Percy Johnson-Marshall
Encyclopedia
Percy Edwin Alan Johnson-Marshall CMG
(20 January 1915 – 14 July 1993) was a British urban design
er, regional planner
and academic. Born in India, he was educated at Liverpool University, and worked initially with local authorities in the south of England. In 1959 he took a post as senior lecturer at the University of Edinburgh
, and was appointed Professor of Urban Design and Regional Planning in 1964.
In 1962 he founded the planning consultancy Percy Johnson-Marshall & Associates, which was commissioned to masterplan the University of Edinburgh's Comprehensive Development Area in the 1960s. The practice was involved in urban planning and redevelopment in the UK and abroad.
, India, to English parents, and was raised in England from the 1920s. He attended the School of Architecture at the University of Liverpool, where his older brother, Stirrat Johnson-Marshall, was already studying. Tutors at Liverpool included Sir Patrick Abercrombie
and Sir Charles Herbert Reilly
. After graduating in 1936 he worked for Middlesex County Council
, then for Willesden Borough Council
, before moving to Coventry City Council in 1938, where he worked as Senior Assistant Architect under Chief Architect Donald Gibson
, until called up for war service in 1941. He was elected to the Royal Institute of British Architects
(RIBA) in 1938.
During the Second World War he served with the Royal Engineers
in India and Burma, attaining the rank of Major. Post-war, he remained in Burma for a year, advising the Burmese Government on planning and reconstruction, and preparing a reconstruction plan for the country, in collaboration with William Tatton-Brown. After his return to the UK, he was employed as an Assistant Regional Planning Officer at the new Ministry of Town and Country Planning, during which time the Town and Country Planning Act 1947
, the first planning law in the UK, was drawn up. In 1947 he was elected member of the Royal Town Planning Institute
(RTPI), also serving as a member of council and of the Education Committee. In 1948 he gained a Diploma in Town Planning from the School of Planning and Research for Regional Development (SPRRD), London, where he later worked as a part-time teacher. Johnson-Marshall worked as a Senior Planner with London County Council
from 1949 to 1959, overseeing several Comprehensive Development Areas, including Lansbury Estate
.
. He founded the planning Research Unit at the University, which was involved in the preparation of several regional plans for areas of southern Scotland, and undertook regional surveys for the Scottish Development Department
. In 1966 his book Rebuilding Cities was published.
In recognition of his services to the planning profession, Johnson-Marshall was made a Companion of the Order of St Michael and St George
(CMG) in 1975. In 1985 he retired from the professorship, to become director of the Patrick Geddes
Centre for Planning Studies. He suffered an illness in 1987-1988, and retired as director as a result.
, Brazil, Porto
, Portugal, and Islamabad
in Pakistan. Within the UK, PJMA worked on redevelopment schemes across the UK, in towns including Newcastle-upon-Tyne, Coleraine
, Northern Ireland, Kilmarnock
, Ayrshire, and Salford
in Greater Manchester.
After 1980, Johnson-Marshall's input declined, and the practice became more architecture focussed. Following Johnson-Marshall's retirement in 1985, the firm was known as Percy Johnson-Marshall & Partners (PJMP) until it was rebranded in 2003 as jmarchitects. The firm acquired Glasgow practice McKeown Alexander in 2001, and Edinburgh architects Wheeler & Sproson in 2005, and now employs nearly 150 people in five offices across the UK.
Johnson-Marshall's brother Stirrat co-founded the architecture practice Robert Matthew Johnson Marshall, now known as RMJM
, in 1956, with Sir Robert Matthew.
Order of St Michael and St George
The Most Distinguished Order of Saint Michael and Saint George is an order of chivalry founded on 28 April 1818 by George, Prince Regent, later George IV of the United Kingdom, while he was acting as Prince Regent for his father, George III....
(20 January 1915 – 14 July 1993) was a British urban design
Urban design
Urban design concerns the arrangement, appearance and functionality of towns and cities, and in particular the shaping and uses of urban public space. It has traditionally been regarded as a disciplinary subset of urban planning, landscape architecture, or architecture and in more recent times has...
er, regional planner
Regional planning
Regional planning deals with the efficient placement of land use activities, infrastructure, and settlement growth across a larger area of land than an individual city or town. The related field of urban planning deals with the specific issues of city planning...
and academic. Born in India, he was educated at Liverpool University, and worked initially with local authorities in the south of England. In 1959 he took a post as senior lecturer at the University of Edinburgh
University of Edinburgh
The University of Edinburgh, founded in 1583, is a public research university located in Edinburgh, the capital of Scotland, and a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The university is deeply embedded in the fabric of the city, with many of the buildings in the historic Old Town belonging to the university...
, and was appointed Professor of Urban Design and Regional Planning in 1964.
In 1962 he founded the planning consultancy Percy Johnson-Marshall & Associates, which was commissioned to masterplan the University of Edinburgh's Comprehensive Development Area in the 1960s. The practice was involved in urban planning and redevelopment in the UK and abroad.
Early life and work
Johnson-Marshall was born in AjmerAjmer
Ajmer , formerly written as Ajmere, is a city in Ajmer District in Rajasthan state in India. Ajmer has a population of around 800,000 , and is located west of the Rajasthan state capital Jaipur, 200 km from Jodhpur, 274 km from Udaipur, 439 km from Jaisalmer, and 391 km from...
, India, to English parents, and was raised in England from the 1920s. He attended the School of Architecture at the University of Liverpool, where his older brother, Stirrat Johnson-Marshall, was already studying. Tutors at Liverpool included Sir Patrick Abercrombie
Patrick Abercrombie
Sir Leslie Patrick Abercrombie ) was an English town planner. Educated at Uppingham School, Rutland; brother of Lascelles Abercrombie, poet and literary critic.-Career:...
and Sir Charles Herbert Reilly
Charles Herbert Reilly
Sir Charles Herbert Reilly, was an English architect and teacher. After training in two architectural practices in London he took up a part-time lectureship at the University of London in 1900, and from 1904 to 1933 he headed the Liverpool School of Architecture, which became world-famous under...
. After graduating in 1936 he worked for Middlesex County Council
Middlesex County Council
Middlesex County Council was the principal local government body in the administrative county of Middlesex from 1889 to 1965.The county council was created by the Local Government Act 1888, which also removed the most populous part of the county to constitute the County of London...
, then for Willesden Borough Council
Willesden
Willesden is an area in North West London which forms part of the London Borough of Brent. It is situated 5 miles north west of Charing Cross...
, before moving to Coventry City Council in 1938, where he worked as Senior Assistant Architect under Chief Architect Donald Gibson
Donald Gibson (architect)
Sir Donald Edward Evelyn Gibson CBE was Coventry’s first City Architect and Planning Officer, from 1938-1954; most famous for the postwar redevelopment of Coventry city centre following the Coventry Blitz.-Education:...
, until called up for war service in 1941. He was elected to 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:...
(RIBA) in 1938.
During the Second World War he served with the Royal Engineers
Royal Engineers
The Corps of Royal Engineers, usually just called the Royal Engineers , and commonly known as the Sappers, is one of the corps of the British Army....
in India and Burma, attaining the rank of Major. Post-war, he remained in Burma for a year, advising the Burmese Government on planning and reconstruction, and preparing a reconstruction plan for the country, in collaboration with William Tatton-Brown. After his return to the UK, he was employed as an Assistant Regional Planning Officer at the new Ministry of Town and Country Planning, during which time the Town and Country Planning Act 1947
Town and Country Planning Act 1947
The Town and Country Planning Act 1947 was an Act of Parliament in the United Kingdom passed by the post-war Labour government...
, the first planning law in the UK, was drawn up. In 1947 he was elected member of the Royal Town Planning Institute
Royal Town Planning Institute
The Royal Town Planning Institute is a body representing planning professionals in the United Kingdom and Republic of Ireland. It was founded in 1914.-Members:...
(RTPI), also serving as a member of council and of the Education Committee. In 1948 he gained a Diploma in Town Planning from the School of Planning and Research for Regional Development (SPRRD), London, where he later worked as a part-time teacher. Johnson-Marshall worked as a Senior Planner with London County Council
London County Council
London County Council was the principal local government body for the County of London, throughout its 1889–1965 existence, and the first London-wide general municipal authority to be directly elected. It covered the area today known as Inner London and was replaced by the Greater London Council...
from 1949 to 1959, overseeing several Comprehensive Development Areas, including Lansbury Estate
Lansbury Estate
The Lansbury Estate is a public housing estate in the Poplar area of the London Borough of Tower Hamlets named after George Lansbury, a Poplar councillor and Labour party MP.It is one of the largest such estates in London...
.
Academic career
In 1959 Johnson-Marshall was appointed Senior Lecturer in the University of Edinburgh's Department of Architecture. A new department of Urban Design and Regional Planning was established in 1964, with Percy Johnson-Marshall as the first professor, within the School of the Built Environment headed by Sir Robert MatthewRobert Matthew
Sir Robert Hogg Matthew, OBE, FRIBA was a Scottish architect and a leading proponent of modernism.- Early life & studies :Robert Matthew was the son of John Matthew . He was born and brought up in Edinburgh, and attended the Edinburgh College of Art.- Career :Robert was apprenticed with his...
. He founded the planning Research Unit at the University, which was involved in the preparation of several regional plans for areas of southern Scotland, and undertook regional surveys for the Scottish Development Department
Scottish Office
The Scottish Office was a department of the United Kingdom Government from 1885 until 1999, exercising a wide range of government functions in relation to Scotland under the control of the Secretary of State for Scotland...
. In 1966 his book Rebuilding Cities was published.
In recognition of his services to the planning profession, Johnson-Marshall was made a Companion of the Order of St Michael and St George
Order of St Michael and St George
The Most Distinguished Order of Saint Michael and Saint George is an order of chivalry founded on 28 April 1818 by George, Prince Regent, later George IV of the United Kingdom, while he was acting as Prince Regent for his father, George III....
(CMG) in 1975. In 1985 he retired from the professorship, to become director of the Patrick Geddes
Patrick Geddes
Sir Patrick Geddes was a Scottish biologist, sociologist, philanthropist and pioneering town planner. He is known for his innovative thinking in the fields of urban planning and education....
Centre for Planning Studies. He suffered an illness in 1987-1988, and retired as director as a result.
Private practice
Percy Johnson-Marshall & Associates (PJMA) was established as a planning consultancy in 1962. The firm was founded following Johnson-Marshall's appointment as planning consultant to the University of Edinburgh, and specialised in urban design and regional planning. The practice undertook master plans for cities including Sao PauloSão Paulo
São Paulo is the largest city in Brazil, the largest city in the southern hemisphere and South America, and the world's seventh largest city by population. The metropolis is anchor to the São Paulo metropolitan area, ranked as the second-most populous metropolitan area in the Americas and among...
, Brazil, Porto
Porto
Porto , also known as Oporto in English, is the second largest city in Portugal and one of the major urban areas in the Iberian Peninsula. Its administrative limits include a population of 237,559 inhabitants distributed within 15 civil parishes...
, Portugal, and Islamabad
Islamabad
Islamabad is the capital of Pakistan and the tenth largest city in the country. Located within the Islamabad Capital Territory , the population of the city has grown from 100,000 in 1951 to 1.7 million in 2011...
in Pakistan. Within the UK, PJMA worked on redevelopment schemes across the UK, in towns including Newcastle-upon-Tyne, Coleraine
Coleraine
Coleraine is a large town near the mouth of the River Bann in County Londonderry, Northern Ireland. It is northwest of Belfast and east of Derry, both of which are linked by major roads and railway connections...
, Northern Ireland, Kilmarnock
Kilmarnock
Kilmarnock is a large burgh in East Ayrshire, Scotland, with a population of 44,734. It is the second largest town in Ayrshire. The River Irvine runs through its eastern section, and the Kilmarnock Water passes through it, giving rise to the name 'Bank Street'...
, Ayrshire, and Salford
City of Salford
The City of Salford is a city and metropolitan borough of Greater Manchester, England. It is named after its largest settlement, Salford, but covers a far larger area which includes the towns of Eccles, Swinton-Pendlebury, Walkden and Irlam which apart from Irlam each have a population of over...
in Greater Manchester.
After 1980, Johnson-Marshall's input declined, and the practice became more architecture focussed. Following Johnson-Marshall's retirement in 1985, the firm was known as Percy Johnson-Marshall & Partners (PJMP) until it was rebranded in 2003 as jmarchitects. The firm acquired Glasgow practice McKeown Alexander in 2001, and Edinburgh architects Wheeler & Sproson in 2005, and now employs nearly 150 people in five offices across the UK.
Johnson-Marshall's brother Stirrat co-founded the architecture practice Robert Matthew Johnson Marshall, now known as RMJM
RMJM
RMJM is an international architectural practice founded in Edinburgh, Scotland in 1956 by architects Robert Matthew and Stirrat Johnson-Marshall. The first offices of the practice were its headquarters in Edinburgh, and another in London...
, in 1956, with Sir Robert Matthew.