Basic Biographical Details
| Name: | Allan Pendreigh |
| Designation: | |
| Born: | 1932 |
| Died: | June 2012 |
| Bio Notes: | Allan Pendreigh was born in 1932, the son of a joiner/cabinet maker. He began training as a design engineer with the intention of becoming a design draughtsman in the drawing office of MacTaggart Scott. He studied mechanical engineering for three years at Heriot-Watt College. However he was of the opinion that building construction and architecture interested him more. For a while he worked with his father. After training and equipped with the National Certificate in Building Construction, he was conscripted for National Service in the Royal Engineers where he was selected and trained to teach field engineering and other allied subjects. During the training of recruited engineers he also spent time in the drawing office preparing plans, drawings and relevant information required for training purposes. On completion of National Service this experience led on to obtaining a post with civil engineers Mason Anderson & Partners. Transferring later to the drawing office of Crudens of Musselburgh, he worked alongside the joint chief architects and designers James Watson, George Bowie and Ken Lochhead. He then secured a position with the Ministry of Works working directly for George Pearce, head of the architectural section. After some months the MPBW allowed him to study architecture part-time at Mackintosh School of Architecture in Glasgow. He reached the Intermediate level after five years of classes. After a time back in the office, he was given the opportunity to complete his studies, this time as a full-time student at Edinburgh College of Art/Heriot Watt University. He completed the course in three years and graduated with distinction. He also won the City of Edinburgh Medal for Civic Design and scholarships with which he travelled to Europe where he assimilated information on historical construction, techniques, design, atmosphere and aesthetic not to mention enabling him to produce sketches, drawings and paintings. This enabled him to return to develop a post-graduate scholarship on ‘insolation and the environment’. One of Pendreigh's early projects with the Ministry, before final qualification, was the design of the plant houses at the Royal Botanic Gardens, Edinburgh. Although many sources have credited George Pearce as being responsible, Pendreigh was the main designer of the overall structure and subsequent detailing of all elements involved. There have been subsequent articles published to verify this. Pendreigh remained with the Ministry of Works for the rest of his career working on a wide range of civic projects which included the Shetland Coast Guard Station, the Supreme Courts in Edinburgh, the Institute of Geological Sciences, various telephone exchanges and work for the Ministry of Defence. He was also invited to teach landscape construction, draughtsmanship and design at the Royal Botanic Gardens after which many of the students progressed their careers to become landscape architects. Pendreigh retired in 1992. He continues to paint and sketch and to teach art courses. There have been a number of exhibitions of his work at the following galleries: Hanover Fine Arts, RIAS Gallery, Inverleith House, Peter Potter Gallery, Haddington, Dundas Street Gallery, Flauberg Gallery, Greens and Blues, North Berwick and regularly with the Scottish Society of Architect Artists. His work has been published in the Sunday Observer (article by Stephen Gardner), the Architects’ Journal, Building Design, Brick Bulletin and Construction Magazine. He has been commissioned to undertake work for the National Library of Scotland, New Register House, the Property Services Agency and other private companies. Biography written by Allan Pendreigh, August 2011. |
Buildings and Designs
| This was involved with the following buildings or structures from the date specified (click on an item to view details): | |||||||
| Date started | Building name | Town, district or village | Island | City or county | Country | Notes | |
 | Coast Guard Station | Shetland | Scotland | As architect with the Property Services Agency | |||
| 1963 | Royal Botanic Garden, glasshouses | Inverleith | Edinburgh | Scotland | Responsible for the actual design as architect with the Department of the Environment with George Pearce and John Johnson. | |
| Before 1977 | University of Edinburgh, King's Buildings, Institute of Geological Sciences | Edinburgh | Scotland | As architect with the Property Services Agency | ||
| 1991 | Parliament House, Supreme Courts of Scotland | Edinburgh | Scotland | As project architect with the PSA for additions and alterations | ||
References
Bibliographic References
| The following books contain references to this : | ||||||
| Author(s) | Date | Title | Part | Publisher | Notes | |
| Glendinning, Miles | 1997 | Rebuilding Scotland: The Postwar Vision, 1945-75 | Tuckwell Press Ltd | p29, p163 Edinburgh Royal Botanic Garden Plant Houses | |
| Willis, Peter | 1977 | New architecture in Scotland | p72-3 Plant Houses, Royal Botanic Gardens | ||
Periodical References
| The following periodicals contain references to this : | |||||
| Periodical Name | Date | Edition | Publisher | Notes | |
| Scotsman | 11 June 2012 | |||