Owen Williams (engineer)

Sir Evan Owen Williams (20 March 1890 – 23 May 1969) was born in Tottenham, London, England, son of Evan Owen Williams and Mary Roberts, and died in hospital in Hemel Hempstead. He studied engineering at the University of London^{[citation needed]}, after which he was articled to the Electrical Tramways Co. in London^{[citation needed]}. In 1912 Williams assumed a position as engineer and designer with the Trussed Concrete Company^{[citation needed]}. Seven years later, he started his own consulting firm, Williams Concrete Structures.^[1]

Appointed chief consulting civil engineer to the British Empire Exhibition (including the old Wembley Stadium) in 1923, he received a knighthood for his services in 1924. Through the exhibition, Williams came into an association with its architect, Maxwell Ayrton, which led to their working together on the design of Williams's bridges in Scotland.^[2]

Williams designed his buildings as functional structures sheathed with decorative facades. More an engineer than an architect, Williams produced a series of reinforced concrete buildings during the period between the wars. After World War II he worked on developing the first plan for Britain's motorway system.

In the 1940s the company expanded and became Sir Owen Williams and Partners.

His other works include the Dorchester Hotel, the Boots pharmaceutical factory in Beeston, Nottinghamshire, the Daily Express Buildings in London and Manchester, the M1 Motorway and the Pioneer Health Centre in Peckham, south London.

His nephew is quoted as saying "Just fancy Taid taking all that time over the trip to Barnet, when 60 years later his Grandson was head of Civil Engineering for the M1 ....."^{[citation needed]}

Notes

1. ^ Jones, R. Emlyn (2007). The Glanrhyd family, Pentreuchaf in Gwynedd Roots. Gwynedd Family History Scoiety. p. 17. 
2. ^ Ormrod Maxwell Ayrton at scottisharchitects.org.uk, accessed 4 February 2009

• Saint, Andrew (September 2004 online edition, January 2008). "‘Williams, Sir (Evan) Owen (1890–1969)’". Oxford Dictionary of National Biography. Oxford University Press. doi:10.1093/ref:odnb/51931. http://www.oxforddnb.com/view/article/51931. Retrieved 2008-07-24. 

Further reading

• Sir Owen Williams 1890-1969. The Architectural Association 1986

Persondata
Name	Williams, Owen
Alternative names
Short description
Date of birth	20 March 1890
Place of birth
Date of death	23 May 1969
Place of death