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The Percy Johnson-Marshall Collection

 Fonds — Multiple Containers
Identifier: PJM

Scope and Contents

The Percy Johnson-Marshall Collection consists of papers, plans, books, journals and photographs collected or created by him throughout the course of his career. These reflect both his employment situation, his involvement in professional organisations and educational bodies, his involvement in World Development issues and his general interest in architecture and planning. The collection contains material relating to:
  1. University of Liverpool studentships, 1931-1938
  2. Willesden Borough Council, 1930-1938
  3. Coventry City Council, 1939-1959
  4. London County Council, 1937-1968
  5. World War II service in India and Burma, 1940-1956
  6. Association of Building Technicians, 1940-1965
  7. Service Arts and Technical Organization (SATO), 1943-1946
  8. School of Planning and Research for National Development, 1946-1957
  9. Ministry of Town and Country Planning, 1948
  10. International Centre for Regional Planning and Development (ICRPD), 1955-1962
  11. teaching duties at the University of Edinburgh, 1959-1988
  12. Percy Johnson-Marshall & Associates, 1962-1985
  13. United Nations
  14. Ministry of Overseas Development
  15. Association for Planning and Regional Reconstruction
  16. Housing Centre Trust
  17. International Society of City and Regional Planners (ISoCARP)
  18. Modern Architectural Research Group (MARG)
  19. Mars Group of the Congrès Internationaux d'Architecture Moderne
  20. Royal Institute of British Architects
  21. Royal Town Planning Institute
  22. Society for the Promotion of Urban Renewal (SPUR)
  23. Commonwealth Human Ecology Council (CHEC)
  24. collected books
  25. collected journals
  26. mixed correspondence and papers
  27. collection of slides

Dates

  • 1931-1993

Creator

Language of Materials

English

Conditions Governing Access

Some material is subject to access restrictions under the Data Protection Act, 1998. Material relating to living individuals may be restricted under the same act.

Conditions Governing Use

Applications for permission to quote should be sent to the Director of Collections. Reproduction subject to usual conditions: educational use and condition of documents.

Biographical / Historical

Percy Edwin Alan Johnson-Marshall (1915-1993) was one of the most energetic of a generation of town-planners who began their careers in the 1930s and, after the Second World War, dedicated their lives to the creation of a new world of social equity through the radical transformation of the human environment.
Born in Ajmer, India, he was brought by his parents, via the Middle East, to England in the 1920s. In 1931 Percy followed his brother Stirrat Johnson-Marshall to the School of Architecture at the University of Liverpool. Here he studied under the two most eminent professors of the period, Sir Charles Herbert Reilly and Sir Leslie Patrick Abercrombie.
After gaining the Diploma in Architecture (with distinction), in 1936, Johnson-Marshall entered public service as assistant architect, first for Middlesex County Council, then for Willesden Borough Council (1936-1938). In the meantime he had taken a postgraduate certificate in Civic Design, at the University of Liverpool Department of Civic Design.
In 1938 Coventry City Council created its new City Architect's Department, appointing the highly respected Donald Evelyn Edward Gibson, later Sir Donald, as Chief Architect. Johnson-Marshall was hired by Gibson and given the post of Senior Assistant Architect in charge of redesigning the obsolete city-centre, in 1939. The design of the new civic centre was given added impetus when Coventry was devastated in a bombing raid in November 1940.
Johnson-Marshall was called-up for military service in 1941 and, after basic training in England, saw service with the Royal Engineers in India and Burma. During his time in the army, he lost his first wife in Coventry and met and married his second wife in India. He was also actively involved in the Service's Architect's Technical Organisation (SATO), leading teaching groups, giving lectures and writing articles on planning. Having achieved the rank of Major, he was attached to the Government of Burma as an advisor on reconstruction and, with William Tatton-Brown, devised a reconstruction plan for the country (1946).
After demobilisation, Johnson-Marshall worked as Assistant Regional Planning Officer for the newly created Ministry of Town ∓ Country Planning (1946-1948). During this time he took the intensive completion course, at the School of Planning and Research for Regional Development (SPRRD), in order to gain his Diploma in Town Planning.
In 1949 Johnson-Marshall was appointed Senior Planner, in charge of Comprehensive Development Areas to the Architect's Department of the London County Council. He was also a part-time teacher at the SPRRD and, from 1948, Secretary of the School of Planning Club. From 1956 to 1959 he was Group Planning Officer for North-East London before taking up a post as Lecturer in Planning at the newly-created Department of Architecture, at the University of Edinburgh. There he set up the Planning Research Unit, in 1962, which undertook a number of regional surveys for the Scottish Development Department. In 1964, he became Professor of his own Department of Urban Design and Regional Planning. He retired from this post in 1985, becoming the director of the Patrick Geddes Centre for Planning Studies, until his illness in 1987-1988.
After Johnson-Marshall was appointed Planning Consultant to the University of Edinburgh, a firm of planning consultants, Percy Johnson-Marshall ∓ Associates, was set up, in 1960. During Johnson-Marshall's lifetime, a number of major commissions were carried out, including regional and sub-regional plans, conservation areas, comprehensive redevelopment areas and residential development plans.
During his career, Johnson-Marshall was a member of a number of institutes and involved in numerous other activities. He was elected member of the Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA) in 1938 and served as a member of council and of the Education Committee. In 1947 he was elected member of the Royal Town Planning Institute, also serving as a member of council and of the Education Committee. He was a founding member of the International Centre for Regional Planning and Development (ICRPD), in 1954. He was also a member of: the Executive Committee of the Housing Centre Trust, the Society for the Promotion of Urban Renewal (SPUR), and the MARS Group of the Congrès Internationaux d'Architecture Moderne. He sat on the World Health Organisation's expert panel on Environmental Health and Planning (1970) and was consultant on Human Settlements for the United Nation's Conference on the Human Environment (1972), Chairman of the Royal Town Planning Institute's Town and Country Planning Summer Schools, and, from 1977-1980, Vice President of the International Society of City and Regional Planners (ISoCARP). In 1975, Professor Johnson-Marshall was made a Companion of the Order of St Michael and St George (CMG), in recognition of his contribution to the planning profession.

Extent

178 metres

Additional Description

Arrangement

The following subfonds have been fully arranged in line with accepted archival standards:

London County Council

Association of Building Technicians

Coventry City Council

Edinburgh University Development

International Centre for Regional Planning and Development (ICRPD)

University of Liverpool studentships

Service Arts and Technical Organization (SATO)

Willesden Borough Council

United Nations



The following subfonds have been pulled together but neither sorted nor arranged:

School of Planning and Research for National Development

World War II service in India and Burma

Teaching duties at the University of Edinburgh



The remainder of the material remains in the order of the original handlist created when packing and transferring it to Edinburgh University Library.

Custodial History

This material was collected by Percy Johnson-Marshall through the course of his career and donated to Edinburgh University Library, after his death, by his widow, April Johnson-Marshall.

Immediate Source of Acquisition

This collection was donated to Edinburgh University Library by Mrs April Johnson-Marshall in October 1999. The material was recorded in situ at the Johnson-Marshall family home, in Duddingston by Deborah Boyd-Whyte. It was then sorted, listed and packaged for transfer, and transferred to the Library.

Appraisal

This material has been appraised in line with accepted archival standards.

Accruals

Accruals are possible.

Existence and Location of Originals

Much of this material is original. However, a significant proportion consists of copies of maps, plans or papers (eg committee papers) for which multiple copies would have been made. Where originals exist of these items, it is likely that they will be held in the archives of the organisation from which the material originated. A full list of United Kingdom Archives and their holdings is maintained in the National Register of Archives (NRA), updated by the Historical Manuscripts Commission, and this can be consulted via their website: http://www.hmc.gov.uk

Existence and Location of Copies

Other copies of much of the published material held in this collection will be available through a number of libraries. A significant proportion of the collection consists of copies of maps, plans or papers (eg committee papers) for which multiple copies would have been made. Further copies of these may exist in other archival collections, particulaly those of the originating bodies. A full list of United Kingdom Archives and their holdings is maintained in the National Register of Archives (NRA), updated by the Historical Manuscripts Commission, and this can be consulted via their website: http://www.hmc.gov.uk

Bibliography

Johnson-Marshall, Percy, Rebuilding Cities, ( Edinburgh, Edinburgh University Press, 1966)
  • Johnson-Marshall, Percy, Rebuilding Cities, ( Edinburgh, Edinburgh University Press, 1966)

Processing Information

None

Sarah Higgins 31 March 2004

Subjects

Related Names

Finding Aid & Administrative Information

Title
Percy Johnson-Marshall Collection
Language of description
Undetermined
Script of description
Code for undetermined script

Physical Storage Information

Repository Details

Repository Details

Part of the University of Edinburgh Library Heritage Collections Repository

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