Reginald Theodore Blomfield was born in Exeter, England, on 20 December 1856 and studied at Exeter College, Oxford. From 1880 to 1883 he was articled to his uncle, Sir Arthur William Blomfield (1829-1899) in London, during which time he also attended the Royal Academy Schools in London. After completing his articles, he worked as an assistant in his uncle’s practice. In 1884 he left to set up his own practice in London. He began his career as an architect with a number of modest commissions but went on to design several significant buildings influenced by the French classical style including the Wordsworth Building, Lady Margaret Hall, Oxford (1896), the Army and Navy Stores warehouse, London (1900) and Goldsmiths’ College, University of London (1907-08).