Architects

Name:

James Hamilton

Designation :

Architect

Date of Birth:

Circa (Year)

Exact DOB:

06/10/1926

Year of Birth :

Circa Year of Birth :

1826

Date of Birth Before (Year):

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DOB (1st 'Or' Year):

DOB (2nd 'Or' Year):

Date of Death:

Exact Date

Exact DOD:

26/06/1894

Year of Death:

Circa Year of Death:

Date of Death Before (Year):

Date of Death After (Year):

DOD (1st 'Or' Year):

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Town of Birth :

Bio Notes :

James Hamilton was born c.1826 the son of John Hamilton, manager of St Rollox Chemical Works and his wife Jane McKay. By his own account in the 'Architects, Engineers and Building Trades Directory' of 1868, he was articled to Alexander Kirkland with whom he remained several years as an assistant, setting up on his own account in 1857. While at Kirkland's he designed in his own name several monuments in the Glasgow Necropolis including the boldly theatrical one to J H Alexander. Thomas Gildard (ms p.20) is careful to emphasise that he was not related in any way to David Hamilton or his son James. From what Professor William James Smith learned when with the Hamiltons in the early twentieth century, Hamilton was largely responsible for the design of Kirkland's Venetian Tillie and Henderson Building, 37-51 Miller Street, and Eagle Buildings on Bothwell Street. Tillie and Henderson was a Londonderry company and it was in Ireland that Hamilton made his name by winning the competition for the Ulster Bank in 1857 with elevations related to Tillie and Henderson's; he also designed several branches for that bank. Hamilton also established himself as an expert in the design of baths buildings, his Directory entry recording essays on heating, ventilation and acoustics. In 1861 Kirkland took Hamilton into partnership (his previous partnership with James Russell having ended in 1856) with an office in West Nile Street, but Kirkland abruptly withdrew at the end of 1861, leaving for London to recommence practice as a civil engineer only on 19 February 1862. Their apprentice Thomas Ross (1839-1930), later of MacGibbon & Ross, then left for the office of Charles Wilson. James Hamilton continued the Glasgow practice alone with the assistance of James Sellars from 1864-67. To manage the Belfast office he entered into a partnership with Frank Stirrat who had supervised the building of the Ulster Bank, an arrangement that lasted from 1863 until 1866.

James Hamilton's son John, born in 1851, was educated at Glasgow High School and Glasgow School of Art and completed his articles with his father 1867-1873. Thereafter he gained five years experience in unspecified offices, and at some stage travelled on the continent. He was taken into formal partnership as James Hamilton & Son in 1877. However father and son disagreed c.1884 and John thereafter practised independently at 212 St Vincent Street until the last months of his father's life when a reconciliation took place and the partnership was reformed. James's office drawings were moved to John's office which was then at 112 Bath Street, but in the mid-1890s the office moved back to 212 St Vincent Street.

James Hamilton died at Neil's Cottage, Millport, Great Cumbrae on 26 June 1894. He left moveable estate of only £383 17s 2d, but probably had significant heritable property. His wife Catherine Mackay had predeceased him, dying on 3 December 1890. The name James Hamilton & Son was retained until 1910 when John's son Arthur Donaldson Hamilton was, taken into partnership, the firm becoming John Hamilton and Son in that year.

Arthur was born on 25 January 1882 and articled to his father 1899 to 1905, attending Glasgow School of Art and the Glasgow and West of Scotland Technical College. In 1905 he was placed with John Archibald Campbell for experience, returning to his father's practice as an assistant before being taken into partnership in 1910. He did a good deal of work for the Salvation Army in a heavy-handed art nouveau manner. Much of the work of the practice was valuation, notably for the Glasgow City and District Railway and the Caledonian Railway, and arbitration, notably for the Glasgow Corporation Sewage Scheme. John Hamilton was admitted FRIBA on 11 June 1906, his proposers being Horatio Kelson Bromhead and John Keppie; Arthur was admitted LRIBA on 24 June 1912.

Arthur was killed in the First World War (c.1917). John spent the First World War as architect to the Munition Works Board and thereafter practised alone at 112 Bath Street with the assistance of Professor W J Smith. He died on 22 March 1935, the practice being taken over by John G Hamilton.

All three generations of Hamiltons were closely associated with Rothesay, where they had weekend houses. They built many villas there and in the surrounding area.

'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
Hartfield House Rothesay, Bute Bute Scotland	Private/business	Both 22 Carment Drive and Hartfield House, Rothesay are listed as residences in 1888 Directory
22 Carment Drive Shawlands Glasgow Scotland	Private	Both 22 Carment Drive and Hartfield House, Rothesay are listed as residences in 1888 Directory
Neil's Cottage Millport, Little Cumbrae Bute Scotland	Private
9 Woodlands, Albert Road Langside Glasgow Scotland	Private

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Business Addresses2 classic

Address	Class	Date From	Date To	Notes
98 West Nile Street Glasgow Scotland	Business	Before 1860	After 1862
113 West Regent Street Glasgow Scotland	Business	1865
111 West Regent Street Glasgow Scotland	Business	Before 1868	After 1871	Conflict of information: DMW has 1868-1877 for this address.
113 West Regent Street Glasgow Scotland	Business	Before 1873	After 1877	Conflict of information: DMW has 1865 for this address.
132 West Regent Street Glasgow Scotland	Business	Before 1879	After 1890
Hartfield House Rothesay, Bute Bute Scotland	Private/business	1888		Both 22 Carment Drive and Hartfield House, Rothesay are listed as residences in 1888 Directory
112 Bath Street Glasgow Scotland	Business	1894
Belfast Northern Ireland	Business

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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
Kirkland & Russell	100394	In year 1854	In year 1856	Assistant
Alexander Kirkland	200458	In year 1856	c. 1857	Assistant
Kirkland & Hamilton	201066	In year 1861	In year 1861	Partner
Hamilton & Stirrat	201068	In year 1863	In year 1866	Partner
James Hamilton & Son	201063	In year 1877	c. 1884	Partner
Alexander Kirkland	200458	c. 1846	c. 1851	Apprentice
Alexander Kirkland	200458	c. 1851	In year 1854	Assistant
James Hamilton & Son	201063	c. 1893	In year 1894	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	Notes
James Sellars	200063	In year 1864	In year 1867	Assistant
John H Hamilton	200287	In year 1867	In year 1873	Apprentice

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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
Glasgow Necropolis, John Henry Alexander Monument	In year 1851	Dennistoun	Glasgow	Scotland	Designed while in Kirkland's office
Tillie and Henderson Building	In year 1854		Glasgow	Scotland
Eagle Buildings	In year 1854		Glasgow	Scotland	As assistant to Kirkland & Russell
Ulster Bank	In year 1857		Belfast	Northern Ireland	Won in competition
Glasgow Necropolis, David Robertson (bookseller) Monument	In year 1857	Dennistoun	Glasgow	Scotland
Allan Water Hydropathic	In year 1861	Bridge of Allan	Stirlingshire	Scotland
Ulster Bank	In year 1862	Sligo	County Sligo	Eire
Ulster Bank	In year 1863	Trim	County Meath	Eire
St Mary's Church	In year 1864		Glasgow	Scotland
Newton Place UP Church	In year 1864	Partick	Glasgow	Scotland	Was given the job?
Dunoon Hydropathic	c. 1865	Dunoon	Argyll	Scotland
Barnageeha	c. 1865		Belfast	Northern Ireland	Attributed (Thomsonesque manner related to Bridge of Allan Hydropathic)
Parsonage for Glencraig Church	In year 1866	Craigavad	Dow	Northern Ireland
Warehouse, Wellington Place	In year 1866		Belfast	Northern Ireland	Conversion of dwelling house into warehouse
Shops and premises, High Street and Church Lane	In year 1866		Belfast	Northern Ireland

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The following books contain references to this person:

Bib ref classic

Author	Title	Date	Publisher	Part	Notes
Johnston, W T	Artists of Scotland	2003	Officina Publications CDROM
Architects Engineers and Building Trades Directory	Architect's, Engineer's and Building Trades' Directory	1868	London, Wyman		1868

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The following periodicals contain references to this person:

Period ref classic

Periodical Name	Publisher	Date Circ	Edition	Notes
RIBA Journal		1935/11/09	*	Obituary of John Hamilton (son)

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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
Professor David M Walker, notes and collection of archive material	Professor David M Walker personal archive	100041			Information from personal recollections of the late Professor W J Smith; additional research by Iain Paterson
Gildard's 'Some Old Glasgow Architects' supplementary manuscript	Mitchell Library	200053

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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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Periodical References

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Archive References

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