Ayrton began his career in 1890 as an articled
apprentice to
Harry Beswick of
Chester, remaining with him until 1897. He then moved to London, where from 1897 to 1899 he was an assistant first to Richard Creed, then to William Alfred Pite, and finally to
Edwin Landseer Lutyens. During these years he studied at the
South Kensington Schools of the
Royal College of Art. He passed the
Royal Institute of British Architects qualifying examination and was admitted an Associate on 30 November 1903, having been proposed by Pite,
John William Simpson and
Lacy William Ridge. Ayrton was in practice on his own from 1899, and in 1903 was at 14,
Belsize Park Gardens, London. One of his early buildings was a house called Hall Ingle, at Heath End,
Checkendon (1902), "...by Mr. O. Maxwell Ayrton, for, and decorated by,
Arthur Hacker, Esq.,
ARA". Hacker painted Ayrton's wife and exhibited the portrait at the
Royal Academy in 1902. In 1905, Ayrton joined John William Simpson's practice, and from then on he carried out most of the firm's design work. He became a partner in the firm in 1910 and was elected a
Fellow of the Royal Institute of British Architects in 1920, having been proposed by his old master Lutyens and by Sir
Aston Webb, who at the time was President of the
Royal Academy. Simpson's practice included much work for schools, and Ayrton was the architect of a new
chapel for
Gresham's School,
Holt, constructed in
knapped flint and
limestone (
flushwork), with two angle turrets and an
embattled parapet, between 1912 and 1916, which is now a
listed building. main building at
Mill Hill Ayrton's most notable public building from his years with Simpson was the old
Wembley Stadium, a simple structure in
reinforced concrete which they designed together, built between 1921 and 1923 for the
British Empire Exhibition at
Wembley Park of 1924 to 1925. It had echoes of the
Olympic stadium of 1908 at
White City. Ayrton's
National Institute for Medical Research at
Mill Hill, London, is an imposing copper-roofed building. Although construction began in 1937, it was delayed by the
Second World War, and the
opening ceremony in the presence of
King George VI and
Queen Elizabeth did not take place until 5 May 1950. Ayrton was still in practice when he died in 1960 at the age of eighty-five. The
Journal of the Royal Institute of British Architects reported that "Mr R. Courtenay Theobald, following the death of his partner Mr Maxwell Ayrton in February 1960, will practise under his own name from 9
Church Row, Hampstead, London NW3 and 21A
Heath Street, NW3." ==Family==