Monica Pidgeon
| Monica Pidgeon | |
|---|---|
| Born | Monica Lehmann 29 September 1913 Catemu, Chile |
| Died | 17 September 2009 (aged 95) |
| Occupation | Editor, writer |
| Nationality | British |
| Alma mater | University College London |
| Subject | Architecture |
| Spouse | Raymond Pidgeon |
| Children | 2 |
| Relatives |
Olga Lehmann (sister) Andrew George Lehmann (brother) Rebecca Pidgeon (granddaughter) |
Monica Pidgeon (29 September 1913 – 17 September 2009) was a British interior designer and architectural writer best known as the editor of Architectural Design from 1946 to 1975.
Pidgeon was born Monica Lehmann in 1913 in Catemu, Chile. Her father was a French mining engineer; her mother was Scottish. In 1929, her parents moved the family to London so their children could finish their education at English schools; she attended St Martin-in-the-Fields High School for Girls in Lambeth. After graduating, she enrolled in a two-year interior design course at The Bartlett School of Architecture at University College London (UCL). She had initially tried to study architecture but Albert Richardson, the head of the Bartlett school at the time, did not believe women belonged in architecture and her father convinced her to focus on interior design instead.
After graduating from UCL, Pidgeon worked for a furniture company in Bedford. When the business closed, she began working as a freelance writer and illustrator. In 1941, she joined the staff of Architectural Design as the assistant to its editor, Tony Towndrow. When Towndrow moved to Australia in 1946, Pidgeon was promoted to editor. The magazine's owners, who believed a female editor would not appeal to readers and advertisers and were adverse to the idea themselves, mandated that male architects' names be included on the masthead as "consultants". Apart from a few book reviews written early in her tenure at Architectural Design, Pidgeon's own writing featured in the magazine only rarely.
Under Pidgeon, Architectural Design featured well-known and little-known architects, showcased post-war reconstructive architecture, and promoted sustainable design. Pidgeon also avoided criticism: she believed that it was better not to write anything about poor designs and buildings than to publish critical reviews. Standard Catalogue Company, who owned the magazine, intended to cease production of the magazine in the late 1960s, but Pidgeon convinced them to continue publication using only the revenue earned from subscriptions instead of advertising. She left Architectural Design in 1975 to take up a position as editor of the RIBA Journal, and stayed there until Peter Murray took over in 1979.
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