Basic Biographical Details

Name: Thomas Howarth
Designation:  
Born: 1 May 1914
Died: 21 July 2000
Bio Notes: Thomas Howarth is better known as an architectural writer than as an architect. He was born on 1 May 1914. He studied for five years at the School of Architecture, University of Manchester from October 1935. In his vacations around this time he spent some time in the office of A C N Lillie in Preston. Between July and September 1936 he worked in the Municipal offices in Blackpool. He won a travelling scholarship in 1937 and spent September and part of October of that year in Italy, France and Switzerland. He completed his course at Manchester and sat the final exams in July 1939. He was elected ARIBA on 9 January 1940, proposed by Professor R A Cordingley, Thomas Harold Hughes and William James Smith.

In the later 1940s he was awarded the Sir Alfred Bossom Research Fellowship and studied for a Phd at the University of Glasgow on the work of Charles Rennie Mackintosh. Therafter he converted his thesis into a book. He was elected FRIBA on 15 September 1955, his proposers being Professor R A Cordongley, Eric S Benson and p[rofessor Clifford Halliday (?). During his period in Glasgow he acted as consultant to the engineering firm A & J Mains Ltd and advised on bridge design. He also undertook exhibition and domestic work in the Glasgow region, though detials of this are not yet known. He had returned to Manchester where by 1955 he carried out exhibition and domestic work. He was also honorary architect to the University Settlement in Manchester and acted as consultant to Manchester Museum.

In 1958 Howarth emigrated to Canada and taught at the School of Architecture, the University of Toronto until 1974 when he retired as Dean of the Faculty. He continued his life-long interest in Mackintosh but also published and lectured on other subjects - on urban design, architectural education and Renaissance, Modern and Canadian architecture. he served as campus planner for Laurentian University and Glendon College in Ontario. He also collected the work of other modern architects and designers most notably Frank Lloyd Wright and Charles Eames.

He died in Toronto on 21 July 2000.

Publications;

Charles Rennie Mackintosh and the Modern Movement, 1952 (awarded the annual book prize of the American Society of Architectural Historians, the Alice Hitchcock Memoral Prize in 1953)

Tiles, Faience and Mosaic in Modern Buildings (Sir Alfred Bessom Fellowship Report (to be published 1955)

19th and 20th century Architecture (5th volume in F M Simpson's ;A History of Architectural Development'

'Highland Power'. A report on the architecture and planning aspects of hydro- electric development in Scotland

Papers in a number of other journals.

Private and Business Addresses

The following private or business addresses are associated with this :
 AddressTypeDate fromDate toNotes
Item 1 of 1Glasgow, ScotlandBusinessLate 1930sEarly 1940s 

RIBA

RIBA Proposers

The following individuals proposed this for RIBA membership (click on an item to view details):
 NameDate proposedNotes
Item 1 of 4R A Cordingley9 January 1940For Associateship
Item 2 of 4R A Cordingley15 September 1955For Fellowship
Item 3 of 4Thomas Harold Hughes9 January 1940For Associateship
Item 4 of 4(Professor) William James Smith9 January 1940For Associateship

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 41939Queen's Cross Church  GlasgowScotlandTimber screen partitioning former schoolroom. Decorations.
Item 2 of 41952Edinburgh Festival 1952, design work  EdinburghScotlandDesign work
Item 3 of 4Before 1955St John's Wesleyan Methodist Church  GlasgowScotlandAlterations and decorations
Item 4 of 4Mid 1950sGaskell Nursing home  ManchesterEngland 

References

Bibliographic References

The following books contain references to this :
 Author(s)DateTitlePartPublisherNotes
Item 1 of 2RIBA1970RIBA Directory 1970   
Item 2 of 2Williamson, Riches, Higgs1990Glasgow (The Buildings of Scotland)  p327