Gillian Margaret "Jill" Howell (née Sarson, 1927–2000), was a British architect.

Early life

She was born Gillian Margaret Sarson, on 3 November 1927 in Multan, in the western Punjab,

British India The provinces of India, earlier presidencies of British India and still earlier, presidency towns, were the administrative divisions of British governance on the Indian subcontinent. Collectively, they have been called British India. In one ...

, the daughter of Colonel Edward Vipan Sarson, commandant of the Royal Artillery training centre, and his Norwegian wife, Dagny Sarson. She was educated at the Royal School, Bath, followed by the

Architectural Association School of Architecture The Architectural Association School of Architecture in London, commonly referred to as the AA, is the oldest independent school of architecture in the UK and one of the most prestigious and competitive in the world. Its wide-ranging programme ...

in London.

Career

As Gill Sarsen, together with her future husband, Bill Howell, and

Stanley Amis Stanley Frederick Amis (12 January 1924 – 10 August 2021), was a British architect. Amis was born in Virginia Water, Surrey, the son of Frederick Amis, an electrical engineer who worked for Western Electric, and Belinda (nee Nash). He was educ ...

, they designed a modernist terrace of six houses at Nos. 80-90 South Hill Park, on the south side of

Hampstead Heath Hampstead Heath (locally known simply as the Heath) is an ancient heath in London, spanning . This grassy public space sits astride a sandy ridge, one of the highest points in London, running from Hampstead to Highgate, which rests on a band ...

, to replace four Victorian houses lost to World War Two bombing. All three were employed by the

London County Council London County Council (LCC) was the principal local government body for the County of London throughout its existence from 1889 to 1965, and the first London-wide general municipal authority to be directly elected. It covered the area today kno ...

's Architect's Department Housing Division, and they ended up living in two of the six houses. Their designs were highly influential and much publicised, and led to them working on the

Alton Estate The Alton Estate is a large council estate situated in Roehampton, southwest London. One of the largest council estates (public housing) in the UK, it occupies an extensive area of land west of Roehampton village and runs between the Roehampton ...

tower blocks in

Roehampton Roehampton is an area in southwest London, in the Putney SW15 postal district, and takes up a far western strip running north to south of the London Borough of Wandsworth. It contains a number of large council house estates and is home to the U ...

. The terrace is now

Grade II listed In the United Kingdom, a listed building or listed structure is one that has been placed on one of the four statutory lists maintained by Historic England in England, Historic Environment Scotland in Scotland, in Wales, and the Northern Ir ...

. She later founded her own architectural practice with Jean Elrington. After her husband's early death, she continued teaching at the

University of Cambridge , mottoeng = Literal: From here, light and sacred draughts. Non literal: From this place, we gain enlightenment and precious knowledge. , established = , other_name = The Chancellor, Masters and Schola ...

school of architecture, and took over her husband's role as a governor of

Marlborough College Marlborough College is a Public school (United Kingdom), public school (English Independent school (United Kingdom), independent boarding school) for pupils aged 13 to 18 in Marlborough, Wiltshire, England. Founded in 1843 for the sons of Church ...

and advisor on its buildings.

Personal life

She met her future husband, fellow architect Bill Howell on an Architectural Association School outing to the Bryn Mawr rubber factory in Wales. They married on 10 August 1951, and had three sons and one daughter. He died on 29 November 1974 in a car accident near

Leighton Buzzard Leighton Buzzard ( ) is a market town in Bedfordshire, England, in the southwest of the county and close to the Buckinghamshire border. It lies between Aylesbury, Tring, Luton/ Dunstable and Milton Keynes, near the Chiltern Hills. It is n ...

, Bedfordshire, aged 52. In 1995, she married Mike Watt, a retired company secretary.

Later life

On 2 May 2000, she died at her home,

Fen Ditton Hall A fen is a type of peat-accumulating wetland fed by mineral-rich ground or surface water. It is one of the main types of wetlands along with marshes, swamps, and bogs. Bogs and fens, both peat-forming ecosystems, are also known as mires. The u ...

, Fen Ditton, Cambridge, from cancer, and was survived by her second husband.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Howell, Gillian 1927 births 2000 deaths Architects from London People educated at the Royal High School, Bath Alumni of the Architectural Association School of Architecture Academics of the University of Cambridge British women architects People from Fen Ditton