hitting seventy... reflections

Apologies for this, but over the past few weeks (since reaching the three-score-years-and-ten milestone), I’ve been reflecting on various aspects of my life… counting my blessings (literally) and laughing(?) at all my mistakes/naïve decisions made throughout my life (I say “my life” when actually I mean “our lives”!).

Thinking back to perhaps my late 20s, I probably envisaged our retirement as consisting of trips far-flung countries around the world (India, Japan and China come to mind). Well, strangely, 40 years or so later, such ambitions no longer seem to matter or feature in our ‘wish-lists’… I think, by the way we’ve lived our lives and perhaps our changed attitude towards the environment(?), our expectations and desires have altered and we find ourselves very content to embrace much simpler opportunities and ambitions.

The family has always been the most important thing in our lives (although, perhaps, I was at times too focussed on trying to ‘earn a living’/maintain/develop my architectural practice – which clearly had knock-on effects on family life?). My architectural career was both hugely rewarding (but not necessarily financially!) and somewhat frustrating. Sustaining a medium-sized architectural practice can be difficult at times, but I really enjoyed developing what I felt was the right ‘ethos’ for the firm and working with really lovely, inspiring colleagues. My frustrations probably lie in the fact that I didn’t devote more time in trying to become a better all-round architect (I never really enjoyed the ‘practical’ side and was always happy to delegate much of the technical aspects of the job to others). I think I was a pretty talented designer and was good at working with clients, other building team members and staff… but there’s probably a part of me that regrets not being a little more selfish in pushing my own design concepts and ideas (I remember working for John Madin at The John Madin Design Group in Birmingham in my ‘year-out’ in 1970 – and him ‘touring’ the office with his 6B pencil and scribbling all over everyone’s drawings and telling people to follow his various ‘commands’!). I can’t really see me ever working in such a way, but…

I certainly enjoyed helping to establish and promote what I felt to be an architectural practice that had style, treated people well, recognised each other’s talents and acknowledged other people’s views and opinions. I’ve often heard some architects being described as arrogant and egotistic. I don’t think such labels applied to me but, perhaps, if I had been more ‘arrogant and egotistic’, I might have had a more impressive/fulfilling(?) personal architectural portfolio. As it was, I feel very privileged to have worked on some excellent projects for some wonderful clients, especially earlier in my career, such as: Student Housing for Lincoln College and St Hilda’s College, Oxford; National Westminster Bank, High Wycombe; Old Bank House, High Wycombe; British Aluminium Limited, Chalfont St Peter and then in later years, for example, four large projects at Wittington House near Marlow for Crest Estates/SAS Institute (two Design Awards); Bush Walk, Wokingham (another Design Award)… and much, much more.

It’s strange reflecting back on our somewhat chaotic, but very enjoyable, family life as our three daughters grew up. It now all seems a bit of a blur… Moira is constantly reminding me of stuff that happened when we were living in Oxford and Thame (and, frequently, I find that I have only vague memories… or, worse, none at all!). I used to get to the office at stupid o’clock (in later years, frequently by 6am) but always tried to ensure I was home by 6.30pm. Moira and I always shared the domestic routines (at the start of our marriage, we would take it in turns to alternate the cooking/washing up duties on a weekly basis) and children’s bedtimes/nappies etc were always shared duties. I suspect I’m a much better grandfather than I was a father (but, again, that might just be down to the vagueness of my memory!).

In 2003, after nearly 30 years of running an architectural practice (where one of my principal tasks was to try to ensure we had sufficient work – and for staff to be able to pay their mortages/rents etc)(a huge sense of responsibility), our children had all more or less left home and Moira and I started to imagine the ‘rest of our lives’. We decided that I would retire early from Brocklehurst Architects and that we would move to Bristol (where Ruth+Stuart were living)… initially with the intention of perhaps opening an art studio/gallery or something along those lines. In the event, we came to the conclusion that this would be a really good way to lose a lot of money and so, instead, bought our current house and converted the basement into studio space… and this has worked very well (Ruth and Moira use the two studio spaces and each year we’ve opened up the basement for the annual local Arts Trail and get 700+ visitors over a typical Trail weekend).

Taking early retirement from architecture (albeit that I then worked in a comprehensive school for 6 years as a mentor/Assistant House Head – which was very enjoyable, but poorly paid), was probably ‘financially stupid’ – in that I could have earned reasonable money for much longer, so that we might afford to have more holidays and/or nicer things. But, looking back, would I change things? Probably not.
Since I retired from Brocklehurst Architects (I stayed on a couple of years until 2005), we’ve ‘gained’ six grandchildren and it’s been an absolute blessing to have had the opportunity to be with them and see them growing up/blossom (and what lovely, funny, talented, inspiring individuals they are too!).
What value can put on such things? What a privilege!
We live pretty simply and that ‘suits us fine’ (particularly in today’s materialist/must-have world and against a backdrop of Climate Change and environmental concerns).

Moira and I have been very fortunate to have enjoyed good health thus far (apart the usual ageing process and, in my case, the odd health scare and a new hip). I recall talking to my brother Alan some 10-15 years ago and agreeing that, if we could sign a contract which guaranteed us good health until we were 72 (why 72?) and then ‘pass on’, then we’d both happily do so. Well, with only two years to go in my case, perhaps it’s time to try to extend the warranty!!

For my part, as people so often say once they’ve retired, “I can’t imagine how I fitted in work with all the other stuff I do”. I walk an awful lot (we got rid of our car getting on for three ago and now rely on ‘public’ transport and our local CarClub when required), draw virtually every day, take lots of photographs, read endlessly, inhabit cafés, visit the cinema/theatre on a regular basis, watch cricket and rugby, get involved in various groups (including church), drink red wine… and enjoy my lovely family and friends.
Life is (very) good.
Photo: Family pic, taken in 1982?