Basic Biographical Details | Name: | George Cruickshank | | Designation: | Architect | | Born: | 9 May 1913 | | Died: | 13 September 2003(?) | | Bio Notes: | George Cruickshank was born at Newtonhill, Cookney, on 9 May 1913, the son of David B Cruickshank, cashier, and his wife, Bella Beaton who had married in 1910. He attended day and evening classes at Aberdeen School of Architecture from September 1932 until June 1935 and from November 1937 until June 1938. Between these spells he was articled to James Brown Nicol in Aberdeen and continued working there after recommencing his studies at the School. He sat the final examination in Aberdeen in June 1938. He moved to Edinburgh to study at Edinburgh College of Art for the diploma in Town Planning. He may then have been called up for war service as there there is a gap in his career between the final exam in June 1938 and his election as ARIBA in 1942.
From 1942 Cruickshank worked for Aberdeen County Council. He emigrated to Canada on the Aquitania in 1948 or 1949 with his wife, Elizabeth Mitchell Buchan, a graduate in drawing and painting who he met at Art School in Aberdeen, and settled for a while in Wolfville Nova Scotia working for a small private practice. After a year or so, he moved to Montreal, becoming a senior architect at the firm of Fetcherstonhaugh, Durnford, Bolton and Chadwick. After five years with them, he became Chief Architect with the Dupont Chemical Company in Montreal, a post which he held for six years. He then returned to Nova Scotia, to take up an invitation to run a small practice in Amherst, following the death of its principal. (David Collin, nephew by marriage of Cruickshank worked for him there for a few months in the summer of 1964). After 15 years there, he moved to Edmonton in Alberta where he worked as a site architect on a multimillion dollar project for the Zeigler Group. Almost certainly he also qualified as a structural engineer at some stage in his career. He retired and returned to Nova Scotia in 1980, and died there on 13th September 2003, predeceased by his wife who died in January of the same year. His latter years in Nova Scotia were spent in Kentville, Cambridge, Wolfville and Berwick.
A man of many talents, George Cruickshank was a competent artist, writer and an accomplished musician, playing the piano, violin and viola. His tastes and skills were widely based, and included playing with George Shearing, other dance bands in Scotland, and a number of orchestras in Nova Scotia and Montreal.He also sang in several choirs in both Nova Scotia and Montreal.
| Private and Business Addresses| The following private or business addresses are associated with this architect: | | | Address | Type | Date from | Date to | Notes |  | 53, Irvine Place, Aberdeen, Scotland | Private | 1942 * | | | | 22, Union Terrace, Aberdeen, Scotland | Business | 1942 * | | | | 23, Westfield Road, Stonehaven, Kincardineshire, Scotland | Private | 1948 * | | | | 278, Main Street, Wolfville, Nova Scotia, Canada | Private | 1950 * | | | | Fetcherstonhaugh, Durnford, Bolton & Chadwick/9, Victoria Square, Montreal, Canada | Business | 1953 * | | |
* earliest date known from documented sources.
Employment and TrainingEmployers| The following individuals or organisations employed or trained this architect (click on an item to view details): | | | Name | Date from | Date to | Position | Notes | | James Brown Nicol | June 1935 | 1938 | Apprentice | |
RIBARIBA Proposers
ReferencesBibliographic References| The following books contain references to this architect: | | | Author(s) | Date | Title | Part | Publisher | Notes | | RIBA | 1948 | The RIBA Kalendar 1948-1949 | | London: Royal Institute of British Architects | |
Archive References| The following archives hold material relating to this architect: | | | Source | Archive Name | Source Catalogue No. | Notes | | Courtesy of David Collin | Information sent to Dictionary | | Sent 29 April 2013 | | RIBA Archive, Victoria & Albert Museum | RIBA Nomination Papers | | A no 8041 (Combined Box 203) |
Images © All rights reserved. Courtesy of David Collin |