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Architects

Basic Biographic Details

J M Dick Peddie & Walker Todd
Architectural practice
Year Only
1920
Year Only
20/03/1926
1936
Having practised on his own account for three years following the dissolution of his partnership with James Forbes Smith, in January 1920 John More Dick Peddie (born 1853) merged his practice with that of his former assistant William James Walker Todd and his partner Sydney Houghton Miller (both born 1884) as J M Dick Peddie & W J Walker Todd. Peddie retired in November of the same year and appears to have taken most of the practice's library with him: his copy of Garner and Stratton's 'Domestic Architecture of England during the Tudor Period', now in the possession of Mrs Scott Duncan, has an inscription recording its gift to Walker Todd at that time.

In the earlier Todd and Miller years of the Peddie practice an important figure appears to have been David William Crawford who made the fine perspective of the first design for the Royal Bank in Hope Street, Edinburgh but nothing is as yet known of his subsequent career. Miller redesigned it but left the partnership in 1927 and opened his own office at 15 York Place. The reasons for his leaving are not known but the continued omission of his name from the practice title may have rankled.

Miller's place was taken by another former assistant, David John Chisholm, also born in 1884 and a contemporary of Miller's at George Watson's College, who had been articled to Peddie & Washington Browne for the unusually long period of 1901-08 and had subsequently sought experience elsewhere before rejoining the firm shortly after the end of the First World War. He was an exceptionally fine draughtsman with a profound knowledge of Gothic and Classic detail. Those in the office in the late 1940s remembered him as 'extremely artistic' and notably helpful to younger staff with encouragement and advice despite his rapidly failing health.

When Chisholm was taken into partnership he was the only member of the practice to be a member of the RIBA, having been admitted as an Associate in 1912, but in March 1931 Walker Todd, at that time a member of the Council of the Edinburgh Architectural Association, was elected ARSA concurrently with his belated application for admission as LRIBA; his proposers were his old colleagues at Peddie & Washington Browne's, John Wilson and Robert Stirling Reid. His election as ARSA almost immediately brought about his admission as Fellow on the recommendation of the Council in November. Wilson (by then Chief Architect at the Department of Health for Scotland) reported to the Council that 'he is in my opinion one of the ablest architects we have in Scotland and his work proves that beyond doubt'. Wilson probably had in mind Walker Todd's local authority housing which was among the very best of its period.

In 1936 the partnership of Jamieson & Arnott was dissolved as a consequence of the enforced retirement of Ernest Arthur Oliphant Auldjo Jamieson through ill health. That partnership was then less busy than it had been and for reasons not entirely clear James Alexander Arnott left to practise alone. Jamieson's son, George Lindsay Auldjo Jamieson (born 1905), then sought a merger with Dick Peddie & Walker Todd. He brought to Dick Peddie & Walker Todd the Sydney Mitchell & Wilson archive, much of the Jamieson & Arnott archive and those clients who were his father's rather than Arnott's. The practice title then became Dick Peddie, Todd & Jamieson, letterheads of that time bearing the subhead 'incorporating Sydney Mitchell & Wilson' to leave no doubt that the Jamiesons had had the dominant financial interest in the Jamieson & Arnott partnership.

(See separate entries on Dick Peddie, Todd & Jamieson and on the individual partners for later practice history.)

Addresses

The following private or business addresses are associated with this person:

Business Addresses

Business Addresses2 classic

AddressClassDate From Date From TypeDate ToDate To TypeNotes
8 Albyn Place Edinburgh ScotlandBusiness1920/01After 1931

Employees or Pupils

The following individuals were employed or trained by this person (click on an item to view details):

Employees or Pupils2 classic

NameName LinkDate FromDate ToPositionNotes
William Henry Sayers2015361919/09In year 1923Apprentice
John More Dick Peddie2001181920/011920/11Partner
James William Davies Kelly2068901920/011920/07Apprentice
Sydney Houghton Miller2027431920/01In year 1927Partner
William James Walker Todd2018301920/01In year 1936Partner
James William Davies Kelly2068901920/071924/03Assistant
Alexander Dewar McGill2056571920/09c. 1925Apprentice
(Captain) Gordon Nasmyth Mackintosh2071251923/07/01Early 1926sApprentice
Alexander James Wilson Morrison2047321926/091931/08Apprentice
John Strachan Fraser2047701928/081930/10Apprentice
John Somerville Baillie1004311928/10/011933/09/30Apprentice
William Thomas Christie Walker2039691930/091935/09Apprentice
George Lindsay Auldjo Jamieson202934After 1923Before 1930Apprentice
Alexander Dewar McGill205657After 1930Before 1937Assistant
Donald Denoon Jack205137In year 1919In year 1920Apprentice

Buildings and Designs

This person was involved with the following buildings or structures from the date specified (click on an item to view details):

Buildings and Designs2 classic

Building NameDate StartedTown, District or VillageIslandCity or CountyCountryNotes
154-166 Canongate, including Sugarhouse CloseIn year 1895EdinburghScotlandAlterations for Mr Craigdallic
House for J R Milne1920sColintonEdinburghScotland
Drumsheugh Toll, house and studio1920sEdinburghScotlandAlterations
St Catherine of Sienna Episcopal ChurchIn year 1920Bo'ness / BorrowstounessWest LothianScotland
Semi-detached houses, Elcho RoadIn year 1920LongniddryEast LothianScotland
Abbotsford LodgeIn year 1920MorningsideEdinburghScotland
Black's FactoryIn year 1920GorgieEdinburghScotland
Housing for East Lothian County CouncilIn year 1920DirletonEast LothianScotland
Garroch HouseIn year 1920New GallowayKirkcudbrightshireScotlandAlterations
Six cottages and other housing for East Lothian County Council, Western DistrictIn year 1920InnerwickEast LothianScotland
Council Housing for East Lothian County Council, Western DistrictIn year 1920GullaneEast LothianScotland
Housing for East Lothian County Council, Western DistrictIn year 1920AberladyEast LothianScotland
Colonial Life Assurance CoIn year 1920EdinburghScotlandAlterations to houses of 1775 to form commercial offices
Kailzie House, twin gate lodgesIn year 1920Traquair/KirkburnPeeblesshireScotlandReconstruction
County Council housing, Buccleuch StreetIn year 1920InnerleithenPeeblesshireScotland

References

Bibliographic References

The following books contain references to this person:

Bib ref classic

AuthorTitleDatePublisherPartNotes
Walker, David WPeddie and Kinnear2002Unpublished PhD thesis, University of St Andrews, 2002
Bailey, Rebecca MScottish architects' papers: a source book1996Edinburgh: The Rutland Presspp133-4