Basic Biographical Details

Name: Ian David Burke
Designation:  
Born: 5 September 1915
Died: 8 January 1999
Bio Notes: Ian David Burke (‘Burkie’) was born in Manchester on 5 September 1919. His mother Marybell Paton came from a family of Glasgow indigo dyers who had moved to Manchester. He was educated at Manchester Grammar School. From 1933 to 1938 to took the degree course in architecture at Manchester University, graduating BA and subsequently obtaining a diploma in town planning. From 1938-39 he held a graduate research scholarship at Manchester. He was elected ARIBA in 1940, his proposers being Professor R A Cordingley and two others (illegible signatures). He then worked for his father’s firm, Harry Burke & Son, engineers and architects, who were early practitioners of reinforced concrete.

At the outbreak of the Second World War he was posted by the Admiralty to Dundee where he managed the naval ship-building programme. After the end of hostilities he was appointed a lecturer at Dundee Art College and in 1949 assisted the author Gordon Payne with and wrote the foreword to the pioneering Tay Valley Plan. In 1952 he established his own practice. He was elected FRIAS in early 1958.

Hugh Martin soon joined Ian Burke in partnership. Martin had also worked on the Tay Valley Plan and was a fellow lecturer at Dundee. The practice soon expanded to become Ian Burke Hugh Martin & Partners and branch offices were opened in Edinburgh Glasgow and London. Their first major city-centre redevelopment was The Overgate in Dundee. From this point onwards until the practice split in 1969, it dominated the Scottish property development scene. Every project conceived by Burke was done so with two important considerations: maximisation of easy movement of people and traffic and flexibility for later adaptation and expansion by a process of organic evolution. Erskine House in Queen Street, Edinburgh was the first speculative modern office development in the centre of the city was considered successful while the St James Centre, though it was heavily criticised, did undergo a series of expansions and improvements.

Outwith his professional life Burke was an expert on Scottish painters such as Joan Eardley and Elizabeth Blackadder. He restored Dalnaglar Castle in Glenshee which was his home for 40 years. He also developed properties in Deja, Majorca which he was very fond of. He enjoyed sport and was a member of the Royal Tay Yacht Club, the Panmure Rugby Club and the Broughty Ferry Games Club.

As a person Burke was indifferent to fame and fashion. He was known for two phrases which he uttered in critical situations ‘we’re going through an interesting transitional phase’ and ‘it’s time to move on’.

He died on 8 January 1999 at Blairgowrie, aged 83. He was survived by his second wife Maggi, two sons of his first marriage in 1941 to Margaret Wilson, five grandchildren and one great-grandchild.

Private and Business Addresses

The following private or business addresses are associated with this :
 AddressTypeDate fromDate toNotes
Item 1 of 6Dalnaglar Castle, Glenshee, Perthshire, ScotlandPrivate   
Item 2 of 6Green Lane, Princes Street, Manchester, EnglandBusiness1940 *  
Item 3 of 69, Parkwood Road, Northenden, Manchester, EnglandPrivate1940 *  
Item 4 of 6Dunira, Oakley Place, Broughty Ferry, Dundee, ScotlandPrivate1950 *  
Item 5 of 611, South Street, DundeeBusinessNovember 1957(?) per Builder 31 January 1958 p214
Item 6 of 621, Ainslie Place, Edinburgh, ScotlandBusiness1970  

* earliest date known from documented sources.

Employment and Training

Employers

The following individuals or organisations employed or trained this (click on an item to view details):
 NameDate fromDate toPositionNotes
Item 1 of 4Gordon Payne1947 Assistant 
Item 2 of 4Burke Martin Partnership (or Ian Burke, Hugh Martin & Partners)19581969Partner 
Item 3 of 4Ian Burke & Partners1970s Partner 
Item 4 of 4Ian Burke AssociatesBefore 1972 Partner 

RIBA

RIBA Proposers

The following individuals proposed this for RIBA membership (click on an item to view details):
 NameDate proposedNotes
Item 1 of 1R A Cordingley9 January 1940For Associateship

Buildings and Designs

This was involved with the following buildings or structures from the date specified (click on an item to view details):
 Date startedBuilding nameTown, district or villageIslandCity or countyCountryNotes
Item 1 of 481947Tay Valley Plan   ScotlandWorked on the Tay Valley plan as assistant to Gordon Payne.
Item 2 of 4831 May 1957Paisley Technical SchoolPaisley RenfrewshireScotlandone of the commended designs - scheme 43 - from the 1957 competition per Builder p998
Item 3 of 48November 1957(?)Leith Fort HousingLeith EdinburghScotlandspecial mention, per Builder 31 January 1958 p214
Item 4 of 4821 August 1959Overgate redevelopment  DundeeScotlandarchitect for third scheme under Murrayfield Real Estate Co. Ltd. of Edinburgh and London per Builder p84
Item 5 of 481961Overgate redevelopment  DundeeScotland 
Item 6 of 483 February 1961Belville Street/St Lawrence Street Area Redevelopment PlanGreenock RenfrewshireScotlandp243
Item 7 of 481962Arran MallAyr AyrshireScotland 
Item 8 of 481962University of Dundee, Union Building  DundeeScotland 
Item 9 of 48196343-51 High Street Falkirk West LothianScotland 
Item 10 of 481963Belville Street HousingGreenock RenfrewshireScotland 
Item 11 of 481963Building for YMCA with shops below  AberdeenScotland 
Item 12 of 481963Development with shops, Bridge StreetInverness Inverness-shireScotland 
Item 13 of 481963Showroom for SMT  DundeeScotlandMay not have been involved in this job. Hugh Martin later claimed it as his.
Item 14 of 481964Erskine House  EdinburghScotland 
Item 15 of 481964St James Centre and Government Offices  EdinburghScotlandCompleted by Hugh Martin after practice split in 1969
Item 16 of 481965Kirkgate HouseLeith EdinburghScotland 
Item 17 of 481965Netherkirkgate Shopping CentreLeith EdinburghScotland 
Item 18 of 481965Scotrail House  GlasgowScotland 
Item 19 of 48April 1965Four tower blocks, Maxwelltown CDAHilltown DundeeScotland 
Item 20 of 481967Motherwell Town Centre redevelopment, including Brandon TowerMotherwell LanarkshireScotland 
Item 21 of 481968Greenock Town CentreGreenock RenfrewshireScotlandRedevelopment
Item 22 of 481969Multi-storey housing, Upper Denburn CDA I  AberdeenScotland 
Item 23 of 481969Shops, 118-136 Rose Street  EdinburghScotland 
Item 24 of 481970125 Princes Street  EdinburghScotland 
Item 25 of 481970The Sauchiehall Centre  GlasgowScotland 
Item 26 of 481971107 Princes Street  EdinburghScotland 
Item 27 of 48197230 and 31 Queen Street  EdinburghScotlandInteriors removed and doorpiece of no 31 restored
Item 28 of 481972Professional & Civil Service Supply Association  EdinburghScotlandExterior restored to Burnet's original design
Item 29 of 481972Shops, 107-109 Rose Street  EdinburghScotland 
Item 30 of 481972Wedderburn Building  DundeeScotland 
Item 31 of 481973Multi-storey housing, Hutcheon St (blocks 2 and 3)  AberdeenScotland 
Item 32 of 481973Telecommunications Centre  DundeeScotland 
Item 33 of 481975Museum and office complex for British Inland WaterwaysMaryhill GlasgowScotland 
Item 34 of 481975Shopping complex  GlasgowScotland 
Item 35 of 481975Town Centre project for Rank City Wall  AberdeenScotland 
Item 36 of 48Before 1975Dragonara Hotel  EdinburghScotlandListed as one of Burke's jobs in RIBA Directory 1975 as 'Hotel & housing at Belford Road for International Caledonian Assets'
Item 37 of 48Before 1975Hotel (and housing?), Braehead  EdinburghScotland 
Item 38 of 48Before 1975Offices, George Street  EdinburghScotland 
Item 39 of 48Before 1975Offices, Queen Street  EdinburghScotland 
Item 40 of 48Before 1975Shopping CentreBarnton EdinburghScotland 
Item 41 of 48Before 1975Shopping development, Buchanan Street  GlasgowScotland 
Item 42 of 48Before 1975Town Centre developmentCoatbridge LanarkshireScotland 
Item 43 of 48c. 1975Ingliston Exhibition and Leisure CentreIngliston EdinburghScotland 
Item 44 of 48c. 1975Shopping Centre for Scottish Metropolitan Property Co.Kirkcaldy FifeScotland 
Item 45 of 481977Multi-storey housing, Hardgate and Gairn Terrace  AberdeenScotland 
Item 46 of 48197811-17 South St Andrew Street  EdinburghScotland 
Item 47 of 481982Supermarket, ShillinghillAlloa ClackmannanshireScotland 
Item 48 of 481989Tesco supermarketBo'ness (Borrowstouness) West LothianScotland 

References

Bibliographic References

The following books contain references to this :
 Author(s)DateTitlePartPublisherNotes
Item 1 of 5Bailey, Rebecca M1996Scottish architects' papers: a source book Edinburgh: The Rutland Pressp129
Item 2 of 5Glendinning, Miles1997Rebuilding Scotland: The Postwar Vision, 1945-75  Tuckwell Press Ltdp33 Photograph of St James Centre under construction
Item 3 of 5Glendinning, Miles and Muthesius, Stefan1994Tower Block: Modern Public Housing in England, Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland Yale University Press: New Haven and LondonMaxwelltown: p241, p367
Item 4 of 5RIBA1950The RIBA Kalendar 1950-1951 London: Royal Institute of British Architects 
Item 5 of 5RIBA1970RIBA Directory 1970   

Periodical References

The following periodicals contain references to this :
 Periodical NameDateEditionPublisherNotes
Item 1 of 5Builder31 May 1957  p998
Item 2 of 5Builder31 January 1958  'Housing Development, Leith Fort, Edinburgh,' pp214-223
Item 3 of 5Dundee Courier11 January 1999  Obituary
Item 4 of 5RIAS NewsletterFebruary 1999v120, no2 Death note
Item 5 of 5Scotsman14 January 1999  Obituary

Archive References

The following archives hold material relating to this :
 SourceArchive NameSource Catalogue No.Notes
Item 1 of 2RIAS, Rutland SquareRecords of membership  
Item 2 of 2RIBA Archive, Victoria & Albert MuseumRIBA Nomination Papers A no7398 (Combined Box 188)