Alan Colquhoun papers, 1942-2010

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Series II: Personal papers

Consists of three subseries: Correspondence, Notebooks, and Albums, Notes, and Other Papers. Colquhoun kept notebooks uninterrupted from 1942, when he was a student in Edinburgh. The material in the notebooks ranges from practical personal information (such as language notes and food ration information in his notebooks from India) to personal notes, among them personal notes and drafts for correspondences, as well as more formal observations on architecture, both in writing and drawing form.

Colquhoun kept his personal correspondences in two separate arrangements, which have been preserved in the presentation of his papers. In one arrangement, he kept correspondences loosely arranged according to chronological order in personal correspondence folders irrespective of correspondent. In the other he organized his letters by correspondent, again in more or less chronological fashion. Occasionally, letters from a correspondent in the latter may appear in the former. In these cases, Colquhoun's own arrangement has been preserved and identifying letters that Colquhoun did not file away has been left to the researcher.

Subseries 3: Albums, Notes, and Other Papers includes unfiled notes, documentation and memorabilia, and sketchbooks.


Series 1: Correspondence



Box 7 Folder 1 to 22 General by date [22 folders], 1949 to 2013

Contains mixed correspondences, mainly personal, some undated (and can therefore fall outside period)



Box 7 Folder 23 Molly, ca. 1944

Contains personal correspondences by sender, some undated (and can therefore fall outside period)



Box 7 Folder 24 People in India, mainly "Sitesh", 1944-9

Contains personal correspondences by sender, some undated (and can therefore fall outside period)



Box 7 Folder 25 Deben, 1945-81

Contains personal correspondences by sender, some undated (and can therefore fall outside period)



Box 7 Folder 26 Robert (Bob) Maxwell, 1947-9

Contains personal correspondences by sender, some undated (and can therefore fall outside period)



Box 7 Folder 27 Sue, ca. 1955

Contains personal correspondences by sender, some undated (and can therefore fall outside period)



Box 7 Folder 28 Gisela, 1957-8

Contains personal correspondences by sender, some undated (and can therefore fall outside period)



Box 7 Folder 29 Berta, 1958-9

Contains personal correspondences by sender, some undated (and can therefore fall outside period)



Box 7 Folder 30 Bibi, 1958-9

Contains personal correspondences by sender, some undated (and can therefore fall outside period)



Box 7 Folder 31 Hans, ca. 1959

Contains personal correspondences by sender, some undated (and can therefore fall outside period)



Box 7 Folder 32 Heidi, 1960

Contains personal correspondences by sender, some undated (and can therefore fall outside period)



Box 7 Folder 33 Diana, ca. 1966

Contains personal correspondences by sender, some undated (and can therefore fall outside period)



Box 7 Folder 34 Jane Beeching, 1970-80

Contains personal correspondences by sender, some undated (and can therefore fall outside period)



Box 7 Folder 35 Mary, 1977-87

Contains personal correspondences by sender, some undated (and can therefore fall outside period)



Box 7 Folder 37 Jan, 1946-9

Contains personal correspondences by sender, some undated (and can therefore fall outside period)



Box 8 Folder 1 to 5 To Parents from India [5 folders], 1943 to 1947

Contains letters from Colquhoun to his parents while he performed military service in India, original order retained



Box 8 Folder 6 to 7 Postcards [2 folders], 1960s-2010s

Contains postcards to Colquhoun



Box 8 Folder 8 Mixed photographs and postcards, ca 1980s-2000s

Contains postcards and greetings to Colquhoun and unsigned photographs



Box 8 Folder 9 "Jill's Letter", 1933

Contains unidentified letter from Jill to Emminka, printed sheet of deceased German generals presumably Colquhoun's forefathers



Box 8 Folder 10 Collected Greeting Cards and Photographs, 1989-93

Contains two cards and photographs of children of Colquhoun's friends and family, most with notes to Colquhoun on back


Subseries 2: Yearbooks



Box 4 Folder 8 1967-85, 1967 to 1985

Pocket diaries : 16 items ; 1968, 1970-2 missing



Box 4 Folder 9 1986-95, 1986-95

Pocket diaries: 10 items



Box 4 Folder 10 1996-2005, 1996-2005

Pocket diaries : 11 items



Box 4 Folder 11 2006-13, 2006-13

Pocket diaries : 9 items



Box 5 Folder 1 1942 Mar-Aug, 1942 Mar-Aug

Notebook : 1 item



Box 5 Folder 2 1942-4, 1942-4

Notebook : 1 item



Box 5 Folder 3 1946-7 (India), 1946-7

Notebook : 1 item



Box 5 Folder 4 1947, 1947

Notebook : 1 item



Box 5 Folder 5 1947, 1947

Notebook : 1 item



Box 5 Folder 6 1948-51, 1948-51

Notebook : 1 item



Box 5 Folder 7 1951-4, 1951-4

Notebook : 1 item



Box 5 Folder 8 1953, 1953

Notebook : 1 item



Box 5 Folder 9 1954-5, 1954-5

Notebook : 1 item



Box 5 Folder 10 1957-61, 1957-61

Notebook : 1 item



Box 5 Folder 11 1964, 1964

Notebook : 1 item



Box 5 Folder 12 1965-7, 1965-7

Notebook : 1 item



Box 5 Folder 13 1969-77, 1969-77

Notebook : 1 item



Box 5 Folder 14 1980, 1980

Notebook : 1 item



Box 5 Folder 15 1980-1, 1980-1

Notebook : 1 item



Box 5 Folder 16 1981, 1981

Notebook : 1 item



Box 5 Folder 17 1980-9, 1980-9

Notebook : 1 item



Box 5 Folder 18 1980-90, 1980-90

Notebook : 1 item



Box 5 Folder 19 1989, 1989

Notebook : 1 item



Box 5 Folder 20 1995 Jan to 1999 May, 1995 Jan to 1999 May

Notebook : 1 item



Box 5 Folder 21 2000 Jul to Dec, 2003 Apr to 2004 Feb, 2000 Jul to Dec, 2003 Apr to 2004 Feb

Notebook : 1 item



Box 5 Folder 22 2001 Jun to Dec, 2001 Jun to Dec

Notebook : 1 item



Box 5 Folder 23 "Rhetoric," ca. 1980, 2003 (including "operatic evil"), ca. 1980, 2003

Notebook : 1 item



Box 5 Folder 24 1994-8 (OUP-MA), 1994-8

Notebook : 1 item



Box 5 Folder 25 1981 (Lecture Notes), 1981

Notebook : 1 item



Box 5 Folder 26 1982-90, 1982-90

Notebook : 1 item



Box 6 Folder 1 1983-4, 1983-4

Notebook : 1 item



Box 6 Folder 2 1989-91, 1989-91

Notebook : 1 item



Box 6 Folder 3 1991-2, 1991-2

Notebook : 1 item



Box 6 Folder 4 1992, 1992

Notebook : 1 item



Box 6 Folder 5 1992, 1992

Notebook : 1 item



Box 6 Folder 6 1990-1, 1990-1

Notebook : 1 item



Box 6 Folder 7 1999-2003, 1999-2003

Notebook : 1 item



Box 6 Folder 8 1955-7, 1955-7

Notebook : 1 item



Box 6 Folder 9 1989, 92-3, 99, 1989, 92-3, 99

Notebook : 1 item



Box 6 Folder 10 2003-7, 2003-7

Notebook : 1 item



Box 6 Folder 11 2007-10, 2007-10

Notebook : 1 item



Box 6 Folder 12 1993, 1993

Notebook : 1 item



Box 6 Folder 13 undated (John Wood), undated

Notebook : 1 item



Box 6 Folder 14 to 15 undated [2 folders], undated

Notebooks : 2 items ; one notebook contains sketch for front cover of Essays in Architectural Criticism and piano tablature



Box 6 Folder 16 1987-8, 2010-2, 1987-8, 2010-2

Notebook : 1 item



Box 6 Folder 17 2012, 2012

Notebook : 1 item



Box 6 Folder 18 1992-2010, 1992-2010

Notebook : 1 item



Box 6 Folder 19 1992 (Jalon), 1992

Notebook : 1 item ; Contains pencil sketches of Jalon architecture



Box 6 Folder 20 1985 (Rome Notebooks), 1985

Notebooks : 4 items ; Contains sketches, notes, lists and Italian grammar



Box 6 Folder 21 Spiral Bound Notebook, ca. 2009

1 item ; Includes recipes, passwords and lists


Subseries 3: Albums, Notes, and Other Papers



Box 3 Folder 12 Loose Notes, Computer, 2001 to 2011

Contains notes on how to operate a computer



Box 3 Folder 13 Loose Notes, Fragments of an Indian Journal, ca. 1947

Contains originals and photocopies



Box 3 Folder 14 Loose Notes, Mount Abu, undated

Contains travel notes from India



Box 3 Folder 15 Loose Flash Cards, undated

Contains notes on loose flash cards



Box 3 Folder 16 Album, Business Cards, undated

Contains business cards both academic and personal



Box 3 Folder 17 to 18 Album, Travel Sketches [2 folders], undated

Albums : 2 items ; contains travel sketches, some originals, some photocopies



Box 4 Folder 1 Album, "India 1947", 1947

Contains BW photographs



Box 4 Folder 2 Album, C + M Collection of Projects, undated

Contains illustrations and photographs



Box 4 Folder 3 Thesis, A. Colquhoun Architetto, 1987-8

Contains bound thesis for the Università Degli Studi Di Firenze by Massimo Ceragiolini and Manuela Riccomini



Box 4 Folder 4 Certificate, El Colegio de Arquitectos de Chile, 1979

Contains certificate from El Colegio de Arquitectos de Chile



Box 4 Folder 5 Biographical Sketch, undated [2010s?]

Contains 12 page biographical note about Colquhoun's life written by third person



Box 4 Folder 6 "Columbia - 2002-2008", 2002 to 2008

Contains outline of activities 2002-8



Box 4 Folder 7 Passport and other certificates

Documents: 10 items