People Places Projects
Gordon Patterson
1928-2021
Gordon Patterson September 2015 Photo: Paula Laycock
We are saddened to report the death on 15 July 2021 of Gordon Patterson, DipLA (Reading) AILA, at the age of 93 years.
He was born in 1928 in Bristol, brought up in Somerset, and spent war years high on Exmoor in a farm-cottage. His father was a hardware merchant, and Gordon, as the oldest son, did not wish to get into ‘locks, screws and paint’. He said that his National Service in the Royal Navy gave him time to think, but that the days at the end of the war ‘were not easy’. He planned to read horticulture at Reading University and in preparation for this he spent under a year at the University of Bristol Gardens.
When he read the syllabus for the landscape course at Reading, however, and this presumably compiled by the course leader Frank Clark, he applied for this instead. Fellow students included Paul Edwards and William Gillespie; Michael Porter and Laurie Fricker joined the following year. In Gordon’s final year Wendy Powell started the course along with four others. He gained his DipLA in 1952.
Immediately after Reading, Gordon worked with Frank Clark on site at the 1951 Festival of Britain, and with Maria Shephard. It was a month before the opening. When asked what sort of work he was involved with he said making cups of tea, and that he was mostly working with Maria Shephard. During this time he got to meet and know the two Peters - Shepheard and Youngman.
His first proper job was as landscape architect with Westminster City Council. He had also applied to the GLC and had offers from both. He chose Westminster because it was a smaller organisation and he thought it would probably be more interesting. He was involved with the rehabilitation of Berkeley and Soho Squares and St Ann’s Church Yard.
Gordon wrote to the secretary (the previous title of what is now a chief executive) of the Institute of Landscape Architects ‘much concerned about Soho Square and even more by the fact that Westminster has 8 other similar spaces to deal with.’ Although it was then too late to do anything about Soho Square he felt that something might be done to ensure a better layout for the other gardens. Gordon suggested that someone like Peter Shepheard might be persuaded to write to the Times about this. ‘God-wottery’ was how Shepheard defined what had happened to Golden Square in his letter – where existing mature trees had been taken out to make place for fashionable municipal gardening, and areas railed off and subjected to ‘an excess of beautification and municipal gardening’, not providing any useable spaces for people to meet or walk.
Gordon was admitted as a fully qualified member of the Landscape Institute in 1953 and the following year he was appointed landscape architect for Stevenage New Town (1954-1961). At this time Frank Clark was the corporation’s landscape consultant and ‘guiding hand’, and they were working to the master plan devised by Peter Shepheard, Gordon Stephenson and later revised by Clifford Holliday. Gordon observed that his task ‘was largely a matter of ‘filling in the spaces.’ He was responsible for 150 acres of woodland in the town, and he was keen to establish an overall pattern of tree planting using Norway maple. He commented more recently that in addition to the woodland he felt his most significant achievements were the Town Park and other neighbourhood parks and squares.
In 1962, he set up in practice in Stevenage as Gordon Patterson & Partners, joined by Gordon Howe. Other landscape architects employed in his practice included John Thompson, Hugh Watson and Peter Veitch. He was later in practice on his own, continuing up till 1992.
His key commissions included Ratcliffe Power Station, Nottingham (CEGB), Lister Hospital, Stevenage, and the Whiteknights Campus at Reading. This was followed by work in the Crown Offices, Cardiff, the MSD Research Offices, Harlow, and at Leicester Crown Courts. Later work included the NAPP Laboratories on the Science Park in Cambridge and the St John’s Innovation Centre. Other commissions included housing for the Cities of Westminster, Cambridge, Portsmouth, Basingstoke and Swindon.
After Sylvia Crowe and Cliff Tandy, Gordon Patterson was appointed Landscape Consultant to the Forestry Commission for England, Scotland and Wales (1982- 1998), and Landscape Consultant to Churchill College, Cambridge (1992-1998) following on Sheila Haywood’s role. He taught at Cheltenham School of Architecture and Landscape from 1960-65 (John Thompson was one of his students), and was External Examiner in the Universities of Edinburgh, Manchester, Newcastle and Greenwich from 1974-1997.
Gordon travelled extensively. From 1968-1970 he travelled to India and Iran and contributed to the book The Gardens of Mughul India (1972) in a collaboration with Sylvia Crowe, Sheila Haywood and Susan Jellicoe. He was also co-author with Sylvia Crowe on a chapter on Planting for Forestry in Landscape Design with Plants ed by Brian Clouston (1977). He was a member of the Art Workers Guild and a director of the Landscape Design Trust.
It was John Thompson who persuaded Gordon Patterson to gift his archive to the MERL in 2015 before he moved back to live in Somerset. His drawings include work on Churchill College Cambridge, consultancy work for the Forestry Commission amongst other material. Do Contact the MERL for more information.
If anyone has any more information to share on Gordon Patterson please do get in touch via Info@FOLAR
Compiled by Paula Laycock and Annabel Downs 30 08 2021
(Paula Laycock is writing a book Portrait of a Landscape on the development of the grounds and gardens of Churchill College, as originally designed by Sheila Haywood and subsequently developed by Gordon Patterson. Her book is due to be published later this year.)
John Mayson Whalley
14 Sept 1932 – 11 June 2020
Architect, Town Planner and Landscape Architect
MCD (1957), MLA (Penn 1960), BArch (Hons L’pool 1956), FRTPI (1971), FRIBA (1968), FRSA (1988), PPLI (1985-87)
John Whalley’s wife Gillian describes him as ‘A proud Prestonian’. He was born in 1932 ‘when Preston was a flourishing town with a thriving port, and his chosen career - which eventually took him all over the world - was inspired by his Preston Grammar School art teacher, Harry Ogle. His watercolour studies, sketching gifts, the painting of the school’s art room frieze, A-level art trips to the continent together with parental encouragement, all fuelled his ambition to study at the Liverpool School of Architecture (1951-1956).’ (1)
He came out with a first class honours and the coveted Sir Charles Reilly Medal for his design thesis, and like many others he went on to do the Masters in Civic Design at Liverpool. ‘During the vacations between 1956 and March 1958 he gained invaluable architectural experience with Frederick Gibberd on Harlow New Town, George Grenfell-Baines and Hargreaves’ practice based at Preston and the architect Tom Mellor at Lytham.’ For three of the months at GG Baines he had been working on a submission for the Toronto City Hall and Square international competition. This was possibly John’s first serious taste of competition work.
John Whalley with his MGTF on a rally at Morecombe, Lancashire, 1954
‘John had been awarded a Leverhulme Fellowship in 1957 to visit Denmark and Sweden and the following year an Italian Government fellowship at the University of Rome both to study town planning and architecture. On his return from Italy he detoured via Austria, Switzerland and Corbusier’s chapel at Ronchamp in France.’ With these awards he was able to nurture what Gillian describes as ‘his early passion for cars, rallying and travel in general.’
His next move was to study landscape architecture. Who inspired him to apply to the Department of Landscape Architecture at the School of Fine Arts, University of Penn? He said he had met Peter Shepheard teaching at Liverpool University and it was he who sowed that seed. Gillian continues, ‘In September 1958, with a Fulbright scholarship he travelled to New York on the Queen Mary, (his treasured MGTF car following separately) to start the 18 month Masters in landscape architecture under renowned Scottish landscape architect and ecological planning pioneer Professor Ian McHarg.’ Timothy Cochrane was in his year, Michael Langlay-Smith and Tony Walmsley were in the year above him, and Geoffrey Collens, Douglas Samson and Wendy Powell were in the year after. He was soon to find himself in practice with a number of his fellow students.
As a keen sportsman and with a passion for jazz, John must have been in his element in USA. ‘Within the first weeks’ Gillian says, ‘he played and attended cricket and hockey matches and listened to live performances of Nina Simone and Count Basie.’ Like most students on this course, he also took up a part time position with a local practice, and worked with architect and sculptor Oscar Stonorov, a German émigré who specialised in modernist public housing, and also Otto Reichert.
Photo: Ian and Carol McHarg Collection, The Architectural Archives, University of Pennsylvania.
At the end of the course he travelled for over five weeks to Mexico, Tucson, Arizona, Yosemite National Park in California, and finally to New York City specifically taking in the Guggenheim and MOMA, before returning to Preston with a new Alfa Romeo Spider and to Design Partnership (the rebranded GG Baines and Hargreaves office, shortly afterwards renamed again as Building Design Partnership). From his Landscape Institute associate membership form in 1961 we learn that at this time he was working on the landscape design for University of Glasgow halls of residence and the redevelopment of Aldershot Barracks. He was also responsible for initial design research for what became the iconic Preston Bus Station, the University of Manchester student village at Fallowfield with Terry Devlin, Ribbleton Primary school, and work at the Shell complex at Ellesmere Port.
By the close of 1961 he was an associate member of RIBA, ILA and RTPI.
During 1962 he met Derek Lovejoy at a conference, possibly ‘Private Enterprise Housing and Landscape Design’, 21 May 1962 at RIBA, at which Lovejoy presented a paper, and John was invited by Lovejoy to join his emerging practice Derek Lovejoy and Associates in Caterham, Surrey. With the blessings of George Baines, he was taken on, alongside Penn alumni Geoffrey Collens, Michael Langlay-Smith, and Michael Graham. Within the year Lovejoy relocated the office to Croydon, offered them all a full and equal partnership, without himself retaining a controlling interest. John was profoundly impressed by Derek’s trust and generosity. Apart from Geoffrey Collens they all accepted, and all agreed to the name change Derek Lovejoy and Partners.
Derek Lovejoy and Partners, subsequently DLP, became one of the best known practices in its field and an influential training ground for new landscape architects. Various overseas offices were set up, and five in the UK, John opening the sixth in Manchester in 1963.
Gillian, whom he had first met shortly after returning from America became his secretary when he started the Manchester office. They married in 1966. She continues with the history, ‘The Manchester office specialised in landscape design and environmental planning, and [John] developed overseas commissions including in Iraq, Jordan and Japan. He had been appointed by the UN for three months in 1975 to advise the Saudi Arabia government on matters of landscape and urban design associated with their national physical plan. Outside of competition work, in the UK his portfolio included power stations as at West Burton, highways, and the Grade 1 German Military Cemetery (1967) at Cannock Chase.’ On this latter project the Manchester office worked as local landscape consultants realising the designs of German architect Diez Brandi. Gillian had accompanied John here several times subsequently. ‘It is a beautiful setting, and he was always concerned that aspects he designed were still in place.’
Martin Kelly started working with DLP in 1980, and writes ‘I was very fortunate to meet John Mayson Whalley, affectionately known as JMW, over forty years ago when I joined the London office of Derek Lovejoy + Partners (DLP). John was the founder Partner of the Manchester office and had built an incredibly successful business, based on a wide variety of landmark and high profile projects in the UK and overseas. He was a highly energetic, talented and accomplished designer. He also had a great flair for hand rendered illustrations of his projects, mostly fine black and white sketches in those days!
‘I still have fond memories of working with John as a perspective artist, in Paris in the 70s and 80s on a range of masterplans for projects in the Middle East. One of John’s hallmarks was his ability to lead and win national and international design competitions. These included the Liverpool International Garden Festival (1984), and subsequent garden festivals at Stoke (1986) and Gateshead (1990), International Garden Expo, Munich (1983); and parks in Cergy-Pontoise (1970) and La Corneuve (1970) in France. In this regard John was a visionary influence in the Lovejoy Practice and contributed significantly to the acclaim and profile of DLP in the design world.’
At the Manchester office, John’s team of Andrew Donaldson, Rod Edwards, Chris Binney and Michael Coyne designed the competition winning concept and masterplan for an 11 ha urban park, created in advance of housing, at the proposed centre of the new town of Cergy-Pontoise. This was subsequently executed by French landscape architect Allain Provost. As noted above, John led the team which had earlier designed a regional recreation park, of 300 ha, at La Corneuve in France, incorporating 13m cubic metres of spoil into new landforms. In 1977 John was elected to the French Order of Architects.
With regard to the Liverpool Garden Festival, the Landscape Institute’s representative on the steering committee was Hal Moggridge. Hal also oversaw competitions and this enabled him to scrutinise the design submissions more closely. He writes, ‘During preparation for the Liverpool Garden Festival a limited entry competition was held for the largest single area on the Festival site. The competition was open to six practices which were producing imaginative work at that time. John Whalley and the Derek Lovejoy and Partners Manchester office was the winner, with an imaginative layout based around a small lake from which a curling stream flowed amongst rocky pools. On either side of the stream there were hills with rock outcrops, ascended by paths for visitors to rise up and admire the surrounding Festival site from above. The competition entry was accompanied by an evocative black and white perspective drawing. This scheme was realised on the ground in a short time with the flare and technical brilliance which were a hallmark of John Whalley’s work. This competition area made a great contribution to the quality of the Garden Festival, being much enjoyed by visitors as a delightful landscape to explore and relax in after visiting the numerous themed exhibition gardens; it provided a beautifully designed foil to these many smaller intensive gardens. It showed off John Whalley’s exuberant design skill by which he won other competitions some of which were constructed.’
Above: Part of plan of International Garden Festival Masterplan Liverpool 1984, showing water features and below, John Whalley’s sketch. Reproduced from Landscape Design 148, April 1984 by kind permission of The MERL
Working with John Whalley at Derek Lovejoy and Partners Manchester Office on this project were Ron Jones, Will Williams, Richard Eaves, Stephen Whiteley, Francis Jones and Hilary Smith.
John was appointed fellow of his three professional institutes during the 1970s and in turn supported and promoted them with characteristic energy and ability. This is a remarkable achievement for any individual to take on and he must surely have been one of the most organised and efficient of people.
As a member of the Institute of Landscape Architects (later Landscape Institute} council from 1965, John was a founder member and honorary secretary of the North West Chapter in 1963, first chairman of the Practice committee (1978), LI part 4 examiner and member of the LI Common Market, Fee Scale and Public Relations committees. John was voted vice president for 1980-81, and elected president from 1985 to 1987. ‘During his time as LI president’ writes Gillian ‘he met the Queen and, at a Buckingham Palace garden party, had a conversation about the quality of sausages in British Rail dining cars with Prince Philip!’ John continued afterwards to serve as the official LI delegate to the International Federation of Landscape Architects, with Hal Moggridge.
Wearing his architect’s hat, John was President of the Manchester Society of Architects (1980-81), council member and then chairman of the Royal Institute of British Architects NW Region (1980-85). Between 1970 and 1987 he also served the Royal Town Planning Institute, on their Manchester Historic Buildings and Conservation Panel, the International Affairs Committee, Countryside Working Party, and the North West branch of their Executive Committee.
Ink sketch of a site in Japan by John Whalley
John was also an assessor of the Civic Trust awards programme, on the board of the Tree Council, on the Rural Buildings Heritage Trust and an assessor for Britain in Bloom.
Martin Kelly observes that ‘John was an active supporter of the Landscape Institute’ and during his time as President, he ‘brought his particular style of management to this role, based on his experience, vigour, energy, warmth and playful humour.’ His aspirations for the Landscape Institute and the profession reveal the breadth of his multi-disciplinary viewpoint, his refreshingly grounded regional and grassroots perspective, and a clear set of achievable goals. This is part of his manifesto when standing for president:
1. To exercise a concern for the total design quality of all landscape which should reflect a value of achievement understood and appreciated by everyone
2. To maintain and promote the true professional aims of a strong and influential institute at local, regional and central government levels
3. Ensure appropriately high educational standards as a basis for future development of the Institute and its professional influence both within the UK and internationally
4. Promote the institute to meet the changing pattern of practice in both public and private sectors with emphasis on chapter initiatives and responsibility
5. Encourage inter-professional collaboration at academic and professional levels regionally and nationally
An amended condition of the expanded partnership at DLP was a retirement age of 60. John, of course, was not prepared to do this and announced that he was ‘re-emerging’ as JMW International. He was particularly interested in the export of professional design services, especially to Japan. Gillian writes ‘Projects among many were of roof gardens, My Fair Garden on a multi-storey complex near Tokyo being a favourite, Nanatsudo Park, a Tokyo planning strategy and housing, and a retail British food-centred complex in Kishiwada.’ During the past year (2019-2020), he was collaborating with good friend and colleague Francesco Vio on a glass-house design project, initially conceived as a lakeside feature at Corneuve, then a riverside theatre at Okawa, Japan, and finally, perhaps, to materialise at Southsea, England. ‘John developed a deep affinity with Japan, forming lasting friendships there and keeping in touch with daughter Emma and family in Zushi.’
JMW International business card by John Whalley
Martin Kelly acknowledges that he had ‘the pleasure of assisting him in promoting his services in Japan, where he had a longstanding relationship with many influential public and private sector clients on projects including Nanatsudo Park. We often mused that we were influential in promoting English Garden Design into a mature culture, with such a fine landscape history. However, my lasting memory of John will be as an enthusiastic and talented designer, who contributed significantly to the Landscape World as an influential ambassador of our profession at home and abroad.’
John gave talks and wrote articles about some of his projects and issues that concerned him, including ‘Reclaiming the wastelands’ Built Environment Vol. 1, No. 4 (July 1972), pp. 251-254, and his analysis of the problems of derelict land in Lancashire. There is a reference in the membership file to a book on roof gardens which unfortunately but understandably did not come to fruition.
Gillian Whalley emphasises that ‘friendships – and keeping them – was important to John and those forged at school and universities were lifelong.’ He was a great champion and supporter of many people and causes, and an inspiration to those who knew him in whatever capacity. Embracing equally all three professions, we have all lost one of our star performers.
John is survived by his wife, two daughters and a son and six grandchildren.
Compiled by Annabel Downs and Helen Neve 24 August 2020
(1) Lionel Budden was Roscoe Professor at the the Liverpool School of Architecture to 1952 and was succeeded by Robert Gardner Medwin, 1952-56
see also Three additional reflections on John Whalley
If you have any memories of John Whalley, or details of his work and projects which you are willing to share, please do send them to info@folar.uk so that we can add to the record of this extraordinary man.
For more on Oscar Stonorov by landscape architect Cornelia Hahn Oberlander see ‘Public Housing projects’ interview with The Cultural Landscape Foundation: https://youtu.be/XOC0mTDGkAU? list=PL9F557C66C3DD3DEE
Correspondence from Geoffrey Collens to John Peverley 2
Letters written by Geoffrey Collens to John Peverley - with footnotes provided by John Peverley in 2021
Bexhill Sept 3 1962
I have been meaning to write to you for some time but I waited until I had a reasonable amount to report. As I now have your vast query list and as I fly off to Palma Majorca en route for San Antonio Abad on the island of Ibiza tomorrow it is kinda now or never. I meant to send you a card from Ibiza but you will be of no fixed address at that time so I will not.
I had 6 job offers back here and after negotiations akin to entry to the Common Market, I was inclined towards Lovejoy associates. Derek Lovejoy only set up office (in Caterham Surrey) 3 years ago but now has the largest LA practice in Britain and also does Arch and TP commissions. His biggest commission is for LA to Islamabad being planned by Doxiadis. He wants me to go to Pakistan but I will only join the firm if I stay in England for the time being at any rate – I expect final negotiations to succeed for me to start work on Sept 24th. I don’t much like the idea of living outside London but the chance to get prof LA practice while still doing architectural jobs is too good to miss.
I would probably become an Associate at £1700 a year and share in the profits (Keep these figures confidential, man.), within a few months.
The combination of Architecture and Landscaping in the same office was main aim and several offices could offer me this. Building Design Partnership ((Rock[1] Branch) was a close second to Mr Lovejoy and my joining that firm at a later date can’t be ruled out. I may find D.L.A unsatisfactory – you never know until you try.
Elsewhere I was offered salaries around £1500 and fringe benefits. More commercially inclined offices will pay more than that and these jobs are available everywhere. The most chronic shortage is for landscape architects and many top official posts for them remain unfilled after months of advertising.
Livingstone New Town, Skelmersdale New Town, Basingstoke expanded town (very much like Hook), Graham Shankland (who is replanning central Liverpool) and [W Konrad] Smigielski’s new planning department at Leicester are all after planners and urban designers, so the scope is very considerable.
The ever rising cost of living in the SE make the financial offers more tempting, the further they get away from London.
I am still very tempted to return to the US but I find that at this stage of one’s career the sort of jobs offered are of a senior, permanent nature often leading to Associateship or partnership so one has got to settle one side of the Atlantic sooner or later if one is to get on professionally.
Report on offices
Canonbury – very precious atmosphere. Anthony Blee an Associate. BS [Basil Spence] usually absent.Only barracks and Embassy being done there. Embassy coming on nicely.
[Pier Luigi] Nervi is engineer for it. Roland P [Paoletti] is in Venice studying and will probably be site architect. Brian N [?] still at Canonbury – happily married these days.
Fitzroy Sq
Messrs Bonnington and Collins in full charge of vast planning factory, former is dominant in the organisation. Many old stagers still around. Most work out of control eg parts of Brighton have been given to other architects to do in order to keep up to schedule and still they are behind hand.
AR [Andrew Renton]
Not very busy but good things coming up soon they hope, meanwhile competitions being done. Obviously a top heavy organisation with too many good and senior people for so small a firm. M [Morrice][1] as ever; Ian N [Noble] is back in old window seat doing details!
I have not got round to seeing Messrs Streatfield[2] and Buckhurst[3], but have been to see Messrs Rock, Smart Winchester and Cobb[4] at BDP (Wheatley was on vacation when I called). Rob Smart arrives USA on Oct 1st for 2 month tour on Victory scholarship and Messrs Winchester and Bill Clark are also planning USA trips – so I am always being asked for my biased advice.
Mike Graham is a DLA Associate in the Bournemouth office. Address [ ] Lymington Rd Highcliffe, Christchurch Hants.
The old Streatfield address I know is the one in the [?] ….
I look forward to getting the AJ and the plant charts you are sending – I can probably comment fairly quickly before I get too embedded in work.
Edinburgh was very enjoyable even though the weather was cold and wet.
Well John, fancy you having matrimonial ideas towards Miss B – what next? I guess a lot of us have cause to envy him his good fortune.[5] I am only sorry I didn’t manage to pull off a similar feat while in the US – I can’t remain on the shelf for ever. I shall be interested to hear if he is still going to St Louis.
You still seem to be good at getting places good luck to you Klaus[6] on your tour (say hi! to anyone who knows me, you see in Boston or elsewhere)
Well that will have to be all for the present as I have packing etc to do. I will have to leave to another time my impressions of Britain when seen through the eyes of a semi – tourist. It sure is good to not work for few months – makes you feel very superior to the poor mice in the eternal rat-race who don’t seem to have much time to observe or to think.
Sincerely Geoffrey
—————————
Geoffrey A Collens MLA (Pennsylvania) Dipl Arch (Leeds) ARIBA AILA Architect and Landscape Architect
Old Lane Cottage, Stanstead Rd, Caterham, Surrey. 14 May 1963
Dear John
Many thanks for your quite fabulous letter. You will no doubt have heard that Paul[7] has a grant to study precast work in Scandinavia, so we will probably compare notes.
My second hand information on British Council schools to Italy[8] is that supervision is not too heavy and that travel from the University of your choice is quite feasible – bit it is second hand information I am giving you.
I am sorry if I have ruined Al’s plans[9] but realism is essential. I know of 2 clear instances of Americans working in Europe (one UK one Denmark) and in both cases they returned early both sad and penniless. My present salary is £1800 x $2.80 = $5,040. For anyone working here for a limited period only such a salary is VERY rare, except in the most soulless planning factory – especially for someone who is not an architect. Looking for an apartment recently I was offered a new bed-sitter – unfurnished in Croydon at $90 a month exclusive of heat light etc so you can see that prices are rocketing. On the other hand if Al went to Edinburgh salaries are much the same as London but rents are only a fraction – that is if you can stand the cold clammy days! As far as prices compare these – petrol is 55c a gallon an airmail letter costs 16c to mail, train fares are 4c a mile now, Sunday newspapers are up to 6c, a BR [British Rail] cup of coffee is 11c a modest BR train meal costs £1.50 and so on. Honestly you will be amazed – I was – at the steady unending rise in costs. There are some things which are still cheaper here but around London commodity no 1 which is housing is very dear. The new small flats on the Stag Brewery site let at $3000 a year. New Wates detached houses at Dulwich sell at $60,000 each, terrace houses at $36,000 and smallish flats at $28,000. Miserable “Dormy” houses in Caterham sell at $30,000 each! Compared with these, Pei’s Society Hill houses in Phila [Philadelphia] don’t seem bad at $45,000. If you buy a typical basket of goods at a supermarket the price here would only be 10% less than US and for most fruits, fruit juice etc it would be more not less.
Planning here is certainly better and more productive than in USA but it is weakening at the knees on all sides owing to an apathetic government and some very forceful developers. The average standard of architecture is higher here because architects are employed more often.
I must transfer to airmail paper to keep the weight down!
Our office is currently besieged by planners who want to leave local govt for private consultancy – we could get another 10 Associates in the next month, if we wanted them.
I only know about Shankland’s Liverpool job. BDP seem to do buildings only. Comprehensive planning schemes except for Aldershot do not occur in that firm. They are specialising more in on Hospitals.
If Hancock[10] is using your name DLA cannot. I have spoken to Derek and he would like David Crane[11] (and Al?[12]) to write in giving details of their past experience so that we can add them to our list of ‘consultants available for association’ if the job comes off. These already include a county planning officer of high repute. Please ask them to write before May 22nd if they are still interested.
The answer to the Buckhurst party query is S * X. in other words a good old fashioned English type party! Planning my trip is very difficult owing to lack of information from one or two vital quarters and as the money has not yet come thru’ yet. Most likely I will go S to Tennessee and then to Seattle (I heard from Gary[13] in Anchorage!) to Detroit and Boston around Aug 6th. If an office job in the Bahamas comes off I would then go down to Nassau – but that seems very doubtful.
The information you sent was VERY useful. I am writing letters like crazy and have passed the 50 mark. Actually some of the buildings you mentioned such as Earth Sciences is “in situ” I find and Kips Plaza. Nevertheless a useful list t start from. I find that there are more interesting p.c [pre cast] structures within 20 miles of London than all over the US but of course nothing here to the standard of the Phila Police HQ and Ian asakin’s [??][14] “frozen gothic.” I have nevertheless unearthed a SECRET building by SOM (Bunshaft has been seen here!) very similar to the Banque Lambert in Brussells [sic].
I am in touch with the A. Concrete Trust and the Portland Cement Association but they can give no information on things UNDER construction, which of course is the most interesting stage.
Things couldn’t be more busy at present as I try to plan my trip and do office work which includes a shopping centre at Bournemouth, the whole of Basildon Town Park (sod-cutting ceremony last week) and acres of Wates Housing (statue unveiling on one site last week!). I do a planting plan just about every other day at present!
I hope to get a few slides together of new developments over here to show the Americans how modern Britain is but it depends on time and weather conditions! Does Mr Hancock want a landscape Consultant for his Middle East work. We are firmly established in Pakistan and almost certain of getting a war office job in Aden, so we could help him …. Same in Europe I have done a private garden in Rome and the office may be doing all of Gio Ponti’s site planning in Italy - so once again ………….
I will let you know when and if I am arriving in Boston.
Sincerely Geoffrey
________________
Old Lane Cottage, Stanstead Rd, Caterham, Surrey. 9th April 1963
Dear John
Many thanks for your letter – it may be late but its length makes up for it. Believe it or not but your Christmas card was address-less hence my lack of knowledge of your exact whereabouts!
The Trustees of the Scholarship are the Arthur Louis Aaron VC Memorial Scholarship people who give post graduate scholarships to Leeds graduates only…. All in memory of Mr Aaron killed in the war after starting studying at Leeds. The subject is my own choice (foolish or otherwise). DL was surprised that I managed to get a scholarship to return to somewhere that I had only just left. That goes to show how my smooth talk baffled the jury of 7 into no asking the leading question even though they knew I had been in USA recently.
The scholarship is hardly enough to do a proper job and so I am throwing in the money I would have spent o some Mediterranean jaunt to make 6 weeks possible. I am of course going to study comparable examples here so that I will see both sides of the picture. But although there are many advances here there is nothing yet to compare with the Phila Police Blg – Although AR and Associates[15] and Bob Smart are working up things as good, or nearly so. and there is nothing here to compare in finish [?] with the Denver Hilton and what I hear of the Yamasaki wedding cake at Seattle. Do let me know of anything I can add to my list - mighty soon please.
Could find out for me the three [?] addresses of Minoru Yamasaki, Ming Pei and Gordon Bunshaft of SOM with their appropriate degrees etc.
I hope to get organised quickly in which case I will be over in June – so I hope to see you then (if there is anything precast worth seeing in the Boston area!)
Actually I would throw a word of warning to Al Rattray [Alexander Rattray] about coming here …. There are hundreds of jobs going BUT – the cost of living continues to rise alarmingly and accommodation gets dearer and scarcer everyday especially in the overcrowded SE. in fact it can cost as much to live in London as in New York these days on ½ the salary! Any hope of maintaining US living standards while saving for continental jaunts is just eyewash. Sorry but that’s how it is now!
I apologise unreservedly about the Rattray’s religious affiliations – although I don’t like your use of the word “accusation”. A Jew is as good as a gentile or any other religion as far as I am concerned – some of my best friends are Jews. All I can say is that I passed on (unthinkingly no doubt) a “fact” which seemed to be common (obviously erroneous) knowledge at Penn. SUBJECT NOW CLOSED I HOPE.
So glad your planning job is going well – I hope you can see something achieved on the ground before you leave!
Planning in England is not as good as you hope for the following reasons:-
1. The new towns now approved are much too late in the day and should have followed after the other ones.
2. They are far too near existing cities and will often be more like satellite suburbs than independent units – especially Redditch.
3. The London Plan has many inherent weaknesses in spite of one or two sparks of realism.
4. The Govt is weakening on green belts under the pressure of speculators and developers. The London belt is to be selectively nibbled and several major areas around other towns have been squashed altogether by the Minister.
5. The Beeching Plan threatens total chaos to all conurbations and complete death to N Scotland and all rural communities. It is a real piece of commercial anti-planning.
6. In hundreds of Town centres, compulsory purchase powers are being mis-used by Local Authorities to hand over large cleared sites to the property developer tycoons. This sort of thing is not only undemocratic, but kills off the small trader, favours the multiple stores, the get rich quick speculators and is disastrous to the character of every major town and city. The more intimate the town the greater the disaster of its ‘central development schemes’.
I could go on but it is no use the speculators win everywhere – London skyline, St Paul’s precinct, Georgian Squares - money is the final arbiter of taste.
Thinks – that should make him think!
I couldn’t possibly give you advice on where to work although private practice is booming and more and more local authorities are using planning / architectural / landscaping consultants from outside. Personally I couldn’t stand the local authority “atmosphere” to work. Our office is already preparing an application for Dawley [Shropshire] and so far we haven’t considered using outside consultants, although we will think about it now. Many, many firms are thinking of applying here and I would not personally consider that the chances were very good for any firm unless it had considerable practical planning experience, an established office in Britain and a fairly large staff to cope with the work. I don’t think DLA stand much chance and a consortium of people living outside Britain sounds very dubious to me. We are consulting the TPI re the costing angle as it is very very tricky. I don’t consider it worthwhile forming a private group – the competition from Holford, Max Lock, Jellicoe, Vincent [?] Mathew, [16]Graham Shankland etc would just be too over-powering.
I don’t know anyone going in for the Tel-Aviv competition.
The DLA work has only a smattering of Architecture and planning and every conceivable type of landscape scheme – and the latter are pouring in – we simply can’t catch up and there just don’t seem to be any qualified staff that we can get hold off (landscapers only please!)
Actually DL is maddeningly un thorough and disorganised and this makes working for him both exciting and very maddening. I must say that the prospect of 2 months away from the hurly burly of deadlines to be met, will be a great relief, although the office will probably go to pot while I am away! (and my share of the profits)
We almost want to discourage anyone else joining who is not a pure landscapist – we have enough frustrated Architects and planners. There are a few advantages in being just outside London – no hectic sardine ride to work – fresh air ALL day etc. and of course one can get up to London for evenings (as I do frequently … I am now a “Friend of Covent Garden”’).
I am fighting hard for a London Office but I will settle for the top floor of Europe’s tallest office block shortly to be built in Croydon (more like Manhattan every day!) The Highcliffe office [DLA] does not flourish and MG is not too happy about things
I sure went to the Buddhist party !!......
At that time I heard that the Egypt trip[17] was off owing to the plane people failing – but perhaps they went by another company after all – I have not heard one way or the other.
Well you hope to hear from me soon so that’s your lot – now I must get back to whipping off a few more planting plans.
Sincerely Geoffrey
Will you be in Boston June/July?
Excuse the scrawl - it’s that or nothing these hectic days!
_________________________________________________
Postscript and footnotes by John Peverley (23 03 2021)
Geoffrey and I both trained as architects and initially we both worked as architects in architectural practices (ie. we both worked for Basil Spence), but we both studied parallel disciplines, Geoffrey’s was landscape architecture, mine was planning and urban design, and these became our main careers in later life. It’s clear from Geoffrey’s letters, that initially he was keen to work for DLA because it included both architecture and landscape, and at that point it seems that joining DLA was primarily to get his professional practice in landscape and that he still expected to continue his career in architecture.
I guess that as DLA didn’t produce much architecture (I think that’s correct), Geoffrey’s work at DLA was primarily as a landscape architect and that he grew to enjoy that kind of work more and more. It’s difficult to conjecture whether he ever regretted that his career had veered away from architecture.
In 1963, I had several offers to continue working in architecture, but moved into planning and urban design. I’ve often wondered what my life would have been like if I’d stayed in architecture. On reflection, I think being an architect is more creative, demands more hard work and is more stressful, but you do see the results of your work, whereas although there is creativity, hard work and stress in planning, there is generally a much longer time scale involved and less obvious creativity and job satisfaction and less likelihood of seeing a final outcome.
Footnotes
[1] Rock refers to David Rock, architect, employed by Basil Spence in the late ’50’s, later President of the RIBA.
[2] Morrice refers to Ken Morrice, architect, working in the Andrew Renton branch of Basil Spence
[3] David Streatfield, I think we met up when he arrived in America and I think I have a photo of him from that time. From the Wikipedia entry it looks as if he and I might have studied landscape together with Peter Youngman, as he also received a Certificate in Landscape Architecture at the University of London, but I can’t remember if that is so.
[4] Buckhurst refers to Paul Buckhurst. Paul and I studied together in the same year at the Canterbury College of Art, School of Architecture (1953-57). He has lived since the 1960’s in Manhattan and also knew Geoffrey.
[5] Derek Cobb, architect.
[6] In my letter to Geoffrey, I probably bewailed the fact that my flatmate, while I was studying at Harvard, David Owers had married Janet, the Dean’s secretary. David went on to live for a while in St Louis with Janet, before returning to England and working for Leslie Martin.
[7] Klaus Uhlig, a German architect who studied with me at Harvard and with whom I drove round the States in my Austin Mini in the Autumn of 1962, lasting 8 weeks and covering nearly 11,000 miles.
[8] Paul Buckhurst
[9] I was thinking of applying for an Italian Government Scholarship, through the British Council, to study in Italy and was asking Geoffrey for information. I was awarded a Scholarship and lived in Rome from Oct 1963 to Sept 1964, during which time Geoffrey came and stayed with me for a few days.
[10] Al Rattray was asking for information about opportunities for working in England and the cost of living. Al was part of the team that I was working in at the Boston Redevelopment Authority between Nov 1962 to Sept 1963 and I think he may have been part of a team of three of us who submitted an entry in the competition for the Tel Aviv central area in 1963.
[11] Tom Hancock, architect, responsible in the later 1960’s for the Master Plan for the Peterborough Town Expansion.
[12] David A. Crane was in charge of the planning department at the Boston Redevelopment Authority
[13] Al Rattray
[14] Gary Hansen, architect. Similarly to Paul Buckhurst, Gary, Paul and I studied together at Canterbury. He has lived since the 1970’s in Tiburon, San Francisco
[15] The reference to Ian Asakin's might be Geoffrey’s bad writing of Yamasaki, which he mentions in the third letter, below, but I’m not sure.
[16] Andrew Renton
[17] The reference in red to Matthew is probably to Robert Matthew Johnson Marshall
[18] a visit was being organised by Paul Buckhurst for staff at Richard Sheppard’s office where Paul was working. Paul had hired a Dakota aircraft for a trip to Egypt and the Nile, but for some reason, it never happened.
Transcripts of some letters from Geoffrey Collens while studying at Dept of Landscape (Penn) on McHarg's course
John Peverley, a friend of Geoffrey when they worked in the same room together as young architects at Basil Spence’s office in London, made contact with us. He had some letters Geoffrey had sent when he first started at Penn in 1960. Did we want these letters?
John wanted to know from Geoffrey what life was like for an English student, as he was also excited at the prospect of going to study in America. These letters will be on their way to MERL to join the rest of the Landscape Institute Archive, but we wanted to share some rare insights here first.
This is Geoffrey sending three snapshots of his time as a MLA student at the Department of Landscape Architecture, School of Fine Arts, University of Pennsylvania.
[These letters were written in 1960-61 and they reflect the language and social attitudes of the time].
Philadelphia Oct 8 [1960]
Dear John,
I have now been here three weeks but it hardly seems as long as that. The trip over was uneventful but quite pleasant and my stay in New York went well. I had time to look around much of the city seeing Guggenheim, Lever House, Seagram, Union Carbide, Museum of Art etc but am reserving future weekends for more intensive sightseeing. There are large areas in which nothing of significance is to be seen and the the best things are generally grouped in small concentrations.
Having been put up, to start with by John Baker’s friend I have now my own apartment – one large room approx 25’ x 15’ with small bathroom (shower, WC and basin) and a kitchenette at one end including full size gas oven and enormous fridge – large enough to sit in during the hot season. The furnishings are meagre but the landlord has provided new linoleum and also free paint for any decorations I want to do. So far I have given the ceiling two coats of white paint (before moving in) and intend to do the same to the walls and woodwork and to paint the furniture black. By then things should be quite comfortable. (Rent £20 a calendar month incl gas, elect, hot water + central heating).
I tried to get a job with Doxiados [Doxiadis[1]] who is doing a large project in Philadelphia. If I could have worked full time I would have been taken on immediately at £45 per week but as I can only do 20 hours maximum I have not been offered a job although there has been no definite refusal. Other possibilities of employment have also fallen through and I am still living on the money I brought with me, as the stipend from the University is not due yet. (7 hours a week of research required now for the scholarship money – first year that this has been requested).
The course is very hard but quite excellent and the range of study involves the total environment and the lectures range from Atomic Energy to Zen Buddhism. There are only 7 on the course this year of which 3 are British[2]. A friend of David Streatfield’s is on the final year and a friend of Rock and Bonnington from Newcastle days is here also – almost a club feeling! Hope you accomplished all the little tasks I left with you.
Sincerely Geoffrey
[1] Doxiadis Associates, an international practice led by Greek architect, engineer and planner, Constantine A Doxiadis (1913-1975); they were the last of a series of architects invited to prepare a planning study for Eastwick New Housing (1959) and were appointed to see the project through from 1960. This was the project Geoffrey was referring to. Doxiadis had already established Ekistics ‘the science of human settlements’, and journal, of which Jaqueline Tyrwhitt was editor.
[2] Wendy Powell and Douglas Sampson were the two other UK students in his year. While most students taken on this course had a first degree in architecture, Wendy Powell had studied landscape architecture at University of Reading (first year only) and at UCL and had worked six years at Hemel Hempstead New Town previous to applying for the MLA course.
Philadelphia Dec 12 1960
Dear John
Many thanks for your letter which I have been slow to answer as life is very busy at present. I cannot write as small as you do so need to spread onto airmail sheets instead of confining myself to a regular letter form.
I will quickly answer the points in your letter before noting any news. My stay in NY was 3 nights on arrival but all the best things are fairly close together, so easy to see quite quickly. The University ‘listing bureau’ was not much help for an apartment as I was so late in arriving and because most of their places are near the University, whereas I wanted to be near the city centre (er).
There are plenty of places going, but you need to be here early. I got mine through a realtor agent – they charge no fees here. It looked pretty sad at first, but my painting activities have livened everything up.
I can barely afford the rent but the only cheaper place would be in a totally coloured neighbourhood or sharing with others – which involves certain loss of liberty.
For what I have the price is as cheap or cheaper that central London and is said to be ½ the NY rate.
When I was in New York over the Thanksgiving recess I phoned Marcel Breuer’s office on the Friday as many offices were open, but there was no reply. Could you let me know Gary’s address so that I might see him next time I am in NY.
My 7 hours a week involving research through magazines in the library – for material for a book to be written by McHarg under the auspices of the Rockefeller Foundation – quite a pleasurable activity although it is hard to find 7 spare evening hours.
The intensity of study here is shown by the fact that the library is open until 11pm on weekdays!
The only other scholarship bodies I know about are the Commonwealth Ford Foundation (London). The George VI awards (probably not for Architecture). The John Thuran [Thouron] Award (Glasgow based and very very generous); Institute of International Education (they have many U of Penn Foreign Scholarships but will probably be keenest for people from under developed countries).
Wherever you apply do it soon! All the MA courses are based around the personality cult, so it is a matter of choosing your favourite Architect and studying under him.
I think Harvard and Yale are probably pleasanter Universities than Penn but the latter is probably more vital. All the MCP and MLA courses are more than 1 year so I will not discuss them.
I understand that MA students at Penn do not usually work part-time (watch money problems here!) and seem to have a very easy time compared with the City Planners and Landscapers. The combination of Khan, McHarg and Mumford is certainly very good, but Perkins is not much in evidence most of the time. The course contains 22 hours of classes and studios (which is largely talking and discussion) for which 44 hours of homework are set!
We had many outside trips early on but now are confined indoors. The exams come twice a year at the end of each semester together with the papers you have to write for these times.
Electives, I think, are subjects you can choose or not choose as you wish or elect.
My luggage problem was [?] terrible as I came by air. It took nearly 3 months for my stuff to arrive partly owing to dock and shipping strikes.
If you come by sea you get most of your luggage taken with you – free – so this is an enormous saving and it should get less battered than my way.
Clothes are worth stocking up on to bring with you especially anything drip dry as they are somewhat backward in that direction here.
The Times D[rawing] O[ffice] price is the same as for my drawings. (NB Kodachrome cheaper than Britain here is you buy 3 dt [?] at a time!)
Thanks for doing all the little jobs – did you deliver the drawings to Mr Lovejoy and tell the Ideal Home people of my flight.
I got a job after 7 weeks of searching ---at firm called Barney[3] Banwell Armentrout and Divvens – fearfully old fashioned and dull (no coffee breaks either!) I had 4 offers of other jobs while there and accepted the last one which was from Doxiadis. I started there today in a glistening skyscraper in the new Penn Centre.
I have plenty of other things to write about, such as my visit to Boston, Harvard and MIT but if you are even to get this I must close soon.
On further consideration my choice of MA would be between Khan and Rudolph and probably the former, as you could also listen in on Mumford, McHarg etc to get good value – that is if you like Khan’s work and can stand a year of hero worship.
One vital piece of advice, if you can manage it come early enough to work for 3 months to make a pile of money to last through the course – my late arrival here caused financial stress and at present I am very hard up and cannot even afford Christmas presents home.
My budget is pretty tight even though I get $3.00 an hour which is above the average, owing to my office experience (photos of Spence bldgs. in which one has worked greatly impress!)
The general cost of living is 50% (about??) Britain (100% in NY) and public transport is 1/9 for cheapest ride (flat rate).
No more operas and concerts for a while (even though Renata Tebaldi etc etc sing in Philadelphia).
I will write again in more detail next time I have a spare moment, but ask questions meanwhile. Sincerely Geoffrey
WEATHER
PS Clothes should be adaptable to weather which was hot and dry all the Autumn but has now turned Arctic. It snowed for the 24 hours midday Sun – Monday and to-day the city was paralysed – no buses, no trains, all schools closed. The University ¾ closed and street clearing efforts either non-existent or pathetic. 13“ [inches] of snow fell and drifts up to 4 ft even in the very centre of the city where cars are still buried tonight. A fierce wind is now blowing the fine snow all over like a dust storm, the temperature is about 15 degrees F, all but 2 or 3 main roads are still blocked (imagine Baker St closed by snow owing to municipal folly and incompetence!!) Send some salt !
[3] William Pope Barney (1890-1970) served as the architect of record of the Carl Mackley Houses, (1933-1934) which were actually designed by Oscar Stonorov and Frank Kastner, neither of whom was registered as an architect in US. [https://www.philadelphiabuildings.org/pab/app/ar_display.cfm/22264 accessed 1.8.2020.] Stonorov’s practice was where John M Whalley worked part time when he was studying for his MLA
Philadelphia March 14 1961
Dear John
Here is a quick reply to your letter in case some of the answers are helpful to you at this stage.
I can see your plans for the future being put into chaos by winning a competition so stop doing anymore so that you don’t run the risk and so that you are rested before you get here!
My choice of place of residence was partly dictated by my routine of life – breakfast – walk to work – morning in office – go to University for afternoon. Also when I got there everything fit to live in near the University was let so the down-town areas were more hopeful and as it turned out only a little more expensive.
I will look up Gary Hansen next time I am in New York and hope he is around when I call.
The pressure of work here is a little artificial and no Englishman should ever have any difficulty keeping up as the general academic standards are not really high. Much of the appearance of hard work shields the fact that students work haphazard hours and most of them spend more time wondering (figurin’) what to do next instead of properly organising their use of time: - this even true of Graduate Students and the students who work late – the library are after those who don’t get up until 10am the following morning!
Nevertheless there are times when the pressure is sure and strong and quick work is needed. Regarding scholarships I forgot to mention that Yale has a lecturer in Architecture called Scully who is reputed to be a wiz and – well bearing in mind when weighing up one scholarship against another. Don’t worry about the length of a course …I find that the last 6 months have passed as though they were 6 weeks – so the period soon evaporates.
The Christmas exams were no worry and were easily passed (100% on one of them!) At the end of the semester you get a mark or grade for each subject and I got A for each of the four subjects to make sure of being top of the class (the first 3 were all British of course!). I also got A+ for several individual marks including a landscape engineering paper which was nothing special, but better than anyone else’s – you know – quick sketching on grey paper and an art cover seems to do a lot here!
The first term started on Sept 19th the day I arrived in Philadelphia but the whole academic year is being pulled round by cutting the summer vacation each year. Thus next Autumn they start on Sept 5th and end early May. If it is possible don’t leave it as late as I did because you have no time to settle down before classes bear down on you and the first ones are intentionally very forbidding. (Squeeze in a holiday to Greece before you come and bring your slides as slides of N Europe are a good status symbol).
A car would be very useful as trains and public transport are very expensive and infrequent and petrol is very very cheap. The only snag is parking which is expensive and is forbidden in many places, that motorists get ulcers from worrying about their car ‘getting a ticket’. ….
The New England visit was via the best method of getting around – a ride in someone’s car sharing ‘gas’ and toll charges. Boston is a nice old place with a very definite Amsterdam/London look. Harvard cannot fail to impress in its best parts and along the Charles River but some of the newer Sham Colonial stuff is very dreary.
MIT is dismal … Aalto’s building leaves me quite cold and Saarinen’s two buildings have exteriors which do not relate to the internal shapes which is a distressing error although the chapel is quite good in spite of this. At Wellesley is Paul Rudolph’s Arts building about which one could quibble here and there but on the whole it is very splendid.
The fall colours [indecipherable word] Connecticut were the chief glory of the trip as the colours were very memorable (Oct 10-20 is the best period).
Apart from Thanksgiving recess in Brooklyn, with visits to Met etc I have been not further from Philadelphia than the leafy suburbs – parties – dinners etc etc …… old those rich young heiresses….!
Travelling is limited by time and finance at present as up till Christmas I hardly had enough to eat never mind gay trips but the next few months should see better things.
I have managed to start with Doxiadis even though the staff was halved at one time and all the part-timers asked to leave. As staff is now being built up again I hope I am safe once more.
I do ordinary ‘drafting work‘ most of the time but as it is of a housing area it is quite interesting although designing is almost entirely a Greek closed shop.
As classes do not start until 2pm at present I work $3.00 an hour 8.30-1.30 as often as I can. (I earn more in part time than I did at BSP [Basil Spence Partnership] in a whole day) if you have to get a part-time job then coming here early is an advantage as you can start full time when offices need a help out over the vacations and then change over to p-t later. My present income is $1,200 for fees $500 stipend, say $3000 from PT work in a year less say $650 for tax on PT earning and stipend. You can live reasonably on that but the more you have the better! I arrived here with so few savings so a period of unemployment will mean raising a loan!
The winter was short and sharp 50” [inches] of snow temps of -4 degrees F, but mostly over by early Feb. it was unusual for Philadelphia to be so cold. These Americans are a bit soft and overdress for cold weather – good old English winter clothes are good enough this far south (Boston is much colder).
Thanks for the news about Ken [?] and about James Cousins keeping up with the Jones’.
Your passing PS about re-designing all London sounds very grand – will they be able to spare you? Sincerely Geoffrey
John Peverley chose Harvard University and studied for Master of Architecture in Urban Design 1961– 62, and he and Geoffrey Collens met up several times in Philadelphia and back in London when they would sometimes go together to the opera together. The friendship and contact between Geoffrey and John continued until the end of the 1960s.
Geoffrey Alan Collens
1934 – 2020
Architect, landscape architect, editor, businessman and patron of the arts
a leading figure in the landscape profession
Geoffrey Collens, always the immaculately dressed urbanite, never conformed to most people’s image of an architect or landscape architect. It is hard to imagine him as a student in Pennsylvania in the early 1960s, or as a relative junior when he joined what was to become a leading landscape practice, shortly after his return to the UK. But under this well-tailored exterior lay extraordinary design and advocacy skills which placed him at the forefront of a young profession and to which he contributed high standards, imagination, lively debate and extraordinary modesty, as he rose inexorably to become chairman of the practice which had recognised his potential back in 1962.
Geoffrey Collens, together with his elder brother John and twin sister Joan, was born in Sevenoaks, Kent in the 1930s. Their father was a civil servant in the Post Office and the family moved up to Harrogate in 1940 when his department was evacuated from London. Geoffrey was educated at Harrogate Grammar school where his infamous handwriting style was aptly described by one Master as “illegible cave scrawl”.
When Geoffrey left school he tried unsuccessfully to join Barclays Bank but after he had a medical he was told that he had a weakness in his chest and it was felt that he would not reach retirement age! It was suggested that he spent some time building up his body, so he cycled around Yorkshire, an activity which triggered his keen interest in country houses. He was also employed part time by a next door neighbour who was an architect, hence, his application to study architecture at Leeds School of Architecture and Town Planning. He studied for his Diploma in architecture from 1951-56, following which he joined Basil Spence & Partners, at 48 Queen Anne Street, London. There he worked on the Chadwick Laboratories at the University of Liverpool with David Rock and the Aeronautics building and Women’s Hall at Southampton University. He was elected ARIBA in 1958.
Like a number of other architects, Geoffrey was attracted to study landscape architecture at the University of Pennsylvania by Ian McHarg’s rousing article outlining this course in the February 1958 edition of the Journal of the Institute of Landscape Architects (ILA). Collens had found his vocation. In the same month he became a probationer member of the ILA, proposed by Peter Youngman, and by Sept 1960, he had joined the MLA course at Penn, alongside Michael Laurie, Wendy Powell and Douglas Sampson. He worked with Doxiadis Associates in Philadelphia on the early stages of a housing development project at Eastwick Avenue for the city authority both during and after his studies and many remember his amusement and pride at eventually receiving a pension from his work on the other side of the pond. He returned to UK in 1962 and by the autumn he was elected an associate of the ILA and appointed an associate of the reorganised Derek Lovejoy and Associates, along with fellow Penn alumni Michael Langley-Smith and John Whalley. Like them, he remained with the practice for all of his career. Collens was initially based at the Caterham Office, and he quickly established a skill working on housing landscapes, and especially with Wates.
Martin Kelly, now Head of Planning for G L Hearn, writes:
‘I first met Geoffrey in 1979, some forty years ago when I joined the London office of Derek Lovejoy and Partners as a Landscape Assistant. Geoffrey was an Associate at that time and we worked together on a wide range of UK projects across all sectors. He was a consummate professional, renowned for his ebullient, meticulous approach and in-depth knowledge of landscape design and construction delivery. Above all, he was always willing to share his experience and mentor more junior members of staff in an affable and inclusive fashion.
‘It was no surprise that Geoffrey became a Partner [in 1983] and subsequently Chairman of the Practice [in 1990] and was instrumental in guiding the Partnership as it evolved into the Lovejoy brand. Perhaps one his greatest professional achievements was as the preeminent Landscape Expert Witness at Public Inquires. His sharp analytical brain and robust character made him incredibly popular with the Planning Bar and led to many referrals from Planning Barristers and QCs, with whom he was a very popular character. During this time he acted on projects, including major residential developments, landmark retail stores, the 2012 Olympic Rowing Lake and Heathrow Terminal 5. His landscape skills, detailed knowledge and performances in this arena were phenomenal.’
Helen Neve remembers that ‘one of Geoffrey’s favourite Heathrow T5 anecdotes related to the location of the public inquiry, in (or perhaps more accurately on) the boarded over swimming pool of an airport hotel. To the amusement of some and, no doubt, the acute embarrassment of others, the inquiry was interrupted one day, by the entrance of two hotel guests, scantily robed in swimming costumes and bath towels, eager for a swim.’
Geoffrey was a much admired and influential landscape architect. Hal Moggridge writes that he remembers him ‘as always a person of warmth and great commitment to the cause of landscape architecture’. So highly regarded was he that after the hasty departure of an LI Chief Executive, Collens was asked to stand in as acting CE until a replacement officer had been successfully recruited.
Robert Holden worked for Geoffrey from 1971 until 1975 at the Lovejoy offices in Victoria: ‘I … recall how active he was, forever on the move running up the Denbigh Street stairs, but always with the time to counsel us.
‘I worked with Geoffrey on two main projects, HMS Raleigh, the navy training establishment at Torpoint in Cornwall (over the water from Plymouth), which is a very steep site, [and] where we learned that the maximum slope for squads of marching trainee seamen was 1:6 (they still wore steel studded boots). This project involved weekly site visits on the night sleeper on the 12.15pm from Paddington to Plymouth and when I happened to mention that sharing a cabin with a snoring stranger led to poor sleep he arranged [that] all my future trips were in a first class, single sleeper cabin. Geoffrey had infinite patience and skill in managing difficult projects (he began work on the project the month that the contractor moved on site).
‘The other main project was Barnard Park in Islington, which he created from bombed sites, [and] which involved working through the three day week. This was an extension of a GLC park by Mawson’s in the 1960s, and I recall how [Geoffrey] had written to them to seek their permission before accepting the commission from Islington Council. Geoffrey was the supreme professional, he was very caring and a total inspiration.’
Throughout his career Geoffrey Collens was an active supporter of the Landscape Institute. He regularly contributed articles for the journal, covering a diverse range of subjects, very little promoting his own work. With Wendy Powell he co-edited the Landscape Design Trust’s 2nd monograph on Sylvia Crowe (1999) and authored chapters in Fifty years of Landscape Design Ed S Harvey and S Rettig (1985), and Techniques of Landscape Architecture by AE Weddle (1967). His writing is clear, economical and informative.
During a period of 25 years he was a member of, or LI representative on, at least four committees. Martin Kelly again: ‘Geoffrey’s enthusiasm and industry was boundless and his ability to balance his work commitments and his pro bono activities on behalf of the landscape profession was extremely impressive, in fact few of us could keep up with him.’
Geoffrey’s contribution to the Landscape Institute’s Journal was significant, long lasting and far reaching. Since 1966 he had been on the journal committee, and when he took over from Susan Jellicoe as chairman of this committee in 1975, he wrote ‘I found that de facto she had handed me the editorship too.’ He retained that position with her assistance and eagle eye, until Ken Fieldhouse took over in 1980. Geoffrey credited Susan Jellicoe for her years of dedicated work which established ‘the foundations on which Landscape Design and its new parent the Landscape Design Trust now stand’, in his Tribute to Susan Jellicoe, for Landscape Design, 1986.
On retiring from the role of editor, like Susan Jellicoe before him, Geoffrey did not step back, but continued as counsellor, supporter and advocate for the Journal, playing a key role in executing the LI’s request to set up an independent Trust to manage and produce the Journal. In Hal Moggridge’s words, ‘he was a leading light for the Landscape Design Trust (LDT) [and] contributed much to the Journal’s quality’.
Geoffrey became a significant benefactor for the four LDT monographs, and, in the case of the Peter Shepheard monograph, the major sponsor. He was a very active Trustee, always to be relied upon to attend meetings, proffer sound advice, act as a sounding board and provide an extraordinary level of support right up to the Trust’s closure in 2019.
On top of all this, writes Martin Kelly, ‘Geoffrey had an incredibly active social lifparticularly related to music and the arts. He was an avid opera fan and classical music buff and sponsored many related cultural organisations, including his patronage to Glyndebourne. He regularly travelled abroad with a group of like-minded friends to see operatic performances. He was also a patron of the arts and the proud owner of many fine paintings, one of his particular favourites being by Sir Hugh Casson.’
He lived much of his life in a Span flat in Blackheath Park which he bought with a loan from his Grandmother. His flat overlooked Blackheath Halls to which be became a committed supporter over many years. Helma Zebregs, former Development Manager, picks up the story. ‘Above all, Geoffrey was an opera connoisseur … . He was generous in his support of national and local arts organisations and he spent a happy retirement being wined and dined by the arts organisations he supported. He was very knowledgeable about opera and remembered and talked about the performances he had seen many years ago.
‘Geoffrey was a very generous supporter of Blackheath Halls Opera… He did not use email and would ring to tell me for how much he was going to sponsor the opera. Phone calls with Geoffrey were never short because he would tell me which operas he had seen, who the performers were and in which productions he had seen them before, and which organisations had entertained him. I enjoyed listening to him and I liked the way he looked at his donations: you give generously and in return you get amazing opportunities to be entertained. Geoffrey certainly led an interesting and fulfilling life post retirement.
‘I would often bump into Geoffrey on his way from his flat down the hill to the station, always crisply dressed in his own immaculate style, on his way to yet another performance in town.’
Geoffrey never married but despite his busy life style, remained close to his twin sister and her family and was a great support to his brother’s family when John sadly passed away at an early age. ‘Uncle Geoffrey’ often spoke of his nephews and niece and Helma Zebregs tells of his pre-Christmas visits to Hamley’s, to personally buy toys for them, as advised by the Hamley’s staff.
Martin Kelly who probably knew Geoffrey better than most writes, ‘my lasting memory of [Geoffrey] will be as a leading figure in the Landscape Profession, on a par with others of his generation, who contributed significantly to our Landscape legacy.’
Only in his last two years did Geoffrey‘s pace of life really slow. As his health failed under the curse of Alzheimer’s disease he spent his last months peacefully and well cared for in a nursing home in Sevenoaks. He passed away on Good Friday 10th April and was buried under a giant oak in a necessarily simple family ceremony in Greatness Park Cemetery in Sevenoaks, less than a mile from his birthplace.
Compiled by Helen Neve and Annabel Downs
If you have any memories of Geoffrey, or details of his work and projects which you are willing to share, please do send them to info@folar.uk so that we can add to the record of this extraordinary man.