Robert Jewell Withers

Robert Jewell Withers was born on 2 February 1824 in Shepton Mallet, Somerset, England.

[1] He was articled in 1839 to Thomas Hellyer (1811–1894) in Ryde on the Isle of Wight, who specialised in church work.

In 1844 he made a tour of England and the Continent, then returned to Sherborne where he set up practice in 1848.

He became an Associate of the Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA) in 1849 and moved to London the following year.

He opened an office in 1854 and, except for 1855 to 1859 when he was based on Doughty Street in Holborn, worked out of premises in the Adelphi, the Adam Brothers' development just off the Strand.