Herbert Collins
Encyclopedia
British people
The British are citizens of the United Kingdom, of the Isle of Man, any of the Channel Islands, or of any of the British overseas territories, and their descendants...
architect
Architect
An architect is a person trained in the planning, design and oversight of the construction of buildings. To practice architecture means to offer or render services in connection with the design and construction of a building, or group of buildings and the space within the site surrounding the...
. He designed many of the suburban developments in the city of Southampton
Southampton
Southampton is the largest city in the county of Hampshire on the south coast of England, and is situated south-west of London and north-west of Portsmouth. Southampton is a major port and the closest city to the New Forest...
in the 1920s and 1930s.
Life
Collins designed houses in Southampton from 1922, became a director of the Welwyn Garden CityWelwyn Garden City
-Economy:Ever since its inception as garden city, Welwyn Garden City has attracted a strong commercial base with several designated employment areas. Among the companies trading in the town are:*Air Link Systems*Baxter*British Lead Mills*Carl Zeiss...
Company in 1924 and co-founded the Swaythling
Swaythling
Swaythling was once a village but over the years it has gradually become a suburb and electoral ward of Southampton in Hampshire, England. The ward has a population of 13,394....
Housing Society
Housing society
For the Hong Kong organization, see Hong Kong Housing Society.Housing society is a term used to describe residential complexes usually consisting of buildings each having flats, especially in India...
on 26 November 1925. Collins, along with his cofounders, accountant and civic leader Fred Woolley (the society's first chairman) and Bursledon
Bursledon
Bursledon is a village on the River Hamble in Hampshire, England. It is located within the borough of Eastleigh. Close to the city of Southampton, Bursledon has a railway station, a marina, dockyards and the Bursledon Windmill. Nearby villages include Swanwick, Hamble-le-Rice, Netley and Sarisbury...
brickworks
Brickworks
A brickworks also known as a brick factory, is a factory for the manufacturing of bricks, from clay or shale. Usually a brickworks is located on a clay bedrock often with a quarry for clay on site....
director Claude Ashby, put up £200 worth of shares. Collins' father, William, loaned the fledgling company £14,000.
Collins lived at 38 Brookvale Road in Highfield, Southampton
Highfield, Southampton
Highfield is a suburb of Southampton, England. The suburb is situated to the north of the city centre, and is bounded by Southampton Common, Bassett, Swaythling and Portswood...
from 1930 to 1973, and a commemorative English Heritage
English Heritage
English Heritage . is an executive non-departmental public body of the British Government sponsored by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport...
blue plaque
Blue plaque
A blue plaque is a permanent sign installed in a public place to commemorate a link between that location and a famous person or event, serving as a historical marker....
was installed there in July 2004. During his time living there, Collins was responsible for the design of Swaythling Methodist Church
Swaythling Methodist Church
Swaythling Methodist Church is a local church and a grade II listed church building in Swaythling, Southampton. The building hosts, and is managed by, a partnership of three churches; Swaythling Methodist Church itself, City Life Church, and an offshoot of New Community Church called Flower of...
in Burgess Road, built in 1932.
In an effort to contribute to the post-war housing efforts, Collins submitted a suggestion to the July 1945 edition of the journal Architectural Design and Construction regarding constructing bungalow
Bungalow
A bungalow is a type of house, with varying meanings across the world. Common features to many of these definitions include being detached, low-rise , and the use of verandahs...
s from rammed earth
Rammed earth
Rammed earth, also known as taipa , tapial , and pisé , is a technique for building walls using the raw materials of earth, chalk, lime and gravel. It is an ancient building method that has seen a revival in recent years as people seek more sustainable building materials and natural building methods...
combined with a small quantity of cement; his suggestion was repeated in The Architects' Journal in 1946.
In 1957, Collins retired as a fellow of the Royal Institute of British Architects
Royal Institute of British Architects
The Royal Institute of British Architects is a professional body for architects primarily in the United Kingdom, but also internationally.-History:...
and his professional partnership with J. Normal Calton was dissolved by mutual consent; the pair had been trading as Collins & Calton. A this time, Collins was living at 32 Carlton Crescent in Southampton. Collins' retirement, however, did not mean an end to his interest in architecture and town planning, and in January 1962 a letter from Collins, sent from his Carlton Crescent address, was published in the Journal of the Town Planning Institute.
Work
Collins' housing estates have a distinctive style, usually with rows of terraced houses set around wide areas of greenery. Two of the more notable Collins estates in Southampton have been designated as conservation areas by the city council, and Orchards Way in West EndWest End, Hampshire
The Parish of West End in Hampshire is situated within the borough of Eastleigh, and to the north east of the city of Southampton. As well as the village itself, the parish contains the Chartwell Green suburb of Southampton....
was designated a conservation area by Eastleigh Borough
Eastleigh (borough)
The Borough of Eastleigh is a local government district and borough in Hampshire, England, bordering the unitary authority of Southampton, Test Valley, the City of Winchester and the borough of Fareham. Eastleigh is separated from the New Forest by Southampton Water...
Council in 1999.
Collins also made plans for a garden city
Garden city movement
The garden city movement is a method of urban planning that was initiated in 1898 by Sir Ebenezer Howard in the United Kingdom. Garden cities were intended to be planned, self-contained communities surrounded by "greenbelts" , containing proportionate areas of residences, industry and...
around Marchwood
Marchwood
Marchwood is a village and civil parish located in Hampshire, United Kingdom. It lies between Totton and Hythe on the western shore of Southampton Water, next to the New Forest. The population of the village in the 2001 census was 5,586.-History:...
, but these proposals were unrealised.