Rawlinson, Joseph

Sir Joseph Rawlinson (1897-1971) was a British Engineer and Surveyor. He was appointed City Engineer and Surveyor for the City of Westminster in 1936. It was largely due to his foresight that the basements of many buildings were available as public air raid shelters during the Blitz, and he was responsible for organising repairs to bomb-damaged road and sewers which enabled essential services to be maintained after enemy action. He was also responsible for constructing ‘trench’ shelters in the Royal Parks and elsewhere. He drew up Westminster's post-war redevelopment plan in 1946, which included a number of radical road and underground proposals, although few of these appear to have been implemented. In 1947 he was appointed Chief Engineer and Surveyor to the London County Council, a position he held until his retirement in 1962.