“The job of the modern architect is the job of us all. It is to make out of the ordinary, something extraordinary” – Professor Patrick Nuttgens CBE
The founding Director of Leeds Polytechnic, Patrick Nuttgens, recently became the recipient of our 202nd blue plaque, unveiled at his former workplace (now Leeds Beckett University) on Friday 14 March.
Close to 70 guests, including family members and past students, attended the celebratory event, held at the Knowledge and Exchange Suite in the Rosebowl Building on Portland Way.
With six individual speakers lined up to pay personal tribute, it was clear Professor Nuttgens played an influential role in many lives. Across the course of a poignant event, a portrait emerged of a man with a wide range of interests and passions, but whose humanity spanned them all.
A grounding in architecture and academia brought Nuttgens to the role of Director at the new Leeds Polytechnic in 1969 – an appointment that would help redefine higher education in the UK. Based at the college from its opening through to 1986, he championed courses that were practical, vocational and experience-based, resulting in such innovations as the country’s first degree in Nursing.
Over time, the University’s remit has changed, much like its name, but the current Vice Chancellor, Professor Peter Slee, called it a ‘comforting thought’ that Nuttgens’ influence can still be felt today – echoed in the University’s modern mission statement, and watching over the boardroom where his portrait still hangs.
Speaking next, Peg Alexander, the youngest of Patrick’s nine children, represented a ‘gaggle of Nuttgens’ who were ‘chuffed’ to attend the ceremony. Fondly describing her father as ‘the most intelligent person I will ever meet,’ she highlighted the many fields in which he excelled, including journalism, lecturing, writing, painting and, notably, television broadcasting. It was in this area that some of Nuttgens’ most groundbreaking achievements came.
TV producer Mark Rowland recalled the ‘epic adventure’ he embarked on in 1988, when he and Patrick travelled the country to record the story of social housing in Britain. The resulting BBC series, The Home Front, placed the professor at the forefront of the emerging presenter-led documentary format, and showcased a sense of fun and adventure that endeared him to a wildly diverse range of communities.
The next two speakers took personal as well as professional inspiration from time spent at the Polytechnic during Nuttgen’s tenure. Lecturer Alan Simson – who has since become Emeritus Professor of Landscape Architecture and Urban Forestry at Leeds Beckett University – looked back on him as a ‘legend’ and someone who influenced thousands of students by bridging the gap between theory and institutional practice.
One of those students was our own volunteer, John Harris, who undertook a BSc in Production Engineering in the early 1970s, followed by a Diploma in Management Studies. He called his experience ‘life-changing’ and spoke movingly about the debt of gratitude he owed Professor Nuttgens for helping bring a university-level education to those from a working-class background.
The last of our scheduled speakers was the acclaimed Leeds-born writer, Jeremy Dyson, who felt befriended by the Nuttgens family as a young man. He called Patrick ‘an extraordinary character – friendly, approachable [and] a lesson in how to be’.
Jeremy’s lifelong friend, Peg, then presented two of her father’s beautiful watercolour paintings to Leeds Beckett University and the Civic Trust, before joining her mother, Biddy, to unveil the plaque. Its text reads:
‘Professor Patrick Nuttgens CBE: Educator, broadcaster, writer, architect, and painter. As founding Director of Leeds Polytechnic, now Leeds Beckett University, his aim was to bridge the gap between thought and action in higher education. A pioneer of the presenter-led TV documentary format, he made programmes on architecture, housing, and the city of Leeds. (1930-2004).’
Ross Horsley – Office Administrator
- Click here for a digital copy of the handout from the unveiling.
- Click here to read more about Professor Patrick Nuttgens.
