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Architects

Basic Biographic Details

John Jeffrey Waddell
Architect
Year Only
1876
Exact Date
12/04/1941
John Jeffrey Waddell was born in Glasgow in 1876, the son of Robert Gillan Waddell, railway branch manager and his wife Jane Jeffrey. He was at first educated privately and then at Glasgow High School. He was a nephew of Peter Macgregor Chalmers's formidable wife, Barbara Greig Steel, and so far as is known, was articled to him c.1891, studying at Glasgow School of Art under William James Anderson and at the Royal Technical College under Charles Gourlay. Whether he had any experience elsewhere is not yet known, but he first came into prominence in 1919-21 as a designer of picture houses, mainly in Glasgow. When Chalmers died on 15 March 1922 Mrs Chalmers and John Jeffrey Waddell took over the practice. They did not succeed in retaining the Paisley Abbey commission, whereafter Mrs Chalmers seems to have had no more than a financial interest in the practice, but Waddell did succeed in retaining Chalmers's Church of Scotland connections, mainly for the re-ordering of Georgian and Victorian churches on ecclesiological lines by the addition of chancels. He built relatively few churches completely anew and his only significant restoration was St Bean's (or St Beanus's) at Fowlis Wester which was his best work.

Waddell married Jean Leadbetter Swan in 1903, their first house being at Uddingston. They had two daughters, both active in the Travelling Children's Theatre and the publication of children's books, the better known being Bertha, born 1907. Waddell himself had a literary and antiquarian bent, being the author of 'By Bothwell Banks, Rambles through Lanarkshire' and a pioneer study of Alexander Thomson, published in the Transactions of the Scottish Ecclesiological Society, 1925, v.III part 31-35. In his obituary he is described as architect and archaeologist; he 'discovered many ancient carved stones including the Cross of St Ninian now standing in front of Hamilton Parish Church'. In later years the Waddells lived in considerable style at Caldergrove, a sizable late Georgian country house near Cambuslang.

From c.1925 Waddell was in partnership with Thomas Peach Weir Young as Waddell & Young. The practice ended in tragedy. Around 1940 Waddell instructed an ill-advised lawsuit which he won but subsequently regretted. Although at the time there were rumours that his sudden death was suicide, the death certificate shows that he died of a cerebral thrombosis at 4.10am on 4 December 1941, at Caldergrove. His death was reported by his daughter Jenny.

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
Drumoyne Uddingston Lanarkshire ScotlandPrivate
Caldergrove Cambuslang Lanarkshire ScotlandPrivate

Business Addresses

Business Addresses2 classic

AddressClassDate From Date From TypeDate ToDate To TypeNotes
95 Bath Street Glasgow ScotlandBusinessBefore 1924After 1939

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
Peter Macgregor Chalmers200244c. 1891c. 1896Apprentice
Waddell & Young202137c. 1925In year 1941Partner

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
Building plotsIn year 1902UddingstonLanarkshireScotland
Glasgow Cathedral, Grainger Memorial nave pulpitIn year 1903GlasgowScotlandExecuted drawing as assistant to Chalmers (see Academy Architecture 1903)
Cathedral WorksIn year 1908GlasgowScotland
Three-storey terraced housec. 1910Scotland
In year 1918Alterations
UP ChurchIn year 1918UddingstonLanarkshireScotlandAlterations
BarncluithIn year 1918HamiltonLanarkshireScotlandAdditions
Camps WorksIn year 1918MotherwellLanarkshireScotlandAlterations, new workshop and gantry
Paragon Picture HouseIn year 1918GlasgowScotlandReconstruction
Newlandsfield Bleach WorksIn year 1918PollokshawsGlasgowScotland
Eglinton Street UF ChurchIn year 1918GlasgowScotlandNegotiations over the site
Fern Villa, Wester CraigsIn year 1919DennistounGlasgowScotland
Castle Picture HouseIn year 1919New CumnockAyrshireScotland
Provands LordshipIn year 1919GlasgowScotlandAlterations
FerniehurstIn year 1919ShawlandsGlasgowScotland

References

Bibliographic References

The following books contain references to this person:

Bib ref classic

AuthorTitleDatePublisherPartNotes
Walker, Frank ArneilSouth Clyde Estuary: An Illustrated Architectural Guide to Inverclyde and Renfrew1986p8
Scottish Biographies1938E J Thurston (pub.)
Post Office Directories
RIBAThe RIBA Kalendar 1930-19311930London: Royal Institute of British Architects

Periodical References

The following periodicals contain references to this person:

Period ref classic

Periodical NamePublisherDate CircEditionNotes
Builder1941/12/19*Obituary - p546 (contains no further information about his training)

Archive References

The following archives hold material relating to this person:

Arc ref classic

Archive NameSourceSource Cat NoBuilding IdItem NameNotes
Professor David M Walker, notes and collection of archive materialProfessor David M Walker personal archive100041Personal information from Alfred G Lochhead; additional research by Iain Paterson
Waddell CollectionNational Monuments Record of Scotland/NMRS, RCAHMS200395