James Grey West

Sir James Grey West OBE (1881–15 June 1951) was a British architect. Born and trained in Cardiff, Wales, West joined the government Office of Works in 1904, eventually succeeding Sir Richard Allison as chief architect in 1934. [cite web |url=http://www.scottisharchitects.org.uk/architect_full.php?id=201531 |title=H M Office of Works (later Ministry of Works and Property Services Agency) |work=Dictionary of Scottish Architects |accessdate=2008-09-17]

West worked on the former Ministry of Pensions building in Acton, London (1914-1922), said to be the largest single building in Britain at the time. [cite web|url=http://www.dominionhg.co.uk/index.php?id=26&tx_ttnews%5Btt_news%5D=92&tx_ttnews%5BbackPid%5D=23&cHash=c5a9584f96 |title=Historic Acton building swaps Canadian WWII troops for west London key workers |date=09.03.06 |publisher=Dominion Housing Group |accessdate=2008-08-17] He designed the hall of Royal Air Force College at Cranwell, Lincolnshire (1929-1933) in the seventeenth-century style of Sir Christopher Wren. [cite web |url=http://www.english-heritage.org.uk/upload/pdf/Military_Buildings.pdf |title=Military Buildings 1914-1945 |work=Military Buildings Selection Guide |publisher=English Heritage |date=March 2007 |pages=p.7 |accessdate=2008-09-17] West also worked on the Duveen Wing of the National Portrait Gallery (1933), with Allison, [cite web |url=http://www.npg.org.uk/live/history.asp |title=History of the National Portrait Gallery |accessdate=2008-09-17] and also provided designs for the Royal Courts of Justice, Belfast (1933). [cite web |url=http://www.courtsni.gov.uk/en-GB/AboutUs/Community+Programmes/Heritage/rcjheritage.htm |title=Royal Courts of Justice |accessdate=2008-09-17] As chief architect, he oversaw the building of Thomas Tait's St. Andrew's House, Edinburgh (1935-39).cite web |url=http://www.scottisharchitects.org.uk/architect_full.php?id=204154 |title=James Grey West |work=Dictionary of Scottish Architects |accessdate=2008-09-17] He was knighted in 1936. During World War II, West was appointed Director of Post-War Planning, as well as being chief architect of the reorganised Ministry of Works, until his retirement in 1945.

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