Basic Biographical Details Name: | Cathcart William Methven | Designation: | | Born: | 1849 | Died: | 1925 | Bio Notes: | Cathcart William Methven was born in 1849 and served his articles with John Sang of Kirkcaldy from 1866 to 1871. He then worked for Paley & Austin of Lancaster as clerk of works on their complete reconstruction of St John's Episcopal Church in Greenock, before joining Walter Robert Kinipple, a civil engineer and architect with offices in Westminster Chambers, London, as assistant. He was elected an associate of the Institute of Civil Engineers in 1875, becoming a full member in 1882 and succeeding Kinipple as engineer in chief of the Greenock Harbour Works in 1886.
After only two years in the latter post he emigrated to South Africa to take up a similar post in Durban, carrying out some £600,000-worth of work on the harbour there. These posts resulted in two similar publications, 'Greenock and its harbour' and 'Durban and its harbour'.
In 1895 Methven resigned the Durban Harbour post to commence independent practice. The following year he took on James Buchanan Pentland Smith as an assistant. Smith had been born on 25 February 1872 and articled to John Lumsdaine of Edinburgh c.1888 and had thereafter worked as assistant to Hippolyte Jean Blanc from c.1893 before emigrating to join Methven's practice.
Sometime before he was admitted FRIBA on 9 June 1902 on the proposal of the RIBA Council, Methven was appointed Government Surveyor of Natal. He took Smith into partnership in 1908 but the partnership was short-lived as Smith withdrew in 1909 to become a salaried assistant in the Pretoria Public Works Department.
He died in 1925. | Private and Business AddressesThe following private or business addresses are associated with this : | | Address | Type | Date from | Date to | Notes | | Durban, South Africa | Business | 1888 | After 1909 | |
Employment and TrainingEmployersEmployees or PupilsThe following individuals were employed or trained by this (click on an item to view details): | | Name | Date from | Date to | Position | Notes | | James Buchanan Pentland Smith | 1896 | | Assistant | |
RIBARIBA ProposersThe following individuals proposed this for RIBA membership (click on an item to view details): | | Name | Date proposed | Notes | | RIBA Council | 9 June 1902 | for Fellowship |
RIBA ProposalsThis proposed the following individuals for RIBA membership (click on an item to view details): | | Name | Date proposed | Notes | | James Buchanan Pentland Smith | 20 March 1911 | for Licentiateship |
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 | | 1875 | St John's Episcopal Church | Greenock | | Renfrewshire | Scotland | As clerk of works to Paley & Austin |
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 | | | |
Archive ReferencesThe following archives hold material relating to this : | | Source | Archive Name | Source Catalogue No. | Notes | | RIBA Archive, Victoria & Albert Museum | RIBA Nomination Papers | | F v14 p44 no876 (microfilm reel 11) |
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