Basic Biographical Details

Name: Roland Wedgwood Associates
Designation:  
Born: 1965
Died: 1980 or 1993
Bio Notes: The practice was established by Roland Wedgwood as Roland Wedgwood Associates in 1963 intially operating from Wedgwood's house. It moved to Well Court Hall in 1965.

In the early 1960s the building company Boland had acquired the walled garden at Ravelston. Roland Wedgwood was granted permission to build a house for himself in the lower walled garden there. A commission for a group of houses grew out of this. The initial scheme was designed by Ross Porter with some input from Wedgwood. However this was rejected by Boland. The scheme was resurrected a year later when Quinn redesigned it in a simplified form as the earlier scheme had been ruled out because of costs. In due course a series of houses were constructed on the side of the road in from the west entrance.

The practice moved to Well Court Hall in 1965. In the late 1960s Norman Dunhill from the EUHRU created the Southfield Housing Association which was designed to be the ‘mother’ housing association from which others would spring and was linked to the University. This was specifically set up to finance a scheme of co-ownership housing at Southfield, Barnton. Dunhill successfully raised the money for this scheme. Dermot Quinn had a large share in the responsibility for the design. The Weir Corporation was one of the funding partners their share being subsequently sold off to the Link Housing Association. Dunhill was later poached by the Housing Corporation agency and became its head but later fell out with the Government over money matters and subsequently became the head of Viewpoint Housing Association.

The Southfield scheme was a large truly integrated co-operative scheme. There was one boiler-house providing all the heating. The houses were arranged around the perimeter of the site with private gardens leading to common gardens within the central space.

About the same time as the Barnton housing, the practice designed a private house in Auchterarder for the parents of Dorothy Ryle, Sir Robert Matthew’s secretary.

In the mid-1960s a project was considered for flatted dwellings on a site owned by Claude Ripley in Ravelston Terrace adjacent to Dean Cemetery. This project was however abandoned and Scottish Agricultural Industries acquired the lower part of the site to build their head office and a separate computer building.

In 1967 the computer office was built with Ross Porter being the main designer. In 1968 SAI put the head office on hold and with very little work coming in, the consequence was that both Dermott Quinn and Ross Porter left. Porter went to work in London and Quinn to join the Scottish Office.

In 1969 SAI gave the go-ahead for the head office building and Alastair Scott who was with RMJM was brought in to act as job architect. Around this time Scott was the sole architect with Roland Wedgwood and remained so until 1970 when Fred Walker joined. Among other jobs at the practice Walker was responsible for the design of a housing project in High Green, Edinburgh which won a Royal Scottish Academy award. However the project was not taken forward.

During the early 1970s the practice picked up and jobs became more plentiful. Many domestic alterations and extensions were carried out. As more work came in the staff increased and in 1974 Jim Abbot joined together with more short term employees.

In 1974 the firm of Fergus McIlveen architects in Belfast passed to Roland Wedgwood Associates a project for a government centre in East Belfast. Scott carried out the initial design work which was in turn passed to Fergus Lenaghan as job architect when he joined the practice in 1975. This project was illustrated in ‘Domus’ issue 553.

During this period, initial design work was carried out for a sheltered housing project for Viewpoint Housing Association at St Albans Road, Edinburgh. When Walker and Scott left to form their own practice, the project was passed on to them with the approval of both Wedgwood and Viewpoint.

Bob Anderson joined the practice in 1976. He worked on the Lynedoch House sheltered housing project in which Claude Ripley and Norman Dunhill were involved in developing and funding. Lynedoch House was the first metric brick building passed by the city planners in Edinburgh new Town. The building won the RIBA Bronze Award for Scotland in 1970 and a Saltire Award in 1980.

Shortly after the completion of the Lynedoch House project, Roland Wedgwood Associates became Roland Wedgwood & Partners with Fergus Lenaghan and Bob Anderson becoming partners. At the end of 1983 the partnership was dissolved and Anderson and Lenaghan both left and set up their respective practices. The name reverted to its previous form.

Private and Business Addresses

The following private or business addresses are associated with this :
 AddressTypeDate fromDate toNotes
Item 1 of 1Well Court Hall, Dean Village, EdinburghBusiness1965  

Employment and Training

Employees or Pupils

The following individuals were employed or trained by this (click on an item to view details):
 NameDate fromDate toPositionNotes
Item 1 of 14Michael Gray 1993Architect 
Item 2 of 14Harold Roland Wedgwood19631980Partner 
Item 3 of 14David Cuthbert Ross Porter19651968Associate 
Item 4 of 14Alastair Clunie Scott19681975Associate 
Item 5 of 14Daniel Dermot QuinnMid 1960s1975Architect 
Item 6 of 14Frederick Balfour Walker19701975Associate 
Item 7 of 14James ('Jim') Abbot19731975Assistant 
Item 8 of 14James Fergus Lenaghan1975 *1983Associate 
Item 9 of 14Robert ('Bob') Iain Stewart Anderson19761979Associate 
Item 10 of 14Neil Adams19771983Architect 
Item 11 of 14Douglas Nicholson19781983Architect 
Item 12 of 14Paul Harding19781983Architect 
Item 13 of 14Nicholas Cook19791983Architect 
Item 14 of 14Leslie Burgher19881993Architect 

* earliest date known from documented sources.

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 301965110 houses and flats at SouthfieldBarnton EdinburghScotland 
Item 2 of 3019659 Clarendon Crescent  EdinburghScotlandConversion of house into 4 flats
Item 3 of 301965Flats, Orchard Brae Avenue  EdinburghScotlandScheme of housing and offices - not executed.
Item 4 of 301965Housing Craigmount Avenue North  EdinburghScotland 
Item 5 of 301966Housing, Ravelston House Road  EdinburghScotland 
Item 6 of 3030 September 19662 Multi-storey Blocks of Flats, Ravelston Terrace  EdinburghScotland 
Item 7 of 30196769-85 Ravelston Dykes Road  EdinburghScotland 
Item 8 of 301967Scottish Agricultural Industries, computer building  EdinburghScotland 
Item 9 of 301968Scottish Agricultural Industries Head Office  EdinburghScotland 
Item 10 of 301970s(?)St Raphael's Care HomeGrange EdinburghScotlandUnclear whether under this practice or Roland Wedgwood & Partners
Item 11 of 301970Housing, High Green  EdinburghScotland 
Item 12 of 30c. 1970Office for Croythorn Development Corporation  EdinburghScotlandFacade design only
Item 13 of 301972Rossleigh's car showroom  EdinburghScotland 
Item 14 of 30Before 1973Dean SkinneryDean Village EdinburghScotlandDevelopment proposal
Item 15 of 301974East Belfast GovernmentTraining Centre  BelfastNorthern IrelandIn conjunction with Belfast architects Ferguson & McIlveen
Item 16 of 301974Sheltered housing for Viewpoint Housing Association  EdinburghScotlandBegan project
Item 17 of 301977Lynedoch House sheltered housing  EdinburghScotland 
Item 18 of 301977Peaton HouseCoulport Argyll and ButeScotlandRemoval of Victorian Bay. Internal reorganisation. Restoration.
Item 19 of 301977Sylvan CottageGullane East LothianScotland 
Item 20 of 301978Blair Adam  Kinross-shireScotlandEradication of dry rot and formulation of long-term conservation plan.
Item 21 of 301979Rosemount Buildings (workmen's houses)  EdinburghScotlandRepairs and strengthening
Item 22 of 301980Cromlix HouseDunblane PerthshireScotlandConversion of house to hotel
Item 23 of 301986Kilravock LodgeGrange EdinburghScotlandMulti-phased project which included: 5-storey sheltered housing (32 flats, 2 guest rooms and common room); 2-storey retirement flats (28 units and common room), 2 lodges; quiet room for retired nursing nuns; 8 nursing rooms and 2 common rooms
Item 24 of 301988Canal side restaurant, Forth & Clyde CanalKirkintilloch DunbartonshireScotlandWon competition
Item 25 of 301988Saltire Court  EdinburghScotlandCompetition entry
Item 26 of 301990Waverley Challenge   EdinburghScotlandFinalists in competition
Item 27 of 301992Care home, Ettrick Road  EdinburghScotlandExtensions - Viewpoint commissioned the Wedgwood practice to do this work but the job was passed to Alastair Scott who was freelance.
Item 28 of 301993Flat, Randolph Cliff  EdinburghScotlandAlterations and extensions including roof-top viewing platform
Item 29 of 301993Kilravock LodgeGrange EdinburghScotlandExtensions
Item 30 of 301993Swimming pool for the elderlyGrange EdinburghScotlandViewpoint commissioned the Wedgwood practice to do this work but the job was passed to Alastair Scott who was freelance.

References

Bibliographic References

The following books contain references to this :
 Author(s)DateTitlePartPublisherNotes
Item 1 of 4Allen, Nic (ed.) Scottish Architects in Conservation   
Item 2 of 4Bailey, Rebecca M1996Scottish architects' papers: a source book Edinburgh: The Rutland Pressp139
Item 3 of 4Glendinning, M, MacInnes, R and MacKechnie, A1996A History of Scottish Architecture  p35
Item 4 of 4Willis, Peter1977New architecture in Scotland  p62-3 Scottish Agricultural Industries, computer building

Periodical References

The following periodicals contain references to this :
 Periodical NameDateEditionPublisherNotes
Item 1 of 1RIAS Quarterly2011WinterRoyal Incorporation of Architects in Scotland (RIAS)p97 Obituary

Archive References

The following archives hold material relating to this :
 SourceArchive NameSource Catalogue No.Notes
Item 1 of 1Courtesy of Alastair ScottInformation given to Dictionary August 2015