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Abercrombie, Patrick [1879-1957. UK. Architect/Town Planner]

 

Leslie Patrick Abercrombie [commonly known as Patrick Abercrombie, and as Sir Patrick Abercrombie] was born in Green Bank, Sale, Altrincham, Lancashire, England on 6 June 1879. From 1897 to 1901 he was articled to Charles Henry Heathcote (1851-1938) in Manchester. On completion of his articles he worked for three years in the office of Sir Arnold Thornely (1870-1953) in Liverpool. In 1906-07 he worked for the architect Philip Henry Lockwood (1865-1939) in Chester. In 1907 Charles Herbert Reilly (1874-1948), head of the Liverpool University School of Architecture appointed Abercrombie junior lecturer and studio instructor. This was a defining event in his career and sparked his long involvement with civic design and town planning. From 1909 to c.1914 Abercrombie was research fellow in town planning at Liverpool University. In 1915 he became Professor of Civic Design at the university, a post he held until 1935 when he succeeded Stanley Davenport Adshead (1868-1946) as Chair of Town Planning at University College, London.

In 1916, with Arthur A. Kelly and Sidney J. Kelly, Abercrombie won an international competition to design a new city plan for Dublin.

Abercrombie was closely involved in plans for the post-war reconstruction of London. He was the co-author, with John Henry Forshaw (1895-1973), of the County of London Plan (1943), and author of the Greater London Plan (1944). He retired from the Chair of Town Planning in 1946.

Abercrombie was elected an Associate of the Royal Institute of British Architects (ARIBA) in 1915, and a Fellow of the Royal Institute of British Architects (FRIBA) in 1925. He was knighted in 1945 and was awarded the Royal Gold Medal in 1946. He was President of the Town Planning Institute and founder editor of the Town Planning Review. He died at his home, the Red House, in Aston, Berkshire on 23 March 1957.
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Works:

Hownhall, near Ross-on-Wye; Donnanstown: new village — lay-out and houses (in partnership with Adshead and Ramsey); Wrexham: housing scheme for Corporation (in partnership with P. H. Lockwood and C. F. Saxon); Kirk Sandall: new village — lay-out and houses (in partnership with T. H. Johnson). [Source: Who's Who in Architecture 1923]


A photograph of Patrick Abercrombie

A photograph of Patrick Abercrombie


Bibliography

1. Casseres, J. M. de. Stedebouw. Met een voorrede van Patrick Abercrombie. Amsterdam: van Looy 1926

2. Directory of British Architects 1834-1914. Compiled by Antonia Brodie, et al. Volume 1: A-K. London; New York: British Architectural Library, Royal Institute of British Architects/Continuum, 2001

3. Dix, Gerald ‘Patrick Abercrombie’, in Pioneers in British Planning. Edited by Gordon E. Cherry. London: Architectural Press, 1981 pp.103-125

4. Dix, Gerald ‘Patrick Abercrombie” pioneer of planning’. Architectural Review vol. 166, 1979 pp. 130-132

5. Manno, Antonio. Patrick Abercrombie : a chronological bibliography, with annotations and biographical details Leeds, Yorkshire: Planning Research Unit, School of Town Planning, Leeds Polytechnic, 1980.

6. Matless, David. ‘Appropriate Geography: Patrick Abercrombie and the Energy of the World’. Journal of Design History vol. 6, no. 3, pp. 167-178

7. Osborne, F. J. ‘Sir Patrick Abercrombie’ Town and Country Planning, vol. 25, no. 5, May 1957 p.199

8. Pepler, George. ‘Patrick Abercrombie: an appreciation’. Journal of the Town Planning Institute, vol. 43, 1957, pp. 130–132

9. Who’s Who in Architecture 1923. Edited by Frederick Chatterton. London: The Architectural Press, 1923

10. Williams-Ellis, Clough. ‘A genial wizard: an appreciation of Sir Patrick Abercrombie’ The Listener 8 August 1957 pp. 199-200

11. Zger, Mirjam. The Potato Plan Collection - 40 Cities Through The Lens Of Patrick Abercrombie. Rotterdam: nai010 publishers, 2018

12. ‘Leslie Patrick Abercrombie: a centenary note’. Town Planning Review, vol 50, no. 3, 1979 pp. 257–264

13. ‘Obituary’ The Builder vo. 192, 1957 p. 593

14. ‘Obituary’ RIBA Journal vol. 64, 1957, pp. 205, 249, 292-294, 332

15. ‘Presentation of the T. P. I. gold medal to Sir Patrick Abercrombie’, Journal of the Town Planning Institute, vol. 41, 1955, 229–234

Weblinks

Allen, Kate. ‘The man who created London – and other urban master planners’ Financial Times 

Architects of Greater Manchester 1800-1940 

Barbican Living. The Abercrombie plan for the Barbican area  

Dictionary of Scottish Architects 

Gardenvisit.com 

Historic England - Fleetwood Memorial Park, Fleetwood, Lancashire 

Manno, Antonio. Sir (Leslie) Patrick Abercrombie. Oxford Grove Art Online [Subscription service] 

Mervyn Miller, ‘Abercrombie, Sir (Leslie) Patrick (1879–1957)’, Oxford Dictionary of National Biography, Oxford University Press, 2004; online edn, Jan 2011 [Subscription service] 

MyLondon. The incredible story of the West Londoner who rebuilt London after World War 2 - and designed the M25 

National Portrait Gallery, London 

The National Archives 

Vimeo. The Proud City. Patrick Abercrombie 

Wikipedia 

YouTube. English Heritage blue plaque to Sir Patrick Abercrombie 

See: 19 Pages for Abercrombie, Patrick in ReView