Basic Biographical Details Name: | Peter Carmichael | Designation: | | Born: | 2 March 1809 | Died: | 6 May 1891 | Bio Notes: | Peter Carmichael was a textile mill engineer rather than architect but was responsible for some very impressive plain classical industrial buildings. He was born at Kirkland, Fife on 2 March 1809, the son of James Carmichael, manager and mill engineer at Archibald Neilson's Kirkland mills who had studied at Anderson's University in Glasgow and had previous experience at the Ballindalloch and Balfron mills in Stirlingshire. From Kirkland the family moved to Balgonie Mills managed by James's brother-in-law William Drummond, but in 1812 an attractive offer induced the family to move to Charles Turner & Co's mills in Limehouse. When Limehouse closed in the recession of 1816 the family moved again to Dundee where James took a lease of a small mill at Upper Dens. William Baxter & Sons, of which Peter was to become partner, re-established itself immediately adjacent at Lower Dens in 1822, having previously been based at Glamis.
From Dens Peter attended Dundee Grammar School and from there he was articled to William Low's foundry at Monifieth, gaining further experience with the Dundee Foundry Company and, from July 1830, with Seward's Canal Iron Works in London. In 1832 Peter made his way to Manchester where he gained further experience with Sir William Fairbairn and was seconded to his brother Peter Fairbairn in Leeds. While at Leeds he was interviewed by William Baxter for the building of a large new mill at Lower Dens, but no offer was made at the time and at his father's request Peter returned to his father's works at Upper Dens in August 1833.
An offer was however made later that year and Peter Carmichael took charge of the engineering side of Baxter Brothers, relocating his father to Harestone bleachfield in 1837 in order to facilitate the expansion of the works. He quickly became manager as well as engineer and made annual study tours of the latest structural and mechanical developments, usually to London but embracing an extended tour to Glasgow, Manchester and Leeds in February and March 1842. He became a partner in 1852, senior partner in 1872 and landed gentleman when he bought the estate of Arthurstone in 1869. Despite extensive southern experience, stylistically Carmichael's mill buildings were developed from Umpherston and Kerr's designs of the 1820s with cast iron trusses in the attics. Carmichael had considerable influence on the layout of Cox Brothers' Camperdown Works, begun in 1850 to the designs of George A Cox, where similar trusses were adopted. From 1846 he also gave advice on Cohin et Cie's mills at Ailly-sur-Somme, where his brother James was engineer and Baxter Brothers part owners and died 6 May 1891, leaving moveable estate of £516,000. | Private and Business AddressesThe following private or business addresses are associated with this : | | Address | Type | Date from | Date to | Notes | | Dundee, Scotland | Business | | | |
Buildings and DesignsThis 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 | | 1834 | Upper Dens Works, lodge and offices | | | Dundee | Scotland | | | 1836 | Upper Dens Works, power loom factory | | | Dundee | Scotland | | | 1836 | Upper Dens Works, wet spinning mill | | | Dundee | Scotland | | | 1840 | First half-time school, Dens Brae | | | Dundee | Scotland | | | 1841 | Lower Dens Works, office and stables | | | Dundee | Scotland | | | 1841 | Upper Dens Works, 'Old ' Calender | | | Dundee | Scotland | | | 1844 | Upper Dens Works, weaving shed, dressing mill, boiler house | | | Dundee | Scotland | | | 1850 | Dens Works | | | Dundee | Scotland | Enlargement with Randolph Elliot & Co of Glasgow | | 1850 | Three warehouses, Brown Constable Street | | | Dundee | Scotland | | | 1855 | North Factory and Foundry | | | Dundee | Scotland | | | 1857 | Camperdown Works, The High Mill (or Sliver Mill) | | | Dundee | Scotland | Assisted George A Cox | | 1858 | New half-time school | | | Dundee | Scotland | | | 1864 | New Foundry | | | Dundee | Scotland | | | 1865 | Dens Street Mill, Lower Dens | | | Dundee | Scotland | | | 1866 | Bell Mill, Lower Dens | | | Dundee | Scotland | | | 1866 | Dens Works | | | Dundee | Scotland | Plans for Calender | | 1872 | Warehouses, Seagate and Cowgate | | | Dundee | Scotland | With Alexander Johnston | | 1873 | Victoria Bridge with tunnels to foundry | | | Dundee | Scotland | | | 1875 | Tow-house and clock tower, Lower Dens | | | Dundee | Scotland | |
ReferencesBibliographic ReferencesThe following books contain references to this : | | Author(s) | Date | Title | Part | Publisher | Notes | | Gauldie, Enid (ed) | 1969 | The Dundee Textile Industry 1790-1885: from the papers of Peter Carmichael of Arthurstone | | Edinburgh: Scottish History Society | | | Watson, Mark | 1990 | Jute and Flax mills in Dundee | | Tayport: Hutton Press Ltd | |
Archive ReferencesThe following archives hold material relating to this : | | Source | Archive Name | Source Catalogue No. | Notes | | Dundee University Archives | Peter Carmichael's memoirs | | |
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