Tributes / Richard Gibson (1935 – 2024): the man who brought colour to Shetland
Former employee and co-director of Richard Gibson Architects, Nick Brett, pays tribute to his boss who died on Boxing Day at his home in Lerwick, aged 89.
RICHARD and Victoria Gibson moved to Shetland in the late 1960s. I am not exactly clear what initially drew them to the isles other than spirit of adventure. In the early years they will have been locally regarded as having hippy values and will have presented a refreshing challenge to the embedded conventions, norms and values of early 1970s pre oil Shetland. What is clear is that they brought colour to Shetland in both an abstract and literal sense.
Educated at the Architectural Association and The Slade School of Art respectively Richard and Victoria came with a large family and enthused with life in Camden when they upped sticks for Richard to take a job as depute county architect around 1968.
He told the council he would commit to the job for three years, which he did, before leaving to set up his own practice. This took years with Victoria keeping the family going financially with her knitwear. His small office at 175a Commercial Street was set up a few years later when he started to establish himself locally.
In the 1960s the council’s architect’s department produced excellent buildings such as the museum/library on the Hillhead and new school buildings throughout the isles. Also in the 1960s, Edinburgh based architects Moira and Moira, designed the tight townscape houses and flats in the lanes, which did much to secure a quality and density in the heart of Lerwick.
At this time, pre-oil Shetland was already a busy place, with a thriving fishing industry. It had a new hospital, good education buildings, social housing and a recently built museum and library in Lerwick. Village halls were basic and compact. Ro-Ro inter-island ferries didn’t exist. No one had even dreamed of leisure centres, folk festivals or an arts centre. The establishment of Sullom Voe Terminal was in its infancy. In later years Richard delighted in telling of the wheeling and dealing in the planning and establishment of the oil terminal.
My first unwitting encounter with Richard was in 1985 and seeing him at the entrance to the offices off Commercial Street I asking him ‘what this Richard Gibson was like to work for’? I can’t remember his reply but within a month I had started working for him.
Richard had a rather casual unhurried air about him, never pushy and always courteous and calm.
He managed a remarkable alchemy of successfully entrusting employees with freedom and responsibility to design and run projects with care. The need to deliver design quality didn’t need to be stated.
As this business grew the office moved to Commercial Street in the mid 1980s, which duly became cramped at times. All phone conversations were overheard which helped in skill and knowledge sharing. Working at Gibsons was sociable and fun, with convivial discussion and wicked gossip around the table at coffee time. At that time councillors, particularly [former Whalsay member] Henry Stewart, would drop in and directly and firmly push for projects in their constituency. Like the qualities of the man, the buildings that his practice produced were typically understated and well considered. His design approach was primarily one of integration and context rather than the modernism of his London centric peers with whom he identified.
On his death it would be accurate to say that his 50 years of practicing as an architect in Shetland has left a legacy of well-crafted schemes and building, dotted throughout the isles. The urban housing schemes and civic projects made a significant contribution to the built fabric and townscape of Lerwick and Scalloway. This being a more enduring and meaningful legacy than the practice’s ability to collect many design awards which undoubtedly gave him pride.
Photo: née gibson architects
It would also be reasonable to argue that the design work of the practice was held in greater esteem among fellow architects on Mainland Scotland than a broader public appreciation in Shetland. The practice’s body of work over the years is wide and varied.
The practice did many schemes for Hjaltland Housing Association from the association’s inception in the 70s. Hill Lane, Stanegarth and Gremmasgaet, contributed much to the evolution of urban social housing in Shetland. More recently Grodians at Sound embraces a bright Scandi cool with cars and pedestrians successfully sharing the communal spaces between houses. Gibsons also showed an ability to insert appropriately scaled buildings into smaller settlements as shown at Gibblestone Court in Scalloway and The Glen, Walls.
Designs for the council include offices, education and care buildings. Hamnavoe and Whalsay primary schools, along with the nursery and secondary refurbishment in Whalsay are well considered additions to our school infrastructure. The practice rose to the complex design challenge of the New Erik Gray Centre at Seafield which provides for people with special needs in a bright modern setting.
Conservation work was approached with care and respect. Among many projects new life was given to the Weisdale Mill, Quendale Mill and Albert Buildings. More recently, the re-use of a former knitwear factory provides a home for Scalloway Museum and makes the most of its serendipitous proximity to Earl Patrick’s ruined castle. The Pavilion in the Flower Park is so well considered and appropriate, you almost forget it wasn’t always there.
In the past decade or so private individual houses have been receiving more design attention. Along with other local practices Richard Gibson Architects and latterly Nee Gibson embraced this putting their own crisp stamp on house design seen throughout the isles.
The Vadill housing scheme in Lerwick proved to be one of Richard’s last projects that he personally ran, and it is a fine testimony to his skills in resolving a complex and awkward site in the town with a deceptively simple radial layout.
Richard and Victoria were very much a family team. They also supported one another in their respective business ventures that included Richard’s design for converting a Lodberry on the Esplanade for Victoria and daughter Emma’s café, shop and knitwear business. He was lucky to be able to seek Victoria’s smart counsel and emotional intelligence when confronting critical managerial challenges.
The Gibson family relaxed in a largely self-build, off grid, weekend ‘Tardis’ bunkhouse at Clubbs in Waas. Their large family were always at the heart of their time off. The converted ruined croft house had a delightful light touch and much of the building was self-build.
The high point of the year at Clubbs was hosting the social annual model boat race in Lera Voe. An event where Jonathan Wills would have the inexplicable luck of winning far too frequently. It is at this event that I choose to think of Richard in his element handing over the jury-rigged award once again.
His funeral will be held on Thursday (16 January) at 11am at Mareel.
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Richard Gibson, architect, born 19 November 1935 in London, died 26 December 2024.
in August last year, the Guardian newspaper published a widely read and shared article on how Richard Gibson transformed Shetland. It can be found here.
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