Michael Mennim

A. Michael Mennim (2 November 1921 – 22 November 2005)[1] was a York architect and author with a particular interest in historical buildings.

Mennim "took great pride in being a 'man of York' ... having lived and worked in or near that fine City for the great majority of his life" (see 'Obituary' below).

Mennim's funeral was at All Hallows Church, Sutton-on-the-Forest. His wife Eleanor died in May 2005 and therefore All Hallows Church saw the funeral services of them both in the same year.

Mennim left three daughters, a son and 11 grandchildren. The son is artist Peter Mennim who painted the 40th Anniversary painting of Wolfson College in which his father appears and which hangs in the Combination Room which his father built.

Mennim attended Pocklington School. By the time he left in 1938 he already had the idea of becoming an architect, having spent a year in articles and a year of draughtsmanship.

Then the War started and he joined the Royal Artillery in 1941. After training in England and Scotland he was posted to India for officer training in 1943; was commissioned in 1944 in the Indian Mountain Artillery Regiment and posted to Ambala. He took part in jungle warfare in Burma during the advance on Mandalay and was involved in planning for the invasion of Malaya when peace was declared in August 1945.

He was enamoured of India and its architecture and always retained a special liking for Simla.

After the war, Mennim he started his professional training in 1947 at the Leeds School of Architecture. He qualified in 1951 as the top student of his year. While in Leeds he formed a friendship with Dr Hugh Plommer (at that time Librarian at the Leeds School of Architecture) who was to have a significant influence on his life in the years to come.

Mennim married Dr Eleanor Wilson in 1952 and joined the practice of T P Bennett and Partners in London, where they had many large-scale commissions . He also obtained a Town Planning Diploma by part-time study.

After five years in London Mennim returned to York where he joined a partnership which later became Ferrey and Mennim. He bought a house, Croft Cottage in Sutton-on-the-Forest which was to be the family home for the next 53 years.

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