Identity area
Type of entity
Person
Authorized form of name
Birley, Studley Patrick, 1904-1962
Parallel form(s) of name
Standardized form(s) of name according to other rules
Other form(s) of name
Identifiers for corporate bodies
Description area
Dates of existence
1904-1962
History
Patrick Birley was born 17 March 1904 in Swinton, Lancashire. He earned a Bachelor of Arts in history in 1927 and a Master of Arts in Latin in 1929, both from Trinity College, University of Cambridge. In 1929 he married Patience Hilda Lloyd and the following year the Birleys immigrated to Canada, settling in Victoria. Patrick got a job teaching math at Brentwood College, but shortly thereafter began apprenticing as an architect, first with Spurgin and Johnson, and subsequently with John Graham Johnson alone. In 1936 he formed his own architectural practice. Significant projects from this period include the Sussex Hotel (1000 Douglas Street, 1937) and the Athlone Apartments (895 Academy Close, 1940). During World War II Birley served as an officer in the Royal Canadian Navy, working at Esquimalt in the Building Construction and Maintenance Division. While in the Navy he met John Howard Wade and following decommission the two men formed an architectural partnership, which Dexter Stockdill joined in March 1946. Birley left the firm in 1950 and later formed partnerships with Ian Simpson in 1955 and Donald Wagg in 1958. Patrick Birley died 29 July 1962 in Victoria at age 58.