Ronald Hubert Sims

Not to be confused with Ronald Sims.

Ronald Hubert Sims (30 March 1923 – 1999) was a British architect and artist. Influential in the Bournemouth area, he is best known for designing the Punshon Memorial Church^[1] which earned him the R.I.B.A. bronze medal in 1958.^[2][3] The church was demolished in 2015.^[4] In the 1960s, he designed the Broadmead Baptist Church in Bristol - it remains standing and is a fine example of Brutalist architecture.^[5]

As well as his practical architectural work, he also spent a number of years teaching as a Professor of Architecture in Lincoln, Nebraska; Austin, Texas; and Waterloo, Ontario.

Early and personal life

Sims was born in Christchurch, then in Hampshire (now Dorset). He married Hazel Sheppard in 1952.^[6]

Examples of Sims's architecture

• Wallisdown Methodist Church (1954);
• Punshon Memorial Methodist Church, Bournemouth (1957, demolished 2015);
• Manor Road flats, Boscombe (1961);
• Lakeside Restaurant, Poole Park (1961);
• Broadmead Baptist Church, Broadmead (1969).