Sadie Speight (1906-1992)

Sadie Speight was born in Lancashire, England and studied architecture at Manchester University. She graduated with first class honours in 1929 and was elected an Associate of the Royal Institute of British Architects in 1930. She gained her Masters degree in 1933.

In 1935 Sadie Speight married Leslie (later Sir Leslie) Martin, who had been a fellow student and was at that time head of the School of Architecture at Hull College of Arts and Crafts. They collaborated in the design of a number of private houses, and a kindergarten.

In 1939 they also published advice concerning modern design in ‘The Flat Book’. Included in the illustrations is a range of furniture which Speight and Martin designed together but which is attributed to him alone. This is one example of the ways in which women designers’ work can be neglected or ignored.

During the Second World War Speight was one of the founder members of the Design Research Unit and became involved in the design of household appliances. She was involved in the Festival of Britain in 1951. She continued to work on architectural, interior design and exhibition design commissions whilst bringing up two children, both of whom were to become architects themselves. Much of her time during her last years seems to have been devoted to documenting her husband’s work as a leading architectural practinioner in Britain.

Through her writings Speight identified herself as an invaluable chronicler of the Modern Movement in design as well as one of its practinioners. However, her contribution has not been acknowledged in histories of architecture. This exemplifies some of the problems faced by women designers working in partnership with male colleagues. It is possible to view her as a figure overshadowed by her more eminent partner but research reveals a more positive attempt to negotiate her own independent career.

Image captions left to right from the top
1. Sadie Speight.
2. ‘The Flat Book’ was published in 1939 and gave guidance on layout and furnishing of the modern home. It provided details of prices and retailers of ‘good’ design available in Britain. It was a means of popularising the Modern Movement.
3. Publicity Leaflet for Unit Furniture designed by Sadie Speight and J.L. Martin. It was manufactured by W. Rowntree and Sons, Scarborough (2 images).
4. Page layouts from ‘The Flat Book’, showing Good Form furniture (2 images).