Basic Biographical Details

Name: James Straton Ferrier
Designation:  
Born: 1883
Died: 10 February 1958
Bio Notes: James Straton Ferrier was born in 1883, son of the watercolourist George Straton Ferrier and his wife Catherine Grubb. He was educated at Melville College and was articled to Robert Rowand Anderson in October 1899, remained with him after the partnership of Anderson, Simon & Crawford was dissolved in 1902, and attending the Edinburgh School of Applied Art and Heriot-Watt College. He remained with Anderson as draughtsman for one year, then moved to London as assistant to Dunn & Watson for two-and-a-half years, returning to the office after a year of travel and study c.1908. He passed the qualifying exam in June 1909 and was admitted ARIBA on 29 November of the same year, his home address then being his parents' house at 41 Heriot Row, Edinburgh. His proposers were William Dunn, Robert Rowand Anderson, and Robert Watson.

He emigrated to Canada soon afterwards, leaving any remaining business with Alexander Hunter Crawford to whom he had been articled, and settled in Calgary where he was appointed honorary secretary to the Caledonian Games Society in 1913-14. During the First World War he served as a lieutenant on the HQ Staff Machine Gun Corps and 10th Corps. During leave in 1915 he married Helen Marshall Blackwood, daughter of Edinburgh silk mercer William Blackwood, with whom he later had one son and one daughter. He returned to military service after his wedding and was wounded at Delville in 1916 but appears to have recovered in time to re-enter the Corps before the end of hostilities in 1919. It is unclear if he returned to Canada after 1919 but he may well have done so as his name does not appear in Post Office directories until 1939 when he was at St John's Road, Corstorphine.

He was a notable rifle shot, winning both the Bronze Cross at Bisley and the Silver Cross at the Scottish Twenty Club in 1935. He was also a keen angler and golfer.

He died on 10 February 1958 at the City Hospital in Edinburgh. His wife had predeceased him but he was survived by his won, James Michael Straton Ferrier. His usual address was 2 Lochrin Buildings.

Private and Business Addresses

The following private or business addresses are associated with this :
 AddressTypeDate fromDate toNotes
Item 1 of 62, Lochrin Buildings, Edinburgh, ScotlandPrivate 1958 
Item 2 of 641, Heriot Row, Edinburgh, ScotlandPrivate1909 *1912 or 1913 
Item 3 of 634, Queen Street, Edinburgh, ScotlandBusinessc. 1911  
Item 4 of 610, Randolph Place, Edinburgh, ScotlandBusinessc. 1912  
Item 5 of 6Calgary, CanadaPrivate1912 or c. 1913  
Item 6 of 6Prato/89, St John's Road, Edinburgh, ScotlandBusiness(?)1938 *After 1950 

* earliest date known from documented sources.


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 6Anderson Simon & CrawfordOctober 18991902Apprentice 
Item 2 of 6(Sir) Robert Rowand Anderson19021903Apprentice 
Item 3 of 6Rowand Anderson & Paul19031904Apprentice 
Item 4 of 6Rowand Anderson & Paul19041905Assistant 
Item 5 of 6Dunn & Watson19051907 or 1908Assistant 
Item 6 of 6Dunn & Watson1908 or 1909c. 1910Assistant 

RIBA

RIBA Proposers

The following individuals proposed this for RIBA membership (click on an item to view details):
 NameDate proposedNotes
Item 1 of 3(Sir) Robert Rowand Anderson29 November 1909for Associateship
Item 2 of 3William Dunn29 November 1909for Associateship
Item 3 of 3Robert Watson29 November 1909for Associateship

References

Bibliographic References

The following books contain references to this :
 Author(s)DateTitlePartPublisherNotes
Item 1 of 3Post Office Directories     
Item 2 of 3RIBA1950The RIBA Kalendar 1950-1951 London: Royal Institute of British Architects 
Item 3 of 3Scottish Biographies1938  E J Thurston (pub.) 

Archive References

The following archives hold material relating to this :
 SourceArchive NameSource Catalogue No.Notes
Item 1 of 1RIBA Archive, Victoria & Albert MuseumRIBA Nomination Papers A v18 p120