James Walter Chapman-Taylor

   
Chapman-Taylor was born in London in 1878 and moved to New Zealand with his family two years later. He grew up in Taranaki where he was apprenticed to a Stratford builder and studied architecture by correspondence.  In 1905 he set up practice as a builder-architect in Wellington. His distinctive Arts and Crafts style houses were produced after a visit to England in 1909 where he met the leading practitioners of the day including Voysey, Parker, Unwin and Baillie Scott.

 
Over the course of his career Chapman-Taylor specialised in fine houses in the English Domestic Revival / Arts and Crafts style. Of the over 80 houses built mainly in Wellington, Auckland, Taranaki and the Hawkes Bay, many featured inglenooks and panelling, hand-forged hinges and door latches, hand-adzed beams and timberwork, and handcrafted furniture.

 
His career is described in detail in the 2007 book “James Walter Chapman-Taylor, 1878-1958, His Life and Times” by historian Judy Siers. 

Images: James Walter Chapman-Taylor. Ref: PICT-000005. Alexander Turnbull Library, Wellington, New Zealand. http://natlib.govt.nz/records/22470514 

Sources: 
Mew, Geoff & Adrian Humphries. “Raupo to Deco: Wellington Styles and Architects 1840 – 1940” (Wellington: Steel Roberts Aotearoa, 2014)
Siers, Judy. “The Life and Times of James Walter Chapman-Taylor” (Napier, NZ: Millwood Heritage Productions, 2007)