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THOMAS GEOFFRY LUCAS.
BY the death at Wahner on October 3rd, 1947 of Lucas at the age of
75 the Society has lost an interesting personahty. As a FeUow of the
Royal Institute of British Architects and as a member of the firm of
Lanchester, Lucas and Lodge he did much work in Hertfordshire,
and especiaUy about bis home town of Hitchin. His work as a partner
from 1919 included Leeds University, St. Bartholomew's Hospital,
Beckenham Town HaU, various housing schemes, and buUdings in
India. A church at Hubh, Bombay was one of the firm's commissions
and Lucas was closely connected with its design. A rather unsympathetic
obituary of him and his work at this period and earher
appeared in the R.I.B.A. Journal for November 1947.
Although weU versed in domestic work Lucas' main bent was
towards ecclesiastical architecture and in his later years this veered
towards the antiquarian side. This gained him admission to the
Society of Antiquaries. An enthusiasm for the development of
church plans graduaUy led him to consider that in aU there was an
underlying basis of squares which held throughout. At the A.G.M.
in 1935 Lucas lectured on " The Plan-Design of the Earhest Kentish
and some other Enghsh Churches ", and put forward his theory with
drawings shown on the epidiascope. Canon Livett, who spoke, said
" he regarded the subject as a difficult one, even to those who had
paid special attention to the matter ". Up to the last, Lucas continued
his measurements of churches to prove his theory and the writer had
long discussions with him on these squares and on the growth of
church plans, and suggested on several occasions that he ought to put
together his conclusions which with illustrations should be submitted
to some society, but this unfortunately he never did. Many drawings
and tracings are at present in the hands of the writer. These
eventuaUy should have a permanent habitation.
W.P.D.S.
