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Dictionary of Scottish Architects (1660 - 1980)
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Basic Biographic Details
Name:
(Sir) Leslie Patrick Abercrombie (or Patrick Abercrombie)
Designation :
Architect - Town Planner
Date of Birth:
Exact Date
Exact DOB:
06/06/1879
Year of Birth :
Circa Year of Birth :
Date of Birth Before (Year):
Date of Birth After (Year):
DOB (1st 'Or' Year):
DOB (2nd 'Or' Year):
Date of Death:
Exact Date
Exact DOD:
23/03/1957
Year of Death:
Circa Year of Death:
Date of Death Before (Year):
Date of Death After (Year):
DOD (1st 'Or' Year):
DOD (2nd 'Or' Year):
Town of Birth :
Bio Notes :
Sir Leslie Patrick Abercrombie (often known simply as Patrick Abercrombie) was an influential figure in national UK planning debates and garden-city initiatives. Influenced by Geddes and the cultured Liberal tradition of his time, he disagreed with extreme state dominated solutions to planning, such as land nationalization, and believed that ‘to the concept of sociologist and the discourses of the scientist must be added the imagination of the technician-artist, if we are to construct the environment in which the human organism may rightly function.’
His distinguished planning career began in 1914 when he won an important planning competition for Dublin, and in 1915 he took over from Stanley Davenport Adshead as Lever Professor of Civic Design at the University of Liverpool.
Patrick Abercrombie was involved in the Barlow Committee’s Report (1940) and played a lead role in a large number of important regional and city plans, including the Sheffield Plan (1923), the Clyde Valley Regional Plan (for which he was made the lead consultant due to his extensive planning experience, 1943-46), the County of London Plan (in collaboration with J H Forshaw, 1943) and the Greater London Plan (1944). In March 1946 he took on a planning consultancy in Addis Ababa (he completed a master plan for the city in 1956), and he was made the first president of the newly established International Union of Architects in 1948.
In March 1957, Sir Leslie Patrick Abercrombie died suddenly at his home in Aston Tirrald, Berkshire. A memorial service was held at St. Martin-in-the-Fields in May 1957 with a speech given by Clough Williams-Ellis. Mr. Williams-Ellis also gave a radio appreciation of Abercrombie entitled 'The Genial Wizard', in the BBC Home Service on 25 July 1957 at 9:15pm.
Bio Notes continued...
Additional Notes
Addresses
The following private or business addresses are associated with this person:
Business Addresses
Business Addresses2 classic
Address
Class
Date From
Date From Type
Date To
Date To Type
Notes
Liberty Buildings School Lane Liverpool England
Business
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Employees or Pupils
The following individuals were employed or trained by this person (click on an item to view details):
Employees or Pupils2 classic
Name
Name Link
Date From
Date To
Position
Notes
Peter Dunbar Lawson
403628
In year 1945
In year 1947
Assistant
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RIBA Proposals
This person proposed the following individuals for RIBA membership (click on an item to view details):
RIBA PROPOSALS2 classic
Person
Date Proposed
Notes
David Adams Lumsden
Late 1922s
for Associateship
Edward Foulkes Davies
In year 1928
For Associateship
Jeffrey Rowbotham
1946/01/15
For Associateship
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Buildings and Designs
This person was involved with the following buildings or structures from the date specified (click on an item to view details):
Buildings and Designs2 classic
Building Name
Date Started
Town, District or Village
Island
City or County
Country
Notes
Sheffield Plan
In year 1923
Sheffield
England
Pollok Estate
In year 1935
Glasgow
Scotland
Advised Sir John Stirling Maxwell on layout of estate - with cottages and flats at 12 houses per acre
City Plan, Hull
In year 1942
Yorkshire East Riding
England
City Plan, Plymouth
In year 1942
Devon
England
Consultant Planner, to advise on an outline plan
Clyde Valley Regional Plan
In year 1943
Scotland
Appointed as private consultant to prepare the report.
County of London Plan
c. 1943
London
England
Greater London Plan
c. 1944
London
England
City Plan for Edinburgh
In year 1945
Edinburgh
Scotland
Planning Consultant
City Plan for Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
In year 1957
Addis Ababa
Ethiopia
Plan completed shortly before Abercrombie\'s passing.
Broom Estate housing development
Newton Mearns
Renfrewshire
Scotland
Drew up proposed layout for Estate in December 1933
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References
Bibliographic References
The following books contain references to this person:
Bib ref classic
Author
Title
Date
Publisher
Part
Notes
Who's Who in Architecture
1914
Glendinning, Miles
Modern architect: the life and times of Robert Matthew
2008
RIBA Publishing
p68-72,81-2,126,178,195,264-5
Glendinning, Miles
Rebuilding Scotland: The Postwar Vision, 1945-75
1997
Tuckwell Press Ltd
p13 Clyde Valley Regional Plan
RCAHMS
Homebuilders: Mactaggart & Mickel and the Scottish housebuilding industry
1999
RCAHMS
p 85-86
British Architectural Library, RIBA
Directory of British Architects 1834-1914
2001
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Periodical References
The following periodicals contain references to this person:
Period ref classic
Periodical Name
Publisher
Date Circ
Edition
Notes
Builder
1959/04/03
p664
Builder
1957/05/03
p802
Builder
1957/07/19
'News of the Week: Sir Patrick Abercrombie', p111
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