Rebuilding Scotland
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THE REBUILDING POSTWAR VISION SCOTLAND 1945-1975 EDITED BY MILES GLENDINNING The early postwar decades witnessed a national reconstruction drive of unpre• cedented vigour - a revolution in THE architecture and building, whose REBUILDING POSTWAR uncompromising Modern monuments still VISION dominate our towns and cities. This book, SCOTLAND 1945-1975 drawing on a recent pioneering series of national symposia and exhibitions staged by DOCOMOMO (Documentation and EDITED BY MILES GLENDINNING Conservation of the Modern Movement) and other key organisations, presents an introductory reassessment of thirty years of vigorous, but until recently misunderstood transformations of Scotland's built environment. Some of the papers evoke this era's sheer energy the vast quantity and scale of its building, and the passion which fuelled programmes such as housing 'crusades'. Some recall its constructional and technical daring. Others, by contrast, emphasise that architecture, as an art, flourished undiminished during those years of Modernity in design. This was a period of complexity and conflict, in its often tempestuous debates and ideas, and yet also (2]®_(§® ^mo.mo _ SCOTTISH NATIONAL GROUP Tuc KWELLPRESS EAST LINTON, SCOTLAND THE REBUILDING POSTWAR VISION SCOTLAND 1945-1975 -v. S C 0TLA i IV / REBUILDING SCOTLAND Previous pages: First published in 1997 by GLASGOW'S HOUSING CRUSADE Tuckwell Press Ltd Councillor David Gibson, the Corporation's Housing Committee The Mill House Convener, inspects the Scotstoun House multi-storey Phantassie development along with the Lord Provost, Dame Jean Roberts, East Linton during construction in 1963. [Outram] East Lothian EH40 3DG © The Editor and Contributors severally All rights reserved ISBN 0 898410 33 X The Editor and Publishers wish to acknowledge the support of: British Library Cataloguing-in-Publication Data A cataloguerecord for this book is available on request from the British Library Book design by Mark Blackadder Dr"A|-|/\/\ ROYALFINEART '^^''^ COMMISSION for SCOTLAND CONTENTS ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS vii NOTES ON CONTRIBUTORS ix PROLOGUE xi PART ONE 1945-75: AN ARCHITECTURAL INTRODUCTION Miles Glendinning 1 PART TWO PATRONAGE AND BUILDING 47 Introduction 47 Visions Revisited Conference, Introductory Addresses: Kirsty Wark, Hubert-fan Henket, David M Walker (VR) 4 7 Rebuilding Scotland: The Role of Government. J Dickson Mabon (VR) 50 The National Housing Drive. Ronnie Cramond (VR) 61 Rehousing the Capital: The Crusade against Edinbiu'gh's Slums. Pat Rogan (VR) 66 . The Glasgow Inner Ring Road: Past, Present and Future. fames P. McCafferty (VR) 75 PART THREE ARCHITECTS' ARCHITECTURE 85 Introduction 85 Cumbernauld New Town Centre in Retrospect. Geoffrey Copcutt (paper reprinted from May 1963 Architectural Design; and 1995 recollections). 89 'A Great Ship in Full Sail': Basil Spence and Hutchesontown 'C. Charles Robertson (VR) 92 Sam Bunton and the Cult of Mass Housing. Miles Glendinning (VR) 102 VI / REBUILDING SCOTLAND The Dysart Redevelopment: RobuildiiiH in '(lontoxf. Sir Anthony Wheeler (in conversation with Charles McKean] (MM) 110 The Censorship of Neglect: Morris & Stoodinan's Private Houses. David Page (VR) 115 Morris & Steedman and the 'Small Scottish House'. Robert Steedman (introduced by David Page) (MM) 121 The Architecture of Precision: The Royal Commonwealth Pool. John Richards (in conversation with Andy MacMillan) (MM) 125 Post-Coia Coia: The postwar work of Gillespie, Kidd & Coia. Mark Raines (VR) 129 A Giant Matrix: St Peter's Seminary, Cardross Isi Metzstein (in conversation with Mark Raines) (MM) 136 'A Warehouse for Books': Glasgow University Library. Sir William Whitfield (in conversation with Patrick Nuttgens) (MM) 140 Conference Discussion (VR) 144 PART FOUR SIXTY KEY MONUMENTS 153 BIBLIOGRAPHY 183 LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS 188 INDEX 189 MM: CdiilrHMilidiiN lo KI''A(:.S 'MIIKIH MociliiiK' miinliiiirN VK: CiiiiliHiiilliiiiH III DOCOMOMO .Si:<illiNh Cdiil'iirnncii MlUil ('VIHIOIIII KMVlalliiiri G E N E RTO: ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS The material in this book was compiled under the PICTURE ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS aegis of DOCOMOMO Scottish National Group. The editor would like to thank the other members of the Academy Publications: 3.1; Copcutt 1963 article group committee (at the time of preparation: Claudia Architects' Journal: 1.27, 1.32, 3.38 Boelling, Suzanne Ewing, Ranald Maclnnes, David Rowand Anderson Partnership: 1.61, 4.S3, 4.26, 4.27 Page, Sally Stewart, Paul Stirton, Diane M Waiters, Baxter, Clark & Paul: 1.59, 4.13 David Whitham) for help at various stages in this Boswell, Mitchell & Johnston: 1.71 process. The 'Visions Revisited' conference was main• L C H Bunton: 3.24 ly organised by Ranald Maclnnes and Paul Stirton, S Bunton Jnr: 3.26 and the 'Minds Meeting' seminars were organised by Mary Cosh: 1.15 Suzanne Ewing (with Charles Prosser of RFACS). Cumbernauld Development Corporation: 1.50, 1.51, 1.52, 2.1, 3.2-3.8, 4.45, 4.46 In addition to the help given by individual contribu• A Daniels: 2.13 tors in checking their own papers, the editor also Edinburgh District Council: 2.23 thanks those who read through the manuscript of Part Fife Regional Council: 1.44 One, including Isi Metzstein, James Morris and Robert GEO: 1.35, 4.65 Steedman, Aidan Matthew, John and Margaret Mrs S Gibson: 1.39, 2.7 Richards. Others who helped in the preparation of the Gillespie, Kidd & Coia: 1.53, 1.68, 2.12, 3.56, 3.57, book, in various ways, include: Kirsteen Borland, Alec 3.62-3.68, 4.7, 4.42, 4.48 Buchanan Campbell, Sam Bunton Junior, Ian Glasgow District Council: 1.40, 1.47, 2.10, 3.27-3.29, Campbell, Kate Comfort, Mrs Sadie Gibson, Andrew 4.51, 4.58 Gilmour, Sir Robert Grieve, Alison, Kitty and Sally Gordon & Dey: 1.7 Horsey, Juliet Kinchin, Derek Lyddon, Richard J Gray's School: 4.12 McCarron, Charles McKean, Aonghus Mackechnie, HLM Architects: 4.68 Stefan Muthesius, Miles Oglethorpe, Charles Prosser, Holmes Partnership: 4.49 Ron Simpson, Geoffrey Stell, Margaret Tierney, and Hurd Rolland: 1.14, 4.17 the staff of the National Monuments Record, the Hector Innes: 4.2 RCAHMS Photographic Department, and the Glasgow R McCarron: 4.70 City Archive (formerly Strathclyde Regional J Mackintosh: 1.46, 2.30, 4.36, 4.47 Archives). Matheson Gleave: 4.40 Aidan Matthew: 1.25, 1.28 B L C Moira: 4.39 Morris & Steedman: 3.39-3.45, 3.48, 4.16 VIII / REBUILDING SCOTLAND Outram: Front Cover, 1.38, 1.45, 1.75, 2.22 Planair: 3.9 RCAHMS: 1.6, 1.8, 1.9, 1.11, 1.17, 1.26, 1.34, 1.36, 1.37, 1.41, 1.49, 1.55-1.57, 1.62, 1.72-1.74, 2.8, 2.14, 2.18, 2.31, 3.10, 3.13, 3.17, 3.25, 3.30, 3.59-3.61, 3.71, 3.73, 3.76, 3.77, 4.4, 4.11, 4.21, 4.24, 4.32, 4.37, 4.38, 4.43, 4.50, 4.53, 4.55, 4.56, 4.66, 4.67 Koiach & Hall: 4.22, 4.34 RMJM: 1.29, 1.33, 1.54, 3.49-3.54, 4.5, 4.8, 4.25, 4.29^.31, 4.69 Pat Rogan: 2.19 Royal Incorporation of Architects in Scotland: 1.1, 1.10, 1.13, 1.18, 1.30. 1.31, 1.64, 1.65, 2.3, 3.11, 3.14, 3.15, 3.18, 3.19, 3.21-3.23, 3.55, 3.72, 3.75, 4.9, 4.15, 4.20, 4.28, 4.33, 4.35, 4.54, 4.71 The Scotsman: 2.5, 2.20, 2.21, 2.24, 3.20 Scottish National Portrait Gallery: 3.12 Scottish Office Environment Department: 1.5 Scottish Power: 4.41 Scottish Special Housing Association: 1.20, 2.6, 2.15 Scott Wilson Kirkpatrick: 2.26-2.29 St Andrews University: 4.10 Steathclyde Regional Archive: 1.21, 2.4, 4.52, 4.59, 4.60 D C Thomson: 1.43, 2.9, 2.17 UKAEA: 4.14 Warnett Kennedy: 1.19 Sir Anthony Wheeler: 1.22, 1.58, 1.60,1.67, 3.31-3.37, 4.6 Sir W Whitfield: 3.70 GF Wilson: 1.42 Wylie Shanks: 4.61, 4.62 Raymond Young: 1.69 CONTRIBUTORS MARK BAINES JAMES P. McCAFFERTY Architect, Lecturer in architectin-e and architectural Partner, Scott Wilson Kirkpatrick, Consulting history and year master at Mackintosh School of Engineers. Worked on motorway and other road Architecture. schemes in 1960s, including Glasgow Inner Ring Road. Subsequently involved in projects in Scotland, GEOFFREY COPCUTT England, Middle East, Hong Kong and Nigeria. Group Leader (Central Area), Cumbernauld Development Corporation Architects' Department, PROFESSOR CHARLES McKEAN late 1950s/early 1960s; subsequently worked in Professor of Architecture, Dundee University. Craigavon New Town (Ireland). Secretary, Royal Incorporation of Architects in Scotland, 1979-95; author of The Scottish Thirties, RONNIE CRAMOND and numerous RIAS Guides (as Series Editor). Senior Administrator (Principal, Assistant Secretary, .PROFESSOR ANDREW MacMILLAN Under Secretary) in the Department of Health for Professor of Architecture and Head of the Mackintosh Scotland/Scottish Development Department, School of Architectvire, Glasgow, 1973-1994. Former 1957-77. partner in Gillespie, Kidd & Coia, architects. MILES GLENDINNING PROFESSOR ISI METZSTEIN Head of Topographical and Threatened Buildings Formerly Forbes Professor of Architecture, University Surveys, RCAHMS. Committee member, DOCO• of Edinburgh; has also taught widely elsewhere, e.g. MOMO Scottish National Group. Honorary Fellow, at Mackintosh School, Architectural Association Department of Social Policy, University of Edinburgh. (London) and St Louis, Missouri. Former partner in Gillespie, Kidd & Coia, architects. PROFESSOR HUBERT-JAN HENKET Co-Founder of DOCOMOMO International, and PROFESSOR PATRICK NUTTGENS Chairman, Netherlands DOCOMOMO Working Party. Formerly Professor of Architecture, University of Architect, and Professor at Eindhoven University. York (since 1986, Hon. Professor) and Director of Leeds Polytechnic, 1969-86. RT. HON. DR. J. DICKSON MABON MP for Greenock, 1955-83. 1964-7: Joint DAVID PAGE Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Minister in Partner in Page and Park, architects; commentator on charge of the Scottish Development Department).