Norah Aiton was born in London, England on 13 June 1903. She abandoned a mathematics degree at Girton College, University of Cambridge, in order to study at Cambridge School of Architecture from 1924 to 1926. She then attended the Architectural Association in London from 1926 to 1929.
After a period travelling in Europe, where she absorbed developments in the modern movement, Aiton returned to England and went into partnership with Betty Scott (1903-1983), a fellow student at the AA
The first, and, possibly, most significant project by Aiton & Scott, was the Aiton & Co. factory office near Derby, England, which they designed for John Arthur Aiton, Norah Aiton's father, in 1930-31. [See: , 'The Forgotten Architecture of Vision: Aiton & Scott's Factory Office for Aiton & Co., Derby, 1930-1' by Lynne Walker in 'Twentieth Century Architecture I: Special Issue Industrial Architecture' (London: Twentieth Century Society, 1994 pp.23-30)].
Later projects by Aiton & Scott included other factory offices, a printing works, a crematorium, a church, a private zoo, and houses for private clients. They also designed furniture. A photograph of a cocktail bar, designed by Aiton & Scott is illustrated in 'Decorative Art' 1933 (p.54). Aiton is known to have visited the Exposition Internationale des Arts Décoratifs et Industriels Modernes in Paris in 1925 and the 'Stockholmsutstäliningen' Swedish Exposition in Stockholm in 1930.
Aiton was elected an Associate of the Royal Institute of British Architects (ARIBA) in 1931. She died in Jersey, Chanel Islands on 11 August 1988.
The Library of the Royal Institute of British Architects in London has a biographical file on Norah Aiton.
Powers, Alan. Modern. The Modern Movement in Britain.. London: Merrell, 2005
Walker, Lynne. ‘The Forgotten Architecture of Vision: Aiton & Scott’s Factory Office for Aiton & Co.’, Derby, 1930-1’. Twentieth Century Architecture. The Journal of the Twentieth Century Society [Industrial Architecture Special Issue] no.1, Summer 1994 pp.23-30