Basic Biographical Details Name: | Leslie Hugh Wilson (known as Hugh Wilson) | Designation: | | Born: | 1 May 1913 | Died: | 22 July 1985 | Bio Notes: | Leslie Hugh Wilson (later Sir Hugh) was born on 1 May 1913. He studied architecture at the London Polytechnic School of Architecture from January 1930 attending day classes for three years and evening classes for a further three. From May 1933 he was articled to H Shepherd Thomson and from September 1935 he was assistant to Louis Blanc. He sat the qualifying exam in July of that year and was admitted ARIBA on 2 December, proposed by Joseph Addison, H A Douglas and Edwin Roberts.
In 1945 Wilson became City Architect and Planning Officer of Canterbury. He designed a number of public buildings, including the Hanray School, and was responsible for the development plan for the town and the redevelopment plan for the central area.
In 1956 he moved to become chief architect and planning officer for Cumbernauld New Town, a position he held until 1962. There he drew up the master plan and was responsible for a range of buildings including housing, factories and shops. Wilson was admitted FRIAS in early 1957 and FRIBA on 4 October 1960, proposed by Professor Sir William Holford, E Maxwell Fry and Edward D Mills. Wilson was awarded an OBE sometime before 1960 and was later knighted.
He attended the International Union of Architects Congress Havana in 1963.
He was chair of the Commonwealth Board of Architectural Education when it was first established, in 1966.
In 1962 he established an independent practice in Cumbernauld. In 1964 he was joined in partnership by Lewis Womersley, the practice name becoming Hugh Wilson & Lewis Womersley. Further offices were opened in London and Manchester that year as well as an office in Cumbernauld town centre. In 1970 Bill Armstrong and Eric Browning were assumed into partnership, with Ken Shone and Stuart Mackie joining in 1976 and Geoff Taplin and Malcolm Cundick joining in 1986. From 1976 there were offices in Perth and from 1985 an office in Edinburgh. In 1989 the practice was divided into Wilson Womersley Associates in Scotland and Wilson & Womersley in England but they were immediately sold to D Y Davis plc.
Meanwhile, Wilson had acted as consultant for the setting up of the new Department of the Environment, into which the Ministry of Public Buildings and Works was absorbed in 1970.
Wilson died on 22 July 1985. | Private and Business AddressesThe following private or business addresses are associated with this : | | Address | Type | Date from | Date to | Notes | | Cumbernauld House, Cumbernauld, Scotland | Business | 1957 | | temporary headquarters for CDC architectural staff beginning sometime in 1957 (July?) per Builder 5 July 1957, p44 | | Cumbernauld Development Corporation, Mitchell Street, Glasgow, Scotland | Business | 5 July 1957 | | 'located for the past year at Mitchell Street...but with this development, the architectural staff under the Chief Architect, Mr. L. Hugh Wilson, OBE, ARIBA, has been transferred to temporary headquarters at Cumbernauld House.' per Builder p44 | | Bellfield, Dallatur, Glasgow, Scotland | Private | c. 1960 | | | | 6-24, Centre South, Cumbernauld, Dunbartonshire, Scotland | Business | 1970 * | | |
* earliest date known from documented sources.
Employment and TrainingEmployers
RIBARIBA Proposers
Buildings and Designs
ReferencesBibliographic ReferencesThe following books contain references to this : | | Author(s) | Date | Title | Part | Publisher | Notes | | Bailey, Rebecca M | 1996 | Scottish architects' papers: a source book | | Edinburgh: The Rutland Press | p110 | | Glendinning, Miles | 1997 | Rebuilding Scotland: The Postwar Vision, 1945-75 | | Tuckwell Press Ltd | p30-1 Cumbernauld Town Centre p34 Display panel for Seafar I p84-5 Aerial of model of Town Centre p86-92 p170-1 Cumbernauld Original Housing Areas p172 Cumbernauld Town Centre Phase I | | Glendinning, Miles | 2008 | Modern architect: the life and times of Robert Matthew | | RIBA Publishing | p370,384 | | Glendinning, Miles and Muthesius, Stefan | 1994 | Tower Block: Modern Public Housing in England, Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland | | Yale University Press: New Haven and London | p239 Cumbernauld Town Centre Phase 1 | | Miles Glendinning, Diane Watters, David Whitham | | Docomomo Scotland Leaflet | | | p229 image of Seafar 2 p230 Cumbernauld Town Centre |
Periodical ReferencesThe following periodicals contain references to this : | | Periodical Name | Date | Edition | Publisher | Notes | | Builder | 5 July 1957 | | | p44 | | Builder | 22 May 1959 | | | mentioned in 'Notes of the Week / Cumbernauld New Town' p912 | | Builder | 5 August 1960 | | | Wilson to be visiting lecturer in new diploma course, per 'Civic Design: A New Diploma Course at Edinburgh' p.228 | | Builder | 3 July 1964 | | | p3 |
Archive ReferencesThe following archives hold material relating to this : | | Source | Archive Name | Source Catalogue No. | Notes | | Courtesy of Roy Hunter | Interview of Roy Hunter by Jessica Taylor, 18 November 2009 | | Information on Wilson's involvement in setting up the Department of the Environment | | RIAS, Rutland Square | Records of membership | | | | RIBA Archive, Victoria & Albert Museum | RIBA Nomination Papers | | A 5902 F 5467 (Combined Box 81) |
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