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Architects

Basic Biographic Details

John Burnet (senior)
Architect
Exact Date
Exact Date
15/01/1901
John Burnet was born at Craighead House, Kirk o' Shotts on 27 September 1814, the son of Lieutenant George Burnet of the Kirkcudbright and Galloway Militia, and his wife Margaret Wardlaw, who was the daughter of a Dalkeith merchant John Wardlaw. He was educated at Dunipace Parish School and thereafter apprenticed as a carpenter, graduating to architecture through experience as a clerk of works with a Mr Smith, architect and builder, who can be safely identified with John Smith, originally of Alloa and after 1826 of Glasgow, as Burnet's earliest clients were in the Alloa-Clackmannan area. Such architectural training as he had probably came from Smith's son James. Burnet commenced practice on his own account in 1843 with free churches at Shandon, Alloa and Clackmannan, all in a simple round-arched Italian style. By 1845 he was sufficiently prosperous to marry Elizabeth Hay Bennet, the daughter of Lindsay Bennet, merchant, Leith. She was an ambitious lady and a driving force behind the practice. Within a few years he had taken his younger brother William Cadell Burnet (born 1828) into the practice as pupil and for a time assistant, but the latter preferred to settle in London, sharing an office with another brother, George, who was a merchant there, and subsequently transferred his business to the United States.

Burnet was essentially self-taught from a large and important library which included Durand, Letarouilly and Viollet-le-Duc. He rose in prominence in the mid-1850s with the pure Greek temple of Elgin Place Church, with the Clapperton/Middeton warehouse in Miller Street, which was remarkable for its central well and laminated timber roof structure, and with Madeira Court on Argyle Street, which was strongly influenced by Charles Wilson's work. Thereafter his practice flourished in part as a result of success in limited competitions, but he seems to have had good connections among the Glasgow merchants and shipowners for whom he designed large baronial houses at Auchendennan, Arden, Kildalton and the giant Kilmahew in the mid-1860s. By that date he had also become an accomplished Gothic designer, most notably at Woodlands Church and the Glasgow Stock Exchange, where he exploited features from William Burges's London Law Courts design - his brother William was architectural clerk to the competition - a skilful plagiarism which did not escape Burges's attention, although he seems to have allowed the matter to pass without comment. In his final years he was responsible for three of the city's most important buildings: the Clydesdale Bank, the Merchants' House and the Cockerell-inspired reconstruction of the Union Bank, in the later stages of which he was assisted by his son John James, certainly after his return from Paris at the end of 1876 and probably earlier. He was Glasgow correspondent of the Architectural Publication Society's Dictionary from about 1860, perhaps through connections formed by his brother. He is known to have travelled and sketched in Germany, France and Italy but dates are lacking. His visits to Germany probably related to the education of his son George who studied at Heidelberg in the mid-1870s, while those in France certainly related to his son John James's education at the Ecole des Beaux-Arts from 1871 onwards.

Burnet was elected FRIBA on 4 December 1876, his proposers being John Honeyman, John Macvicar Anderson and Wyatt Papworth, editor of the Architectural Publication Society's Dictionary, but within a year his active role as an architect came to an end with the return of his son John James from the Ecole des Beaux-Arts: Henry Edward Clifford may have had a significant role even earlier, as may Burnet's nephew William Landless. In 1886 John Archibald Campbell, also returned from the Ecole des Beaux-Arts, became a partner and c.1889 the elder Burnet went into semi-retirement at the age of seventy-five. Outwith the office his interests were sketching and fishing. He died in Glasgow on 15 January 1901, leaving moveable estate of £3,210 5s 2d. He was predeceased by his eldest son George Wardlaw Burnet, Sheriff Substitute of Aberdeen who died as a result of the collapse of his bamboo bicycle; by his second son Lindsay Burnet, who was a mechanical engineer; and by his daughter Elizabeth. Only John James and Margaret (Mrs John Edwards) survived him.

Addresses

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

Private Addresses

Private Addresses2 classic

AddressClassDate From CharDate From TypeDate To CharDate To TypeNotes
Ashton Vale/152 Buccleuch Street Glasgow ScotlandPrivate
9 Sandyford Place, Sauchiehall Streetet Glasgow ScotlandPrivate
14 Victoria Crescent, Dowanhill Glasgow ScotlandPrivate
St Kilda Victoria Circus Dowanhill Glasgow ScotlandPrivate

Business Addresses

Business Addresses2 classic

AddressClassDate From Date From TypeDate ToDate To TypeNotes
107 Buchanan Street Glasgow ScotlandBusiness18441845
50 Renfield Street Glasgow ScotlandBusiness18511853
113 West Regent Street Glasgow ScotlandBusiness1856
97 West Regent Street Glasgow ScotlandBusiness18601864And perhaps after
105 St Vincent Street Glasgow ScotlandBusiness1865
180 St Vincent Street Glasgow ScotlandBusiness18681876no 150 according to PO directories and left in 1874 not 1876
167 St Vincent Street Glasgow ScotlandBusiness18761886accordng to PO directories began here 1874
ScotlandBusiness

Employment and Training

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

Employers2 classic

NameName LinkDate FromDate ToPositionNotes
Burnet Son & Campbell1001251886/08/13In year 1897Partner
John Burnet & Son200192In year 18821886/08/13Partner

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
Henry Edward Clifford2002351867/10c. 1872/10Apprentice
William Stirling IV4009161879/04Apprentice
Alexander Fraser201134Before 185MMid 1850sAssistant
John McLean (or Maclean) Crawford200275In year 1872c. 1876Apprentice
John Bennie Wilson201479In year 1875In year 1879Assistant
George Burnet205400In year 1875Assistant
Charles Ramsay Gilchrist205064In year 1875In year 1880Apprentice
(Sir) John James Burnet200088In year 1877In year 1882AssistantEffective designer
John Archibald Campbell200179In year 1877In year 1880Apprentice
William Cadell Burnet (or William Caddel Burnet)206571c. 1843c. 1848ApprenticeUncertain whether William was apprenticed to his brother John, but seems likely
William Cadell Burnet (or William Caddel Burnet)206571c. 1848Before 1865AssistantUncertain whether William assisted his brother John, but seems likely
William Ferguson201247c. 1871c. 1874Apprentice
Henry Edward Clifford200235c. 1872/10In year 1878Draughtsman
Horace Field201210c. 1877|1878c. 1879ApprenticeUnder John James Burnet
William Landless200237Apprentice

RIBA Proposers

The following individuals proposed this person for RIBA membership (click on an item to view details):

RIBA PROPOSERS2 classic

ProposerProposer LinkDate ProposedNotes
John Macvicar Anderson2000351876/12/04for Fellowship
John Honeyman2002451876/12/04for Fellowship
Wyatt Angelicus van Sandau Papworth2036111876/12/04for Fellowship

RIBA Proposals

This person proposed the following individuals for RIBA membership (click on an item to view details):

RIBA PROPOSALS2 classic

PersonDate ProposedNotes
David Thomson1877/12/17for Fellowship
Campbell Douglas1879/06/09for Fellowship
James Lindsay1881/01/03for Associateship
William Gilmour Wilson1881/01/03for Associateship
(Sir) John James Burnet1881/01/03for Associateship
John Bennie Wilson1882/03/20for Associateship
James Anderson Williamson1884/06/09for Associateship
George Penrose Kennedy Young1885/06/08for Associateship
John Rogerson1890/01/13for Associateship
John Andrew MacAra1890/01/13for Associateship
Alexander Nisbet Paterson1890/03/03for Associateship
Charles George Hood Kinnear1891/06/08for Fellowship

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
Shandon Free Church and SchoolIn year 1844ShandonDunbartonshireScotland
Clackmannan Free ChurchIn year 1844ClackmannanClackmannanshireScotland
Alloa Free ChurchIn year 1844AlloaClackmannanshireScotland
Fitzroy Place, Sauchiehall Streetc. 1845GlasgowScotland
Hoghill (perhaps Haghill) HouseBefore 1847GlasgowScotland
Old Botanic GardensBefore 1847GlasgowScotland
New Jerusalem Churchc. 1848GlasgowScotland
Milton Free Churchc. 1849GlasgowScotland
Ward Congregational ChapelIn year 1850DundeeScotlandPulpit
Tenement block, east corner Sauchiehall Street and North Streetc. 1850GlasgowScotland
244-50 Bath Streetc. 1850GlasgowScotland
Unitarian ChurchIn year 1853GlasgowScotlandCompetition designs - not successful
Congregational ChurchIn year 1854GlasgowScotland
Middleton's Building, 61-67 Miller StreetIn year 1854GlasgowScotland
Berkeley Street UP ChurchIn year 1855GlasgowScotland

References

Bibliographic References

The following books contain references to this person:

Bib ref classic

AuthorTitleDatePublisherPartNotes
Irving, JosephThe Book of Scotsmen1881
Glasgow ContemporariesGlasgow Contemporaries at the Dawn of the Twentieth Century1901p213
Walker, Frank ArneilSouth Clyde Estuary: An Illustrated Architectural Guide to Inverclyde and Renfrew1986p112, p145

Periodical References

The following periodicals contain references to this person:

Period ref classic

Periodical NamePublisherDate CircEditionNotes
Building News1890/05/16*Portrait and biographical detials
The Bailie1876/08/12*Or may be 12 April 1876 (uncertain)
Quiz1893/07/20*p186
Builder1901/01/26*pp108, 111, 119
Builder1901/02/02p111 (from Glasgow Herald)
British Architect1901/01/18p40
British Architect1901/01/25p55 and p69 additional notes
Building News1901/01/25p121

Archive References

The following archives hold material relating to this person:

Arc ref classic

Archive NameSourceSource Cat NoBuilding IdItem NameNotes
RIBA Nomination PapersRIBA Archive, Victoria & Albert Museum100005F v5 p59, microfiche 89/B1