FOLAR
Friends of the Landscape Archive at Reading

A Celebration of Brian Clouston’s Career in Landscape Architecture

A Celebration of Brian Clouston’s Career in Landscape Architecture

A celebration of Brian Clouston’s Career in Landscape Architecture

Section One: Introduction; Early days and the formation of the practice; Reclamation; Garden Festivals; Work in the Middle East, Work in Asia and Australia; Urban renewal and Rural infrastructure; Business Parks
Section Two: Legacy Practices and practice, discussion
Section Three: Brian Clouston’s future vision

These sessions were chaired by Annie Coombs FLI who was Managing Director of BCP Asia and Tim Gale PPLI who was a Director of BCP. There are two oral history interviews with Brian Clouston held at the MERL one made in 2012 with Lyndsey Abbott and the other done as part of this celebration in September 2023

Landscape architect Brian Clouston OBE, past president of the Landscape Institute, established a landscape practice in the 1960s that became multi-disciplinary and operated internationally. By the 1990s it was one of the leading practices in the UK and employed more people than any other in Europe. FOLAR wanted to learn more about Brian Clouston, what he did, how he attracted so many young talented staff and what type of projects they worked on. FOLAR also wanted to know what they went on to do on leaving BCP. So we invited lots of former staff to tell their stories at an event in September 2023, with Brian Clouston as the star. Brian continues to think about the role and contribution that landscape architects can make to society and to world affairs and in an interview, and he chose this opportunity to discuss his current big vision for Africa. We recorded this event and two interviews with Brian Clouston, as a contribution to the oral history of the profession of landscape architecture.

1. Introduction

About this series of talks

Landscape architect Brian Clouston OBE, past president of the Landscape Institute, established a landscape practice in the 1960s that became multi-disciplinary and operated internationally. By the 1990s it was one of the leading practices in the UK and employed more people than any other in Europe. FOLAR wanted to learn more about Brian Clouston, what he did, how he attracted so many young talented staff and what type of projects they worked on. FOLAR also wanted to know what they went on to do on leaving BCP. So we invited lots of former staff to tell their stories at an event in September 2023, with Brian Clouston as the star. Brian continues to think about the role and contribution that landscape architects can make to society and to world affairs and in an interview, and he chose this opportunity to discuss his current big vision for Africa. We recorded this event and two interviews with Brian Clouston, as a contribution to the oral history of the profession of landscape architecture.

  • Section One: Introduction; Early days and the formation of the practice; Reclamation; Garden Festivals; Work in the Middle East, Work in Asia and Australia; Urban renewal and Rural infrastructure; Business Parks

  • Section Two: Legacy Practices and practice, discussion.

  • Section Three: Brian Clouston’s future vision.

These sessions were chaired by Annie Coombs FLI who was Managing Director of BCP Asia and Tim Gale PPLI who was a Director of BCP.

About this Video

Welcome and introduction to FOLAR by Annabel Downs, and why archives are so important especially for future generations; Brian Clouston’s early career in Durham and Northumberland; oral history clip by Lindsay K Abbott (2012) interview with Brian about planner and landscape architect Ian Laurie, and working with him. Ian Laurie went on to teach landscape architects at Manchester University; he (and Michael Lancaster) also interviewed six of the great pioneer landscape architects (Jellicoe, Crowe, Shepheard, Hackett, Youngman and Colvin) published as ‘Reflections on Landscape’ (1987).

Early on, Brian made an impression on his peers, including Tony Southard, with his work at Durham and the ILA annual conference he helped organise. He went on to produce four books on landscape architecture which he edited and co-edited with Tony Aldous and Kathy Stansfield; Landscape design with plants, Landscape by design, After the elm, Trees in towns; all practical books specifically written for and many chapters by landscape architects and managers. His involvement with the Landscape Institute joining Council began early on in his career; by 1981 he was elected president of the LI at the peak of a recession, high inflation, riots in major cities in UK and many landscape architects having been made redundant.

Brian Clouston always showed imagination, creativity and was practical in his proposals to help the profession generally as well as his own practice, to progress in an enlightened way.