Lawford, Frederick, 1821-1866

Frederick Lawford was born on August 14, 1821, in Antwerp, Belgium.

He was educated at the Royal Academy School in London and by 1841, he articled in the office of Sir Charles Barry, one of the most important architects in London during the first half of the 19th century. He assisted him as clerk of works on the construction of his prize-winning design for Parliament Buildings at Westminster in London. In 1849, he formed a firm with the Irish-born architect Richard W. Heneker, also a pupil of Barry (1849-1855). In 1855, they both emigrated to Montreal, Quebec. Lawford was asked by John W. Hopkins and James Nelson to join them as a partner and their new firm was renamed Hopkins, Lawford & Nelson. It proved to be an intellectual powerhouse of new architectural ideas, and, during the next four years, they became one of the most influential architectural offices in eastern Canada. They received commissions in Kingston, Montreal, Ottawa and elsewhere. Lawford brought his scholarly knowledge of British architecture and their collective body of work from 1855 to 1859 had dignity and presence rarely attained in 19th century Canada. Even after the departure of J.W. Hopkins in late 1859, Lawford & Nelson continued to collaborate for another six years on many exemplary ecclesiastical and commercial works in Montreal and surrounding towns which set a new standard for refined and sophisticated architectural design.

In 1856, he married Annie Shaw Adamson. He died on August 11, 1866, in Sherbrooke, Quebec, a victim of a typhoid epidemic.