Robert William Edis

Who was Robert William Edis?

Colonel Sir Robert William Edis KBE CB was a British architect.

Born in Huntingdon, Edis was educated at Huntingdon Grammar School and Aldenham School before being articled to William Gilbee Habershon and Edward Habershon, architects, in London. He became chief assistant to Anthony Salvin, and joined the Architectural Association in 1859. He was admitted an Associate of the Royal Institute of British Architects in 1862 and a fellow of the association in 1867.

Although his early work was Gothic, Edis later became a proponent of the Queen Anne Style of baroque revival architecture. He worked mostly on private houses and public buildings, although he did design a few churches.

He later became involved in the Aesthetic Movement of decorative arts and in furniture design, and delivered a series of Cantor lectures on the subject at the Royal Society of Arts. These formed the basis of two books: Decoration and Furniture of Town Houses and Healthy Furniture and Decoration.

Edis had a long association with the Volunteer Force and its successor the Territorial Force. In 1868 he received a commission in the Artists Rifles.