Francis B Roberts
26th August 1930 – 14th January 2025
Following his qualification as an architect in the 1950s, Francis Roberts’s career started at BDP in Preston where he was responsible for the Viollet Le Duc and Norman Shaw inspired elements of the Ealing Broadway development.
In the 1980s Francis started his own practice, building the church of St Mary Magdalen in Penwortham and the new grandstand at Towcester Racecourse, both of which appeared in HRH The Prince of Wales’s book ‘A Vision for Britain’. The Prince admired not only his inventive Arts and Crafts style, but also his fine draughtsmanship.
A stream of commissions followed for the Duchy of Cornwall at Poundbury and Nansledan: the latter included the award winning primary school, which was one of his last projects. At the same time he designed an extension to the village of Bletchingdon in Oxfordshire with houses and a school for the Duchy.
He retired from day to day practice at the age of 88. The practice continues as Roberts & Stone Architects, led by his son Domenic.
