Basic Biographical Details

Name: Robert Weir Schultz
Designation: Architect
Born: 26 July 1860
Died: 29 April 1951
Bio Notes: Robert Weir Schultz was born in Port Glasgow on 26 July 1860, the son of Henry Schultz, sugar refiner, and Isabella Smail Weir, youngest daughter of Robert Weir, a physician in Galashiels, where the Schultz family also had a presence. Henry Schultz died in 1863 and his son Robert was sent to Galashiels to be brought up by Isabella's elder sister Jane, the wife of Alexander Cunningham Tweedie, also a physician at 43 High Street, Galashiels.

In his youth Schultz was very tall and red-haired. Around 1876 he was articled to Robert Rowand Anderson, attending morning classes at the Watt Institute. Schultz completed his articles with Anderson, subsequently joined by George Washington Browne and by Hew M Wardrop, in 1883, a period during which he may have come to the notice of the 3rd Marquess of Bute when engaged on Mount Stuart. After about a year with Anderson as an assistant, Schultz obtained a letter of introduction to Richard Norman Shaw, probably from Anderson's friend David MacGibbon, and he entered Shaw's office on 15 January 1884. His arrival there coincided with the foundation of the Art Workers' Guild, amongst whose founders were Shaw's assistants or former assistants Edward Schroeder Prior, Mervyn Macartney, Ernest Newton and William Richard Lethaby, all of whose work was to have an influence on Schultz's.

In the following year he became acquainted with Sidney Barnsley, who had joined Shaw's office in that year, and his brother Ernest who was an assistant in John Dando Sedding's office, in turn leading to acquaintance with Ernest Gimson, also in Sedding's office. In 1886 Schultz moved to the office of Sir Ernest George and Harold Ainsworth Peto, where he became acquainted with Herbert Baker, E Guy Dawber and Edwin Landseer Lutyens. During his period with Shaw and with Ernest George & Peto, from 1885 onwards, Schultz studied at the RA Schools, and there he renewed acquaintance with his life-long friend Francis William Troup, whom he had known in Anderson's office.

In December 1887 Schultz won the RA Gold Medal and Travelling Studentship, the subject being a railway terminus, and on Lethaby's advice Schultz left for Greece and the Near East early in 1888, stopping en route for the summer in Italy to sketch first in Venice and its environs (including Murano, Torcello and Padua), and then in Florence, Perugia and Rome. In the following year Schultz revisited Greece with Sidney Barnsley and became a member of the British School at Athens, which made a grant for further study from funds subscribed by, among others, the Marquess of Bute and Dr Edwin Freshfield. Their studies subsequently led to 'The Monastery of St Luke of Stiris in Phocis', the publication of which in 1901 was financed by Freshfield.

Schultz and Barnsley returned to London in November 1890 and set up offices in 1891 at 14 Gray's Inn Square, adjacent to Troup's premises, Schultz having previously been based at 9 Hart Street. In that same year Schultz joined the Art Workers' Guild and secured his first important client, the 3rd Marquess of Bute, who had reviewed the results of his studies on 4 January 1889.

Schultz retained the confidence of the 4th Marquess of Bute after the death of the 3rd Marquess in 1900, and his practice was to remain prosperous for the next decade and a half. Among his assistants in those years were Frank Charles Mears, John Greaves later of Lutyens' office, and another two called Guthrie and Pechell.

In 1912 Schultz married Thyra Macdonald, their house being an extended barn on land he owned at Hartley Wintney, Hampshire, but shortly before the First World War Schultz offended the Marquess by preferring to show what were probably rather large drawings in his office rather than bringing them to his house, St John's Lodge, and after war broke out in August 1914 Schultz found it necessary to add another Weir (his mother's maiden name) to his name to avoid his wife, a local JP and Councillor, suffering from expressions of anti-German feeling; he was known thereafter as Robert S Weir. From the early 1920s Weir was assisted by Alwyn B Waters and R H W Richardson, but after Waters left in 1930 he employed no assistants of any kind and at or about the outbreak of the Second World War in 1939 he closed his practice completely, Troup's office completing any work in hand, and sent his papers and drawings for salvage.

Schultz died at The Barn on 29 April 1951 and was buried in the churchyard of St Mary Hartley Wintney, close to the graves of Lethaby and Sir Ambrose Heal.

Private and Business Addresses

The following private or business addresses are associated with this architect:
 AddressTypeDate fromDate toNotes
Item 1 of 49, Hart Street, London, EnglandPrivate/business 1891 
Item 2 of 443, High Street, Galashiels, Selkirkshire, ScotlandPrivate1863  
Item 3 of 414, Gray's Inn Square, London, EnglandPrivate1891  
Item 4 of 4The Barn, Hartley Wintney, Hampshire, EnglandPrivate1912  

Employment and Training

Employers

The following individuals or organisations employed or trained this architect (click on an item to view details):
 NameDate fromDate toPositionNotes
Item 1 of 5(Sir) Robert Rowand Andersonc. 18761881Apprentice 
Item 2 of 5Anderson & Browne18811883Apprentice 
Item 3 of 5Wardrop, Anderson & Browne1883January 1884Apprentice 
Item 4 of 5Richard Norman Shaw15 January 18841886Assistant 
Item 5 of 5Ernest George & Peto18861888  

Employees or Pupils

The following individuals were employed or trained by this architect (click on an item to view details):
 NameDate fromDate toPositionNotes
Item 1 of 10William McClelland18941895Draughtsman 
Item 2 of 10Cecil Claude Brewer18941895Assistant 
Item 3 of 10Mortimer PechellBefore 1896Before 1914Assistant 
Item 4 of 10George Thow SmithOctober 18973 January 1904Assistant 
Item 5 of 10John GreavesAfter 1900Before 1914Assistant 
Item 6 of 10___ GuthrieAfter 1900Before 1914Assistant 
Item 7 of 10(Sir) Frank Charles Mears1903Before 1907Assistant 
Item 8 of 10John Manuel (junior)1907Before 1910Assistant 
Item 9 of 10R H W RichardsonAfter 1920Before 1930Assistant 
Item 10 of 10Alwyn Brunow WatersEarly 1920s1930Assistant 

Buildings and Designs

This architect was involved with the following buildings or structures from the date specified (click on an item to view details):
 Date startedBuilding nameTown, district or villageIslandCity or countyCountryNotes
Item 1 of 801890House of FalklandFalkland FifeScotlandMajor alterations (see 'Event' for full list - Weir Schultz responsible for all work within this timeframe)
Item 2 of 801892St John's Lodge, Regent's ParkRegent's Park LondonEnglandChapel and associated library; gardens; stairhall ceiling; and subterranean chapel in grounds
Item 3 of 801894Brunton HouseFalkland Fife  
Item 4 of 801895Dumfries HouseCumnock (near) AyrshireScotlandMajor additions and alterations (see 'Event' for full list)
Item 5 of 801895Falkland PalaceFalkland FifeScotlandUnspecified work
Item 6 of 801895Kirkbride Chapel ButeButeScotlandSurvey and proposed repairs (unexecuted)
Item 7 of 801895Loudoun Old Parish ChurchGalston AyrshireScotlandRestoration schemes: only partially carried out (choir altered, new ceiling made, stone table placed against east wall, and burial vault reconstructed)
Item 8 of 801895Mount StuartRothesay (near)ButeButeScotlandTables for Lady Bute's bedroom
Item 9 of 801895Proposed cottagesKerrycroyButeButeScotlandUnexecuted designs
Item 10 of 801895Rothesay RC SchoolRothesayButeButeScotlandAddition - prefabricated iron to match original school
Item 11 of 801895Sanquhar CastleSanquhar DumfriesshireScotlandRebuilding from ruins (with bonding course of red tiles between old and new work)
Item 12 of 801895St Elizabeth's House  GlasgowScotlandDesigns for additions (unexecuted)
Item 13 of 801895Wester Kames Tower ButeButeScotlandRebuilding from ruins, and subsequent furnishing
Item 14 of 801896House of Falkland, bridge over Maspie BurnFalkland FifeScotland 
Item 15 of 801896House of Falkland, Curling ClubhouseFalkland FifeScotland 
Item 16 of 801896Mount StuartRothesay (near)ButeButeScotlandFurniture for Lord Dumfries's bedroom
Item 17 of 801896Old Cumnock Parish ChurchCumnock AyrshireScotlandNew chairs for Bute loft
Item 18 of 801896Sanquhar Old ChurchSanquhar DumfriesshireScotlandExcavations and raising of walls
Item 19 of 801896St Blane's ChurchKingarthButeButeScotlandRepairs and stabilising of ruins (supervised by Mortimer Pechell) and boundary wall
Item 20 of 801896The GarrisonMillportGreat CumbraeButeScotlandAlterations to chapel in stable block; internal alterations to house, extension of upper floor, and refitting of library, terraces and sunken garden; proposed new chapel
Item 21 of 801897Cottage at Welwyn RectoryWelwyn HertfordshireEngland 
Item 22 of 801897Crossraguel AbbeyMaybole AyrshireScotlandProposed repairs (unexecuted)
Item 23 of 801897HillsideWelwyn HertfordshireEnglandAlterations
Item 24 of 801897Mount StuartRothesay (near)ButeButeScotlandMarble steps to bowling green
Item 25 of 801897Mount StuartRothesay (near)ButeButeScotlandStamped leather for library
Item 26 of 801898Church of St Michael and All AngelsWoolmer Green HertfordshireEngland 
Item 27 of 801898Mauchline CastleMauchline AyrshireScotlandProposed repairs (unexecuted)
Item 28 of 801898Mount Stuart, Scoulag LodgeScoulagButeButeScotland 
Item 29 of 801898St John's RC ChurchCumnock AyrshireScotlandAddition of shrines (made in Cardiff workshops) and installation of electric light and fittings
Item 30 of 801898West Green HouseHartley Wintney HampshireEnglandAlterations
Item 31 of 80c. 1898St Margaret's ButeButeScotlandAlterations
Item 32 of 80c. 1898The CroftHartley Wintney HampshireEngland 
Item 33 of 801899CottageBruchagButeButeScotlandTwo-storey design, superceded by one-storey design - both apparently unexecuted
Item 34 of 801899InholmesHartley Wintney HampshireEngland 
Item 35 of 801899Scalers HillCobham KentEngland 
Item 36 of 801900Mount StuartRothesay (near)ButeButeScotlandFrieze of herons for library
Item 37 of 801900Old Church, Mount StuartRothesay (near)ButeButeScotlandNew mortuary chamber for 3rd Marquess of Bute. Also Crucifix at Racer's Burn, subsequently broken and not reinstated.
Item 38 of 801900Stobhill HospitalSpringburn GlasgowScotlandFirst premiated competition design in collaboration with Edward Page Howard (£200 premium), but lost commission to Thomson & Sandilands (possibly due to cost)
Item 39 of 801901Tylney HallRotherwick HampshireEnglandGardens laid out and water tower and farm cottages built
Item 40 of 801902House for David W ShawAyr AyrshireScotland 
Item 41 of 801902Old Place of Mochrum  WigtownshireScotlandCourtyard and addition of wellhead and sundial; walled garden; alterations and remodelling of interior (with furniture made at Cardiff workshops and by Gimson and the Barnsleys at Pinbury). Also dam, power house, garden works etc carried out. Proposals for new lodge not carried out.
Item 42 of 801902Pickenham HallSwaffham (near) NorfolkEnglandExtensive rebuilding and enlargement, incorporating previous house
Item 43 of 801902The LodgeFelixstowe SuffolkEnglandTerraced gardens laid out
Item 44 of 801903Beaumonts, Four ElmsEdenbridge (near) KentEngland 
Item 45 of 801903Holloway SanatoriumVirginia Water SurreyEnglandVarious additions, as official architect to the Sanatorium following design competition for Male Infirmary in 1903 (see Event for details of work)
Item 46 of 801904Archbishop's Chapel  EdinburghScotlandNew building, incorporating William Frame's interior work from the House of Falkland chapel. Designed prie-deu.
Item 47 of 801904Cardiff University SettlementEast Moors CardiffWales 
Item 48 of 801904Falkland PalaceFalkland FifeScotlandChapel: altar, retable, footpace, credence table, and hanging of tapestries
Item 49 of 801904How Green HouseHever (near) KentEngland 
Item 50 of 801904RC Church of St Andrew, Barone RoadRothesayButeButeScotlandDesigns (unexecuted)
Item 51 of 801905Mount StuartRothesay (near)ButeButeScotlandFurniture for Great Bedroom
Item 52 of 80c. 1905Village HallShorne KentEngland 
Item 53 of 801906Bute Estate, designs for single and double houses for prospective feuars ButeButeScotland 
Item 54 of 801906CottagesSproughton SuffolkEngland 
Item 55 of 801906CottagesHadleigh SuffolkEngland 
Item 56 of 801906Hill CottageEversley HampshireEngland 
Item 57 of 801906Khartoum Cathedral  KhartoumSudanWith John Latimer of Dumfries as Clerk of Works
Item 58 of 801907Boys' and Girls' Homes and SchoolChalfont St Peter BuckinghamshireEngland 
Item 59 of 801907Knockenhair House and gatelodgeDunbar East LothianScotland 
Item 60 of 801907Pipers FieldWinchester HampshireEngland 
Item 61 of 801907Rothesay MuseumRothesayButeButeScotlandBookcases (made in Cardiff workshops)
Item 62 of 80c. 1907Mayfield, Phoenix GreenHartley Wintney HampshireEngland 
Item 63 of 801908Altar for relics, for unspecified chapel in St AndrewsSt Andrews FifeScotland 
Item 64 of 801909Kirtling HouseWinchester HampshireEngland 
Item 65 of 801909Puttenham RectoryPuttenham SurreyEngland 
Item 66 of 801909St Ann's Hospital, Canford CliffsBournemouth HampshireEngland 
Item 67 of 801910LowoodCramond Bridge Edinburgh (near)Scotland 
Item 68 of 801910Westminster CathedralWestminster LondonEnglandFitting out of Chapel of St Andrew and the Saints of Scotland (with marble by Farmer & Brindley, metalwork by W Bainbridge Reynolds, sculpture by J Stirling Lee, mosaic by Gaetano Meo and Sir Ernest Debenham's mosaic workers, and furnishings by E Gimson)
Item 69 of 801911Cottesbrooke Hall  NorthamptonshireEnglandInternal reconstruction and renovation
Item 70 of 801911Holly BrakePetersfield HampshireEngland 
Item 71 of 801912Old Place of Mochrum  WigtownshireScotlandFurther alterations and remodelling of interior (with furniture made at Cardiff workshops and by Gimson and the Barnsleys at Pinbury)
Item 72 of 801912Shepherd's CornerAscot BerkshireEngland 
Item 73 of 801912The Barn, Phoenix GreenHartley Wintney HampshireEnglandReconstruction and extension of two old barns to form house for himself
Item 74 of 801913Mausoleum, South Mimms ChurchyardSouth Mimms HertfordshireEngland 
Item 75 of 80c. 1917Garden Village, GretnaGretna Green DumfriesshireScotlandSome housing
Item 76 of 801919Proposed Pantheon of the Five Dominions, Regent's ParkRegent's Park LondonEngland 
Item 77 of 801919Sandon Park  YorkshireEnglandInternal reconstruction and renovation
Item 78 of 801920Netherton Hall    Internal reconstruction and renovation
Item 79 of 801923Westminster CathedralWestminster LondonEnglandChapel of St Andrew: repair and cleaning of marble and mosaics, and installation of panelled confessional in outer wall, new grille in screen, and new kneelers
Item 80 of 801926Brackley Estate, six houses for Harry PoolHartley Wintney HampshireEngland 

References

Bibliographic References

The following books contain references to this architect:
 Author(s)DateTitlePartPublisherNotes
Item 1 of 2Ottewill, David1979Robert Weir Schultz (1860-1951): An Arts and Crafts Architect Architectural History v22, 1979, pp87-115 
Item 2 of 2Pride, Glen L1999The Kingdom of Fife2nd EditionThe Rutland Pressp87-88

Archive References

The following archives hold material relating to this architect:
 SourceArchive NameSource Catalogue No.Notes
Item 1 of 2National Monuments Record of Scotland/NMRS, RCAHMSList of works by Robert Weir Schultz, and 1977 dissertation, supplied by David Ottewill  
Item 2 of 2National Monuments Record of Scotland/NMRS, RCAHMSRobert Weir Schultz, extracts from Office Contract & Fee Books etc. (R3/P109), re: works in Scotland