Obituary: The Observer, August 16th, 1902

Mr. George Truefitt passed away on Monday last at the Old House, after an illness of six months in his 79th year.

Up to the last ten years he practised as an architect in London, he was a pupil at the age of 15 of the elder Cottingham. He was articled for five years, and then had an appointment at once with the late Sancton Wood, and afterwards with Eginton of Worcester.

He then went with his friend, Calvert Vaux [also apprenticed to Lewis Nockalls Cottingham] on a walking tour through France and Germany, taking between 400 and 500 sketches.

On his return, although very young, he competed for the Army and Navy Club in Pall Mall, a most successful competition for him as his design brought one of his best friends and clients in Mr. (afterwards Sir) William Cunliffe-Brooks M.P. [Member of Parliament, here & here], for whom he worked till Sir William died.

Mr. Truefitt has erected buildings in 25 different counties. He has put up 16 churches and chapels, including: St. George's Tufnell Park; St. George's Worthing, St. John's Bromley, Kent; Davyhulme Church Cheshire; Blakemere, Herefordshire; etc.; and restored 10 churches.

He has erected 8 rectory houses; 7 schools, 13 banks in London, Manchester, Altringham, Blackburn, etc.; 7 large halls and church rooms; 170 houses and mansions, including a large house at Antibes, in the South of France, 20 various buildings; 44 cottages and lodges.

Amongst his works he has laid out large sums of money in the forest of Glen Tana, Aberdeenshire, for Sir William Brooks, in architectural buildings, and he has done extensive restorations and additions to Aboyne Castle (also in Aberdeenshire, the residence of the Marquis of Huntly).

He was architect to the Tufnell estate for over 25 years. Mr Truefitt has been a hard worker, he himself having made the whole of the designs, drawings, working drawings, specifications, and perspective, coloured or in pen and ink. Competitions have therefore been easy with his, as they never cost his anything but his own time, and he reckons that of all the work he has done, about threefourths of it has been the result of competition Ð a good hint to young men.

Mr. Truefitt gave up gave up practice about 10 years ago, and has since been residing at his picturesque home at Worthing, filled with curiosities which he began to collect when he was first a pupil. His favourite amusement was sketching both in pen and ink and water colour, and this he continued to the very last.