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Basic Biographic Details
Name:
(Sir) Robert Grieve
Designation :
Engineer - Town Planner
Date of Birth:
Exact Date
Exact DOB:
12/11/1910
Year of Birth :
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DOB (2nd 'Or' Year):
Date of Death:
Exact Date
Exact DOD:
25/10/1995
Year of Death:
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DOD (2nd 'Or' Year):
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Bio Notes :
Robert Grieve was born in Maryhill, Glasgow on 11 December 1910. He was educated at North Kelvinside School and studied civil engineering at the Royal College of Science and Technology as a civil engineer and took a post-graduate course in town planning. Before World War II he worked for the City of Glasgow and Renfrew County Councils. Arouind this time he marries Mary Blackburn (always known as 'May').
From 1944 to 1946 Grieve was Senior Planner on the Abercrombie Clyde Valley Plan, in charge of writing the text on population, open space and recreation and assisting with the detailed editing, printing and financing work for the book form of the report. In the years following the publication of the plan (1946) Grieve held a number of Civil Service posts. From 1953 he was employed as regional planner for the Department of Health for Scotland architects’ department and in 1956 he was promoted to Deputy Chief Architect and Planning Officer. Between 1960 and 1961 Grieve also advised on lectures on the strategy of urban development, a lecture series on public utilities and communications and another on the problems of planning and the motor vehicle for the diploma course in civic design at the University of Edinburgh under Robert Matthew. He was Chief Planner at the Scottish Office from 1960 to 1964; the first Professor of Town & Regional Planning, Glasgow University from 1964 to 1965; and was the first chief executive of the newly created Highlands and Islands Development Board from 1965 to 1970. During his tenure of this post the HIDB had some notable achievements which included the aluminium smelter at Invergordon, the designation of the Moray and Cromarty Fiirths as areas for heavy industry with the anticipated growth of the petrochemical schemes in the 1980s.
Grieve resumed his post at Glasgow University in 1970, retiring from this chair in 1974.
He was honorary president of several civic societies, including chairman of HIDB's consultative council from 1970 to 1986, BBC's Scottish committee (he was a member of the BBC General Advisory Council from the 1960s, where he and Robert Matthew represented the built environment interest) and the Royal Fine Arts Commission for Scotland. In 1990 he received the Lord Provost of Glasgow's award for Outstanding Public Service. He also held the presidencies of the Scottish Countryside and Rangers Association, the Scottish Rights of Way Society, the new Glasgow Society, the Inverness Civic Trust, the Saltire Society, Friends of Loch Lomond and numerous mountaineering organisations as he was an enthusiastic walker and climber. All these were undertaken with care and energy. He applied the same standards when at an earlier stage he was involved with the Scottish Constitutional Convention, in a major housing study in Glasgow and many architectural competitions and awards.
Grieve was knighted in 1969. He was Honorary Professor at Heriot-Watt University and Professor Emeritus at Glasgow University.
Sir Robert Grieve died on 25 October 1995. His wife May had predeceased him in 1984. He was survived by his two daughters.
Bio Notes continued...
Additional Notes
Addresses
The following private or business addresses are associated with this person:
References
Bibliographic References
The following books contain references to this person:
Bib ref classic
Author
Title
Date
Publisher
Part
Notes
Glendinning, Miles
Modern architect: the life and times of Robert Matthew
2008
RIBA Publishing
p69-71,87,158,317,319,425,454
www.idoxplc.com
www.idoxplc.com
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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
1960/08/05
'Civic Design: A New Diploma Course at Edinburgh' p228
Herald, The
1995/10/26
Obituary
RIAS Chartered Architect
1995/12/6
Obituary
RIAS Chartered Architect
1995/12/10
6
Obituary
Builder
1961/06/16
spoke on 'The Forth Region in the Scottish Problem' at one-day conference of Scottish Branch of the Town Planning Institute - mentioned in 'Industrial Development Certificates' in Builder p1175
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