood Avenue, Hampstead, designed by Quennell between 1910-11.
1899 The Chapel, Cambridge House 1899 Design for Liskeard Church 1904 Gallops Homestead, Sussex 1904 Campbell Mausoleum, St Mary's Cemetery, Harrow Road, Hammersmith, London 1905 Vale Cottage and Burnt Oak Cottage, Bickley 1905 Four Beeches, 3 Denbridge Road, Bickley 1905 Phyllis Court, Rosecroft Avenue, Hampstead 1905-6 St John's Church, Hall and Vicarage, Edmonton 1906 1 Denbridge Road, Bickley 1906 Barn Hawe, 2 Denbridge Road, Bickley 1906 8 Denbridge Road, Bickley 1906 The Grosvenor Gallery, 157 New Bond Street (interior) 1907 19 Woodlands Road, Bickley 1907 24 Heath Drive, Hampstead (Listed Grade II) 1907 12 Denbridge Road, Bickley 1907 19 St George's Road, Bickley 1907 Halstow, 22 St George's Road, Bickley 1908 Southborough House, 2 New London Rd, Chelmsford for F W Crittall 1908 10 Edward Road, Bromley 1909 21 St George's Road, Bickley 1909 Linden Oaks, 24 St George's Road, Bickley 1909 Denbridge House, Bickley 1910 Englefield, 8 Woodlands Road, Bickley 1910 St Mark's School, Masons Hill, Bromley, Kent 1911 Hadlow, 6 Woodlands Road, Bickley 1911 Lynch House, Allerford, Somerset, Now called Bossington Hall 1912 Deerwood, 7 Woodlands Road, Bickley 1912 Mowden School, The Droveway, Hove 1912-4 Aultmore, Inverness-shire 1913 Orchard House, 5 Woodlands Road, Bickley 1918–20 Houses at Braintree (1–41 Clockhouse Way and 152–194 Cressing Road) for Crittall 1920 Southcourt Housing Estate, Barton Hartshorn, Buckinghamshire 1923 Housing Scheme, Aylesbury -?- 19–21 Holbrook Lane, Chislehurst, Kent" -?- Crabtrees, Gravel Path, Berkhamsted -?- 'Crockies' (assisted by Thomas Tait – location unknown) 1926–32 Houses at Silver End, Essex for Crittall 1926 The Manors, Silver End -?- Houses on Eastbury Road and Carew Road, Northwood, London 1931 New House, Oak Lodge, 47, Newlands Avenue, Radlett, Hertfordshire
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Important facts
Family & relationships
People in C. H. B. Quennell's life
Named in this biography and alive at the same time
Contemporaries
People whose lives overlapped C. H. B. Quennell's
Frequently asked questions
Who was C. H. B. Quennell?
English architect
When was C. H. B. Quennell born?
C. H. B. Quennell was born in 1872 in London.
When did C. H. B. Quennell die?
C. H. B. Quennell died on 1 December 1935 in Berkhamsted.
What was C. H. B. Quennell's occupation?
C. H. B. Quennell was an architect, illustrator and historian.
Sources & further reading
· Wikipedia: C. H. B. Quennell
Cite this page
APA: Biography.guide. (2026). C. H. B. Quennell. https://biography.guide/c-h-b-quennell/
MLA: "C. H. B. Quennell." Biography.guide, https://biography.guide/c-h-b-quennell/.
Chicago: "C. H. B. Quennell." Biography.guide. https://biography.guide/c-h-b-quennell/.
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