Casson studied at Eastbourne College in East Sussex.
Gallery of Hugh Casson
22 Gordon St, Kings Cross, London WC1H 0QB
Casson studied at the Bartlett School of Architecture in London.
Gallery of Hugh Casson
St John's College, St John's Street, Cambridge CB2 1TP
Casson studied at St John's College, in Cambridge.
Career
Gallery of Hugh Casson
1950
Hugh Casson, Director of architecture for Festival of Britain, in his office with a model of the Shot Tower, which is the centrepiece of the exhibition. (Photo by Chris Ware)
Gallery of Hugh Casson
1951
From left to right, Misha Black, James Holland, Ralph Tubbs and Hugh Casson, the architects and designers who are responsible for the overall plan of the 1951 South Bank Exhibition in London.
Gallery of Hugh Casson
1960
From left to right, architects Sir Hugh Casson, Peter Shepheard (1913 - 2002) and Franz Stengelhofen study a model of the redevelopment scheme for the Middle Garden of London Zoo.
Gallery of Hugh Casson
1970
Sir Louis Gluckstein (left) discusses the proposed redecoration of the Royal Albert Hall with architect Sir Hugh Casson (right), at a press conference in London (Photo by Mike Lawn)
Gallery of Hugh Casson
1974
Kensington Gore, South Kensington, London SW7 2EU, United Kingdom
Sir Hugh Casson in the roof garden of the Royal College of Art building, which he designed, London.
Gallery of Hugh Casson
1984
The Princess of Wales stands next to Sir Hugh Casson (left) at Burlington House in Piccadilly, where the Royal Academy of Arts held its traditional banquet.
Gallery of Hugh Casson
1985
Sir Hugh Casson
Gallery of Hugh Casson
1976
British architect Sir Hugh Casson on his election as 20th President of the Royal Academy.
Gallery of Hugh Casson
1976
Sir Hugh Casson
Gallery of Hugh Casson
1977
Sir Hugh Casson (left), President of the Royal Academy, and Sir Osbert Lancaster, the Daily Express cartoonist, judging some of the hundreds of entries for the Children's Invalid Aid Association annual handicapped children's art exhibition at the Royal Exchange.
Gallery of Hugh Casson
1978
Hugh Casson
Gallery of Hugh Casson
1978
Littering the gallery in Burlington House is Sir Hugh Casson, President of the Royal Academy moments after he drew the three winning tickets of the first RA Lottery.
Gallery of Hugh Casson
1999
The Queen being shown drawings and water colours by president of the Royal Academy Sir Hugh Casson (left) and Royal Academy Secretary Sidney C. Hutchison, during a visit to the Royal Academy.
Gallery of Hugh Casson
Gallery of Hugh Casson
Gallery of Hugh Casson
Gallery of Hugh Casson
Gallery of Hugh Casson
Gallery of Hugh Casson
Achievements
Membership
Royal Academy of Arts
1976 - 1984
Sir Hugh Casson, the new president of the Royal Academy, during the Selection Committee session in Burlington House
Hugh Casson, Director of architecture for Festival of Britain, in his office with a model of the Shot Tower, which is the centrepiece of the exhibition. (Photo by Chris Ware)
From left to right, Misha Black, James Holland, Ralph Tubbs and Hugh Casson, the architects and designers who are responsible for the overall plan of the 1951 South Bank Exhibition in London.
From left to right, architects Sir Hugh Casson, Peter Shepheard (1913 - 2002) and Franz Stengelhofen study a model of the redevelopment scheme for the Middle Garden of London Zoo.
Sir Louis Gluckstein (left) discusses the proposed redecoration of the Royal Albert Hall with architect Sir Hugh Casson (right), at a press conference in London (Photo by Mike Lawn)
Sir Hugh Casson (left), President of the Royal Academy, and Sir Osbert Lancaster, the Daily Express cartoonist, judging some of the hundreds of entries for the Children's Invalid Aid Association annual handicapped children's art exhibition at the Royal Exchange.
Littering the gallery in Burlington House is Sir Hugh Casson, President of the Royal Academy moments after he drew the three winning tickets of the first RA Lottery.
The Princess of Wales stands next to Sir Hugh Casson (left) at Burlington House in Piccadilly, where the Royal Academy of Arts held its traditional banquet.
The Queen being shown drawings and water colours by president of the Royal Academy Sir Hugh Casson (left) and Royal Academy Secretary Sidney C. Hutchison, during a visit to the Royal Academy.
(An old, cave-dwelling man attempting to climb a cliff fal...)
An old, cave-dwelling man attempting to climb a cliff falls into the Loch of Lochnagar, where, after sinking for one hour, he meets lagopus Scoticus, a bubble-blowing god of the sea
(An illustrated guide to the historic city of Oxford, by S...)
An illustrated guide to the historic city of Oxford, by Sir Hugh Casson, well-known architect and watercolourist, who records in words and pictures his personal impressions of Oxford. Watercolour drawings of many of the finest colleges are accompanied by notes on their history and their particular attractions. Pen and ink sketches of details of architecture reveal some of the hidden beauties of the ancient buildings, while the soft pastel washes capture the unique qualities of the stone in the changing light. Sir Hugh Casson is the author of "Hugh Casson's Diary" and "Hugh Casson's London".
Bedroom window, Windsor Castle Interior and Aspects of Love 3 works by Sir Hugh Casson on artnet
(View Bedroom window, Windsor Castle Interior and Aspects ...)
View Bedroom window, Windsor Castle Interior and Aspects of Love 3 works by Sir Hugh Casson on artnet. Browse upcoming and past auction lots by Sir Hugh Casson.
Hugh Maxwell Casson was a prolific British architect. Though an architect by trade, he dabbled in other artistic areas such as watercolors and pen and wash and as a result of those skills, served as Prince Charles’ painting mentor.
Background
Hugh Maxwell Casson was born on May 23, 1910, in Hampstead, London, England. He was the son of Mary Caroline Man and Randall Casson. His mother having travelled from Burma for the birth. His father, Randal, had been a scholar at St John's College, Cambridge, where he got a first-class degree in mathematics, entering the Indian Civil Service only because he saw no future as an astronomer.
Hugh and his sister, Rosemary, were sent home at the outbreak of the first world war and raised largely by relatives for the next four years.
Education
Casson studied at Eastbourne College in East Sussex, and then at St John's College, in Cambridge. Then, he attended the Bartlett School of Architecture in London. He followed that with a Craven fellowship for a year of postgraduate study at the British School in Athens.
In the late thirties Hugh Casson held the position of a teacher at the Cambridge School of Architecture and worked in the London office of his Cambridge tutor, architect Christopher (Kit) Nicholson. During this time he wrote the book New Sights of London (1938).
During the war, he worked in the Camouflage Service of the Air Ministry. Casson did his job conscentiously, but it was always supplemented by other pursuits. He wrote knowledgeably for professional publications (he was a long-term contributor to the Architectural Press) in a way that was interesting and accessible for the lay press, illustrating many of his articles with his own sketches. In whatever spare time was available, he lectured at Cheltenham Art School.
In 1948 Casson was appointed as director of architecture of the Festival of Britain. After the war, and alongside his Festival work, Casson went into partnership with young architect Neville Conder, who carried out the important interior section concerned with education. In 1956 the Casson Conder Partnership was formally established. Their projects included corporate headquarters buildings, university campuses, the Elephant House at London Zoo, a building for the Royal College of Art, the Microbiology Building (Belfast), and the master planning and design of the Sidgwick Avenue arts faculty buildings for the University of Cambridge, including the Austin Robinson Building which houses the Faculty of Economics as well as the Marshall Library of Economics.
From 1955 to 1975 Casson was Professor of Interior Design at the Royal College of Art, later becoming its Provost.
Hugh Casson started working for the royal family soon after the Festival of Britain finished. Over the years, he designed private apartments at Buckingham Palace and Windsor, advised on alterations at Sandringham, and designed the state rooms and private apartments on the Royal Yacht Britannia. He is also credited with having taught Charles, Prince of Wales to paint in watercolours.
In the 1980s Casson became a television presenter, with his own series, Personal Pleasures with Sir Hugh Casson, about stately homes and places he enjoyed.
Hugh Casson never considered himself an important artist. But he was a prolific and accomplished water colourist. This skill brought him commissions from Glyndebourne, the Royal Opera House and several theatre companies. He wrote and illustrated a number of successful books, including, in more recent years, Hugh Casson's Diary, Hugh Casson's London, Hugh Casson's Oxford, and Hugh Casson's Cambridge. He also illustrated the Prince of Wales's children's story, The Old Man of Lochnagar.
Quotations:
"All that changing of plates and flapping of napkins while you wait 40 minutes for your food."
"Mine was the role of the oilcan in making the machinery clunk around."
"Architecture cannot be understood without some knowledge of the society it serves."
Membership
Hugh Casson was elected to the Royal Academy in 1970, and was its President from 1976 to 1984. In 1978, he was elected to the National Academy of Design as an Honorary Corresponding member.
Hugh Casson was also on the Royal Fine Art Commission from 1960-83, a member of the Royal Mint Advisory Committee, a trustee of the British Museum and of the National Portrait Gallery, and on the Council of the National Trust.
Royal Academy of Arts
,
United Kingdom
1976 - 1984
Personality
Casson was rather sickly as a child but made friends easily due to his clever wit. He was a born Londoner, traversing it in his tiny Mini and drawing buildings with the same affection with which Edward Ardizzone drew people, and only rarely escaping with his family to a windswept coastguard’s dwelling facing the Solent and the Isle of Wight. His childhood love of the sea and nostalgia for the Royal Navy found expression in the designs for the royal apartments in HMY Britannia, when he found an enthusiastic client in Prince Philip.
Hugh Casson’s achievements were remarkable, but his personality outshone them. Hу possessed ferocious energy, creative ability, commitment and the charm which he exercised on everybody.
Interests
Drawing
Connections
Casson married Margaret Macdonald, architect, designer and photographer, on November 9, 1938.