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- Ernest Berry Webber, FRIBA (29 April 1896 – 19 December 1963) was an English architect, surveyor and town planner best known for his designs of municipal buildings, including those in Southampton in Hampshire, and Dagenham and Hammersmith, both in London. Born in London, and after attending the London School of Building, Webber studied under Arthur Beresford Pite and then became articled to the architect Robert Atkinson. During the war years, Webber moved to the office of Vincent Harris, a prolific designer of public buildings. Webber's work for Harris involved entering the practice into architectural competitions by undertaking urban planning drafts and designs of municipal buildings. In 1925, aged 29, Webber won a competition to design a new art gallery and museum in Manchester, to be constructed on the site now occupied by Piccadilly Gardens. The plans never went ahead, but his designs impressed his peers. His first major municipal design was the Guildhall Civic Centre in Southampton, which was built over a ten-year period, starting in 1929. Other civic centres followed, including the Civic Centres at Dagenham (1936–37), and Hammersmith (1939–40). Together with his municipal structures, his designs total at around 50 buildings, including schools, offices, museums and libraries. Webber retired to Brighton in the 1950s where he died in 1963 aged 67. (en)
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