Ken Campbell

Nicholas Critchley writes: I read with sadness of the death of Ken Campbell (obituary, Sept 2). We worked together at Colchester in the early 1960s and we were in what I believe was the first repertory production of Harold Pinter’s The Birthday Party.

During rehearsals of the next play — The Merchant of Venice — Ken and I were invited to audition for the Royal Shakespeare Company at the Aldwych, someone having come down from London to see the Pinter production. I learnt a speech of Lorenzo from The Merchant, although, in fact, I was playing Old Gobbo! We arrived at the Aldwych and I struggled with Lorenzo to absolute silence. Ken came on and said that he too would do something from The Merchant — he stood for a while and solemnly said: “Madam, I go with all convenient haste.” The following week Ken received a letter offering him a job at the RSC. I never heard a word!

David Hammond

Giles Oakley writes: I first met David Hammond (obituary, Sept 2) in 1999 in Belfast when I was an executive producer on the BBC’s millennium night show 2000 Today, and we were seeking his advice on how best to represent Northern Ireland in our multilocation, UK-wide, 26-hour live show.

I was immensely impressed by his eloquence, his wisdom, his passion and the extraordinary range of his interests, not to mention his legendary hospitality. But what really sticks in my mind is the almost magnetic kindliness with which he coaxed out of the African-Caribbean researcher with me, the most personal and painful memories of his life as an adopted child. David managed to bring out his deep sense of displacement and alienation in a way which seemed to be liberating and empowering. I know my friend never forgot the sensitive way David treated him and felt enriched by the experience.

Rodney Gordon

Owen Luder writes: Rodney Gordon (obituary, Aug 15) worked for my practice for a period of seven years in the 1960s and during that period the practice designed a number of important buildings, including the Tricorn Centre in Portsmouth and other buildings as the obituary correctly records.

It is wrong, however, to attribute these projects solely to Rodney. He deserves credit for his very important contribution to the design, under my direction, of the buildings referred to. However, the concept, detailed design and execution of these complex buildings was the product of the work of many people, including myself and the team of young architects then working for the practice, and their authorship cannot properly be attributed solely to one individual.

I was also surprised to find that the obituary included an unattributed quotation to the effect that I was “a businessman who happened to have architectural qualifications”. I believe my long and distinguished career as an architect and leader in the profession demonstrates how untrue that is. I have been the architect of many important buildings in the UK and abroad over a long period of time and I was, uniquely, twice elected president of the RIBA. I have also written and lectured widely on architecture, as I still do.