Basic Biographical Details Name: | John Lamont Coghill | Designation: | | Born: | 11 April 1912 | Died: | 28 February 2008 | Bio Notes: | John Lamont Coghill was born on 11 April 1912 in Tongue, Sutherland, where his maternal grandfather was minister, the son of Sinclair Coghill, cashier and his wife Lamont 'Tottie' Lundie. He was brought up in Dunrobin after his father became cashier to the Dunrobin estates and attended primary and secondary schools in Golspie. He articled to Horne & Murray of Golspie from 1930 to 1933. Thereafter he studied at the Aberdeen School of Architecture, receiving his diploma in 1936. In the latter year he acted as President of the Student Representative Council and was a delegate at the NASA conference in Newcastle. He then embarked on a post-diploma, during which he was admitted ARIBA on 8 March 1937, his proposers being R Leslie Rollo, Alexander George Robertson Mackenzie and John Gibb Marr. His nomination papers state that he had travelled in Scotland and England as far as Cambridge in 1934, and had worked in the office of Horne & Murray during the academic holidays in 1935 and in that of Jenkins & Marr during those of 1936.
Coghill served with the Royal Engineers in India during the Second World War and reached the rank of captain. On his return (and at least by 1950) he took a post in the Burgh Engineer's Department in Kirkcaldy, but would take up the post of Depute Chief Architect for Glenrothes Development Corporation shortly afterwards, in 1953. By 1972 he was Chief Architect. He retired in August 1977. He wrote to the RIAS in 1996 informing them that he had retired 'many years ago'.
In the 1960s at Glenrothes, Coghill, by then in his fifties, met and married Adelaide McGregor, the daughter of his secretary. The couple had two children.
Outwith his professional life Coghill had wide interests. He played football at school and was in the Boys Brigade. He was a keen golfer all his life and was a member of Ladybank and former captain of Glenrothes Golf Club. He was also a founder member of Glenrothes Art Club and a former toastmaster.
After his wife died of cancer in 1998, Coghill moved to Bedford to realise his long held ambition of serving the Panacea Society, a religious organisation which believed in latter day prophets and the second coming of Christ. He had first been attracted to the society whilst a student and later became the treasurer, a post he held until his death on 28 February 2008. He was survived by his son, daughter and gandchildren. | Private and Business AddressesThe following private or business addresses are associated with this : | | Address | Type | Date from | Date to | Notes | | Dunrobin, Golspie, Sutherland, Scotland | Private | 1937 * | | | | Burgh Engineer's Department, East Fergus Place, Kirkcaldy, Fife, Scotland | Business | 1950 * | | | | Hope Cottage/116, Woodside Way, Glenrothes, Fife, Scotland | Private | 1955 | 1960 | | | 1, Balbirnie Road, Glenrothes, Fife, Scotland | Private | 1965 * | | | | Glenrothes, Fife, Scotland | Business | 1972 | 1977 | | | 3, Alburne Park, Glenrothes, Fife, Scotland | Private | Early 1970s * | 1996 | |
* earliest date known from documented sources.
Employment and TrainingEmployers* earliest date known from documented sources.
RIBARIBA Proposers
ReferencesBibliographic ReferencesThe following books contain references to this : | | Author(s) | Date | Title | Part | Publisher | Notes | | Glendinning, M, MacInnes, R and MacKechnie, A | 1996 | A History of Scottish Architecture | | | p570 | | RIBA | 1950 | The RIBA Kalendar 1950-1951 | | London: Royal Institute of British Architects | |
Periodical ReferencesThe following periodicals contain references to this : | | Periodical Name | Date | Edition | Publisher | Notes | | Builder | 6 February 1953 | | | p256 | | Glasgow Herald | 31 March 2008 | | | Obituary | | Scotsman | 7 March 2008 | | | Obituary |
Archive ReferencesThe following archives hold material relating to this : | | Source | Archive Name | Source Catalogue No. | Notes | | RIBA Archive, Victoria & Albert Museum | RIBA Nomination Papers | | A no6314 (combined box 132) | | School of Architecture, Garthdee, Aberdeen, RGIT: former pupils, 1937-1970 | Galletly, James | | |
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