Basic Biographical Details Name: | Francis William Deas | Designation: | Architect | Born: | 1862 | Died: | 13 November 1951 | Bio Notes: | Francis William Deas was born in 1862 at Haslar, Hampshire, the son of Sir David Deas KCB MD RN, naval surgeon, and his wife Margaret Hepburn. He was a grandson of Francis Deas of Falkland. Sir David died in 1876 and his brother Lord Deas, a lawlord, assumed responsibility for Francis's education at Charterhouse and at Edinburgh University where he graduated MA. In 1890 Deas was articled to Robert Rowand Anderson, attending the School of Applied Art under Professor Frank Worthington Simon for three years. He left Anderson's office in 1896 and spent the following eighteen months travelling, spending his time chiefly on measured drawings. He commenced practice at 63 Frederick Street, Edinburgh, on his return home in 1897, sharing an office with another Anderson pupil, Victor Daniel Horsburgh. By 1902 he had moved to 15 Rutland Square with a house at 12 Magdala Place.
Deas and Horsburgh were both friends of Lorimer, whom Deas first met in 1893. From a letter of Lorimer's to Deas we learn that Lorimer joined in part of Deas's study tour, accompanying him on his visit to Norman Shaw's Dawpool, and that he persuaded Deas to become an architect rather than an interior decorator - presumably on the Scott Morton-Whytock and Reid model - as had been his original intention. After Dods emigrated to Australia, Deas became Lorimer's closest friend; both were musical and frequently went to concerts together. Deas also enjoyed travelling, walking, lawn tennis, squash and gardening. His practice was never extensive and depended on a few very rich clients of whom the most important was the Earl of Moray. His best work at Braehead, Fyndynate and Kellas has a refined Lorimerian arts-and-crafts quality.
Deas was nominated FRIBA by Lorimer, Harold Ogle Tarbolton and Alexander Hunter Crawford and admitted on 4 March 1907. Although he never married, in 1908-10 he built for himself The Murrel near Aberdour a remarkable pantiled Arts and Crafts house and garden on which Gertrude Jekyll is said to have advised, and received considerable publicity from its inclusion in Sir Lawrence Weaver's 'Small Country Houses of Today' and Gertrude Jekyll and Sir Lawrence Weaver's 'Gardens of Small Houses'. In 1915 he was obliged to sell it as his investments were mainly in Austria and Turkey and the practice was at a very low ebb. He then bought a house in Greenhill Gardens, Edinburgh where he lived for the remainder of his life.
Deas's finances recovered after the First World War as did his practice with a major reconstruction of Toward Castle for Andrew Coats in 1921-28. At the conclusion of the work there he became semi-retired, assisting Christopher Hussey with his study of Lorimer's work, a task the latter had inherited from Sir Lawrence Weaver. On 13 February 1931 he gave a paper at the RIBA on Lorimer's work, which was published in the RIBA Journal on 21 February 1931. Hussey acknowledged his debt to Deas in his biography of Lorimer, writing that Deas 'placed his knowledge, his house, and much time at my disposal in such a way that all were as delightful as invaluable,'
A pencil portrait of Deas at the piano by John Henry Lorimer records his slight build. He retired completely in 1937. In his retirement he gardened at Greenhill Gardens and took an interest in the careers of Lorimer's sons. Hew Lorimer remembered him as kind and affable…'enjoyed a joke - provided it was in good taste' and that he never had any regrets about having to give up The Murrel. 'I enjoyed doing it, and that was all that mattered to me… It did not have the same interest once the thing was done and the planting was as good as it could be.'
Deas died on 13 November 1951 in his eightieth year and in his obituary he is described as a landscape painter as well as an architect. His collection of T'ang pottery and other objets d'art were gifted to the Royal Scottish Museum. | Private and Business AddressesThe following private or business addresses are associated with this architect: | | Address | Type | Date from | Date to | Notes |  | 63, Frederick Street, Edinburgh, Scotland | Business | 1897 | 1902 | Shared with Victor Daniel Horsburgh |  | 15, Rutland Square, Edinburgh, Scotland | Business | 1902 | | |  | 12, Magdala Place, Edinburgh, Scotland | Private | Before 1902 | After 1907 | His mother's house |  | 23, Rutland Square, Edinburgh, Scotland | Business | c. 1903 | c. 1924 | Shared with Victor Daniel Horsburgh |  | The Murrel, Aberdour, Fife, Scotland | Private | c. 1908 | 1915 | |  | House, Greenhill Gardens, Edinburgh, Scotland | Private | 1915 | | |  | West Grange, Grange Loan, Edinburgh, Scotland | Private | 1926 | 1927 | |  | 12, Greenhill Park, Edinburgh, Scotland | Private | 1927 | 1951 | Died here |
Employment and TrainingEmployersThe following individuals or organisations employed or trained this architect (click on an item to view details): | | Name | Date from | Date to | Position | Notes |  | Wardrop & Anderson | 1890 | c. 1894 | Apprentice | |  | Wardrop & Anderson | c. 1894 | 1896 | Assistant | |
Employees or Pupils
RIBARIBA ProposersRIBA Proposals
Buildings and DesignsThis architect was involved with the following buildings or structures from the date specified (click on an item to view details): | | Date started | Building name | Town, district or village | Island | City or county | Country | Notes |  | | Gamekeeper's House | Dava | | Inverness-shire | Scotland | Date unknown |  | | Garden at Troon | Troon | | Ayrshire | Scotland | Date unknown |  | 1898 | Dunlappie | Edzell | | Angus | Scotland | Design only, not mentioned in RIBA nomination papers |  | 1899 | The Elgin Arms Hotel | Limekilns | | Fife | Scotland | |  | 1900 | Apperley Dene | Stocksfield | | Northumberland | England | Additions (£5,000) |  | 1900 | Darnaway Castle | | | Morayshire | Scotland | Alterations including Dutch garden, gatepiers and interior works, restoration of Randolph's Hall |  | 1901 | Two double villas | Colinton | | Edinburgh | Scotland | |  | 1902 | Hillside | Corstorphine | | Edinburgh | Scotland | |  | 1902 | Kinfauns Castle | Kinfauns | | Perthshire | Scotland | Alterations, new stair, redecoration, walled garden, gatepiers, etc (£21,000) |  | 1902 | Newborough Hall | Hexham | | Northumberland | England | Alterations, remodelling and new powerhouse in the garden (£10,000) |  | 1904 | Kinfauns Castle, East Lodge | Kinfauns | | Perthshire | Scotland | small addition |  | 1904 | Tofthill Farmhouse | Kinfauns | | Perthshire | Scotland | |  | 1905 | 23 Rutland Square | | | Edinburgh | Scotland | Raised by one storey |  | 1905 | Braehead House | St Boswells | | Roxburghshire | Scotland | |  | 1907 | 17, 18 Rutland Square | | | Edinburgh | Scotland | Alterations, new top floor |  | 1907 | Hindley Hall | Stocksfield | | Northumberland | England | |  | 1907 | Hindley House | Stocksfield | | Northumberland | England | |  | 1908 | The Murrel | Aberdour | | Fife | Scotland | |  | 1909 | Fyndynate House | Aberfeldy | | Perthshire | Scotland | Radical remodelling, virtually a new house with new interior work |  | 1910 | Balmerino Abbey | | | Fife | Scotland | Repairs and layout - in progress |  | 1910 | Cleeve Grange | Bishop's Cleeve | | Gloucestershire | England | Internal remodelling, including chimneypieces |  | 1910 | Kinfauns Castle | Kinfauns | | Perthshire | Scotland | Walled garden work, gardener's house |  | 1911 | The King's Cellar | Limekilns | | Fife | Scotland | Restoration |  | 1912 | Broomhall | Limekilns, Dunfermline | | Fife | Scotland | Additions |  | 1912 | Hill House | Dunfermline | | Fife | Scotland | Additions including installation of a room from Culross Abbey House |  | 1912 | House in Inverleith Gardens | | | Edinburgh | Scotland | Proposed - not executed |  | 1912 | The Little House, Inverleith Terrace | Inverleith | | Edinburgh | Scotland | House and garden |  | 1913 | Donibristle House, east lodge | | | Fife | Scotland | Alterations, garden house, and other garden works |  | 1913 | Doune Lodge | Doune | | Perthshire | Scotland | Addition |  | 1913 | Kellas House | Elgin | | Morayshire | Scotland | House |  | 1913 | Kellas House | Elgin | | Morayshire | Scotland | Gate lodge |  | 1914 | Culross Abbey Church, new burial ground | Culross | | Fife | Scotland | |  | 1918 | Darnaway Castle | | | Morayshire | Scotland | Arts & Crafts veranda |  | 1919 | Aberdour Old Parish Church, War Memorial | Aberdour | | Fife | Scotland | |  | 1920 | Castle Toward | Toward | | Argyll | Scotland | Additions and reconstruction |  | 1921 | Castle Toward gatehouse | Dunoon | | Argyll | Scotland | Alterations |  | 1923 | Archerfield | | | East Lothian | Scotland | Alterations |  | 1923 | Devon Estate Cottages, Knightshayes Estate | Tiverton | | Devon | England | |  | 1924 | 1 Easter Belmont Road | | | Edinburgh | Scotland | |  | 1929 | St Columba's Parish Church | Burntisland | | Fife | Scotland | Repairs - inlcuding stair on south side of gallery (with advice from Clouting, HMOW) |
ReferencesBibliographic ReferencesThe following books contain references to this architect: | | Author(s) | Date | Title | Part | Publisher | Notes |  | Post Office Directories | | | | | |  | Scottish Biographies | 1938 | | | E J Thurston (pub.) | |  | Who's Who in Architecture | 1914 | | | | |
Periodical ReferencesThe following periodicals contain references to this architect: | | Periodical Name | Date | Edition | Publisher | Notes |  | Builder | 23 November 1951 | | | |  | RIAS Quarterly | February 1952 | 87 | Royal Incorporation of Architects in Scotland (RIAS) | p43 |  | RIBA Journal | April 1952 | | London: Royal Institute of British Architects | Obituary p230 |  | The Times | 15 November 1951 | | | p1 - deaths |
Archive ReferencesThe following archives hold material relating to this architect: | | Source | Archive Name | Source Catalogue No. | Notes |  | British Architectural Library, RIBA | RIBA Biographical Files | | |  | DMW Archive | Francis Deas Notes by Simon Green | | |  | National Monuments Record of Scotland/NMRS, RCAHMS | NMRS Photographic Archive | | Pencil portrait by J H Lorimer at Kellie, copied by NMRS. Acc No 2001/17 |  | Professor David M Walker personal archive | Professor David M Walker, notes and collection of archive material | | Personal recollections of Hew Lorimer and Alexander Dunbar |  | RIBA Archive, Victoria & Albert Museum | RIBA Nomination Papers | | F v18 p77 no1212 (microfilm reel 12) |
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