Basic Biographical Details Name: | Charles Hugh Alexander MacCallum (Professor) | Designation: | | Born: | 24 June 1935 | Died: | 15 September 2013 | Bio Notes: | Charles Hugh Alexander MacCallum was born in Glasgow on 24 June 1935. He was educated at Hutchesons' Boys Grammar School and studied architecture at Glasgow School of Art and was elected ARIBA in 1961. He worked in the practice of Gillespie Kidd & Coia from 1957 to 1967. From a young age he was a Francophile and in 19** he married a Frenchwoman, Andrée Tonnard, whom he had met as a young student in Glasgow in the early 1960s.
MacCallum won a fellowship to the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and was awarded a Master’s degree in City Planning there in 1969. After completing his degree he returned to the United Kingdom and in 1970 he was recruited by Andy MacMillan whom he had met and with whom he had become friendly in the Gillespie Kidd & Coia practice to be a lecturer at the newly revitalised School of Architecture in University College, Dublin. Initially part-time, from 1973-74 he was executive director of the School there. In the latter year he opened his own practice in Oxford. His work in Oxford over the years included student housing, college libraries and private houses. In 1984 he was appointed Professor of Architectural Design at the University of Wales in Cardiff. In 1991 he was commissaire of the bicentenary exhibition on Louis Visconti. He was widely recognised as an expert on the work of Visconti. In 1994 he returned to Scotland to take up the post of head of the Mackintosh School of Architecture and Professor of Architecture at the University of Glasgow. During his time at the School he was credited with bringing increased academic rigour to the more practical approach for which the Mackintosh School was then known. He retired in 2000 becoming Emeritus Professor, University of Glasgow. He was dedicated teacher and was much respected by his students but he ‘wore his professional status lightly’. In the RIBA directory of 1994 he is listed as practising from his home address in Oxford.
After retirement MacCallum returned to Oxford with his family where he continued to work and spend time researching and writing in the Bodleian Library. From 2000 he was a Committee member and UK representative on the Franco-British Union of Architects, assisting with the scholarship exchange programme for French and British architects. From the year 2000 he also acted as consultant to the new Scots Kirk in Paris which opened in 2000. He was particularly proud of this achievement. In 2003 he was awarded the Silver Medal by the Academie d’Architecture in Paris.
Outwith his career he was a keen gardener and watercolourist.
MacCallum died on 15 September 2013 in Oxford, survived by his widow, his two daughters (one of whom had married a descendant of Louis Visconti) and five grandchildren.
| Private and Business AddressesThe following private or business addresses are associated with this : | | Address | Type | Date from | Date to | Notes | | 42, Norham Street, Glasgow, Scotland | Private | c. 1960 | | | | 11, Kirklea Circus, Glasgow, Scotland | Private | 1965 | After 1970 | | | 11a, Chalbury, Oxford, England | Private | 1979 | After 1994 | |
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 | | Gillespie Kidd & Coia | 1957 | 1967 | Architect | |
Buildings and DesignsThis was involved with the following buildings or structures from the date specified (click on an item to view details): | | Date started | Building name | Town, district or village | Island | City or county | Country | Notes | | 1960 | Kildrum Primary School | Cumbernauld | | Lanarkshire | Scotland | As architect with Gillespie Kidd & Coia | | 1960 | St Mary of the Angels RC Church | Camelon, Falkirk | | Stirlingshire | Scotland | As architect with Gillespie Kidd & Coia | | 1963 | St Bride's RC Church | East Kilbride | | Lanarkshire | Scotland | As architect with Gillespie Kidd & Coia | | 1963 | University of Hull, halls of residence | Hull | | Yorkshire | England | As architect with Gillespie Kidd & Coia |
ReferencesBibliographic ReferencesThe following books contain references to this : | | Author(s) | Date | Title | Part | Publisher | Notes | | RIBA | 1961 | Kalendar 1960-61 | | | | | RIBA | 1965 | The RIBA Kalendar | | | | | RIBA | 1970 | RIBA Directory 1970 | | | | | RIBA | 1979 | Directory of members | | | | | RIBA | 1984 | RIBA Directory of members | | | | | RIBA | 1994 | A Directory of RIBA Members | | | |
Periodical ReferencesThe following periodicals contain references to this : | | Periodical Name | Date | Edition | Publisher | Notes | | RIAS Quarterly | 2013 | | Royal Incorporation of Architects in Scotland (RIAS) | Winter edition | | Scotsman | 27 September 2013 | | | |
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