Holiday Reading - T Dan Smith

T Dan Smith - One of Newcastle's great influences. Image from www.quazen.com

On my recent holiday, I read, as usual, a broad mix of biographies all generally aligned to the built environment or business in one way or another.

One of the most interesting books I read was the story of T Dan Smith, the infamous leader of Newcastle City Council through the 50s and 60s. T Dan Smith won infamy through his connection with the architect John Poulson, who was imprisoned because of his dealings with various public authorities – a fate that Smith shared because of his dealings with Poulson.

While I was aware of his story, I didn’t know the detail, which this book provides, and very much puts the facts onto the rumour, starting with his humble beginnings through to the end of his life in a flat in Shieldfield, Newcastle.

There is no doubt that T Dan Smith was a fantastic visionary and I do believe Newcastle continues to benefit from much of this vision. He was responsible for the design of the Civic Centre, the implementation of the strategy for the metro system, the central motorway and many more major projects across the city. This investment 50 years ago ensures that Newcastle continues to be a major city in the UK today.

This single minded vision is similar to that which Sir Howard Bernstein has delivered at Manchester. He was also an entrepreneur and built a successful business but unfortunately his linkages with Poulson would tarnish his fantastic vision for the city. The book suggests that actually he was innocent and in the end decided to give in to the media and courts and plead guilty.

I have always been a fan of T Dan Smith and his vision for the Newcastle, and whilst I believe he has left a fantastic architectural legacy, I feel that his greatest legacy is the fear within Local Government to take chances in case there are recriminations like the ones he faced. Unfortunately today’s Local Authorities do not have the kind of vision which T Dan Smith had and generally deliver a middle of the road solution to most things.

Many of the disasters in Newcastle’s city centre, such as several of the tower blocks, were not in fact T Dan’s vision but unfortunately he has been tarred with the brush of these over the years. Whilst I believe that he has left a legacy in the built form for the city unfortunately his lasting legacy is the lack of risk and vision in northern Local Authorities.

A Spot of Holiday Reading

After my adventures in Florida at the beginning of the summer, I quickly found myself in need of another holiday.

We have just returned from a trip to Madeira - a beautiful island and the home of Ronaldo!

As ever, my holidays give me the opportunity to catch up on my reading. My taste in reading materials are a little ‘anorak-ish’ but I thought I would try my hand at reviewing some of the books I read whilst I was away, as I don’t have much more to report on because I didn’t get much further than the swimming pool!

Leading from the Front: My Story. Gerald Ronson

The first book I read was the story of Gerald Ronson who heads up the Ronson Group, which was a very successful business in the 70s and 80s. It ran petrol stations whilst more recently the group has become an international property developer.

Gerald Ronson is now aged 74 and is still working a 6-day week! His story is fascinating and takes you through how he grew a business, lost it all, and then grew it back again. He was infamously involved in the Guinness shares trial and ultimately ended up spending time in prison. He gives an interesting account of his life, how he shaped his future and what is important to him.

His family and community are a large part of his life and he has spent much of his time supporting Jewish charities over his 60 years in business. He is so matter of fact about the people he has met, from royalty to celebrities, many of whom became his friends. His company crashed in the last recession and after some poor investments in America, he was forced to sell large parts of his equity.

He continues to run the business on a day-to-day basis and is now the grandfather of property development in the UK - seen it all and done it all.

This was a fantastic read especially with the focus on development and the economy. Clearly, Gerald Ronson puts his family and his community at the top of his priority list and he clearly demonstrates how you can have success yet still share with others.

Common Sense Rules. Deborah Meaden

Out of the current five dragons on Dragons Den, four of them have written autobiographies. I have now read all four after reading the recently published, book by Deborah Meaden.
This is a fairly light business book giving common sense examples of how to run a business, as well as examples of how Deborah Meaden grew her organisation and ultimately sold it to venture capitalists.

Much of the information is common sense but still useful by giving a brief insight to the author who is clearly an effective and focussed business manager. This is a quick read targeted at those who watch Dragons Den.