Basic Biographical Details Name: | Williamson & Deas | Designation: | | Born: | 1919 | Died: | 1923 | Bio Notes: | William Williamson was in partnership with George Brown Deas in Kirkcaldy from 1919 until 1923.
Williamson was born in Kirkcaldy on 19 April 1871, the son of William Williamson and his wife Joanna Hutchison. He was educated at Kirkcaldy High School and was articled to J W Hislop of Kirkcaldy in 1887; but after two years he transferred to the office of James Bow Dunn enabling him to take classes at Heriot-Watt College. He remained with Dunn as draughtsman until 1895 when he returned home to commence independent practice in Kirkcaldy: Dunn and his partner from 1894 James Leslie Findlay had a Kirkcaldy connection having won the competition for the Adam Smith Hall in the previous year. Late in 1897 Williamson took the slightly older Alexander Russell Inglis (born 1870) into partnership and opened an Edinburgh office for him at 31 St Andrew Square. The partnership quickly made a name for high-quality Renaissance and arts and crafts work but it came at a cost. Overwork resulted in Inglis suffering from chronic insomnia and a desperate overdose of a sleeping draught resulted in his death at his home 26 Pitt Street, Edinburgh on 9 June 1901, two days before he was to be married. Williamson then closed the Edinburgh office and did not take another partner at that time. He was admitted FRIBA on 5 June 1905, his proposers being Charles Stanley Peach of London, Alexander Cullen of Hamilton and Alexander Hunter Crawford of Edinburgh with whose work his own had much in common. At that date his house was The Croft, Kirkcaldy and his main office was at 220 High Street in the same town, seemingly with an additional branch office in Dunfermline. Sometime prior to 1914 he took an office in Royal Bank Buildings in Kirkcaldy and lived at Pitteadie (or Piteadie) House adjacent to Pitteadie Castle, the planned restoration of which he never implemented. Subsequently he moved to Bowbutts, a fine 18th-century house in Kinghorn where he was both Dean of Guild and Provost.
George Brown Deas was born on 24 December 1875, the son of James Deas of Barnhill. He was articled to Alexander McCulloch of Dundee in 1891, remaining with him when the practice became McCulloch & Jamieson in 1894. During that time he studied at Dundee Technical College and University College. Thereafter he became a junior assistant to J C Sharp of Glasgow, from 1895 to 1898, subsequently spending two years with John Wills in Derby, two years as assistant to the Borough Surveyor of Devonport, four years in the Admiralty Works Department, Whitehall, London, and eight years as assistant in the Urban District Office, Finchley. Between 1914 and 1919 he was Town Planning Engineer to Fife County, Kirkcaldy District, but served for a period in the Highland Cyclists Battalion during the First World War.
After the dissolution of the partnership in 1923, the Williamson and Deas continued to practise separately. | Private and Business AddressesThe following private or business addresses are associated with this : | | Address | Type | Date from | Date to | Notes | | Kirkcaldy, Fife, Scotland | Business | | | |
Employment and TrainingEmployees or PupilsThe following individuals were employed or trained by this (click on an item to view details): | | Name | Date from | Date to | Position | Notes | | William Williamson | 1919 | 1923 | Partner | | | George Brown Deas | 1919 | 1923 | Partner | |
Buildings and Designs
ReferencesCurrently, there are no references for this . The information has been derived from: the British Architectural Library / RIBA Directory of British Architects 1834-1914; Post Office Directories; and/or any sources listed under this individual's works. |