If you are passionate about mid century design and architecture, you could do an interesting if unglamorous cultural road trip around Scotland to admire the works of Peter Womersely. The Yorkshire born architect contributed edgy and iconic buildings to places such as Selkirk, Coatbridge and Galashiels. Born in 1923, Womersley studied law at Cambridge after serving in the army. One of his first commissions was a sheikh’s palace in Kuwait and he helped design the Royal Festival Hall. He then created a stunning house for his brother, Farnley Hey near Huddersfield, pictured above and below, which is now recognised as a classic.
After this early success Womersley set up a practice in the Scottish borders where he went on to site many of his buildings, including Fairnydean Stadium, home of Galashiels FC. The stadium, below, was built in 1965.
In 1970, textile designer Bernat Klein commissioned a studio near his house in Selkirk. This award winning building is now sadly on the At Risk Register.
With his modernist sensibility, love of ‘heart and geometry’ and use of wood, glass and concrete, Peter Womersley has been described as Britain’s Frank Lloyd Wright. If you can’t make it to all the way to Fallingwater, head to the Borders instead.
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