Basic Biographical Details Name: | William Aitkenhead | Designation: | | Born: | 22 February 1835 | Died: | 23 September 1887 | Bio Notes: | William Aitkenhead was born on 22 February 1835 in the Kirkton of Blantyre, Lanarkshire, the third son of William Aitkenhead and Grace McCartney. The Aitkenhead family were builders and he seems initially to have been apprenticed as a mason, a background which may have influenced his heavy involvement in building speculation later. Around 1951-5 he was a pupil in the Hamilton office of Richard Turner, architect and glasshouse expert, who also had offices in Dublin and Glasgow. After completing his apprenticeship, Aitkenhead sought experience in unidentified offices in Glasgow and Edinburgh before commencing practice on his own account in Arbroath in 1861, probably as a result of employment there as a clerk of works. By 1864 he had established a considerable local reputation as architect of Arbroath and St Vigean's poorhouse, a striking landmark; and in the same year he commenced a long career as a property developer by feuing land at Victoria Street from the Town Clerk, John Colvill. Some time before 1871 he bought Colvill's house at Brothock Bank and developed its grounds; soon afterwards he also bought Hopemount House which enabled him to widen Guthrie Port and develop it as shops and houses; and in the mid-1870s he developed the Lochshade area of Arbroath in association with a local solicitor, E J Leslie.
Aitkenhead's obituary states: 'No other architect or builder has made his mark on Arbroath as Mr Aitkenhead has done, and in the way of carrying out important improvements.' In addition to his domestic and commercial work, he was also responsible for schools, factory buildings and churches. He was briefly in partnership with an unidentified Mr Mason in the later 1870s, and for a time he had a branch office in Brechin, but by the time of his death it had been closed and replaced by another in Montrose where his practice is said to have been extensive.
Aitkenhead's architecture has points of originality with a predilection for geometrical roof forms wherever they could be afforded. He married Margaret Strachan Lamb Black, by whom he had four sons (including William, born 1874) and three daughters, one of whom predeceased him. He was an active member of the Queen Street Congregational Church, and was at one time a leading member of the Arbroath YMCA. He is described in his obituary as 'a well-known citizen of Arbroath' and as being 'of a pleasant disposition, obliging, held in respect by all who knew him, and by many he will be missed'. He died of acute pneumonia on 23 September 1887 at Newgate House, a large eighteenth-century house which had probably been bought to develop its grounds. His death was reported by his father-in-law Alexander Black of 115 Dishland Street, Arbroath. He is buried in the Western Cemetery there. His estate comprised extensive heritable property, mostly in the Lochshade area. | Private and Business AddressesThe following private or business addresses are associated with this : | | Address | Type | Date from | Date to | Notes | | Brechin, Angus, Scotland | Business | | | | | Kirkton, Blantyre, Lanarkshire, Scotland | Private | 1841 * | | | | Aitkenhead's Land, Blantyre, Lanarkshire, Scotland | Private | 1851 * | | | | Brothock Bridge Buildings, Arbroath, Angus, Scotland | Private/business | Before 1868 | After 1877 | | | Hopemount House, Arbroath, Angus, Scotland | Private | 1874 * | | | | Lochshade, Arbroath, Angus, Scotland | Private | 1881 * | | | | Newgate House, Arbroath, Angus, Scotland | Private | 1887 * | | |
* earliest date known from documented sources.
Employment and TrainingEmployersThe following individuals or organisations employed or trained this (click on an item to view details): | | Name | Date from | Date to | Position | Notes | | Richard Turner | c. 1851 | c. 1855 | Apprentice | | | Aitkenhead & Mason | Before 1875 | After 1877 | Partner | |
Buildings and Designs
ReferencesBibliographic ReferencesThe following books contain references to this : | | Author(s) | Date | Title | Part | Publisher | Notes | | Architects Engineers and Building Trades Directory | 1868 | Architect's, Engineer's and Building Trades' Directory | | London, Wyman | | | Guide to Brechin | 1884 | | | | High School | | Scotlands People Website | | Wills & Testaments | | | Forfar Sheriff Court SC47/40/55 |
Archive ReferencesThe following archives hold material relating to this : | | Source | Archive Name | Source Catalogue No. | Notes | | Professor David M Walker personal archive | Professor David M Walker, notes and collection of archive material | | Information from research by Anne Burgess, whose great-great-grandmother was Aitkenhead's first cousin. |
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