Peter Crawford

9/06/1924

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Born on 9 June 1924 at North Sydney to Leonard Crawford Simpson and Mildred Mary (nee Went), Peter Crawford Simpson was the only son of the family of five children.

Peter Simpson attended Primary School at Cammery, Narrabeen and later, Manly. He then attended Fort St. Annex at Petersham, where he was appointed a prefect. In 1942 he was accepted into the Sydney Technical College's six-year architectural course. He graduated in 1949 with credits, becoming an Associate of the Royal Australian Institute of Architects (RAIA). In 1949 he married fellow student Marjorie White (1924-2003) who had also completed the architectural course. He enjoyed sports, notably swimming and cricket, and later, played golf as a member of the Mt. Lofty and Victor Harbour Golf Clubs. The couple had two children, son Michael and daughter Michelle. Peter Simpson died on the 11 December 1992.

While a student at Sydney Technical College he was articled to work at Peddle Thorpe and Walker in Sydney. After graduating in 1949 he left Peddle Thorpe and Walker for a job with Kenwood Hoile Architects, Sydney, where he remained for 18 months. In 1951, he joined his wife, Marjorie, who was working at the Commonwealth Department of Works and together they came to Adelaide to work on the Woomera rocket range project.

Together they left Adelaide in 1954 to travel overseas and spent 4-5 months travelling around Europe and England where they were employed by Sir Thomas Bennett and Son's office in London from 1955 to 1956, returning to Adelaide in late 1956, when they worked as architects for the S.A. Brewing Company for which they designed alterations for hotels and domestic work. Peter Simpson spent some time in the office of Lawson Cheesman Doley and Partners before entering into private practice in partnership with Kenneth Shepherd in 1957 as Shepherd and Simpson. The Shepherd and Simpson partnership was ended in 1969 when Shepherd retired. Peter and Marjorie then entered into partnership as Simpson and Simpson in Adelaide until 1989 when Marjorie retired. Peter was awarded a Life Fellowship of the RAIA.

In 1951, while at the Commonwealth Department of Works they worked on the Woomera project, completing the documentation of the Instrumentation building and ancillary buildings. They worked on Woomera projects for four years, while designing their own home in suburban Adelaide (1951-4).

In their practice of Simpson and Simpson they had a variety of work, from domestic to banks and retail with their largest commission being the Royal Society for the Blind Institute at Gilles Plains.

The partnership had helped to introduce brick veneer construction and concrete slab floors to South Australia and provided a modern aesthetic to domestic construction.

Marjorie Simpson wrote of her husband, Peter, that he ‘was highly respected by all that knew him for his competence and professional conduct at all times and for his honesty and integrity, friendly personality and sense of humour’ (Simpson collection S271).

Julie Collins

Citation details
Collins, Julie, 'Simpson, Peter Crawford', Architecture Museum, University of South Australia, 2008, Architects of South Australia: [http://www.architectsdatabase.unisa.edu.au/arch_full.asp?Arch_ID=52]