Architects

Name:

Robert Thornton Shiells

Designation :

Architect

Date of Birth:

Year Only

Exact DOB:

05/08/1926

Year of Birth :

1833

Circa Year of Birth :

Date of Birth Before (Year):

Date of Birth After (Year):

DOB (1st 'Or' Year):

DOB (2nd 'Or' Year):

Date of Death:

Year Only

Exact DOD:

05/08/1926

Year of Death:

1902

Circa Year of Death:

Date of Death Before (Year):

Date of Death After (Year):

DOD (1st 'Or' Year):

DOD (2nd 'Or' Year):

Town of Birth :

Bio Notes :

Robert Thornton Shiells was born in 1833 and apprenticed to David Bryce. By 1857 he had auspiciously commenced practice on his own account from his home at 7 Gilmore Place with a very large villa at Bruntsfield Terrace and began exhibiting at the RSA. An office was opened at 62 George Street sometime before 1862, and on 18 March 1864 he married Flora Tait. In about 1863 he entered into partnership with Robert Paterson's younger brother John who had also commenced practice around 1857, the office now being at 27 Cockburn Street. Both architects appear to have been enthusiasts for Italian Gothic and Romanesque but the partnership was dissolved after about four years, Shiells moving back to 62 George Street. Thereafter Shiells's Gothic tended to follow English models as at the quite ambitious Kings Park UP Church in Dalkeith (1871) and the Free Church at Leslie, but the need to find a style that would fit the new Tron Free Church (1877-78) into David Cousin's Chambers Street format seems to have caused him to look at Lombardic Romanesque models. From the Tron stemmed a remarkable group of Romanesque churches, the Lombard Marshall Street Baptist Church (1877) and Buccleuch Street UP at Dalkeith, the more Germanic reconstruction of East Linton Free Church (1879) and Kirkgate UP, Leith (1885), which returned to the Lombard model.

Late in 1877 or early in 1878, Shiells entered into a partnership with James M Thomson, now with an office at 65 George Street to which Shiells had moved in 1874/75, but the continuity of style with Shiells's work suggests that Shiells remained the principal designer, or that Thomson had been his principal assistant: nothing is known of Thomson's background. The practice survived the severe recession of the 1880s better than most but in 1894 Shiells became bankrupt as a result of personal speculation in feus at North Merchiston, his main creditors being the Beatties and his partner James M Thomson. The partnership was thereafter dissolved (although it seems to have been in existence as late as May 1896), the practice being continued by Thomson. Shiells thereafter resided at 6 Duddingston Park, Portobello, but whether he continued practice is not yet known.

Shiells died in 1902, his affairs being eventually wound up in 1904.

Bio Notes continued...

Additional Notes

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

Private Addresses2 classic

Address	Class	Notes
7 Gilmore Place Edinburgh Scotland	Private/business
21 Lothian Road Edinburgh Scotland	Private/business	Before 1863 was house and office but from 1863 house only
5 Brougham Street Edinburgh Scotland	Private	Becdame Brougham Place
8 Lonsdale Terrace Edinburgh Scotland	Private
4 St Margaret's Road Edinburgh Scotland	Private
6 Duddingston Park Portobello Edinburgh Scotland	Private/business

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Business Addresses2 classic

Address	Class	Date From	Date To	Notes
7 Gilmore Place Edinburgh Scotland	Private/business	c. 1857
21 Lothian Road Edinburgh Scotland	Private/business	Before 1863		Before 1863 was house and office but from 1863 house only
27 Cockburn Street Edinburgh Scotland	Business	c. 1863	c. 1867
62 George Street Edinburgh Scotland	Business	c. 1867	c. 1868	NB Directories give c1867 for date of starting at this address, but other sources say c.1862
65 George Street Edinburgh Scotland	Business	c. 1868	c. 1873
65A George Street Edinburgh Scotland	Business	c. 1874	c. 1897	Shiells & Thomson
6 Duddingston Park Portobello Edinburgh Scotland	Private/business	c. 1898	c. 1902

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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
Shiells & Thomson	200689	1877 or 1878	c. 1896	Partner
Paterson & Shiells	201290	c. 1863	c. 1867	Partner
David Bryce	100014			Apprentice

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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
James Graham Fairley	201023	In year 1865	In year 1869	Apprentice
James Pearson Alison	200008	c. 1877	c. 1882	Apprentice
James Pearson Alison	200008	c. 1882	1885/09	Draughtsman

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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
Villa at 2 Bruntsfield Terrace	In year 1857		Edinburgh	Scotland
Villas, Bruntsfield Terrace	In year 1859		Edinburgh	Scotland
Episcopal Church design	In year 1859				Design exhibited
Villa, Dick Place	In year 1862		Edinburgh	Scotland
48-68 Grove Street	In year 1863		Edinburgh	Scotland
Primitive Methodist Chapel	In year 1865		Edinburgh	Scotland
3 Chalmers Crescent	In year 1865		Edinburgh	Scotland
Original Secession Chapel	In year 1865		Edinburgh	Scotland
St Peter's Episcopal Church	In year 1866	Musselburgh	Midlothian	Scotland
English Church	In year 1867	Compiegne	Picardy	France
Tenement, Lauriston Place corner	In year 1867		Edinburgh	Scotland
Tenements, Heriot Mount	In year 1867		Edinburgh	Scotland	Design exhibited
Park Place United Methodist Church	In year 1867		Edinburgh	Scotland	Design exhibited (competition design?)
9-16 George IV Bridge	In year 1868		Edinburgh	Scotland
Livingston Place Feuing	In year 1868		Edinburgh	Scotland

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The following books contain references to this person:

Bib ref classic

Author	Title	Date	Publisher	Notes
Edinburgh Architectural Association	Edinburgh Architectural Association Exhibition Catalogue	1907	Edinburgh	Memoir
British Architectural Library, RIBA	Directory of British Architects 1834-1914	2001
Architects Engineers and Building Trades Directory	Architect's, Engineer's and Building Trades' Directory	1868	London, Wyman
Post Office Directories
Laperriere, Charles Baile de (ed.)	The Royal Scottish Academy Exhibitors 1826-1990	1991

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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
Court of Session records	National Archives of Scotland (formerly SRO)	200183			CS 318 no 308, 1904

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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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