Basic Biographical Details Name: | George Gunn & Fred V Burke | Designation: | | Born: | c. 1913(?) | Died: | c. 1914(?) | Bio Notes: | George Gunn was born at 18 Hopehill Road, Glasgow on 28 April 1873, the son of Daniel Urquhart Gunn, commercial clerk and accountant, and his wife Annie Wotherspoon Speirs. He was articled to James Ritchie of Glasgow in November 1886, studying at Glasgow School of Art under Francis H Newbery. After completing his apprenticeship in January 1891 he obtained a position as a junior draughtsman in the more up-to-date office of Stark & Rowntree, but just seven months later he moved to Penryn, Cornwall to work for the West of England Granite Company as architectural assistant, superintending the stone-cutting and masonry works there. He returned to Glasgow in January 1893, entering the tramways department of Glasgow Corporation as an assistant, and a year later moved to Ayr to work for James Archibald Morris and James Kennedy Hunter, who at that time also had a London office. Gunn passed the qualifying exam in November 1894 in Glasgow and was admitted ARIBA on 11 March 1895, his proposers being Morris, William Forrest Salmon and Thomas Lennox Watson.
Although architects who had passed the qualifying exam were rare in Scotland at the time, Gunn was content to work first as an assistant to Alexander Cullen in Motherwell and then as principal assistant to John Campbell McKellar with a view to a partnership, supervising the more junior assistant William Stephen Gibson in both practices. The McKellar practice was almost exclusively tenement work but was immensely prosperous until 1907 when the business began to decline. A partnership did not materialize until c.1911 or 1912 when the firm became McKellar Davis & Gunn. Davis's role is unclear and his background has so far proved untraceable. The partnership did not long survive and Gunn merged his practice with that of Frederick V Burke, the surviving partner of William Tennant & Fred V Burke, who was Irish and whose practice was predominantly Roman Catholic. This did not last either as Burke had a serious drink problem. What happened to Davis is unknown. | Private and Business AddressesThe following private or business addresses are associated with this : | | Address | Type | Date from | Date to | Notes | | Glasgow, 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 | | George Gunn | c. 1913(?) | c. 1914(?) | Partner | | | Frederick Vincent Burke | c. 1913(?) | c. 1914(?) | Partner | |
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. |