Basic Biographical Details

Name:	Kelly & Dickie
Designation:
Born:	1905
Died:	1911
Bio Notes:	The partnership of Archibald Campbell Dickie was a short-lived one, lasting only from 1905 to 1911 and based in offices at 446 Oxford Street, London. Dickie was born in Dundee in 1868 and apprenticed to John Carver's Forfar office in 1885 and remained as assistant, the practice being then Carver and Symon, until 1893 when he joined first the office of Beeston & Burmester, London, and secondly that of Frederick H Jones (not in British Architectural Library directory) Parliament Street, Westminster for experience. He also served as senior assistant in the office of J J Stevenson. During that period he worked either for or with Stanley D Adshead and with John Anderson from Marshall Mackenzie's office on competitions, but without success. He was one of the five original day students at the Architectural Association in Great Marlborough Street and passed the qualifying exam in 1894, being elected ARIBA on 11 March 1895, his proposers being Herbert Duncan Searles-Wood, a prominent member of the Architectural Association, Frederick Richard Farrow and Samuel Flint Clarkson. In 1894 Dickie was appointed architect to the Palestine Exploration Expedition Fund where he worked under the supervision of Masterman and Bliss and remained until 1897. In the course of that work the Church of the Pool of Siloam and the Madebe mosaic were discovered. In 1898 he and Bliss, with whom he worked closely, published 'Excavations in Jerusalem 1894-97'. His work on the early churches of Palestine and Syria generally and on The Great Mosque at Damascus was subsequently summarised in R Phené Spiers 'Architecture East and West' 1905. On his return he joined the office of Arthur Beresford Pite and may have had some influence on that architect's transition from Italian Mannerist to neo-Greek at that time. While with Pite he maintained his interest in archaeology and worked with R C Bosanquet on the excavations at Borcoviens on the Roman Wall. From Pite's office he became briefly a partner in Dunn & Watson's practice at Bedford Row, Bloomsbury (c.1898-1904), taking in as assistant Alexander Symon, the son of Archibald Symon, his employer in Forfar, in 1899. The partnership was described by Theodore Fyfe as sharing an office rather than an actual partnership. Commissions were few and he was soon glad to accept a mastership for evening work under Hugh Patrick Guario Maule, a friend from his days in J J Stevenson's office, at the Architectural Association. Shortly thereafter he gave up his association with Dunn & Watson and formed a partnership with Claude Kelly, master of design at the Architectural Association. This lasted until 1911 when Dickie was appointed Professor of Architecture at Victoria University of Manchester in succession to Capper. He remained there until his retirement in 1933. According to Theodore Fyfe, 'Dickie was a born teacher, knowing what he wanted and doing it thoroughly and well; in the process making himself immensely popular with students, helpers and colleagues. At the same time his sanity and soundness were apparent in the counsels of the Board of Architectural Education and its schools Committee.' He retained his interest in archaeology throughout his life being a member of the Palestine Exploration Fund executive committee from 1906 until his death and was its secretary, 1910-12, and being involved with the British School at Athens. Dickie retired to a life in the country at Long Crendon, Buckinghamshire and died on 3 September 1941. He was remembered by Fyfe as 'a most loveable character, brimful of a warm-hearted humour' and 'universally popular'.

Private and Business Addresses

The following private or business addresses are associated with this :
	Address	Type	Date from	Date to	Notes
	446, Oxford Street, London, England	Business	1905 *

* earliest date known from documented sources.

Employment and Training

Employees or Pupils

The following individuals were employed or trained by this (click on an item to view details):
	Name	Date from	Date to	Position	Notes
	Archibald Campbell Dickie	1905	1911	Partner
	Claude Kelly	1905	1911	Partner
	Alfred Louis Hay	May 1905	September 1905	Assistant

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
	1909	Mission Hospital	Hebron			Palestine
	1911	Church of St Saviour	Lewisham		London	England
	Before 1912	Memorial Church	Petersham		Surrey	England	Interior decoration
	Before 1912	R C Church	Clapham		London	England

References

Currently, 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.