Basic Biographical Details Name: | Allan & Friskin | Designation: | | Born: | 1920 | Died: | After 1964 | Bio Notes: | William Wallace Friskin was born in 1889 and educated at Albert Road School, Pollokshields, and Allan Glen's School. In 1905 he was articled to John McKissack & Son, attending the Glasgow School of Architecture at Glasgow and West of Glasgow Technical College and Glasgow School of Art where he won a travelling scholarship 1906-07 and Professor's prize in 1908-09. Material seen at his house in 1972 indicated that there was also a link of some kind with Campbell and Hislop, although this is not mentioned in his nomination paper. In 1910 he moved to London to gain experience into Vincent Harris and Thomas Anderson Moodie from which office he moved to that of Arthur Bidlake Mitchell where he worked on designs for a block of flats in Montevideo. He gained an honourable mention in the Soane Medallion competition of 1912, passed the qualifying exam in 1913, and was admitted ARIBA, his proposers being Arnold Mitchell, John Campbell Turner Murray who had been in McKissack's office, and a J Thomson, presumably John Thomson of Thomson & Sandilands or possibly John Stewart Thomson of Wimbledon. He was awarded the Ashpitel Prize in 1914.
After wartime army service, in 1920 Friskin entered into partnership with William Allan in Dundee as Allan & Friskin, although no previous connection with Dundee is known. In the inter-war years he was an extremely skilful classical and Art Deco designer in both ashlar stone and brick, but in the more difficult post-war years quality proved difficult to maintain. In person he was short but always very neat, with a tendency to terseness of manner: just occasionally he could be more expansive. His wife Lily was a designer who worked for Thomas Justice & Sons, and their house at Arnhall Drive was an expression of their personal tastes in the decorative arts.
Allan died in December 1945, whereafter Friskin practised alone in Castle Street under the same practice title. He was for many years chairman of the Governors of Dundee College of Art. | Private and Business AddressesThe following private or business addresses are associated with this : | | Address | Type | Date from | Date to | Notes | | 26, Castle Street, Dundee, Scotland | Business | Before 1930 | After 1964 | The practice remained at this address until its closure |
Employment and TrainingEmployees or Pupils
Buildings and Designs
ReferencesBibliographic ReferencesThe following books contain references to this : | | Author(s) | Date | Title | Part | Publisher | Notes | | Municipal Annual | 1964 | Scottish Municipal Annual | 1964-1965 | | |
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