Mostyn Campbell was born in Spalding, Jamaica, in 1921, and attended Kingston College and Excelsior College. He is recorded as having spent 12 years in government service, as a senior draughtsman before travelling to the UK where he studied at the Hammersmith School of Building and Arts and Crafts, London, graduating in 1959 with a degree in architecture. Campbell then enrolled in the postgraduate course at the Architectural Association’s (AA) Department of Tropical Architecture. In April 1960, just a few months after completing the AA course, Campbell left Southampton for New York and appears to have subsequently returned to Jamaica, joining the Public Works Department later that year. In 1961 he was appointed an Executive Architect and in 1964 promoted to Chief Architect for the Ministry of Communications and Works, based in Kingston – the first Jamaican to hold this role. In 1972 Campbell moved to the position of Director of Technical Services, within the Ministry of Construction, continuing in this role until 1980, whereupon he established a private practice based in Kingston, ‘Architect Planners Associates’, in partnership with Alfonso Jacques. During his time within the Public Works Department, Mostyn oversaw numerous projects and was directly responsible for the design of a number of significant buildings, including the G.S.B Credit Union headquarters on East Avenue, Kingston (1974) and the Dental Auxiliary School (1969), on Arthur Wint Drive, Kingston (now UTech College of Oral Health Sciences). In private practice, some of the major buildings Campbell was responsible for include the Edward P.G. Seaga Computer Center (1988) and the Constant Spring Tax Office (1991). Mostyn was a founding member of the Association of Commonwealth and West Indian Architects, for whom he represented Jamaica on the Executive committee. Likewise he was a founding member and a President of the Jamaican Institute of Architects, and also represented Jamaica on the UN Committee on Housing, Building and Planning. He was awarded the Jamaican Order of Distinction for public service and architecture in 1979.

Sources

• Architectural Association Student Register, 1959-60. AA Archives
• Architectural Association Council Minutes Books, 22nd February, 1960, p401, AA Archives
• Architectural Association Membership List, 1961
• The National Archives; Kew, Surrey, England; BT27 Board of Trade: Commercial and Statistical Department and Successors: Outwards Passenger Lists; Reference Number: Series BT27-
• Mostyn Campbell, ‘Trends In Housing’ The Daily Gleaner [Kingston], 14th September, 1968, p8
• ‘Dental Auxiliary School to begin operation in January’ The Daily Gleaner [Kingston], 27th August, 1969, p2
• ‘Architect in Honours List’ The Daily Gleaner [Kingston], 25th August, 1979, p10
• ‘The North Wing of the Edward P.G. Seaga Computer Center...’ The Daily Gleaner [Kingston], 21st May, 1988, p32
• ‘Computer Centre, Named For P.M. Creates Record’ The Daily Gleaner [Kingston], 2nd July, 1988, 26
• ‘Revenue Service Centre has been completed’ The Daily Gleaner [Kingston] 2nd February, 1991, p22
• ‘Interesting Historical Highlights’ The Gleaner [Kingston], 3rd May, 2001, p25