Basic Biographical Details | Name: | Walter Gowans | | Designation: | | | Born: | 1789 | | Died: | 7 April 1858 | | Bio Notes: | Walter Gowans was born in 1789 and was a mason, later developing the family business to incorporate quarrying and building contracts. He married Isabella de Grote (or Grotte) and their third child, James (born at Blackness on 1 August 1821), followed him into the family business having taken classes at David Bryce's architectural academy as part of his training.
The Gowans firm bought Bentyfoulds and St Andrew's Yards at Armadale for quarrying in January 1842, renaming them Gowanbank, and built David Rhind's Commercial Bank head office in 1844-47 and the Edinburgh Gas Works Chimney in 1846-49. From 1847 onward the firm was heavily involved in railway contracts, building the Edinburgh and North Berwick section of the North British line, and sections of the Edinburgh and Bathgate line. In the same year Walter Gowans extended the family's quarrying interests by taking on lease of Redhall Quarry from John Inglis, where James experimented with quarrying by drilling and galvanic batteries; he also held patents and shares in stone-dressing machinery associated with Joseph-Eldicott Holmes of the Strand, London.
In 1848 James married Elizabeth Mitchell, daughter of James Mitchell, railway contractor, Broughty Ferry, and moved from Lynedoch Place to 1 Randolph Cliff, part of a large development embracing the north side of Randolph Crescent, which he built to Rhind's design in 1846-49. In October 1849 James took full control of the family business, all debts being paid by 1854, perhaps not without some difficulty as his family moved out of Randolph Cliff to Pittacher House, Crieff (where Gowans was then building the Crieff Branch line) with an Edinburgh base at 34 Rosebank Cottages, a development of thirty-five model workers' dwellings that he built in 1854-55.
Walter Gowans died on 7 April 1858. | Private and Business Addresses| The following private or business addresses are associated with this : | | | Address | Type | Date from | Date to | Notes |  | Stockbridge, Edinburgh, Scotland | Private | | | | | Gowanbank, Armadale, West Lothian, Scotland | Private | c. 1843(?) | | |
Buildings and Designs| This 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 | | c. 1840 | Gowanbank farmhouse, steading and cottage | Armadale | | West Lothian | Scotland | Original house |
ReferencesBibliographic References| The following books contain references to this : | | | Author(s) | Date | Title | Part | Publisher | Notes | | McAra, Duncan | 1975 | Sir James Gowans: Romantic Rationalist | | Edinburgh: Paul Harris Publishing | |
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