Designer Biography

Sidney Barnsley

Born: 1865

Died: 1926

See items in our stock by Sidney Barnsley

Barnsley was born in Birmingham, the son of the head of a prosperous building firm and principal contractor of the Birmingham architect J. H. Chamberlain. He studied at the Birmingham School of Art before departing for London and the Royal Academy Schools department of architecture in 1885 with his brother Ernest (1863-1926). In 1886 Sidney entered Norman Shaw's office while Ernest went to J. D. Sedding's office, and it was thus through Ernest that Sidney met Gimson with whom he made a lifelong friendship. In 1890 he joined Gimson, W. R. Lethaby, Reginald Blomfield and Mervyn Macartney in founding Kenton & Co. After the disbanding of the firm Sidney went with Gimson to the Cotswolds, where he established a modest furniture workshop for carrying out his own designs. After Gimson's untimely death he was fully occupied in completing architectural projects, notably the library at Bedales School.