The Anderson Houses
Alexander Ellis Anderson (1866–1935) was a Scottish architect whose distinctive domestic designs left a lasting mark on Northampton. A contemporary of Charles Rennie Mackintosh, Anderson contributed to the transformation of 78 Derngate before establishing his own remarkable architectural legacy across the town.
The Anderson Houses is an ongoing photographic and documentary project exploring Anderson's surviving work through original photography, painting, archival research and conversations with homeowners. Together, these create a growing record of an architect whose contribution deserves wider recognition.
Original leaded glass overlooking a neighbouring Anderson-designed house.
A Living Archive
Documenting Anderson's Houses
Every Anderson house tells a story that extends beyond its architecture. These buildings have been adapted, cared for and lived in across generations, preserving not only their original craftsmanship but also the lives that continue within them.
Through photography, research and conversations with homeowners, The Anderson Houses documents this continuing relationship between people and place, revealing how Anderson's work remains part of Northampton's everyday landscape more than a century after it was first conceived.
Exhibition
The Anderson Houses
Opening at 78 Derngate in February 2027, the exhibition will bring together photography, original paintings, historical research and personal testimony in the first exhibition dedicated to Alexander Ellis Anderson's domestic architecture.
Presented within the house transformed by Charles Rennie Mackintosh and shaped in part by Anderson himself, the exhibition will offer visitors a fresh perspective on an architect whose work continues to define Northampton's architectural heritage.
The Anderson Houses is an evolving documentary project. As new houses are photographed, researched and recorded, this archive will continue to grow.