The Life and Times of James Walter Chapman-Taylor

THE LIFE AND TIMES OF JAMES CHAPMAN-TAYLOR is the biography of a remarkable man. He was born in London in 1878 and died in Lower Hutt, near Wellington, New Zealand in 1958. It is the story of a man who chose architecture, design and house and furniture construction for his career. While it is told from a personal perspective - there is a great deal of his family life included in this book - architecture has presented the milestones in his life. When Chapman-Taylor meets a new client - inspects a site and proposes a plan - I have examined the house design, followed the building process and finally looked at the house on completion. The 97 building commissions are individually titled, and included in the story. In a literary way they became stakes in the ground, a time to pause and examine these in detail. It is a chance for the reader to meet the clients, enter the house and as well, slowly get to know the workings of the mind, and appreciate the skills of James Chapman-Taylor. Later in his life Chapman-Taylor became a professional photographer and I have drawn on his wonderful images plus his house plans, where ever possible to illustrate the book. Other aspects of his life include his Theosophical Society involvement, his Golden Dawn membership, his association and friendship with Dr Robert Felkin and his wife Harriot and astrology and the creation of astrological charts. His spiritual life is an important part of the biography and the influences of the Arts and Craft Movement, John Ruskin, William Morris and English domestic architects of the period are examined.