Philip Dowson

Sir Philip Henry Manning Dowson CBE PRA (16 August 1924 – 22 August 2014) was a leading British architect.^[1][2][3] He served as President of the Royal Academy from 1993 to 1999.^[4]

The Metallurgy and Materials building at the University of Birmingham, designed by Philip Dowson of Arup Associates

Early life

Philip Dowson was born in South Africa.^[5] Having moved to England, he was educated at Gresham's School in Holt, Norfolk, from 1938 to 1942 and then went up to University College, Oxford^[6] (where he later designed four student accommodation blocks for Stavertonia^[7] in North Oxford),^[8] to read Mathematics. This was during the Second World War. After one year in Oxford, he joined the Royal Navy and remained in the service until 1947.

On leaving the Navy, Dowson proceeded to Clare College, Cambridge, to study Art from 1947 to 1950, and then to the Architectural Association School in London.

Career

From 1953, Dowson worked with the engineer Sir Ove Arup, becoming a founding partner in Arup Associates in 1963^[9] and rising to be the firm's senior partner and Chief Architect in 1969.

Dowson contributed to a large number of major projects, including new buildings for the Universities of Oxford^[10] and Cambridge. He died on 22 August 2014, aged 90.^[9]

National Life Stories conducted an oral history interview (C467/71) with Dowson in 2002 for its Architects' Lives collection, held by the British Library.^[11]

Honours

• 1969 — Commander of the Order of the British Empire^[4]
• 1980 — Knighthood
• 1981 — Royal Academician^[9]
• 1981 — Royal Gold Medal of the Royal Institute of British Architects^[9]
• 1993 — President of the Royal Academy of Arts^[9]

Dowson also served as a Trustee of the National Portrait Gallery.^[12]

References

1. Glancey, Jonathan (5 September 2014). "Sir Philip Dowson obituary". The Guardian. Retrieved 16 September 2021.
2. "Sir Philip Dowson – obituary". The Daily Telegraph. 14 September 2014. Retrieved 16 September 2021.
3. "Philip Manning DOWSON". Debrett's. Archived from the original on 15 March 2015. Retrieved 13 March 2015.
4. Mosley, Charles, ed. (2003). Burke's Peerage, Baronetage & Knightage, 107th edition, 3 volumes. Wilmington, DE: Burke's Peerage (Genealogical Books) Ltd.
5. "Sir Philip Manning Dowson", Oxford Index, Oxford University Press, retrieved 13 March 2015
6. "Sir Philip Dowson at Univ". University College, Oxford. Retrieved 6 April 2022.
7. "Sir Philip Dowson, Architect of "Stavs"". University College, Oxford. Retrieved 6 April 2022.
8. "In Memoriam: Sir Philip Manning Dowson". The Martlet. 2: 20. Winter 2014.
9. "Philip Dowson RA". Royal Academicians – Architects. Royal Academy of Arts. Retrieved 5 January 2011.
10. "Dowson, Sir Philip Manning". Encyclopedia.com. Retrieved 13 March 2015.
11. National Life Stories, 'Dowson, Philip (1 of 17) National Life Stories Collection: Architects' Lives', The British Library Board, 2002. Retrieved 10 April 2018
12. "Sir Philip Manning Dowson (1924–2014), Architect and President of the Royal Academy". National Portrait Gallery, London. Retrieved 13 March 2015.

Cultural offices
Preceded by Sir Roger de Grey	President of the Royal Academy 1993–1999	Succeeded by Phillip King