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Basic Biographic Details

Roland Wedgwood Associates
Architectural practice
Year Only
1965
OR (2 Years Selected)
1980
1993
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.

Addresses

The following private or business addresses are associated with this architectural practice:

Business Addresses

Business Addresses2

AddressTypeDate FromDate ToNotes
Well Court Hall Dean Village Edinburgh BusinessIn year 1965

Partners, Employees and Pupils

The following individuals were employed or trained by this architectural practice (click on an item to view details):

Employees or Pupils2

NamePositionDate FromDate ToNotes
Michael GrayArchitectIn year 1993
Harold Roland WedgwoodPartnerIn year 1963In year 1980
David Cuthbert Ross PorterAssociateIn year 1965In year 1968
Alastair Clunie ScottAssociateIn year 1968In year 1975
Daniel Dermot QuinnArchitectMid 1960sIn year 1975
Frederick Balfour WalkerAssociateIn year 1970In year 1975
James ('Jim') AbbotAssistantIn year 1973In year 1975
James Fergus LenaghanAssociateIn year 1975In year 1983
Robert ('Bob') Iain Stewart AndersonAssociateIn year 1976In year 1979
Neil AdamsArchitectIn year 1977In year 1983
Paul HardingArchitectIn year 1978In year 1983
Douglas NicholsonArchitectIn year 1978In year 1983
Nicholas CookArchitectIn year 1979In year 1983
Leslie BurgherArchitectIn year 1988In year 1993

Buildings and Designs

This architectural practice was involved with the following buildings or structures from the date specified (click on an item to view details):

Buildings and Designs

BuildingPartnership GPRoleDate FromDate ToTown DistrictIslandCity CountyCountryNotes
Housing Craigmount Avenue NorthAArchitectIn year 1965In year 1968EdinburghScotland
Flats, Orchard Brae AvenueBArchitectural practiceIn year 1965EdinburghScotlandScheme of housing and offices - not executed.
110 houses and flats at SouthfieldAArchitectIn year 1965In year 1968BarntonEdinburghScotland
9 Clarendon CrescentAArchitectIn year 1965EdinburghScotlandConversion of house into 4 flats
Housing, Ravelston House RoadAArchitectural practiceIn year 1966In year 1968EdinburghScotland
2 Multi-storey Blocks of Flats, Ravelston TerraceArchitectural practice1966/09/30EdinburghScotland
69-85 Ravelston Dykes RoadAArchitectural practiceIn year 1967In year 1969EdinburghScotland
Scottish Agricultural Industries, computer buildingAArchitectural practiceIn year 1967In year 1971EdinburghScotland
Scottish Agricultural Industries Head OfficeAArchitectural practiceIn year 1968In year 1971EdinburghScotland
St Raphael's Care HomeAArchitectural practice1970sGrangeEdinburghScotlandUnclear whether under this practice or Roland Wedgwood & Partners
Housing, High GreenAArchitectural practiceIn year 1970EdinburghScotland
Office for Croythorn Development CorporationAArchitectural practicec. 1970EdinburghScotlandFacade design only
Rossleigh's car showroomAArchitectural practiceIn year 1972EdinburghScotland
Dean SkinneryAArchitectural practiceBefore 1973Dean VillageEdinburghScotlandDevelopment proposal
East Belfast GovernmentTraining CentreAArchitectural practiceIn year 1974In year 1975BelfastNorthern IrelandIn conjunction with Belfast architects Ferguson & McIlveen

References

Bibliographic References

The following books contain references to this architectural practice:

Bib ref

AuthorTitleDatePublisherPartNotes
Allen, Nic (ed.)Scottish Architects in Conservation
Willis, PeterNew architecture in Scotland1977p62-3 Scottish Agricultural Industries, computer building
Bailey, Rebecca MScottish architects' papers: a source book1996Edinburgh: The Rutland Pressp139
Glendinning, M, MacInnes, R and MacKechnie, AA History of Scottish Architecture1996p35

Periodical References

The following periodicals contain references to this architectural practice:

Period ref

Periodical NamePublisherDate CircEditionNotes
RIAS Quarterly2011Winterp97 Obituary

Archive References

The following archives hold material relating to this architectural practice:

Arc ref

Archive NameSourceSource Cat NoBuildingItem NameNotes
Information given to DictionaryCourtesy of Alastair ScottAugust 2015