Basic Biographical Details
| Name: | Laing & Raithby |
| Designation: | |
| Born: | |
| Died: | |
| Bio Notes: | William Arthur Baird Laing & Herbert Waller Raithby were briefly in partnership in about 1898. William Arthur Baird Laing was born in Wick, Caithness on 30 August 1868, the son of Alexander Laing and Christina Louttit. He practised as an architect in Edinburgh in the early years of the twentieth century. He was briefly in partnership with H Waller Raithby appears to have practised on his own elsewhere in Edinburgh until about 1917. No further details of him are yet known. Herbert Waller Raithby was born in Bath in 1870, the first son of Charles Henry Raithby (1842-1898) and his wife Emmeline Martha Marchant, who had married in Westminster in 1868. By 1881 the family were living in Camberwell, London where Charles was the manager of a Mustard manufacturers. Some time in the 1880’s the family moved to Edinburgh and in 1891 were living at Northfield House in Abercorn Gardens, Jock’s Lodge. At this stage Charles was recorded as a Commission Agent in provisions. In the latter 1880’s Herbert began working for the engineers Cunningham, Blyth & Westland (after 1893 Blyth & Westland) and his 1891 census entry lists him as a 20 year old Civil Engineer and Architect’s Assistant. He presumably was articled at some point to an architect as well as the Cummingham Blyth & Westland office. Between 1892 and 1900 the North British Railway spent £1.5 million on rebuilding Waverley Station. W.R.Galbraith, consulting engineer to the NBR between 1880-1900 saw through the Parliamentary plans for the works and may have been involved with the design. James Bell designed the permanent way, platforms and signalling and Blyth & Westland were the engineers for the new station roof, with J.S.Pirie the overarching engineer for the whole works. The main station buildings were also designed by Blyth & Westwood, and Engineering of June 1900 records their design as by ‘Mr Raithby, the Chief Architectural Assistant’ of Blyth and Westwood. The article goes on to describe the interior as a ‘tout ensemble not unworthy of the modern Athens’ In 1898 he is recorded as being in a partnership with William Arthur Baird Laing. In 1899 in Newington, Edinburgh Herbert married Isa Brown Grosset, but must have left the city soon afterwards, appearing as an architect in the 1901 census in Nottingham. |
Private and Business Addresses
| The following private or business addresses are associated with this : | |||||
| Address | Type | Date from | Date to | Notes | |
 | 34, St Andrew Square, Edinburgh, Scotland | Business | c. 1898 | ||
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 | |
| William Arthur Baird Laing | c. 1898 | |||
| Herbert Waller Raithby | c. 1898 | |||
References
Bibliographic References
| The following books contain references to this : | ||||||
| Author(s) | Date | Title | Part | Publisher | Notes | |
| Post Office Directories | |||||