Basic Biographical Details Name: | [James] Fenton ('Tony') Wyness | Designation: | | Born: | 15 August 1903 | Died: | 12 March 1974 | Bio Notes: | [James] Fenton Wyness ('Tony') was born in Aberdeen on 15 August 1903, the son of J Morrison Wyness, and came of an old Aberdeenshire Quaker family. He was articled to James Cobban, Lord Aberdeen's Estate Architect, in 1921, transferring to the office of Brown & Watt in 1924 or 1925 (Nomination Papers conflict) to complete his apprenticeship. He studied at Aberdeen School of Architecture, Gray's School of Art and was awarded a diploma and the Byrne Scholarship in 1926, and a post-diploma in 1927. In the latter year he entered the office of Robert Leslie Rollo as an assistant, as well as spending time studying castellated architecture in Scotland and England. He sat the qualifying exam in July 1927 and was admitted ARIBA on 5 December of that year, his proposers being George Watt, James B Nicol and Robert Gordon Wilson, and commenced independent practice in 1929 at 25 Belmont Street, Aberdeen after a short period as a lecturer in the School of Architecture in 1928. By 1931 he was practising from his house at 45 Salisbury Terrace, where he lived with his sister, Alice G Murray.
Wyness's practice was small and confined to conservation projects and memorials although he did undertake specialised work for other practices, being an extremely good draughtsman. While he could be entertaining, his intolerance of compromise, strongly opinionated and somewhat touchy temperament together with his contempt for civic authority made him difficult to work with. The great interests of his life were Aberdeenshire history and archaeology and the Scout Movement. Initially these were in association with Dr W Douglas Simpson, but they soon quarrelled and it was only towards the very end of Simpson's life that there was a measure of reconciliation. As County Commissioner of Boy Scouts for the City of Aberdeen Wyness was the prime mover in the purchase of Templar's Park, Maryculter where he restored the buildings. He ultimately received the Movement's highest award, The Silver Wolf, in 1973.
Wyness published extensively in books and magazine articles, particularly the Deeside Field of which he was editor, but none of these fully reflects the depth of his scholarship. In his last years he was working on a history of architecture in Aberdeen with assistance from Norman Marr but regrettably this was never published. He also turned his hand to ceramic design, being a consultant to the Bovey Pottery Company in Devon in 1940. Wyness's other main interest was the Order of St John in which he was a Knight.
Wyness never married. In his earlier years he travelled by motor cycle in preference to a motor car. He was elected FRIBA on 12 February 1946, his proposers being John Alexander Ogg Allan, John Wittet and James Brown Nicol. He retired from architectural practice in 1964, collapsed from a heart attack on 11 March 1974 and died in Woodend Hospital on the 12th. A memorial service attended by the Lord Provost, the Marquess of Aberdeen and the Chancellor of the Order of St John was held in St Machar's Cathedral on 26 April.
Publications: 'The House of Schivas' (1928), for the Society of Antiquaries of Scotland 'Craigievar Castle' (1934), for the Washington Archeological Society 'A Scottish Quaker of the 17th Century' (1941) 'Aberdeen' (1942) 'Deeside' (1942) 'Donside' (1942) 'Buchan' (1942) 'Mediaeval Elgin' (1944) 'Mediaeval Edinburgh' (1944) 'Eilean Donnain Castle' (1944) 'A Buchan Tower-house' (1944) 'Kalendar of Saints: early Christian missionaries of the North-East' (1945) | Private and Business AddressesThe following private or business addresses are associated with this : | | Address | Type | Date from | Date to | Notes | | 45, Salisbury Terrace, Aberdeen, Scotland | Private/business | Before 1927(?) | Early 1970 | | | 25, Belmont Street, Aberdeen, Scotland | Business | 1928 | Before 1946 | |
Employment and TrainingEmployersThe following individuals or organisations employed or trained this (click on an item to view details): | | Name | Date from | Date to | Position | Notes | | James Cobban | 1922 | 1924 or 1925 | Apprentice | | | Brown & Watt | 1924 or 1925 | 1925 | Assistant | | | Robert Leslie Rollo | 1927 | | Assistant | |
RIBARIBA ProposersRIBA ProposalsThis proposed the following individuals for RIBA membership (click on an item to view details): | | Name | Date proposed | Notes | | Robert Philip Shaw | July 1920 | For Associateship |
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 | | | 1715 Monument | Braemar | | Aberdeenshire | Scotland | | | | Cairn for the Deeside Field Club | Corrichie | | Kincardineshire/Aberdeenshire | Scotland | | | | Cairn, Clochnahill | Stonehaven | | Kincardineshire | Scotland | | | | Glenbervie Churchyard, Burns gravestone and associated work | | | Kincardineshire | Scotland | | | 1908 | Parliament House, Supreme Courts of Scotland | | | Edinburgh | Scotland | As assistant to Oldrieve in H M Office of Works - alterations and extensions, including reconstruction of lobby and oak library adjoining court IX | | 1930 | Crathes Castle | Crathes | | Aberdeenshire/Kincardineshire | Scotland | Restoration of the Great Hall | | 1933 | Memorial to George Watt FRIBA | | | | Scotland | | | 1934 | House of Schivas | | | Aberdeenshire | Scotland | Restoration, extensive alterations and additions, including great hall | | 1934 | Mar Estate, Johann Von Lamont Memorial | Inverey | | Aberdeenshire | Scotland | | | 1936 | Manse of Maryculter | Maryculter | | Kincardineshire | Scotland | Restoration | | 1938 | Grant Memorial Sundial | Fraserburgh | | Aberdeenshire | Scotland | | | 1938 | King's College, Malcolm Bulloch Bookcase | | | Aberdeen | Scotland | | | c. 1938 | Templar's Park, associated buildings | Maryculter | | Kincardineshire | Scotland | Restoration of associated buildings | | 1943 | Friendville | | | Aberdeen | Scotland | Restoration and formal garden | | 1960 | Morrone Hill Indicator | Braemar (near) | | Aberdeenshire | Scotland | | | 1970 | Slack of Tillylodge view indicator | | | Aberdeenshire | Scotland | Possible attribution |
ReferencesBibliographic ReferencesThe following books contain references to this : | | Author(s) | Date | Title | Part | Publisher | Notes | | Municipal Annual | 1964 | Scottish Municipal Annual | 1964-1965 | | | | RIBA | 1939 | The RIBA Kalendar 1939-1940 | | London: Royal Institute of British Architects | | | Scottish Biographies | 1938 | | | E J Thurston (pub.) | |
Periodical ReferencesThe following periodicals contain references to this : | | Periodical Name | Date | Edition | Publisher | Notes | | Aberdeen Press and Journal | 13 March 1974 | | | Obituary | | Aberdeen Press and Journal | 27 April 1974 | | | | | People's Journal | 16 March 1974 | | | Obituary |
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 | | Personal information from Fenton Wyness | | RIBA Archive, Victoria & Albert Museum | RIBA Nomination Papers | | F no4140 (box 33); A no 4157 (Box 7) | | School of Architecture, Garthdee, Aberdeen, RGIT: former pupils, 1937-1970 | Galletly, James | | |
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