Home
News
April 2021
Architect Simon Winstanley passes away aged 73

Architect Simon Winstanley passes away aged 73

April 12 2021

Simon Winstanley, the founder of Simon Winstanley Architects, has passed away at the age of 73 following a short illness, bequeathing a legacy of striking low-energy homes across Dumfries and Galloway.

Winstanley co-founded his eponymous Castle Douglas based practice in 1983 (then known as Crallan & Winstanley Architects) heading it through to his retirement in December 2018.

Notable examples of his work include Taigh Sonas near Dalbeattie and The Houl at the River Ken Valley, both of which were widely lauded for furthering Passivhaus principles, fueling a fertile presence on the awards circuit.

A graduate of Regent Street Polytechnic in London Winstanley cut his teeth as a partner with Colquhoun + Miller Architects, serving for four years from 1973 before leaving for the Mackintosh School of Architecture to become a tutor and year master.

Winstanley is survived by his four children and second wife, Petal Ashmole, following the death of his first wife Annie Winstanley.

5 Comments

#1 Posted by Chris Stewart on 12 Apr 2021 at 18:24 PM

Very sad to hear this news, Simon was one of my first year tutors at Glasgow School of Art. It was a great time to be a student and although the Mac was full of big ideas, it has always been those earlier formulative years for which I have the greatest regard.

#2 Posted by Alan Dickson on 13 Apr 2021 at 12:52 PM

Simon was an inspiration to all of us working on one-off houses and involved in rural practice. As well as being a very talented architect, he committed a lot of his own time to others, particularly through his role as convenor of the saltire housing design awards over many years. I had the pleasure of meeting him and really enjoyed his company. He will be sorely missed, my condolences to all who were close to him.

#3 Posted by Gordon Fleming on 14 Apr 2021 at 15:42 PM

I was very sad to hear of Simon’s passing. I have known Simon since he arrived at the Macintosh in 1981 during my student years. I remember at the time Simons appointment being viewed as the arrival of a serious architect coming from work at Colquhoun and Miller. After an interlude of a couple of decades we crossed paths again with both of us working in the South West of Scotland. The houses he designed were always of the highest quality and from various visits I made to some of these it was clear his clients thought this as well. The last time I met Simon was in his own house, the rightly acclaimed Houl, and it will be a good memory of him sitting in his self designed house drinking coffee, enjoying the magnificent view, through a carefully detailed glazed wall.