WHIDDINGTON, William Arthur (1881-1954), brother of Henry M. Whiddington, and active in Alberta with him from 1907 until 1920 (see list of works under H.M. & W.A. Whiddington). William was born in Islington, London, England in 1881 and likely trained under his father William Whiddington (1849-1934), an architect in London, before emigrating to Canada in 1906. He registered as a member of the Alberta Association of Architects on 5 December 1906, and shortly after formed a partnership with his older brother in Edmonton. By 1910 both had moved their office to Lethbridge, and continued to practise there until early 1912 when William moved to Swift Current, Saskatchewan, nearly 380 km. east of Lethbridge. After applying for membership in the Saskatchewan Association of Architects on 5 March 1912, he opened a branch office of their architectural firm there, while his brother Henry remained in Lethbridge. The works in Saskatchewan listed below were likely designed by William A., not Henry M. Whiddington. In July 1920 W.A Whiddington moved to Kelowna, B.C. and continued to practice there (Vernon News, 1 July 1920, 9). For unknown reasons William A. left Canada in 1926 and returned to England. He died at Chester, England on 12 June 1954 (biographical profile in the Swift Current Sun, 12 Dec. 1913, 3, illus.; inf. Barry Elmer, Calgary; inf. Brenda Phipps, Bishop's Stortford, England)
(works in Swift Current, Sask.)
unnamed street, residence for W. Oswald Smyth, 1912 (Swift Current Sun, 19 April 1912, 8, t..c.)
METROPOLITAN METHODIST CHURCH, 2nd Avenue, 1912; burned December 1946 (Swift Current Sun, 19 April 1912, 8, t..c.; A Story of First United Church, Swift Current, 1975, 13, 36, illus.)
unnamed street, theatre for W.W. Cooper, 1912 (C.R., 14 Aug. 1912, 68)
FIRE HALL, 1912 (Swift Current Sun, 31 May 1912, 2; and 12 Dec. 1913, 3, illus.)
OMAN SCHOOL, in South Swift Current, located “south of the CPR tracks”, 1912-13; demol. (Swift Current Sun, 4 Oct. 1912, 1; and 12 Dec. 1913, 3, list of works).