Basic Biographical Details

Name: James Shepherd Morris
Designation:  
Born: 22 August 1931
Died: 16 August 2006
Bio Notes: James Shepherd Morris was born in Strathkinness near St Andrews on 22 August 1931, the son of Thomas Shepherd Morris, architect in the Department of Health for Scotland and his wife Joanna Sime Malcolm. He was great grandson of the champion golfer and golf-course design Tom Morris. He attended Daniel Stewart's College. He studied at the School of Architecture, Edinburgh College of Art where he won the Andrew Carnegie Scholarship which enabled him to travel in Europe in 1953. He visited Greece and was later to feel the influence of classical architecture and of the vernacular buildings of that country. In Switzerland he worked in Zurich for Alfred Roth and Philip Bridel. He was elected ARIBA in 1955 and was awarded a Fullbright Scholarship to attend the first course of Master of Landscape Architecture at the University of Pennsylvania. While in the States he studied with Philip Johnson and Louis Kahn. He was elected ARIAS in 1961.

One of his earliest designs was for a private house at Cramond, the Tomlinson House, which was executed with the assistance of his father and of his future partner Robert Steedman. This partnership was fomally constituted in 1957. The year 1958-59 was spent on his National Service when he served as a first lieutenant in the Royal Engineers.

After the Tomlinson House a series of private houses followed in the period 1955-1975. The practice flourished and went on the design a wide range of different buildings.

Morris was involved with matters relating to the profession. he served on the councils of the Edinburgh Architectural Association and the RIAS as well as the Cockburn Association. He was convener of the Fellowship Commission of the Royal Institute of Architects in Scotland in the 1980s.

Outwith his professional life, Morris was a member of the Arts Council of Great Britain (1973-80) and served as Vice Chairman of the Scottish Arts Council from 1976-80. He was a founding member iof the management committee of the Traverse Theatre friom 1961-70. In 1989 he was elected an academician of the RSA and served on the council.

Morris died on 16 August 2006, survived by his wife Eleanor, whom he had married in Phildelphia in 1959, their two sons, their daughter and their grandchildren.

Private and Business Addresses

The following private or business addresses are associated with this :
 AddressTypeDate fromDate toNotes
Item 1 of 320, Goff Avenue, Edinburgh, ScotlandPrivate1954  
Item 2 of 3c/o Smith/3460, School House Lane, Germantown, Philadelphia, United States of AmericaPrivatec. 1959  
Item 3 of 337-38, Young Street Lane North, Edinburgh, ScotlandBusinessBefore 1970 *After 1994In 1961 just at No 37

* earliest date known from documented sources.

Employment and Training

Employers

The following individuals or organisations employed or trained this (click on an item to view details):
 NameDate fromDate toPositionNotes
Item 1 of 1Morris & Steedman1957 Partner 

Buildings and Designs

This was involved with the following buildings or structures from the date specified (click on an item to view details):
 Date startedBuilding nameTown, district or villageIslandCity or countyCountryNotes
Item 1 of 68 Caravan Site, Yellowcraig, DiretonYellowcraig, Direton East LothianScotland 
Item 2 of 68(?)Esso Motor HotelErskine RenfrewshireScotland 
Item 3 of 68 Oil Tank FarmDalmeny EdinburghScotlandLandscaping to conceal oil storage tanks.
Item 4 of 681955Avisfield  EdinburghScotland 
Item 5 of 681958Wilson HouseLasswade MidlothianScotland 
Item 6 of 68196065-67 Ravelston Dykes Road  EdinburghScotland 
Item 7 of 681960Craigleith House  EdinburghScotlandAlterations and additions
Item 8 of 681960Princess Margaret Rose Hospital (included clinical and nurses' training unit)  EdinburghScotlandAdditions, including Clinical Unit, lecture theatre and prosthetic department
Item 9 of 681960Sillitto House  EdinburghScotland 
Item 10 of 6819611 Glenlockhart Bank  EdinburghScotland 
Item 11 of 681961Berry House  EdinburghScotland 
Item 12 of 681961Cheyne HouseNorth Berwick East LothianScotland 
Item 13 of 681961House, St Thomas RoadGrange EdinburghScotland 
Item 14 of 681961Tigh-na-UisgeKilchrenan ArgyllScotland 
Item 15 of 681962Holden HouseEast Kilbride LanarkshireScotland 
Item 16 of 681963Carron House  EdinburghScotland 
Item 17 of 681963Police StationLiberton Dams EdinburghScotland 
Item 18 of 681964Avisfield  EdinburghScotlandFurther work - bedroom wing extension and later alteration to the garage
Item 19 of 681964Calderstone HouseEast Kilbride LanarkshireScotland 
Item 20 of 681964Marchwell Silverburn MidlothianScotland 
Item 21 of 681964MeadowlandPerth PerthshireScotland 
Item 22 of 681964The QuarryGullane East LothianScotland 
Item 23 of 681966University of Edinburgh, Student Centre  EdinburghScotlandPartner-in-charge
Item 24 of 681966University of Stirling, Nuffield Staff HousesStirling StirlingshireScotland 
Item 25 of 681966University of Stirling, Nuffield Staff HousesStirling StirlingshireScotland 
Item 26 of 681966University of Stirling, Nuffield Staff HousesStirling StirlingshireScotland 
Item 27 of 681967University of Stirling, Principal's HouseStirling StirlingshireScotland 
Item 28 of 681968Esso Motor Hotel  EdinburghScotlandIncluded landscaping
Item 29 of 681968MinakiNorth Berwick East LothianScotland 
Item 30 of 681969Bush House, Institute of Terrestrial Ecology  MidlothianScotland 
Item 31 of 681969Christian Salvesen Offices  EdinburghScotland 
Item 32 of 68Late 1960sFlats  EdinburghScotland 
Item 33 of 681970sBraefoot Sheel Expro and Esso Chemical buildingsBraefoot FifeScotland 
Item 34 of 681970Crest HotelErskine RenfrewshireScotland 
Item 35 of 681970University of Strathclyde, Wolfson Centre (Bio-Engineering Building)  GlasgowScotland 
Item 36 of 681970Villa, 18a Queen's CrescentNewington EdinburghScotland 
Item 37 of 68c. 1970House for Peter BalfourHumbie East LothianScotland 
Item 38 of 681971Almondell Footbridge, Almondell Country Park  West LothianScotland 
Item 39 of 681971Countryside Commission visitor centreBattleby PerthshireScotland 
Item 40 of 681971General Accident office  EdinburghScotland 
Item 41 of 681971Lin's MillKirkliston West LothianScotlandConversion to house
Item 42 of 681972Barend House and holiday cottagesSandyhills DumfriesshireScotland 
Item 43 of 681972Perth WaterworksPerth PerthshireScotlandConversion to tourist information centre
Item 44 of 681976Macvitties Guest & Co / McVities Guest & Co shop and tea room  EdinburghScotlandFront wall taken down and rebuilt with new dormer.
Item 45 of 681976MeadowlandPerth PerthshireScotlandAdditions
Item 46 of 681976Mossmorran, Shell office building and petrochemical worksMossmorran FifeScotlandOffice
Item 47 of 68c. 1976Holiday villageDalbeattie KirkcudbrightshireScotland 
Item 48 of 681977Gigha HotelArdminish ArgyllScotlandRear wings
Item 49 of 681977WoodcoteFala MidlothianScotlandBegun 1977
Item 50 of 681980Bush House, Institute of Terrestrial Ecology  MidlothianScotlandPitched roof added
Item 51 of 681981Mossmorran, Shell office building and petrochemical worksMossmorran FifeScotlandPetrochemical works, administration building, including landscaping around complex
Item 52 of 68Before 1981Balerno village centreBalerno EdinburghScotlandRestoration and pedestrianisation of village in particular the Conservation Area
Item 53 of 68Before 1981Housing developments for Bovis   Scotland 
Item 54 of 68Before 1981IBM office  GlasgowScotlandInterior design and layout
Item 55 of 681982Peebles Swimming PoolPeebles    
Item 56 of 681984Dental Hospital  EdinburghScotlandProposed
Item 57 of 681986St Leonard's School for Girls, Music SchoolSt Andrews Fife  
Item 58 of 681988Muir of BleboBlebocraigs FifeScotland 
Item 59 of 681990sFlats, St Patrick's Square  EdinburghScotland 
Item 60 of 681990sHouse for Mr and Mrs Robin Young  EdinburghScotland 
Item 61 of 681990sHouse for the Earl of Haddo  AberdeenshireScotland 
Item 62 of 681990sScotland's Lighthouse MuseumFraserburgh AberdeenshireScotlandReconstruction from ruined lighthouse
Item 63 of 681990s(?)St Leonard's School, 6th Form HouseSt Andrews Fife  
Item 64 of 681990sTaychreggan HotelLoch Awe Argyll Scotland 
Item 65 of 681990sThainstone, officesInverurie AberdeenshireScotland 
Item 66 of 681995Kinnaird Head Castle and LighthouseKinnaird Head AberdeenshireScotlandMuseum of Scottish Lighthouses
Item 67 of 681997Garvald Home FarmGarvald West LothianScotlandAlterations and additions
Item 68 of 682004Corrour  Inverness-shireScotlandComplex of ancillary buildings refurnished or rebuilt (s of Lodge)

References

Bibliographic References

The following books contain references to this :
 Author(s)DateTitlePartPublisherNotes
Item 1 of 5Bailey, Rebecca M1996Scottish architects' papers: a source book Edinburgh: The Rutland Pressp131
Item 2 of 5Glendinning, Miles1997Rebuilding Scotland: The Postwar Vision, 1945-75  Tuckwell Press Ltdp32, p160 Avisfield
p115-124 Chapters 'The Censorship of Neglect: Morris & Steedman's Private Houses' and 'Morris & Steedman and the 'Small Scottish House''
Item 3 of 5RIBA1954RIBA Kalendar 1953-54   
Item 4 of 5RIBA1970RIBA Directory 1970   
Item 5 of 5Willis, Peter1977New architecture in Scotland  p14-15, p18-21 Principal's House
p15, p17 Countryside Commission visitor centre
p17 Countryside Commission Centre
p42-3 University of Edinburgh Student Centre
p24-7 Private House - James Shepherd Morris

Periodical References

The following periodicals contain references to this :
 Periodical NameDateEditionPublisherNotes
Item 1 of 6Architectural Heritage no 19 Review, p123-126. Article about or by James morris
Item 2 of 6Architectural Heritage Soc of Scotland Magazine2004  Spring issue, p24-26. 'Morris and Steedman 1952-2002' by James Morris
Item 3 of 6Herald, The19 August 2006  Obituary
Item 4 of 6Scotsman23 August 2006  Obituary
Item 5 of 6The Independent25 August 2007   
Item 6 of 6The Times7 October 2006   

Archive References

The following archives hold material relating to this :
 SourceArchive NameSource Catalogue No.Notes
Item 1 of 1RIAS, Rutland SquareRecords of membership