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Practices

Basic Biographic Details

Walter Underwood & Partners
Architectural practice
Year Only
1960
Exact Date
31/05/1991
Walter Underwood was born in Shettleston on 19 November 1906, the son of Matthew Underwood, Inspector of Buildings and Annie Eliz [sic] Tait. He had married Mary Campbell Gunn, daughter of David Flett Gunn, wine and spirit merchant, at All Saints Episcopal Church, Jordanhill on 31 January 1933, and had been Chief Architect to the Scottish Co-Operative Wholesale Society from at least 1932 until 1945. The firm name was not changed to Wylie, Shanks & Underwood until some years after Underwood joined the practice, well into the 1950s.

In May 1960 Underwood broke away and set up under the style of Walter Underwood & Partners. He took Michael Beale and T George Low with him from the Wylie Shanks practice. They operated from 2 La Belle Place. David J Leslie, James M Paton and William McLean who had been assistants with the Wylie practice left to join Underwood and became partners in 1964. In the late 1970s and early 1980s the practice undertook a rnage of planning consultancy work including Strathclyde university, World of Property Housing Trust, St Enoch Station, Glasgow, for British Rail, Cowcaddens CDA for Glasgow Dictrict Council.

Although Underwood's architecture was very modern, he was very much an old-school Glasgow professional gentleman. One of his last undertakings, carried out after he had officially retired, was the conservation of the village of Luss in which he took a close personal interest. He died of prostate cancer at 1 Belmont Road, Glasgow on 13 April 1988. His death was reported by his daughter J M Staples, then of 8 Gamekeeper's Road, Edinburgh.

The pratice was wound up in 1991 by Leslie, Paton and McLean, when Paton and McLean retired. David J Leslie set up in practice under the style The David Leslie Partnership, taking Roderick McCallum into partnership.

David Leslie writes [2008]: 'Walter Underwood was a very astute business man and well respected architect, having been President of the Glasgow Insititute of Architects in the late sixties. I was never conscious of him on the drawing board but he did set the scene within which assistant architects designed the various buildings for which patronage Walter was responsible - certainly during the first ten years of the practice'.


Addresses

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

Business Addresses

Business Addresses2

AddressTypeDate FromDate ToNotes
2 La Belle Place Glasgow ScotlandBusinessIn year 1960In year 1990

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
Roderick McCallumSenior ArchitectIn year 1991
William Edward Morris CondieAssistant1960s
David James LeslieArchitectIn year 1960
Walter UnderwoodPartnerIn year 1960After 1975
Thomas George LowPartnerIn year 1960After 1975
Michael BealePartnerIn year 1960After 1975
William McLeanArchitectc. 1960
Gillean ('Sam') Petrie SmallArchitectIn year 1963In year 1965
William McLeanPartnerIn year 1964After 1975
David James LesliePartnerIn year 1964After 1975
James MacFarlane PatonPartnerIn year 1964After 1975
David James LesliePartnerIn year 1964In year 1991
Ian RobertsonAssistant ArchitectIn year 1989In year 1991Started as a year-out student

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
Scottish Widows branchesAArchitectural Department (New Towns etc)Scotland
Scottish Legal (or Scottish Equitable?) branchesAArchitectural practiceScotland
Health ClinicAArchitectural practiceBefore 1918AnderstonGlasgowScotlandWith David Leslie as partner in charge
Clydesdale BankAArchitect1960sAnnieslandGlasgowScotlandWith Leslie as project architect
Rolls Royce FactoryBArchitectural practice1960sEast KilbrideLanarkshireScotlandCanteen
Clydesdale Bank, Scotland StreetAArchitect1960sGlasgowScotlandWith David J Leslie as project architect
Clydesdale BankAArchitect1960sCardonaldGlasgowScotlandWith David J Leslie as project architect
Clydesdale Bank branch, Woodside PlaceAArchitect1960sGlasgowScotlandWith David J Leslie as project architect
Clydesdale Bank branch for the Forward TrustAArchitect1960sGlasgowScotlandWith David Leslie as project architect
Clydesdale BankaArchitect1960sHaymarketEdinburghScotlandWith David Leslie as project architect
Clydesdale BankAArchitect1960sGiffnockRenfrewshireScotlandWith David Leslie as project architect
Clydesdale BankAArchitectural practice1960sIrvineAyrshireScotlandWith David Leslie as project architect
Clydesdale BankAArchitect1960sStevenstonAyrshireScotland
Royal College of Science and Technology, James Weir Engineering BuildingCArchitectural practiceIn year 1960In year 1964GlasgowScotlandAdditional 6-storey slab facing Cathedral Street - architects for engineering extension, chemistry and chemical technology blocks per Builder 13 January 1961 p82
Royal College of Science and Technology, Chemistry and Chemical Technology DepartmentAArchitectural practiceIn year 1960In year 1964GlasgowScotlandarchitects for engineering extension, chemistry and chemical technology blocks per Builder 13 January 1961 p82

References

Bibliographic References

The following books contain references to this architectural practice:

Bib ref

AuthorTitleDatePublisherPartNotes
RIBARIBA Directory 19701970
Glendinning, M, MacInnes, R and MacKechnie, AA History of Scottish Architecture1996p603

Periodical References

The following periodicals contain references to this architectural practice:

Period ref

Periodical NamePublisherDate CircEditionNotes
Building1967/1/27p142
Builder1964/05/08p955
Builder1964/03/27p684

Archive References

The following archives hold material relating to this architectural practice:

Arc ref

Archive NameSourceSource Cat NoBuildingItem NameNotes
Information sent to DictionaryCourtesy of David J LeslieSent March 2008