Robert Matthew, Johnson-Marshall & Partners Collection

Description Robert Matthew, Johnson-Marshall & Partners Collection

Date 1965 to 1986

Collection Robert Matthew, Johnson-Marshall & Partners Collection

Catalogue Number 551 357

Category All Other

Scope and Content This collection represents the archive of projects designed by the Edinburgh office in Scotland, the UK and overseas, and contains all job documentation relating to projects from 1956 to 1987 (Job Numbers 001 -687). This early work of the practice includes: Edinburgh (Turnhouse) Airport(1953); British Home Stores, Edinburgh; Crombie Halls of Residence, University of Aberdeen; David Hume Tower, Edinburgh (1960-63); Hutchesontown/Gorbals multi-storey flats and housing; Ninewells Hospital, Dundee (1964-73); University of Stirling (1965-74); Distillers House, Murrayfield, Edinburgh (1981-4; College of Nautical Studies, Glasgow; Royal Commonwealth Pool, Edinburgh (1965-70); several power stations including Kincardine,Cockenzie and Longannet power stations; Midlothian County Council Building, Edinburgh; and Wester Hailes education Centre. Overseas projects include the design for the Pakistan National Museum and archives; Glendon Hospital, Montserrat; University of Jordan; various roads and bridges in Libya.

Archive History The company archives from 1956-1987 (Job Numbers 001 -687) was donated by RMJM Scotland Ltd (RMJM) in 2008. The files were removed from a storage facility in Sighthill, Edinburgh. There is a list of the project numbers allocated by the company. Acc No 2007/267 'A very large collection of drawings, manuscripts, photographs and slides comprising the RMJM practice's work from 1951-1984, including such projects as the University of Dundee; University of Stirling; Royal Infirmary of Edinburgh; Longannet Power Station, East Lothian; Paisley College of Technology, Renfrewshire; and IBM Greenock, Inverclyde.'

System of Arrangement All items for each building are grouped together into projects. The projects are then grouped thematically by type of building: Civic, educational, residential, industry, transport, sport and leisure, and military, then grouped within the groups of Scotland, UK and overseas.

Related Material Projects from 1987 onward as still held by RMJM (Scotland) Ltd and RMJM (London) Ltd. English Heritage and the National Monuments Record in Swindon hold the Robert Matthew Johnson -Marshall & Partners archive for English projects create by the London and office from 1956-1987. This collection includes New Zealand House, the Commonwealth Institute, and Hillingdon Civic Centre. World famous architectural photographer Henk Snoek (1915-1980), was commissioned by RMJM&P to photograph many of the finished buildings in the 1950s, 60s and 70s. His archive of 40,000 negatives is held in the RIBA British Architectural Library Photographs Collection. The families of Robert Matthew and Stirrat Johnson-Marshall also hold collections of their private papers and original drawing.

Administrative History The partnership of Robert Matthew, Johnson-Marshall and Partners was founded in 1956 in Edinburgh when Stirrat Andrew William Johnson-Marshall (1912-1981), who was then Chief Architect to the Ministry of Education, joined Robert Hogg Matthew (1906-1975), who had been Chief Architect to the London County Council (1946 - 1953). Robert Matthew was Professor of Architecture at Edinburgh University (1953-1968) at the time the company was founded. Plans and contact for several major projects were in place prior to the forming of RMJMP eg. Perthshire hydro projects, Turnhouse Airport, Kincardine power station, Crombie Hall, Aberdeen, Ninewells, the RIE refurbishment. Sir Robert Matthew later became president of the International Unions of Architects (UIA) and the Commonwealth Association of Architects (CAA). Robert Hogg Matthew was born on 12 December 1906, the eldest son of John Fraser Matthew, who was the first apprentice of Robert Lorimer and worked in partnership with him. Robert Hogg studied at Edinburgh College of Art under John Begg from 1924, obtaining his diploma in 1929 and in the same year gaining the Pugin Travelling Scholarship. In October of that year he joined his father's firm of Lorimer & Matthew as an assistant. He was admitted ARIBA in mid-1931, his proposers being Begg, Sydney Houghton Miller and Charles Denny Carus-Wilson. He then returned to his studies for a further two years under a postgraduate fellowship at the College, winning the Soane Medallion. He commenced practice on his own account in 1936, while still assisting his father part-time. He won the £1,000 bungalow competition in 1936 and in 1937 was the organiser of the Town Planning Exhibition in the Royal Scottish Academy. He entered various competitions with Alan Reiach and designed Watford Fire Station. In 1939 he was the winner of the Ilkeston Baths competition, again with Alan Reiach. From 1938 to 1943 he was working with the Scottish Department of Health on emergency hospitals, rising to the position of Chief Architect and Planning Officer by 1945. He then served with the London County Council as Chief Architect, where he was responsible for notable education and housing projects within the post-war reconstruction programme as well as the prestigious Royal Festival Hall (1951). The position as head of the school of architecture within the Edinburgh College of Art as well as a chair at the University brought him back to Edinburgh. Here, he founded a new school of architecture and planning within the university which, in the manner of Gropius at Dessau, he ran in tandem with RMJM. He founded his own practice; separate from his father's, taking Stirrat Johnson-Marshall into partnership in 1956. A further partner, Tom Spaven, joined the firm in 1962. In the 1960s John Richards, Kenneth Graham, Chris Carter, Vernon Lee and Alan Whiteman were all taken into partnership. There were offices in Hill Street, Melville Street and Alva Street. In the 1970s further offices opened in George Street, St Andrew Square, East Fettes Avenue and Miller Row where the current company, RMJM Ltd , formed from the partnership in 1986, still resides. Robert Matthew worked with Sir Basil Spence on the Hutchestown/Gorbals project in Glasgow. He was involved with many national and international professional bodies including CIAM/MIT In an attempt to create East-West engagement, RM visited many countries including the USA, New Zealand, Australia, Russia, China, Romania Sir Stirrat Johnson-Marshall, CBE (1912-1981) Died 16th December 1981 Stirrat Johnson –Marshall trained at Liverpool University and became ARIBA in 1936. He was the brother of urban designer and regional planner Percy Johnson-Marshall (1915-93). He served in the Royal Engineers throughout the Second World War and in 1945 was appointed deputy county architect of Herefordshire. There, he was part of the post-war school building programme which, due to the shortage of bricks, used new methods of construction such as assembly- line produced steel frame and pre-cast concrete. These new schools were designed for children, with primary colours, low window sills, and child-sized lavatories. In 1948 he was invited to become the chief architect by the Ministry of Education. He left the Ministry in 1956 to join Robert Matthew, Johnson-Marshall & Partners. Together they developed a successful and innovative practice. He served on the RIBA council for several years and was vice-president in 1964-65. He became a CBE in 1654, and was knighted in 1971. His architecture was governed by human activities, and his use of new technologies made his buildings accessible and affordable . He was involved in the development of the CLASP system of prefabricated buildings. The client and the people who are to use the building were what his buildings were about. His vision, which he shared with Robert Matthew, was to change the man-made environment by designing efficient buildings, fit for purpose, not one-off showy buildings. They both believed in making architecture a collaborative enterprise and that it was a service to the whole community. They worked at reducing barriers between people, and transcended the traditional attitudes at the time. Together, they faced the challenge to create the highest possible standards of public architecture. The Practice Robert Matthew and Stirrat Johnson-Marshall met sometime before 1948 when the Architects and Building Branch was set up within the Ministry of Education under Stirrat Johnson-Marshall . Both men were influenced by Lionel Budeen and their passion for the Modern Movement and a commitment to co-operative design and social architecture. The partnership ran as two practices, one in Edinburgh run by Sir Robert Matthew, and the other in London and Welwyn led by Mr Johnson-Marshall. The work of the partnership included a wide range of civic buildings, together with buildings for sport and tourism, education, transport, commerce and industry, hospitals and housing. Work abroad from this period in the company’s history includes projects in Northern Ireland, Pakistan, the United Arab Emirates, Libya, the Caribbean, USA, Egypt, Jordan, Central America and Kuwait, reflecting Robert Matthew’s involvement in the architecture internationally. The practice developed over the years towards a comprehensive multi-disciplinary organisation, with skills and experience in urban planning, architecture, structural and civil engineering, highway planning and engineering, service engineering, management, quantity surveying, landscape architecture and interior design. Increased skills sets within the company meant that the projects they took on were not just architectural design, but included many feasibility studies, social studies, reports, surveys, heating installations, lighting projects, and interior design. The practice researched the use and functions of buildings in great detail and produced many in-depth reports and publications for future use. Today RMJM is one of the world’s largest architectural practices. In the last 15 years computer visualisation, BREEAM assessment, planning supervision (CDM) and visual arts consultancy skills were been added to the list of skills. Latterly (2008-2010) the company has reduced the number of specialist disciplines to architecture, sustainable design, master planning, urban design, arts consultancy, landscape design and computer visualisation. RMJM has ongoing projects in more than 15 countries worldwide and across a wide range of industry sectors including education, commercial, industrial, regeneration, leisure, retail, residential, scientific research, healthcare and public buildings.

Finding Aids Bailey, Rebecca M, 1996, Scottish Architects’ Papers: a source book, Edinburgh The Dictionary of Scottish Architects

Accruals Further accruals are expected on an irregular basis. Ian Parsons Gift 2014/75

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