Alwyn Sheppard Fidler

Alwyn Gwilym Sheppard Fidler was born in Holywell, Flintshire on 8 May 1909. His father, William Ernest Fidler was a schoolteacher and his mother was Phoebe Maud, née Williams. He attended Holywell grammar school as a child. In 1927 he studied architecture under Charles Reilly and Patrick Abercrombie at the University of Liverpool.[1]

Fidler married Margaret Isabella Kidner on 1 January 1936 at St Bride’s Parish Church, Liverpool. They had a son together. Fidler was appointed a Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) in 1963. He died on 4 January 1990 of a cardiovascular disease.[1]

By 1937, Fidler had become chief architect to the Land Settlement Association, supported by the Carnegie Trust, designed to resettle the workers who had become unemployed when industry had taken a downturn. The following year he moved to be chief architect for Barclay's Bank.[1]

After the outbreak of World War II, Fidler joined Ministry of Home Security, where he served as a senior technical intelligence officer. He remained with the ministry until 1946. After leaving he became the chief architect for Crawley New Town.[1]

In 1952, Fidler became the first City Architect of Birmingham, where he remained until 1964. He then set up his own practice, where he remained until 1974.[1]

• Gold, John R. The practice of modernism: modern architects and urban transformation, 1954–1972. Routledge, (2007). p. 1958
• Campbell, Louise. "A Call to Order: The Rome Prize and Early Twentieth-Century British Architecture." Architectural History 32 (1989): 131-151.