Basic Biographical Details Name: | James Robertson (Robin) Sommerville Turner | Designation: | | Born: | 11 May 1933 | Died: | 3 April 2014 | Bio Notes: | James Robertson (known as Robin) Sommerville Turner was born at 50 St Swithin Street, Aberdeen on 11 May 1933, the son of Robert James Turner, an electrical engineer journeyman, who subsequently worked for BP and his wife, Margaret Smith Sommerville. He studied at Dundee College of Art from September 1951 and was elected ARIBA in 1958.
National Service followed later that same year. He served with the Royal Engineers in Singapore where he worked on the design of new married quarters, churches in Malacca and Penang and Ghurka quarters in Nepal.
He returned to Dundee in 1960 where he took a post with the City Architect's Department before joining Ian Burke, Hugh Martin & Partners. He remained with the practice for three years and was responsible for the design of private houses, pubs, a motel among other projects. He moved to a post with the Eastern Regional Hospital Board about 1963. During the late 1960s he designed his own home which was on a steep site in the grounds of St Helen's in Perth Road, Dundee.
About 1969 he returned to private practice,joining the firm of W M Wilson & Partners, initially as senior architect and later becoming partner. His main clients were the Scottish Crop Research Institute, BP and Perth Royal Infirmary.
For a short period the practice had on an office in Aberdeen. In 1990 it joined forces with George Reid of the Reid Hynd Partnership which had been established about 1987 and they merged to become the Wilson Partnership.
Turner served as president of the Dundee Institute of Architects from 1980-82. Outwith his profession he enjoyed hillwalking and fishing and was a member of Dundee West Angling Club, later becoming President. He also sailed on the Tay, was a member of Pitkerro Curling Club and of Claverhouse Rotary Club.
Turner died on 3 April 2014, survived by his wife Penny Thomas whom he had married in 1960, his daughters and grandchildren. | Private and Business AddressesThe following private or business addresses are associated with this : | | Address | Type | Date from | Date to | Notes | | Perth Road, Dundee, Scotland | Private | Late 1960s | | |
Employment and TrainingEmployersThe following individuals or organisations employed or trained this (click on an item to view details): | | Name | Date from | Date to | Position | Notes | | W M Wilson & Partners | 1969 | After 1980 | Partner | |
Buildings and Designs
ReferencesBibliographic ReferencesThe following books contain references to this : | | Author(s) | Date | Title | Part | Publisher | Notes | | Bailey, Rebecca M | 1996 | Scottish architects' papers: a source book | | Edinburgh: The Rutland Press | p117 |
Periodical ReferencesThe following periodicals contain references to this : | | Periodical Name | Date | Edition | Publisher | Notes | | RIAS Quarterly | 2014 | | Royal Incorporation of Architects in Scotland (RIAS) | Winter |
Archive ReferencesThe following archives hold material relating to this : | | Source | Archive Name | Source Catalogue No. | Notes | | National Archives (via Scotlands People) | Statutory births | | | | RIAS, Rutland Square | Records of membership | | |
|