Basic Biographical Details

Name: George Sinclair
Designation:  
Born: 1869
Died: 21 August 1934
Bio Notes: George Sinclair was born in Wick in 1869, the son of William Stuart Sinclair, shipwright and Cecilia Spence, who had been in Glasgow at the time of the birth of their daughter Janet c. 1865 but had returned to their native Wick before the birth of a second daughter, Cecilia, c. 1867. George was articled to Bruce & Hay in Glasgow 1885, remaining for a year-and-a-half after completing his apprenticeship. He then joined Stark & Rowntree as assistant for two years. During that period he studied at Glasgow School of Art and the Glasgow & West of Scotland Technical College. At the School of Art he attracted the attention of William James Anderson who took him into his own office as a draughtsman. He left to join John Campbell McKellar and while there he passed the qualifying exam in 1896. He was admitted ARIBA on 30 November 1896, his proposers being Campbell Douglas, Thomas Lennox Watson and C J MacLean. Shortly thereafter Sinclair commenced practice on his own account, and in 1902 he took into partnership a former colleague at McKellar's, John Ballantine (b. 1874), who had been articled to McKellar in 1889, remaining with him as an assistant until he joined Sinclair.

The practice was initially fairly successful, partly due to Sinclair's connections in Caithness and Sutherland, and by c.1904 Sinclair was prosperous enough to move to Kilmacolm. The practice entered a large number of competitions for libraries and public halls in which it tended to come 2nd or 3rd, its more important successes being Rutherglen Public Library and the St Vincent Masonic Halls. The bread and butter aspect of the practice was tenements, work which dried up abruptly with the Finance Act of 1909. In that year the partnership was dissolved, Sinclair having obtained an appointment with the Inland Revenue Valuation Department. Ballantine obtained a job as an assistant with George Arthur & Son and Sinclair continued the practice alone at 95 Bath Street. When the Inland Revenue work ended, sometime after 1914, Sinclair moved his practice to 1 Court Street, Haddington, Ballantine taking on the Bath Street office for his own practice. Whilst in Haddington, Sinclair secured some estate work and the commission for North Berwick municipal buildings.

Sinclair returned to Glasgow to re-open practice at 121 Bath Street sometime before 1929, resuming residency at his house in Kilmacolm. He died of acute intestinal obstruction at 15 Park Terrace, Glasgow on 21 August 1934.

Private and Business Addresses

The following private or business addresses are associated with this :
 AddressTypeDate fromDate toNotes
Item 1 of 9112, Crookston Road, Glasgow, ScotlandPrivate1890  
Item 2 of 967, St James Street, Glasgow, ScotlandPrivate18931896 or 1897 
Item 3 of 997, Shields Road, Glasgow, ScotlandPrivate1896 or 18971904 or 1905 
Item 4 of 995, Bath Street, Glasgow, ScotlandBusinessBefore 1898After 1914 
Item 5 of 9Mossgiel, Kilmacolm/Kilmalcolm, Glasgow, ScotlandPrivate1904 or 19051907 or 1908 
Item 6 of 9Olrig, Kilmacolm/Kilmalcolm, Glasgow, ScotlandPrivate1907 or 1908After 1911 
Item 7 of 91, Court Street, Haddington, East Lothian, ScotlandBusinessAfter 1914Before 1931 
Item 8 of 9121, Bath Street, Glasgow, ScotlandBusinessBefore 19291934 
Item 9 of 9Olrig, Kilmacolm/Kilmalcolm, Glasgow, ScotlandPrivateBefore 19301934 

Employment and Training

Employers

The following individuals or organisations employed or trained this (click on an item to view details):
 NameDate fromDate toPositionNotes
Item 1 of 6Bruce & Hay18851890Apprentice 
Item 2 of 6Bruce & Hay18901892Assistant(?) 
Item 3 of 6Stark & Rowntree1892c. 1894Assistant 
Item 4 of 6William James Anderson18941896Draughtsman 
Item 5 of 6John Campbell McKellar1896c. 1896  
Item 6 of 6Sinclair & Ballantine19021909Partner 

RIBA

RIBA Proposers

The following individuals proposed this for RIBA membership (click on an item to view details):
 NameDate proposedNotes
Item 1 of 3Campbell Douglas30 November 1896for Associateship
Item 2 of 3C J MacLean30 November 1896for Associateship
Item 3 of 3Thomas Lennox Watson30 November 1896for Associateship

RIBA Proposals

This proposed the following individuals for RIBA membership (click on an item to view details):
 NameDate proposedNotes
Item 1 of 2Andrew Rennie Crawford20 July 1911for Licentiateship
Item 2 of 2Gilbert Telfer Scott19 December 1910for Licentiateship

Buildings and Designs

This 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 21 Corn Exchange  GlasgowScotlandRestoration - date unknown
Item 2 of 21 Duncan & Jamiesons buildingWick CaithnessScotlandDate unknown
Item 3 of 21 Pollok Street UP Church  GlasgowScotlandFurther halls added - date unknown
Item 4 of 21 Templars' Association HallsWick CaithnessScotlandDate unknown
Item 5 of 211899Design for a village hall    Design exhibited
Item 6 of 211900(?)Co-operative Warehouse and HallsDarvel AyrshireScotland 
Item 7 of 211901Rutherglen Evangelistic InstituteRutherglen LanarkshireScotlandbathhouse and hallkeeper's house
Item 8 of 21After 1902Building (tenement?) for Glasgow Corporation  GlasgowScotlandDate not known
Item 9 of 21After 1902Masonic Halls  GlasgowScotland 
Item 10 of 211903Corporation Gas Works workshops  GlasgowScotlandBlackfriars Street block
Item 11 of 211904Hamilton Municipal Buildings and Public LibraryHamilton LanarkshireScotlandAwarded 3rd prize in competition
Item 12 of 211904St Vincent Masonic HallsOvernewton GlasgowScotlandWon in competition
Item 13 of 211905Carnegie Public LibraryRutherglen LanarkshireScotlandWon competition and executed job
Item 14 of 21After 1907Public SchoolRutherglen LanarkshireScotland 
Item 15 of 21After 1912Shettleston Co-operative Premises and HallsShettleston GlasgowScotlandAdditions/alterations? - date unknown
Item 16 of 211918Gilmerton HouseHaddington (near) East LothianScotlandUnspecified estate work
Item 17 of 211918LennoxloveLennoxlove East LothianScotlandUnspecified estate work
Item 18 of 211918Three housesLongniddry East LothianScotland 
Item 19 of 211918Whittingehame HouseWhittingehame East LothianScotlandUnspecified estate work
Item 20 of 211923North Berwick Town Hall and Municipal BuildingsNorth Berwick East LothianScotland 
Item 21 of 211930Six housesMillportGreat CumbraeButeScotland 

References

Bibliographic References

The following books contain references to this :
 Author(s)DateTitlePartPublisherNotes
Item 1 of 1Post Office Directories     

Archive References

The following archives hold material relating to this :
 SourceArchive NameSource Catalogue No.Notes
Item 1 of 2Professor David M Walker personal archiveProfessor David M Walker, notes and collection of archive material Information on family and addresses from research by Iain Paterson
Item 2 of 2RIBA Archive, Victoria & Albert MuseumRIBA Nomination Papers A v12 p121 (microfiche 63/B5)