Quentin Hughes (architect)
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James Quentin Hughes, (28 February 1920 – 8 May 2004) was an architect and academic. He was a British SAS officer during 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 opposi ...
, and was influential in the preservation of Liverpool's Victorian and Edwardian architectural heritage.


Early life

James Quentin Hughes was born in
Newsham Park Newsham Park in Liverpool, England is a Victorian. To the east of it is the Canada Dock branch railway line, and to the north is West Derby Road. The park is protected as a Grade II* listed site. History The park was opened in 1868. In 1877, ...
,
Liverpool Liverpool is a city and metropolitan borough in Merseyside, England. With a population of in 2019, it is the 10th largest English district by population and its metropolitan area is the fifth largest in the United Kingdom, with a populat ...
on 28 February 1920. He was educated at
Rydal School Rydal Penrhos School is an independent day school in Colwyn Bay, North Wales. It is the only Methodist school in the independent sector in Wales. It is located on multiple sites around the town with a site in the neighbouring village of Rhos-on-S ...
in
Colwyn Bay Colwyn Bay ( cy, Bae Colwyn) is a town, community and seaside resort in Conwy County Borough on the north coast of Wales overlooking the Irish Sea. It lies within the historic county of Denbighshire. Eight neighbouring communities are incorpo ...
,
Wales Wales ( cy, Cymru ) is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is bordered by England to the east, the Irish Sea to the north and west, the Celtic Sea to the south west and the Bristol Channel to the south. It had a population in ...
, and then began his studies at the
University of Liverpool , mottoeng = These days of peace foster learning , established = 1881 – University College Liverpool1884 – affiliated to the federal Victoria Universityhttp://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukla/2004/4 University of Manchester Act 200 ...
School of Architecture in 1937.


Second World War

On the outbreak of war Hughes volunteered for the
Royal Artillery The Royal Regiment of Artillery, commonly referred to as the Royal Artillery (RA) and colloquially known as "The Gunners", is one of two regiments that make up the artillery arm of the British Army. The Royal Regiment of Artillery comprises t ...
and was posted to 208 Anti-Aircraft Training Regiment before obtaining his commission in 1940. Hughes was posted to
Malta Malta ( , , ), officially the Republic of Malta ( mt, Repubblika ta' Malta ), is an island country in the Mediterranean Sea. It consists of an archipelago, between Italy and Libya, and is often considered a part of Southern Europe. It lies ...
with 48/71 D Battery RA, from which his lifelong love of the island and interest in its architecture began. Following the Siege of Malta, in 1942 Hughes joined the newly created 2nd SAS based at
Philippeville, Algeria Skikda ( ar, سكيكدة; formerly Philippeville from 1838 to 1962 and Rusicade in ancient times) is a city in northeastern Algeria and a port on the Mediterranean. It is the capital of Skikda Province and Skikda District. History The Phoenic ...
and began carrying out sabotage operations in Italy. On 12 January 1944 Hughes and four others took off from an American airfield in southern Italy for Operation Pomegranate in support of the forthcoming allied landings at
Anzio Anzio (, also , ) is a town and ''comune'' on the coast of the Lazio region of Italy, about south of Rome. Well known for its seaside harbour setting, it is a fishing port and a departure point for ferries and hydroplanes to the Pontine Islands ...
. The objective of the mission was the destruction of German reconnaissance aircraft at San Egidio. The group was scattered after coming into contact with a German sentry, and although Hughes and the raid commander Major Tony Widdrington found each other, the other members could not be located. The pair carried on with the mission, infiltrating the airfield on the night of 19 January and planting
Lewes bomb The Lewes bomb was a blast-incendiary field expedient explosive device, manufactured by mixing diesel oil and Nobel 808 plastic explosive. It was created by Lieutenant Jock Lewes, one of the original members of L Detachment SAS in 1941. Histor ...
s which when detonated destroyed four
Ju 88 The Junkers Ju 88 is a German World War II ''Luftwaffe'' twin-engined multirole combat aircraft. Junkers Aircraft and Motor Works (JFM) designed the plane in the mid-1930s as a so-called '' Schnellbomber'' ("fast bomber") that would be too fast ...
s, two Fieseler Storchs and one
Ju 52 The Junkers Ju 52/3m (nicknamed ''Tante Ju'' ("Aunt Ju") and ''Iron Annie'') is a transport aircraft that was designed and manufactured by German aviation company Junkers. Development of the Ju 52 commenced during 1930, headed by German aeron ...
. While defusing their unused bombs one exploded, killing Widdrington and leaving Hughes temporarily blind and concussed. He used his pistol to summon assistance, being captured by the Germans and taken to hospital in
Perugia Perugia (, , ; lat, Perusia) is the capital city of Umbria in central Italy, crossed by the River Tiber, and of the province of Perugia. The city is located about north of Rome and southeast of Florence. It covers a high hilltop and pa ...
. The accident left Hughes deaf in one ear and blind in one eye for the remainder of his life. By February the
Gestapo The (), abbreviated Gestapo (; ), was the official secret police of Nazi Germany and in German-occupied Europe. The force was created by Hermann Göring in 1933 by combining the various political police agencies of Prussia into one orga ...
was insistent that Hughes should be handed over to them to be shot as a saboteur; however a German officer managed to get Hughes classified as a prisoner of war, thereby keeping him at least temporarily safe from the Gestapo. Hughes later escaped, by jumping from a train, along with two other men and with assistance from local partisans reached Allied forces on 10 May 1944. Hughes received an MC and bar for the raid and his following escape. After spending some time at an officers' rest camp Hughes returned to England to rejoin the 2nd SAS at Prestwick, Ayrshire. He was appointed commander of HQ squadron in 1945 before a jeep accident forced him to retire from the army at the rank of Major. Called Jimmy Hughes while serving in the British Army, he wrote about his years as a soldier in a book, ''Who Cares Who Wins'' (1998), a play on the SAS motto "Who Dares Wins", that was published under the name of Jimmy Quentin Hughes MC in 1998.


Post war

Hughes completed his architecture degree at Liverpool in 1946 and then moved to
Leeds University , mottoeng = And knowledge will be increased , established = 1831 – Leeds School of Medicine1874 – Yorkshire College of Science1884 - Yorkshire College1887 – affiliated to the federal Victoria University1904 – University of Leeds , ...
to study for a PhD. His thesis on the architectural history of baroque Malta led to the publication of his first book, ''The Building of Malta'' ''1530-1795'' (1956). He was appointed
Senior Lecturer Senior lecturer is an academic rank. In the United Kingdom, Ireland, New Zealand, Australia, Switzerland, and Israel senior lecturer is a faculty position at a university or similar institution. The position is tenured (in systems with this conce ...
in Architecture at Leeds in 1948 and stayed until 1955 when he became a lecturer at the
Liverpool School of Architecture The School of Architecture is an architecture school in Liverpool, England, and part of the University of Liverpool. It was the first architecture school in the United Kingdom to be affiliated with a university, and the first to have degree pro ...
. He was a Lecture and Studio Instructor in Architecture (1955-61), later Senior Lecturer in Architecture (1961-68) and Reader (1968-84) at the
University of Liverpool , mottoeng = These days of peace foster learning , established = 1881 – University College Liverpool1884 – affiliated to the federal Victoria Universityhttp://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukla/2004/4 University of Manchester Act 200 ...
. In 1984 he was made an Honorary
Research Fellow A research fellow is an academic research position at a university or a similar research institution, usually for academic staff or faculty members. A research fellow may act either as an independent investigator or under the supervision of a pr ...
of Liverpool University. The Quentin Hughes Collection, a mixture of notes, drawings and photographs, is held in the archives of the University of Liverpool. Photographs attributed to JQ Hughes are also held by the
Conway Library The Courtauld Institute of Art (), commonly referred to as The Courtauld, is a self-governing college of the University of London specialising in the study of the history of art and conservation. It is among the most prestigious specialist c ...
, whose archive of primarily architectural images is in the process of being digitised under the wider Courtauld Connects project. In 1964 Hughes published ''Seaport: Architecture & Townscape in Liverpool'', in which he stressed the significance of the Victorian and Edwardian architectural inheritance of the city. Much of the city centre was saved because of his activities, which in particular helped preserve the Albert Dock Warehouses and the
Oriel Chambers Oriel Chambers is an office building located on Water Street near the town hall in Liverpool, England. It was the world's first building featuring a metal framed glass curtain wall, which has since become a defining feature of skyscrapers aro ...
. The book was highly influential in starting a national trend opposing the architectural Brutalism of the 1960s. In 1967 he also wrote a detailed policy for the conservation of Liverpool's architecture which was adopted by the City Council. In addition to his academic work Hughes also found time to practise as an architect, designing houses in Surrey, and working on conservation projects including Bridge Street, Chester (1962–4), Neston, Wirral (1967), and Greenbank House, Sefton Park, Liverpool (1969). In 1968, while at Liverpool University, he was seconded to set up the School of Architecture at the
University of Malta The University of Malta (, UM, formerly UOM) is a higher education institution in Malta. It offers undergraduate bachelor's degrees, postgraduate master's degrees and postgraduate doctorates. It is a member of the European University Association ...
, becoming the first
Professor Professor (commonly abbreviated as Prof.) is an academic rank at universities and other post-secondary education and research institutions in most countries. Literally, ''professor'' derives from Latin as a "person who professes". Professors ...
of Architecture in 1970 but, after 'crossing swords' with the country's president
Dom Mintoff Dominic Mintoff, ( mt, Duminku Mintoff, ; often called ''il-Perit'', "the Architect"; 6 August 1916 – 20 August 2012) was a Maltese Socialist politician, architect, and civil engineer who was leader of the Labour Party from 1949 to 198 ...
, he returned to Liverpool in 1973. Hughes was one of the founders of the
Fortress Study Group The Fortress Study Group is a charity registered in the UK with an international membership. Its purpose is advancing the study of post-medieval artillery fortifications throughout the World. History The Fortress Study Group was formed in June 1 ...
in 1975 and served as the first editor of the group's journal, Fort, being internationally respected for his knowledge of military architecture.


Later life

Hughes became the chairman of the Merseyside Civic Trust in 1995, serving until 2001. In this role he and his team stopped commercial development of a dedicated public space at Liverpool Pier Head. In 1999 he was appointed OBE in recognition of his work in conserving the architecture of north-west England and in 2000 was made an Honorary Professor of Architecture by Liverpool John Moores University. In 2004 he received Malta's highest civil honour, the National Order of Merit.


Private life

In 1947 Hughes married Margaret Evans with whom he had two daughters, Gigi & Sian. They divorced and he married Josephine (Jo) Radcliff in1983. They had a daughter, Alice.


Publications

Hughes wrote numerous books including: *The Building of Malta 1530–1795 (1956) *Seaport: Architecture & Townscape in Liverpool (1964) *Fortress: Architecture and Military History in Malta (1969). *Military Architecture (1974) *Who Cares Who Wins (1998) *Malta: The Baroque Island (2003)


References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Hughes, Quentin Architects from Liverpool 1920 births 2004 deaths Preservationist architects Officers of the Order of the British Empire Recipients of the Military Cross Special Air Service officers World War II prisoners of war held by Germany British World War II prisoners of war 20th-century English architects Alumni of the University of Liverpool Alumni of the University of Leeds Academics of the University of Leeds Academics of the University of Liverpool Recipients of the National Order of Merit (Malta) British Army personnel of World War II Royal Artillery officers British escapees Escapees from German detention