Raymond McGrath
| Raymond McGrath | |
|---|---|
| Born |
7 March 1903 Sydney, Australia |
| Died | 23 December 1977 (aged 74) Dublin, Ireland |
| Nationality | Australian |
| Education | |
| Known for | Architecture |
Raymond McGrath (7 March 1903 – 23 December 1977) was an Australian-born architect, illustrator, printmaker and interior designer who for the greater part of his career was Principal Architect for the Office of Public Works in Ireland.
McGrath, whose father was from New Zealand, was born in Sydney where he was educated at the Fort Street Boys School, and studied painting at the Julian Ashton School. In 1921 he enrolled in the Faculty of Arts at Sydney University but subsequently transferred to the School of Architecture. In 1924 he published, in a limited edition of 30 copies on Japanese vellum, a book of woodcut illustrations and poetry entitled The Seven Songs of Meadow Lane. McGrath graduated in 1926 Bachelor of Architecture with first class honours and as the winner of the Wentworth travelling scholarship. This allowed him to move to London where he studied at the Westminster School of Art before taking up a fellowship at Clare College, Cambridge. While at Clare, Mansfield Forbes had McGrath redecorate the interior of the College's house Finella, a large Victorian house on the Cambridge backs, now belonging to Gonville and Caius College. McGrath's bold modernist remodelling of Finella made adventurous use of materials, with copper-clad doors, an aluminium-walled bathroom, mirrored ceilings and a rubberised floor decorated with Pictish motifs.
Setting up practice in London in 1930, McGrath's first commission was to design the interiors for Broadcasting House in Portland Place, London. To assist with such a large commission, he solicited the help of Wells Coates and Serge Chermayeff; the latter was passing through London and would emigrate to America in 1940. Further interior design jobs followed, including a design for the aeroplane interiors for Imperial Airways.
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