Basic Biographical Details Name: | James Balderston Whyte | Designation: | | Born: | 5 April 1882 | Died: | 31 December 1945 | Bio Notes: | James Balderston Whyte was born on 5 April 1882, probably in Paisley, the son of Robert Alexander Whyte, builder and Anna Clark Balderston. He was articled to Macwhannell & Rogerson of Glasgow in 1898, studying at Paisley School of Design, Glasgow & West of Scotland Technical College and Glasgow School of Art (1898-99, as James Whyte). On completion of his apprenticeship in 1904, by which time he had made study visits to England and mainland Europe, he was placed in charge of Macwhannell & Rogerson's branch office in Barrhead; from there he carried out Renfrewshire Combination Poorhouse, Neilston Parish School and made the second premiated competition designs for Dalziel Parish Combination Poorhouse. In 1906 he set up practice at 121 Bath Street, Glasgow in partnership with William Gordon Galloway (born 1880), who had likewise been articled to Macwhannell & Rogerson and had studied at Glasgow School of Art and Technical College.
Whyte and Galloway were both admitted LRIBA in March 1911, their proposers being Macwhannell, Rogerson and Andrew Graham Henderson, also from Macwhannell and Rogerson's office, who had passed the qualifying exam in 1909. Whyte & Galloway were architects to the episcopal diocese of Glasgow from about 1922 and were responsible for their suburban extension programme in the 1920s and 1930s. The earlier churches were in a modernist red sandstone lancet style, the later ones brick romanesque. Their commercial buildings were quite bold Art Deco, those for Claud Alexander - their main client - having faience facades.
Around 1937 an assistant, William Nicol, became a partner, the practice title changing to Whyte Galloway & Nicol, and shortly thereafter to Whyte & Nicol after Galloway withdrew.
Whyte married Margaret Heys of the prosperous Heys family, calico printers of Barrhead. He died of pleurisy and cardiac failure on 31 December 1945 at 12 Claremont Terrace, Glasgow, leaving moveable estate of £13,801 9s 8d. | Private and Business AddressesThe following private or business addresses are associated with this : | | Address | Type | Date from | Date to | Notes | | The Moss, Rhu, Dunbartonshire, Scotland | Private | | | Date unknown | | 121, Bath Street, Glasgow, Scotland | Business | 1906 | After 1939 | | | Ardmillan, Paisley, Renfrewshire, Scotland | Private | Before 1909 | After 1911 | | | Sunnybeach, Strone, Argyll, Scotland | Private | 1935 * | | | | Rogart, Garelochhead, Argyll/Dunbartonshire, Scotland | Private | 1945 * | | |
* earliest date known from documented sources.
Employment and TrainingEmployers
RIBARIBA Proposers
Buildings and Designs
ReferencesBibliographic ReferencesThe following books contain references to this : | | Author(s) | Date | Title | Part | Publisher | Notes | | British Architectural Library, RIBA | 2001 | Directory of British Architects 1834-1914 | | | | | RIBA | 1930 | The RIBA Kalendar 1930-1931 | | London: Royal Institute of British Architects | | | RIBA | 1939 | The RIBA Kalendar 1939-1940 | | London: Royal Institute of British Architects | | | Who's Who in Architecture | 1914 | | | | |
Archive ReferencesThe following archives hold material relating to this : | | Source | Archive Name | Source Catalogue No. | Notes | | Professor David M Walker personal archive | Professor David M Walker, notes and collection of archive material | | Additional information on family, death etc. from research by Iain Paterson | | RIBA Archive, Victoria & Albert Museum | RIBA Nomination Papers | | L v13 no869 |
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