Professor John Nelson Tarn – KStG, OBE, DL, BArch, PhD, FRIBA, FRHistS, FRSA, FSA (Hon LLD 1999)
A Personal Appreciation by the Chairman, Rod Tann
John Tarn was the Society’s President for nearly 20 years until his death in 2020. Members of my Committee still can’t quite believe our good fortune that we had such an eminent and wise man to support us so actively in our work.
Since formation in 1928, the Society sought, and received, the gracious support of successive Viscount Leverhulmes’ to fulfil the Presidential role. They each kindly honoured us with their presence on some formal occasions.
However, when John agreed to my invitation to be our President, it was a great surprise when he said he would accept and that he intended to come to as many of our monthly Executive Committee meetings as his busy schedule would allow.
Since then, he honoured that commitment, having only ever missed the occasional meeting because of a conference abroad or a speaking engagement – and latterly, sadly, because of his increasing ill health.
As Chairman, I regularly sought his counsel and always found his advice to be sound. His advice was especially valuable when considering such issues as the long-term future for a Society such as ours, which still operates on the same model that was set up in a very different age.
And as a Committee, we found his considered thoughts on the various issues being discussed to be of immense help. His total lack of any pretention also never failed to impress us. His presence is still much missed.
That he was able to support us so positively all those years continues to amaze us on the Committee, especially given the long list of organisations with which he was involved. He also spent his weekends in the Peak District, providing the music and training the choir at Great Longstone Parish church.
Since his death, the Society has been very fortunate to receive a financial bequest from his Estate. The Committee has given much thought as to how best it might use the bequest to reflect what we consider John would have approved of. To date, we have set up an ‘Eco-schools’ Project which, by offering modest grants, aims to encourage schoolchildren to participate in the development of schemes in school environment. This continues to be a regular item for discussion on our monthly Agenda.
Rod Tann
Lifetime Achievements
John was a professor of Architecture at the age of 33, initially at the University of Nottingham. He was subsequently appointed the Roscoe Professor of Architecture at the University of Liverpool. Latterly at Liverpool he held the position of Pro Vice Chancellor. Abroad, John was the Chairman of the Architecture Academic Advisory Committee at The Chinese University of Hong Kong.
Outside of academia, John was very actively involved in the Royal Institute of British Architects and for 20 years was Chairman of the Planning Control Committee, at the Peak Park Planning Board.
He was also heavily involved in the care of Liverpool’s two cathedrals, being on the Fabric Advisory Committee at the Anglican Cathedral, and the Art and Architecture Department of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese. And in recent years John was Chair of the Riverside Group, a major Merseyside Housing Association.
Recognition for his achievements was significant. In 1992, he received an OBE for services to architecture. He received Honorary Doctorates from Sheffield Hallam University and the University of Liverpool. He was also a Deputy Lieutenant of Merseyside. In 2016, Pope Francis appointed John a Knight of the Order of St Gregory the Great, for services to the Roman Catholic Church in the Liverpool Archdiocese – an honour of which he was especially proud. Wonderful and extraordinary achievements!
John’s most notable publications are –
- The Peak District National Park – It’s Architecture. Pub 1971
- Working Class Housing in 19th Century Britain. Pub Architectural Association 1971.
- Five-Percent Philanthropy – An Account of Housing in Urban Areas between 1840 and 1914. Cambridge University Press 1974.
