A. C. Norman
| Arthur Charles Alfred Norman (A. C. Norman) |
|
|---|---|
| Born |
Arthur Charles Alfred Norman 1858 |
| Died | 17 October 1944 (aged 86) |
| Nationality | British |
| Occupation | Architect |
Arthur Charles Alfred Norman (1858-1944), often referred to as A. C. Norman, was a British architect who was active in Malaya at the end of the 19th century and the beginning of 20th century. Some of the most important colonial era buildings of Kuala Lumpur built in that period were credited to him, although many of these also involved other architects of the period.
A. C. Norman was born in 1858 and grew in Plymouth, England. He was taught architecture by his father Alfred Norman and worked as his assistant in the years 1874–1878. He also worked under E. D. Bellamy, Consulting Engineer to Corporation of Plymouth. From 1879 to 1883 he worked as Inspector of Buildings and draughtsman to the Borough Engineer of Plymouth. He achieved his professional qualification when he was made an Associate of the Royal Institute of British Architects (ARIBA) on 23 May 1881 when he was 23.
In 1883, he left England and went to work in the Selangor Public Works Department as the Assistant Superintendent to civil engineer H.F. Bellamy, and became the Government Architect in 1890.
He worked under the auspices of the Malaysian Public Works Department (PWD) until 1903, during which some of the colony’s most distinguished public buildings were built. He became a Fellow of the Royal Institute of British Architects (FRIBA) on 27 July 1896.
During his tenure in the Public Works Department, many of the buildings erected by the department has an eclectic style known as Indo-Saracenic. The earliest and most prominent example of this style of architecture in Malaya is the Sultan Abdul Samad Building. As Norman held the position of the Government Architect, many buildings built in the period were credited to him, but were in fact largely the work of his subordinates such as Arthur Benison Hubback and R. A. J. Bidwell.
In 1903, when he was 45, Norman was compulsorily retired on ground of inefficiency. He returned to England where he continued to practice as an architect in Norwich and Plymouth. In 1928 he was elected the President of Devon Architectural Society. He died on 17 October 1944.
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