Basic Biographical Details
| Name: | William Langlands Sr |
| Designation: | |
| Born: | 1895 |
| Died: | 1873 |
| Bio Notes: | William was born in 1795 to William Langlands, Labourer and his wife Jane Ritchie in Crichton Parish, Midlothian. On 29th August 1817, at Edinburgh, he married Christian Clark, daughter of George Clark (1758-1836), a Wright from Pathhead, Midlothian. They had at least four children including the architect William Langlands (1818-89). By 1841 William was living in Edinburgh and recorded as a Wright, and by 1845 he had moved to Tipperlinn, a small settlement by Morningside. His wife died here in Tipperlinn Cottage on 21 May 1849, aged 60 years. By 1851 Langlands was in charge of the building business of Mr William Hunter, a Wright and Builder based in Canaan, Morningside (and sometime Earl Grey Street) from at least 1832. In 1855 he took over the firm and moved to Canaan Lane in Morningside to be close to the yard. He had a house on the corner of Morningside Road and Canaan Lane. A well-known character in Morningside, he was known by his carpentry nickname ‘Auld Plankey’. He worked on several large houses in Morningside including Falcon Hall and built many villas in early Morningside, taking part in the development of Abbotsford Park in the 1850s. He also worked with the architect John Rochead in the construction of several houses in Morningside Place. He himself owned land in Canaan Lane where he designed and built two large houses (Nos. 9 & 11) on the north side of the street near to the corner with Morningside Road. These villas, Annville (No.9) and Arkland (No.11), both had three public rooms, seven bedrooms and gardens and were for sale in 1864 and 1866 for around £1000 each. Langlands died on 15th March 1873 at 1 Canaan Lane, aged 78. From the early 1870s his business was carried on by his son-in-law George Clark (1831-1911). His only son William Langlands Jr (1818-1889) was born on 9th March 1818, and was christened less than a month later in Crichton Parish Church. William Jr started out as a Wright apprenticed to his father and gained useful experience in the construction of houses. On 6th June 1836, aged only 18, he married Alison Seggie, daughter of the late John Seggie, a seaman from North Queensferry. The couple were living in St Cuthbert’s Parish but married in Inverkeithing. By the 1841 census he is described as a clerk, and his obituary notes he served as a clerk and then later a designer to Neill & Glover, brass founders and gasfitters in George Street, Edinburgh, before continuing as a lamp designer for a ‘large establishment’ in Edinburgh. In 1849 he emigrated with his family to New Zealand sailing on the Eden. He settled in Dunedin in 1850 and thereafter formed a building partnership with Henry Clark, no relation, another recently arrived Scot. This was dissolved in July 1859. Langlands then obtained a position in the Provincial Government Survey department as a draughtsman but after a disagreement with the Chief of Survey moved to the Otago Works Department. Whilst there he was employed in copying designs for several public buildings including the Jail, Courthouse and schools. He was thereafter appointed Principal Architect and Engineer for Otago. As an architect he championed the establishment of a Mechanics Institute in Dunedin, and designed the new building in the Grecian Doric style in 1853. He also designed the Knox Church in 1859, accepting no payment for his services. He also designed several office buildings and Court’s Hotel. His design for the Presbyterian church in Milton, built in 1862 at a cost of £2000, was criticised when the spire was damaged by gales. Alongside his architectural works he developed land around Dunedin and was responsible for a large Italianate block at Dee Street, Invercargill, known as Langlands buildings. Politically he served on the Board of the Old Town of Dunedin. He failed to become a member of the Provincial Council in 1857 but later served as a JP and was influential in the development of Dunedin and as an early New Zealand citizen of note. He died on 27 October 1889. |
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 | |
 | George Clark | ||||
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 | |
| 1863(?) | Annville, 9 Canaan Lane | Morningside | Edinburgh | |||
| 1863(?) | Arkland, 11 Canaan Lane | Morningside | Edinburgh | |||
References
Bibliographic References
| The following books contain references to this : | ||||||
| Author(s) | Date | Title | Part | Publisher | Notes | |
| Saunders, James Clark | 1967 | The Clarks of Crichton | Unpublished MS; information from Steven M Robb | ||