Sir Hugh Maxwell Casson (23 May 1910 – 15 August 1999) was a British architect. He was also active as an interior designer, as an artist, and as a writer and broadcaster on twentieth-century design. He was the director of architecture for the

Festival of Britain The Festival of Britain was a national exhibition and fair that reached millions of visitors throughout the United Kingdom in the summer of 1951. Historian Kenneth O. Morgan says the Festival was a "triumphant success" during which people: ...

on the

South Bank The South Bank is an entertainment and commercial district in central London, next to the River Thames opposite the City of Westminster. It forms a narrow strip of riverside land within the London Borough of Lambeth (where it adjoins Alber ...

in 1951. From 1976 to 1984, he was president of the

Royal Academy The Royal Academy of Arts (RA) is an art institution based in Burlington House on Piccadilly in London. Founded in 1768, it has a unique position as an independent, privately funded institution led by eminent artists and architects. Its pur ...

Life

Casson was born in London on 23 May 1910, spending his early years in

Burma Myanmar, ; UK pronunciations: US pronunciations incl. . Note: Wikipedia's IPA conventions require indicating /r/ even in British English although only some British English speakers pronounce r at the end of syllables. As John Wells explai ...

—where his father was posted with the Indian Civil Service—before being sent back to England for schooling. He was the nephew of actor, Sir

Lewis Casson Sir Lewis Thomas Casson MC (26 October 187516 May 1969) was an English actor and theatre director, and the husband of actress Dame Sybil Thorndike.Devlin, DianaCasson, Sir Lewis Thomas (1875–1969) ''The Oxford Dictionary of National Biograph ...

and his wife, the actress

Sybil Thorndike Dame Agnes Sybil Thorndike, Lady Casson (24 October 18829 June 1976) was an English actress whose stage career lasted from 1904 to 1969. Trained in her youth as a concert pianist, Thorndike turned to the stage when a medical problem with her ...

. Casson studied at

Eastbourne College Eastbourne College is a co-educational independent school in the British public school tradition, for day and boarding pupils aged 13–18, in the town of Eastbourne on the south coast of England. The College's headmaster is Tom Lawson. Over ...

in East Sussex, then

St John's College, Cambridge St John's College is a Colleges of the University of Cambridge, constituent college of the University of Cambridge founded by the House of Tudor, Tudor matriarch Lady Margaret Beaufort. In constitutional terms, the college is a charitable corpo ...

(1929–31), after which he spent time at the

Bartlett School of Architecture Bartlett may refer to: Places * Bartlett Bay, Canada, Arctic waterway * Wharerata, New Zealand, also known as Bartletts United States * Bartlett, Illinois ** Bartlett station, a commuter railroad station * Bartlett, Iowa * Bartlett, Kansas ...

in London and The British School in Athens. He met his future wife, Margaret Macdonald Troup (1913-1995), an architect and designer who taught design at the

Royal College of Art The Royal College of Art (RCA) is a public research university in London, United Kingdom, with campuses in South Kensington, Battersea and White City. It is the only entirely postgraduate art and design university in the United Kingdom. It offe ...

, while they were both students. The couple had three daughters.

Work

Before the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

, he divided his time between teaching at the Cambridge School of Architecture and working in the London office of his Cambridge tutor, Christopher (Kit) Nicholson. He wrote the book ''New Sights of London'' in 1938 for London Transport, championing modern architecture within reach of London, while remaining critical of the UK's record in innovative building. "He does not mince his words", commented the ''Architect and Building News'' on the cover. During the war, he worked in the

Camouflage Camouflage is the use of any combination of materials, coloration, or illumination for concealment, either by making animals or objects hard to see, or by disguising them as something else. Examples include the leopard's spotted coat, the ...

Service of the

Air Ministry The Air Ministry was a department of the Government of the United Kingdom with the responsibility of managing the affairs of the Royal Air Force, that existed from 1918 to 1964. It was under the political authority of the Secretary of State ...

. Casson was appointed to his role as director of architecture of the Festival of Britain in 1948 at the age of 38, and set out to celebrate peace and modernity through the appointment of other young architects. For example, the Modernist design of the

Royal Festival Hall The Royal Festival Hall is a 2,700-seat concert, dance and talks venue within Southbank Centre in London. It is situated on the South Bank of the River Thames, not far from Hungerford Bridge, in the London Borough of Lambeth. It is a Grade I l ...

was led by a 39-year-old, Leslie Martin. Casson's Festival achievements led to his being made a (

Knight Bachelor The title of Knight Bachelor is the basic rank granted to a man who has been knighted by the monarch but not inducted as a member of one of the organised orders of chivalry; it is a part of the British honours system. Knights Bachelor are the ...

) in 1952. After the war, and alongside his Festival work, Casson went into partnership with young architect

Neville Conder Neville may refer to: Places *Neville, New South Wales, Australia *Neville, Saskatchewan, Canada *Néville, in the Seine-Maritime department, France *Néville-sur-Mer, in the Manche department, France *Neville, Ohio, USA *Neville Township, Penns ...

. Their projects included corporate headquarters buildings, university campuses, the Elephant House at

London Zoo London Zoo, also known as ZSL London Zoo or London Zoological Gardens is the world's oldest scientific zoo. It was opened in London on 27 April 1828, and was originally intended to be used as a collection for science, scientific study. In 1831 o ...

, a building for the

(where Casson was Professor of Interior Design from 1955 to 1975, and later served as Provost), the Microbiology Building (Belfast), and the master planning and design of the Sidgwick Avenue arts faculty buildings for the

University of Cambridge , mottoeng = Literal: From here, light and sacred draughts. Non literal: From this place, we gain enlightenment and precious knowledge. , established = , other_name = The Chancellor, Masters and Schola ...

, including the Austin Robinson Building which houses the Faculty of Economics as well as the

Marshall Library of Economics The Marshall Library of Economics is a library of the University of Cambridge, England. History The library is the outgrowth of a Moral Sciences Library begun in 1885 by Professor Alfred Marshall and Professor Henry Sidgwick, consisting largely ...

. This latter project lasted some 30 years. He was friends with members of the British royal family, and reportedly taught

watercolour Watercolor (American English) or watercolour (British English; see spelling differences), also ''aquarelle'' (; from Italian diminutive of Latin ''aqua'' "water"), is a painting method”Watercolor may be as old as art itself, going back to t ...

painting to

Prince Charles Charles III (Charles Philip Arthur George; born 14 November 1948) is King of the United Kingdom and the 14 other Commonwealth realms. He was the longest-serving heir apparent and Prince of Wales and, at age 73, became the oldest person to ...

. In 1955, he designed the interiors for the royal yacht ''Britannia''; he also designed interiors for suites at

Buckingham Palace Buckingham Palace () is a London royal residence and the administrative headquarters of the monarch of the United Kingdom. Located in the City of Westminster, the palace is often at the centre of state occasions and royal hospitality. It ...

and at

Windsor Castle Windsor Castle is a royal residence at Windsor in the English county of Berkshire. It is strongly associated with the English and succeeding British royal family, and embodies almost a millennium of architectural history. The original cast ...

. From 1953 to 1975 he was professor of environmental design at the

, where his wife Margaret was senior tutor. In the 1980s Casson became a television presenter, with his own series, ''Personal Pleasures with Sir Hugh Casson'', about stately homes and places he enjoyed. Casson supplied watercolour illustrations for a new edition of

Sir John Betjeman Sir John Betjeman (; 28 August 190619 May 1984) was an English poet, writer, and broadcaster. He was Poet Laureate from 1972 until his death. He was a founding member of The Victorian Society and a passionate defender of Victorian architecture, ...

's verse autobiography ''

Summoned by Bells ''Summoned by Bells'', the blank verse autobiography by John Betjeman, describes his life from his early memories of a middle-class home in Edwardian Hampstead, London, to his premature departure from Magdalen College, Oxford. The book was firs ...

'' (1960); ''The Illustrated "Summoned by Bells"'' was published by John Murray in 1989.

Reception

After his work for the Festival of Britain, Casson was

knighted A knight is a person granted an honorary title of knighthood by a head of state (including the Pope) or representative for service to the monarch, the Christian denomination, church or the country, especially in a military capacity. Knighthood ...

in the New Year Honours of 1952. He was made a

Knight Commander Commander ( it, Commendatore; french: Commandeur; german: Komtur; es, Comendador; pt, Comendador), or Knight Commander, is a title of honor prevalent in chivalric orders and fraternal orders. The title of Commander occurred in the medieval mili ...

of the

Royal Victorian Order The Royal Victorian Order (french: Ordre royal de Victoria) is a dynastic order of knighthood established in 1896 by Queen Victoria. It recognises distinguished personal service to the British monarch, Canadian monarch, Australian monarch, o ...

in 1978, and a

Companion of Honour The Order of the Companions of Honour is an order of the Commonwealth realms. It was founded on 4 June 1917 by King George V as a reward for outstanding achievements. Founded on the same date as the Order of the British Empire, it is sometimes ...

in 1985. He was elected an associate member of the

in 1962, and a full member in 1970. He was

treasurer A treasurer is the person responsible for running the treasury of an organization. The significant core functions of a corporate treasurer include cash and liquidity management, risk management, and corporate finance. Government The treasury o ...

in 1975–1976, and president from 1976 to 1984. During the

Summer Exhibition The Summer Exhibition is an open art exhibition held annually by the Royal Academy in Burlington House, Piccadilly in central London, England, during the months of June, July, and August. The exhibition includes paintings, prints, drawings, sc ...

the academy awards an annual Hugh Casson Drawing Prize "for an original work on paper in any medium, where the emphasis is clearly on drawing", and a room in the Keeper's House is named after him. ''

Private Eye ''Private Eye'' is a British fortnightly satire, satirical and current affairs (news format), current affairs news magazine, founded in 1961. It is published in London and has been edited by Ian Hislop since 1986. The publication is widely r ...

'' magazine gives the Sir Hugh Casson Award for the "Worst New Building of the Year". An archive of his papers is held by the

Victoria & Albert Museum The Victoria and Albert Museum (often abbreviated as the V&A) in London is the world's largest museum of applied arts, decorative arts and design, housing a permanent collection of over 2.27 million objects. It was founded in 1852 and nam ...

. Photographs attributed to Casson are held in the Conway Library at The Courtauld Institute of Art, London, whose archive, of primarily architectural images, is being digitised under the wider Courtauld Connects project.

Selected publications

* ''Hugh Casson's Oxford'', London : Phaidon, 1998, ISBN 0714838101 * ''Hugh Casson's Cambridge'', London : Phaidon, 1992, ISBN 0714824593 * ''Hugh Casson's London'', London : Dent, 1983, * ''The Tower of London : an artist's portrait'', with additional text ("An historian's viewpoint") by Richard White, London : Herbert Press in association with HM Tower of London, 1993, * ''Sketch book : a personal choice of London buildings, drawn 1971-1974'' with introduction by

John Betjeman Sir John Betjeman (; 28 August 190619 May 1984) was an English poet, writer, and broadcaster. He was Poet Laureate from 1972 until his death. He was a founding member of The Victorian Society and a passionate defender of Victorian architecture, ...

, London : Lion and Unicorn Press, 1975, * ''Diary'', Hugh Casson, London : Macmillan, 1981, * ''Nanny Says'', as recalled by Sir Hugh Casson and

Joyce Grenfell Joyce Irene Grenfell OBE (''née'' Phipps; 10 February 1910 – 30 November 1979) was an English diseuse, singer, actress and writer. She was known for the songs and monologues she wrote and performed, at first in revues and later in her solo s ...

, ed. Diana, Lady Avebury, London : Dobson, 1972, * ''Bridges'', London : Chatto, 1963. * ''Monuments'', London : Chatto, 1963. * ''Red Lacquer Days. An illustrated journal describing a recent journey to Peking'', London : Lion & Unicorn Press, 1956 * ''An Introduction to Victorian Architecture'', London : Art and Technics, 1948 * ''Homes by the Million. An account of the housing achievement in the U.S.A., 1940-1945'', Harmondsworth : Penguin, 1946 * ''New Sights of London: The Handy Guide to Contemporary Architecture'', London : Westminster : London Transport Publications, 1938 Casson also illustrated many books; perhaps the most famous being ''The Old Man of Lochnagar'', HRH The Prince of Wales with illustrations by Sir Hugh Casson, London : Hamilton, 1980, Casson's biography was published in 2000.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Casson, Hugh 1910 births 1999 deaths 20th-century English architects Royal Academicians People educated at Eastbourne College Academics of the Royal College of Art Alumni of St John's College, Cambridge Alumni of The Bartlett Knights Commander of the Royal Victorian Order Camoufleurs People from Hampstead People from Chelsea, London Architects from London Knights Bachelor