Adshead was considered to be one of the
founding fathers of the profession of town planning and he wrote a number of
standard texts including Town Planning
and Town Development (1923) and A New
England: Planning for the Future (1941). He came to Liverpool in 1909 to
fill the newly created chair of civic design at Liverpool University, the offer
having come from his one-time colleague C.H. Reilly, professor of architecture.
He remained in the post until 1914 when he moved to a similar post at
University College London. Besides designing a number of housing projects
around England Adshead visited Northern Rhodesia in 1930 in connection with the
establishment and planning of the capital, Lusaka. His daughter, Mary, was a
noted artist.
One of his smallest design items was the small metal box which was given to British service men in France at Christmas 1914 containing chocolates and cigarettes. When the Liverpool Repertory Company embarked upon the re-design of the Star Theatre to became The Playhouse, Adshead was given the commission for designing the auditorium and downstairs foyer.
His home in Liverpool was at 67 Hope Street L1.
