Architects

Name:

George Shaw Aitken

Designation :

Architect

Date of Birth:

Year Only

Exact DOB:

14/06/1926

Year of Birth :

1836

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DOB (2nd 'Or' Year):

Date of Death:

Exact Date

Exact DOD:

29/08/1921

Year of Death:

Circa Year of Death:

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Bio Notes :

George Shaw Aitken, the brother of Robert Walker Aitken (qv), was born in London in 1836, the son of Robert Shaw Aitken, silversmith, and Margaret Walker. Following the death of his father, about 1850 he entered the office of John Dick Peddie of Edinburgh as a pupil and on Peddie’s recommendation he was admitted to the Trustees' Academy on 19 April 1852 but left again in July of the same year. He appears to have remained with Peddie as an assistant until 1859. Leaving Edinburgh, G S Aiken briefly found employment with Charles Wilson of Glasgow and Lockwood and Mawson of Bradford. By the early months of 1860 he had arrived in Manchester and was working in the offices of Alfred Waterhouse, recently successful in the major open competition for Manchester Assize Courts.

In 1858 Aitken was one of the founders of the Edinburgh Architectural Association and was elected its first president. He wrote its History and Reminiscences of which a typescript copy with a portrait is preserved in the EAA Library at the RIAS. In December 1860, the Manchester Architectural Association, (open to all with an interest in architecture, including pupils and assistants) was founded, but seemingly generated little interest in the local press. However, the inaugural meeting, held on 17th December 1860 was reported at length in the Builder. Both George Shaw Aitken and Robert Walker Aitken were founder members, G S Aitken becoming its first President.

The 1861 Census shows G S Aitken residing at 7 Marlborough Terrace, in the Chorlton-on-Medlock district of Manchester, together with his mother, Margaret Aitken, his brother Robert Walker Aitken and an unmarried aunt, Ellen Walker. However, by 1864 the brothers were recorded as living at Hassendean Cottage, Monton, near Eccles, but only Robert W Aitken was listed as an architect in the Trades Directory for that year (G S Aitken presumably still employed as an assistant). Their decision to move to this rural location some six miles from Manchester has yet to be explained. In 1866 the brothers jointly designed an Independent Chapel and Schools in Altrincham but the following year Robert Aitken joined W R Corson in partnership in Manchester.

About 1869 G S Aitken returned to Scotland when he joined James Maclaren in Dundee, becoming a partner in 1873. In 1878, the partnership was broken: according to the last partners in the Maclaren firm, William Salmond and Stuart O Barron, the breakup was the result of specifying stone from James Maclaren's Ferrybank estate at Cupar which proved unreliable, and, together with the recession following the failure of the City of Glasgow Bank in that year, severely damaged the practice. Aitken thereafter continued in independent practice in Dundee until 1881 when lack of business caused him to return to Edinburgh. During that period he won some fame by achieving a place in the final ten in the second competition for Glasgow Municipal Buildings in 1881.

In Edinburgh he undertook much literary and lecturing work, publishing the Abbeys of Arbroath, Balmerino and Lindores in 1883. and was appointed lecturer on the History of Architecture at the Heriot Watt College in 1890. From the mid-1890s he formed some sort of co-operative arrangement with the Professor Patrick Geddes, although this resulted in only two significant commissions, one from Lord Rosebery and the other from Geddes's Town and Gown Association. A sketch scheme for the enlargement of The Albert Institute, Dundee, accompanies a report by Geddes to the City Librarian, A. H. Millar, preserved in Dundee Central Library.

George Shaw Aitken was also an accomplished artist and was an exhibitor of water colour drawings at numerous art galleries.

Aitken died at Liberton on 29 August 1921.

'Biography authored by the Dictionary of Scottish Architects Compilation Team.'

Bio Notes continued...

Additional Notes

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

Private Addresses2 classic

Address	Class	Notes
7 Marlborough Terrace Chorlton-on-Medlock Manchester England	Private	Census
Hassenden Cottage Monton, near Eccles Lancashire England	Private/business
1 Viewforth place Dundee Scotland	Private	Presumably home address when an assistant with James Maclaren
Maryfield Cottage Broughty Ferry Dundee Scotland	Private	P O Directory
112 Thirlestane Road Edinburgh Scotland	Private	None shown after 1910

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Business Addresses2 classic

Address	Class	Date From	Date To	Notes
Hassenden Cottage Monton, near Eccles Lancashire England	Private/business	1864	1867
10 Bank Street Dundee Scotland	Business	1873	1878	Maclaren and Aitken partnership
Commercial Buildings/87 Commercial Street Dundee Scotland	Business	1878	1881	Independent practice
49 Queen Street Edinburgh Scotland	Business	1881 or 1882		Independent practice
116 George Street Edinburgh Scotland	Business	1889	1890
49 Queen Street Edinburgh Scotland	Business	1891	1905
33 Castle Street Edinburgh Scotland	Business	1906	1917	Last entry in 1917

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

Employers2 classic

Name	Name Link	Date From	Date To	Position	Notes
Lockwood & Mawson	202686	In year 1859		Assistant Architect	Bradford
Charles Wilson	100172	In year 1859		Assistant Architect	Glasgow
Alfred Waterhouse	200376	In year 1860		Assistant Architect	Manchester
Aitken and Aitken	406124	In year 1866		Partner	with his brother, Robert Walker Aitken
Maclaren & Aitken	100115	In year 1873	c. 1879/03	Partner
John More Dick Peddie	200118	c. 1850		Apprentice	Later draughtsman
James Maclaren	100012	c. 1869	c. 1873	Chief Assistant

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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 Name	Date Started	Town, District or Village	Island	City or County	Country	Notes
Independent Chapel and Schools	In year 1866	Altrincham		Cheshire	England	Aitken and Aitken
Tenement block	In year 1869	Broughty Ferry		Dundee	Scotland	Possibly involved, as chief assistant to James Maclaren
Dundee Town House	In year 1871			Dundee	Scotland	Third premiated competition design for extension (City Chambers) - Â£20 - submitted while in James Maclaren's employment but before formation of partnership
UP Church	In year 1872	Dudhope		Dundee	Scotland	Redecoration
Offices for Don Brothers Buist	In year 1873			Dundee	Scotland	Begun by Maclaren and completed in partnership
Barnhill Convalescent Home	In year 1873	Barnhill		Dundee	Scotland	Begun by Maclaren, completed in partnership
Broadford Free Church	In year 1873	Broadford	Skye	Inverness-shire	Scotland
Bearhill House	After 1873	Brechin		Angus	Scotland	Reconstruction and additions
Improvement Act Tenements, Victoria Road	In year 1874			Dundee	Scotland	Won competition: Responsible for design
East School	In year 1874	Broughty Ferry		Dundee	Scotland
West School	In year 1874	West Ferry		Dundee	Scotland
Clepington Church Hall	In year 1874			Dundee	Scotland	Commission for church lost to Alexander Johnston
Tighnduin	In year 1874	Monifieth		Angus	Scotland
Lindsay Street Works	In year 1874			Dundee	Scotland	By Aitken
Chellwood	In year 1874	Monifieth		Angus	Scotland

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The following books contain references to this person:

Bib ref classic

Author	Title	Date	Publisher	Notes
Who's Who in Architecture		1914
Post Office Directories
RCAHMS	Dundee on Record	1992	RCAHMS	p18
Walker, David W	Glasgow Municipal Buildings Competition 1880-1882	1995	Unpublished MA dissertation, University of St Andrews; copy in NMRS	Glasgow Municipal Buildings competition designs

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The following periodicals contain references to this person:

Period ref classic

Periodical Name	Date Circ	Edition	Notes
Dundee Advertiser	1893/06/29	*	Letter of clarification on the death of James Maclaren
Architectural Review	1921/10	v50	Obituary
Builder	1921/09/09	*	Biographical information
Builder	1959/04/10		listed as first pres. of Edinburgh Architectural Association in 'Edinburgh Architectural Assocation: An Excellent Year Book' p679
Builder	1860/12/29		p842 - First meeting of the Manchester Architectural Association

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The following archives hold material relating to this person:

Arc ref classic

Archive Name	Source	Source Cat No	Building Id	Item Name	Notes
Edinburgh Dean of Guild	Edinburgh City Archives	100001
History and Reminiscences of the Edinburgh Architectural Association	RIAS Collection, NMRS, RCAHMS	200040

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Basic Biographic Details

Addresses

Private Addresses

Private Addresses2 classic

Business Addresses

Business Addresses2 classic

Employment and Training

Employers2 classic

Buildings and Designs

Buildings and Designs2 classic

References

Bibliographic References

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Periodical References

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Archive References

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