Basic Biographical Details

Name: Thomas Henney
Designation: Architect
Born: 18 July 1933
Died: 17 February 1998
Bio Notes: Thomas Henney was born on 18 July 1933 and brought up in Kirkcudbright. He was educated at the Academy in Kirkcudbright.. He studied architecture at Edinburgh College of Art and was articled to G Garden Davidson in Kirkcudbright. During this period he won several awards including the Archibald Dawnay Scholarship and the Heriot-Watt College medal for Advanced Architectural Studies. He was an assistant with Sir Basil Spence & Partners from 1951-61, moving to a similar position with J Williams Beal & Partners in Boston Massachusetts. He completed the degree of MArch at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology around this time with an Edith Merrill Hobbs Scholarship to add to his academic distinctions. He later joined the Architects Collaborative Inc in Cambridge, Massachusetts but returned to Scotland in 1963 to take up a post as Principal Architect with the Architectural Research Unit at the University of Edinburgh. He was elected ARIAS in that year. He remained with the Research Unit as principal architect for 13 years. He was appointed an honorary fellow of the University of Edinburgh in 1976.

In 1976 he set up business on his own account. He was subsequently in practice at Boroughloch Square being joined by William Sutherland and Stephen Murray as Associates (and Nick Kemp as architectural associate during the recession of the 1970s and 1980s). Ed Taylor and Alan Stevens who were old colleagues from the ARU formed a group practice in the same office. The practice, which remained small, flourished with work for Edinburgh and Napier Universities, the Medical Research Council and the Scottish Home & Health Department.

Henney also found time to write papers and deliver lectures on laboratory design and furnishings and building elements. He served on many committees and working parties including the Building Standards Advisory Committee and others concerned with not just Scottish but European matters. Latterly he chaired the National House Building Council in Scotland, a council member of the British Board of Agrément and chaired the LBI/18 Committee (Standards Development on laboratory furnishings) for two years. He was also involved with the Saltire Society and the RIAS.

He married twice, first to Charlotte with whom he had two children, Avril and Hugh, and later to Hely. As a person he was quiet and ‘measured real time in terms of contentment’. He enjoyed gardening in his spare time. He liked nothing better than driving in the countryside and testing his skills as a map reader and navigator. He had a ‘good eye for line and order, colour and design’. He would touch the surface of buildings as if to feel if they had been finished properly. He was very knowledgeable on a great variety of subjects – from Edinburgh pubs to the history of Leith. In 1991 he was appointed MBE for services to architecture.

He died on 17 February 1998.

Private and Business Addresses

The following private or business addresses are associated with this architect:
 AddressTypeDate fromDate toNotes
Item 1 of 23, Boroughloch Square, Edinburgh, ScotlandBusiness 1998 
Item 2 of 2Blacket Place, Edinburgh, ScotlandPrivate 1998 

Employment and Training

Employers

The following individuals or organisations employed or trained this architect (click on an item to view details):
 NameDate fromDate toPositionNotes
Item 1 of 5G Garden Davidson  Apprentice 
Item 2 of 5The Architects Collaborative 1963Architect 
Item 3 of 5Basil Spence & Partners19511961Assistant 
Item 4 of 5J Williams Beal & PartnersAfter 1961 Assistant 
Item 5 of 5Edinburgh University Housing Research Unit (HRU) / Architecture Research Unit (ARU)19631976Architect 

Buildings and Designs

This architect 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 71970sMurrayfield Housing EstateBlackburn West LothianScotlandPhase I, environmental improvements, £160,000
Item 2 of 7Late 1970sMurrayfield Housing EstateBlackburn West LothianScotlandImprovements for 5-storey housing block, £44,000
Item 3 of 7Late 1970sMurrayfield Housing EstateBlackburn West LothianScotlandConversion of 4-storey housing block, £125,000
Item 4 of 7Late 1970sMurrayfield Housing EstateBlackburn West LothianScotlandPhase III, environmental improvements, £125,000

N.B. The RIBA directory for 1981 gives the cost of this as £504,000
Item 5 of 7Late 1970sUniversity of Edinburgh, Zoology Department, animal house  EdinburghScotland 
Item 6 of 7c. 1980Hawick Swimming PoolHawick RoxburghshireScotlandRenovation - cost £20,000
Item 7 of 7c. 1980Old High School  EdinburghScotlandConversion of building to University department, cost £27,000

References

Periodical References

The following periodicals contain references to this architect:
 Periodical NameDateEditionPublisherNotes
Item 1 of 2RIAS NewsletterApril 1998v9, no3 Obituary
Item 2 of 2RIAS NewsletterMay 1998v9, no4 Death note

Archive References

The following archives hold material relating to this architect:
 SourceArchive NameSource Catalogue No.Notes
Item 1 of 1RIAS, Rutland SquareRecords of membership