Architects

Name:

Thomas Saunders Robertson

Designation :

Architect

Date of Birth:

Year Only

Exact DOB:

04/01/1926

Year of Birth :

1835

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DOB (2nd 'Or' Year):

Date of Death:

Exact Date

Exact DOD:

03/02/1923

Year of Death:

Circa Year of Death:

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Date of Death After (Year):

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DOD (2nd 'Or' Year):

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Bio Notes :

Thomas Saunders Robertson was born in 1835 at Blairgowrie and educated at Perth Academy. He was articled to Charles Edward c.1851. Around 1857 he joined J Anderson Hamilton who had acquired what was left of Playfair's practice in Edinburgh and thereafter probably worked for a time in England, returning to become Edward's partner He practised in Dundee in partnership with Thomas Saunders Robertson from at least April 1859 when Edward & Robertson advertised for contractors for Rathillet UP Church. He was a member of the Fine Art Committee of the British Association meeting of 1867. He was also a keen angler, curler and golfer. In the 1870s Robertson was co-owner with the solicitor J P Kyd of four houses in Grove Road, Broughty Ferry, which were presumably acquired as an investment.

Either in 1867 or possibly earlier the Dundee industrialist and art collector G B Simpson introduced Robertson to the painter William McTaggart. They became close friends, frequently going sketching together, particularly at Carnoustie in the spring and autumn, and McTaggart’s teaching greatly improved Robertson’s skills as a watercolourist. In 1872 McTaggart painted a portrait of Robertson’s daughter Nellie, exhibited at the RSA in 1873, which was in the possession of Mrg Agnew in Walsall in 1917. After McTaggart’s death Robertson wrote reminiscences of their friendship which were published in the Dundee Courier and Glasgow Herald and have been drawn upon by subsequent writers. Robertson was also closely associated with another of McTaggart’s main patrons, the art collector, mill owner and ironfounder, James Guthrie Orchar, who appointed him as one of the Trustees of his will and specified him as the architect of a new Established Church and a gallery to house his pictures on the expiry of Mrs Orchar’s life rent of his estate, both in Broughty Ferry. In the event Mrs Orchar lived on until 1916, and the Trustees could afford to build neither of these.

Like Edward before him, Robertson lived in considerable style in West Ferry, first at Riverview and later at Balmyle: but by the early years of the twentieth century Robertson had little architectural employment and had become mainly a water-colourist. He retired in September 1904, and diminishing income eventually compelled him to live in a more modest fashion at Willowbank, Camphill Road, where he died on 2 March 1923. He wrote 'Progress of Art in English Church Architecture', numerous newspaper articles, and assisted MacGibbon and Ross with their books.

Bio Notes continued...

Additional Notes

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

Private Addresses2 classic

Address	Class	Date From Char	Date From Type	Date To Char	Date To Type	Notes
Riverview West Ferry Dundee Scotland	Private
Balmyle West Ferry Dundee Scotland	Private
Willowbank Camphill Road Broughty Ferry Dundee Scotland	Private

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Business Addresses2 classic

Address	Class	Date From	Date From Type	Date To	Date To Type	Notes
31 Reform Street Dundee Scotland	Business	c. 1861

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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
Charles Edward	100387	In year 1851	c. 1857	Apprentice
Edward & Robertson	100389	c. 1861	In year 1890	Partner

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

Employees or Pupils2 classic

Name	Name Link	Date From	Date To	Position
Alexander Allan Foote	201197	1902/03/28	1904/09	Apprentice
David Thomson	203539	In year 1894	In year 1898	Apprentice
David Thomson	203539	In year 1898	In year 1900	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	City or County	Country	Notes
Perth District Asylum	In year 1858	Murthly	Perthshire	Scotland
UP Church	In year 1859	Rathillet	Fife	Scotland
Taycliff	In year 1862	West Ferry	Dundee	Scotland
Rossie Church	c. 1863	Inchture	Dundee	Scotland
Rossie Priory	In year 1865	Inchture	Perthshire	Scotland	Reconstruction of riding school as chapel with arcade and apse
Abernyte Free Church	c. 1865	Abernyte	Angus	Scotland	Alterations?
House for D W Bowman	In year 1866	Broughty Ferry	Dundee	Scotland	Alterations
Carbet Castle	In year 1866	Broughty Ferry	Dundee	Scotland	Reconstruction and additions - probably the west wing
Bank of Scotland	In year 1866		Dundee	Scotland	Unexecuted scheme for alterations
Kirkton of Tealing Parish Church	In year 1867	Kirkton of Tealing	Angus	Scotland	Scrymsoure Fothringham memorial slab
Drill Hall	In year 1867		Dundee	Scotland
Catholic Apostolic Church	In year 1867		Dundee	Scotland
Office, 135 Seagate	In year 1868		Dundee	Scotland
Ayrshire Lunatic Asylum	In year 1868	Ayr	Ayrshire	Scotland	Received commision
Offices and Warehouse, Ward Road, Constitution Road and Nicoll Street	In year 1869		Dundee	Scotland

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The following books contain references to this person:

Bib ref classic

Author	Title	Date	Publisher
Architects Engineers and Building Trades Directory	Architect's, Engineer's and Building Trades' Directory	1868	London, Wyman
Caw, Sir James L	William McTaggart	1917	Glasgow
Errington, Lindsay	William McTaggart 1935-1910	1989	Edinburgh, National Gallery
Kaverne, Per	Singing Songs of the Scottish Heart 1835-1910	2007	Edinburgh

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The following archives hold material relating to this person:

Arc ref classic

Archive Name	Source	Source Cat No	Notes
RIBA Nomination Papers	RIBA Archive, Victoria & Albert Museum	100005	ARIBA papers of Alexander Allan Foote (A v24 no2788 (microfilm reel 23)) state that Robertson retired in September 1904
Professor David M Walker, notes and collection of archive material	Professor David M Walker personal archive	100041	Information from Edmund Raphael-Beldowski via Iain Flett (1876-77 valuation roll)
Thomas Saunders Robertson's Cutting Books	Dundee Central Library	100148
Information via \'Contact Us\' on website	Courtesy of David Weekes	201312	Sent August 2012

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Basic Biographic Details

Addresses

Private Addresses

Private Addresses2 classic

Business Addresses

Business Addresses2 classic

Employment and Training

Employers2 classic

Employees or Pupils

Employees or Pupils2 classic

Buildings and Designs

Buildings and Designs2 classic

References

Bibliographic References

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Archive References

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