Scotland: Building for the Future Scotland: Building for the Future In post-war Scotland there was a belief among key decision-makers that the world could be made better by design. New homes, schools and churches – even entire new towns – could be planned, designed and built for the benefit of all. Modernism in architecture and design were closely linked with this widespread faith in reconstruction. Architects and architecture were at the centre of this national effort, as they had been for at least 250 years. Scotland had specialised in new towns and a ‘rational’ approach to development and improvement, and there is a strong echo of the work of Robert Adam and Edinburgh New Town in the ‘age of improvement’ of the post-war period. Scotland: Building for the Future Essays on the architecture of the post-war era ISBN 978-1-84917-014-7 HISTORIC SCOTLAND FRONT COVER Hutchesontown B, Gorbals, perspective sketch of second development area, Robert Matthew Johnson-Marshall and Partners, 1958. © RMJM BACK COVER The Scottish Poetry Library, Edinburgh, Malcolm Fraser, 1999. © Malcolm Cooper H1.575 The House 3/09 Produced from sustainable material Scotland: Building for the Future Scotland: Building for the Future Essays on the architecture of the post-war era HISTORIC SCOTLAND iv | SCOTLAND: BUILDING FOR THE FUTURE Acknowledgments The text for this book was prepared by Malcolm Cooper, Ranald MacInnes, Deborah Mays, Dawn McDowell and Miles Oglethorpe with research assistance from Rohan Banyard, David Fleetwood, Pauline Megson, Laurence Parkerson, Dara Parsons, Joan Richardson, and Norma Smith. Illustrations were researched by Rohan Banyard and David Fleetwood, with the assistance of Michelle Andersson. Further assistance for illustrations found in Chapter 4, Industry and Infrastructure was provided by Derek Smart (RCAHMS). Original photography was taken by Mike Brooks, David Henrie, and (on behalf of The House) Sam Sills. Copy and style editing was by Abigail Grater. We gratefully acknowledge comments received from our peer reviewers. Illustrations Illustrations unless otherwise stated are supplied by Historic Scotland (www.historicscotlandimages.gov.uk) and are covered by © Crown Copyright. Glossary A glossary of building and architectural terms is included in Scotland’s Listed Buildings: What Listing Means to Owners and Occupiers (2009). SCOTLAND: BUILDING FOR THE FUTURE | v Contents Preface vii Introduction 1 1.0 Civic and Commercial 9 2.0 Housing and Health 19 3.0 Education 33 4.0 Industry and Infrastructure 45 5.0 Places of Worship 61 6.0 Leisure 71 7.0 Architects 83 8.0 Protecting our Modern Heritage 97 End Note 104 Bibliography 106 Historic Scotland 108 SCOTLAND: BUILDING FOR THE FUTURE | vii Scotland: Building for the Future By its nature this publication Preface is a short introduction to the post-war is a high level overview, identifying architecture of Scotland. It seeks to only some of the excellent buildings outline the principles which underlay the thrown up in these years, illustrating thinking of the time and to capture the exemplars of their type rather than flavour of the period. The decades after attempting to provide a detailed study. 1945 were heralded by Reiach and It does not attempt to touch upon the Hurd’s Building Scotland from 1941 architecture of defence which will be and just as they were looking forward, the subject of a separate monograph. this book follows the first celebration, The purpose of this book is Peter Willis’s New Architecture in to continue the debate about the Scotland 1977, in looking back. protection of Scotland’s significant There is currently debate about post-war buildings. We believe they which buildings from these years are an important part of our heritage. should be protected. As the decades The popularity of recent exhibitions roll into the new millennium fresh on Gillespie Kidd and Coia and Basil research and a greater perspective Spence and publications on the period can inform our appreciation. This book indicate, together with the number of helps to broaden awareness. There online hits taken from the Dictionary are currently less than two hundred of Scottish Architects for the period buildings erected after the Second 1940–80, that there is a growing World War which have been listed for interest, and we hope this contribution their special architectural or historic is therefore timely. interest. Some fine examples across the country have already been demolished and many more are under threat of unthinking change. There is demand Malcolm Cooper for a responsible assessment and Chief Inspector protection of the most significant. Historic Scotland viii | SCOTLAND: BUILDING FOR THE FUTURE Introduction In post-war Scotland there was a the post-war period. Nineteenth- belief among key decision-makers century reconstruction in Scotland that the world could be made had often been carried out on an better by design. New homes, industrial scale. In the 1860s, schools and churches – even the brand new carriageway of entire new towns – could be Cockburn Street in Edinburgh planned, designed and built for burst through the historic city the benefit of all. Modernism in to link Waverley Station and the architecture and design were High Street with an enormous closely linked with this widespread mixed development of flats, faith in reconstruction. Architects shops, hotels and commercial and architecture were at the enterprises. Later, in Glasgow, the centre of this national effort, as City Improvement Trust replaced they had been for at least 250 most of the medieval centre years. Scotland had specialised with residential and commercial in new towns and a ‘rational’ development based on nothing approach to development and less that the contemporary model improvement, and there is a of Haussmann’s Paris. A hundred strong echo of the work of Robert years later, architects were Adam and Edinburgh New Town again at the centre of post-war in the ‘age of improvement’ of reconstruction. 2 | SCOTLAND: BUILDING FOR THE FUTURE Introduction n the 1960s and 1970s, employed by the public sector, and this comprehensive development was figure rose to 68% by the mid-1970s. Inot new, but the massive scale, The chapter also demonstrates the the pace of change and the ambition wealth of architectural talent that was were. This book looks particularly at available to Scotland – and the world. architecture in this period, mostly Many of our architects, including Robert connected in some way with the Matthew and Basil Spence, ‘exported’ bigger picture of reconstruction, but their home-grown skills internationally sometimes conceived as a standalone with great success. Other architects ‘artistic’ project. At the heart of all the were more focused on specific areas effort of reconstruction was teamwork. of work in Scotland; and some of Nowadays, we tend to see architects these – such as Isi Metzstein and Andy as talented individuals, in charge of the MacMillan, the principals of Gillespie whole creative process of designing Kidd and Coia in the later years – have and building; but the post-war period achieved international recognition. was a time when specialists of all sorts The pattern of patronage had – including engineers, town planners, changed. While there were a number economists, architects and even of important institutional and private sociologists – would work together commissions in the post-war period, PREVIOUS PAGE towards a shared vision. Clients also the patronage of the state and the Tenements at 202 Miln’s Close, Overgate, shared that vision and their enlightened local authorities was central to Dundee, seen in 1920 prior to demolition. © National Museums of Scotland. Licensor www. approach often helped to create the the shaping of Scotland’s modern scran.ac.uk architectural legacy which is all around heritage. By and large, in the modern us today. period, the public authorities wanted General view of Cumbernauld, 1962. © The Scotsman Publications Ltd. Licensor www. In general, as our ‘Architects’ ‘Modern’ architecture, and that meant scran.ac.uk chapter shows, the move at this time that the pre-war vision of European was towards a ‘corporatist’ approach architects such as Le Corbusier and Edinburgh, George Square, David Hume to architecture, away from an older Mies van der Rohe. This vision chimed Tower, recently erected with podium under construction, 1963. © The University of pattern of private practice. By the easily with the Scottish-American Edinburgh. Licensor www.scran.ac.uk late 1960s half of the profession was monumental modernism of the 1938 INTRODUCTION | 3 Empire Exhibition in Glasgow. The to the vision of a new and prosperous Perspective drawing scope of this patronage in civic and Scotland. The ‘white heat’ of industry by Alexander Duncan Bell of a pedestrian commercial architecture produced was at first to be generated mostly by underpass. Taken some astonishing results, from the coal. The government invested hugely from ‘Report on a United Nations-inspired Lanark County in that industry, with some confident Highway Plan for Buildings (1959–64) to Skinner architectural expressions emerging Glasgow’, 1965. © Glasgow City Lubetkin and Bailey’s headquarters from the new sinkings at Rothes, Council/Scott Wilson for the Scottish Ambulance Service in Killoch, Bilston Glen and Monktonhall. Kirkpatrick Glasgow (1966–70). Power stations also provided prominent Post-war industry and icons for the new Scotland. The new infrastructure was, of course, central hydroelectric dams, pipelines and 4 | SCOTLAND: BUILDING FOR THE FUTURE generating stations also became and Timex (1947), both at Dundee. worship shows, is a rich legacy, from modern monuments of wonder for Paradoxically these two designs the conservative and traditional Robin the public. However, the best-known seemed to take us considerably Chapel (1949) to the uncompromisingly scheme was the most remote and forward architecturally from buildings modern St Gabriel’s R C Church, unvisited. This was Dounreay Nuclear like the fundamentally neoclassical Prestonpans (1965). Establishment, whose golf-ball profile Wills Tobacco Factory in Glasgow School buildings were also given could be identified by any post-war Scot.