Architects

Name:

John Bruce & Son

Designation :

Architectural practice

Date of Birth:

After (Year)

Exact DOB:

26/05/1926

Year of Birth :

Circa Year of Birth :

Date of Birth Before (Year):

Date of Birth After (Year):

1883

DOB (1st 'Or' Year):

DOB (2nd 'Or' Year):

Date of Death:

Year Only

Exact DOD:

26/05/1926

Year of Death:

1919

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 :

John Bruce began life as a textile manufacturer but lost all his money in the collapse of the Western Bank in 1857. As a way of getting himself out of debt he turned to architecture in the later 1860s, specialising in working-class housing in Dundee, particularly in Hilltown, west of Main Street, and in terrace housing in Broughty Ferry built by John Cowan for rental. By the 1880s, the firm had become John Bruce & Son. The elder Bruce had three sons who survived to adulthood: John junior who emigrated to Australia, George who moved to Cheshire and worked as a druggist and James Prain (born 29 April 1860) who was articled to his father in 1877 and left for an unidentified office in London in 1881 to gain experience, remaining there for several years before rejoining his father as a partner. The practice thereafter went more upmarket, specialising in high-quality tenement work for the Speed family who were wine and spirit merchants, and villas in Carnoustie where the Bruces had settled. James Prain Bruce took an active interest in the Dundee Institute of Architects, being President 1900-02 and acting as Honorary Secretary during the war years.

In 1919 George Christie Morton (born 1886) became a partner, the name of the firm becoming Bruce Son & Morton. Douglas Prain Bruce of St Clair, Carnoustie, was James Prain's son and became an additional partner in the 1930s. James Prain Bruce became ill in 1933 and died at Carnoustie on 20 January 1935. At the outbreak of the Second World War Douglas Prain Bruce went into the army and subsequently gave up his partnership; Morton, a very able domestic architect thereafter gave most of his time to the family whisky firm of which he was latterly chairman. He died in August 1953.

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
Highfield Carnoustie Angus Scotland	Private					James Prain Bruce's house

row(s) 1 - 1 of 1

Business Addresses2 classic

Address	Class	Date From	Date To	Notes
31 Bank Street Dundee Scotland	Business	1878
8 Bank Street Dundee Scotland	Business	c. 1880		From the 1880s
Commercial Buildings Dundee Scotland	Business	1889
Commercial Buildings High Street Carnoustie Angus Scotland	Business	c. 1890		From the 1890s
10 Whitehall Street Dundee Scotland	Business	1907	1919

row(s) 1 - 5 of 5

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	1904/09	1906/04	Apprentice
Alexander Allan Foote	201197	1906/04	1907/03	Assistant
James Prain Bruce	200368	After 1883	In year 1919	Partner
John Bruce	200369	After 1883		Partner
James Peter Nicoll	202790	After 1894	In year 1898	Apprentice
William Clark	200742	In year 1891	In year 1907	Assistant
James Peter Nicoll	202790	In year 1898	1898 or 1899	Junior Assistant
Alexander Ness	202318	In year 1899
George Christie Morton	200366	In year 1903	In year 1907	Apprentice
George Christie Morton	200366	In year 1907	In year 1908	Assistant
James Smith Leslie	205152	In year 1912	In year 1913	Assistant

row(s) 1 - 11 of 11

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
Tenement, 11-19 North Ellen Street	In year 1871		Dundee	Scotland
Building, Bank Street	After 1883		Dundee	Scotland
Tenement and shops, Union Place and Perth Road corner	After 1883		Dundee	Scotland
Tenement, Perth Road and Step Row corner	In year 1886		Dundee	Scotland
Dwellinghouses, Blackness Road	In year 1886		Dundee	Scotland
Dwellinghouses, Blackness Road and Balgay Avenue	In year 1887		Dundee	Scotland
Corner Building, Commercial Street and Seagate	In year 1887		Dundee	Scotland
Panbride Free Church	In year 1887	Carnoustie	Angus	Scotland	Reapirs by James P Bruce after fire
Commercial buildings	In year 1888		Dundee	Scotland
Panbride Church	In year 1888		Dundee	Scotland
33 Hermon Hill	In year 1889		Dundee	Scotland
Tenement, 23-25 Perth Road	In year 1889		Dundee	Scotland
Annfield	In year 1891	Carnoustie	Angus	Scotland
Winterdyne	After 1891	Carnoustie	Angus	Scotland
Tullavin	After 1891	Carnoustie	Angus	Scotland

row(s) 1 - 15 of 55

The following books contain references to this person:

Bib ref classic

Author	Title	Date	Publisher	Part	Notes
Post Office Directories

row(s) 1 - 1 of 1

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			Personal information from Mrs Fairweather, owner of the Castle, Alpha and Panmure Terrace properties, obtained mid-1950s. Personal Info from W Sinclair Gauldie, originally obtained from Douglas Bruce's daughter, a student at Dundee Art College, c1943-7. Alos ionformation from descendant Adrian Bruce, via the web.
Dundee Approved Duplicate Plans (Originals in NMRS for dates 1867-1883; otherwise on microfilm)	Dundee Planning Department/NMRS	200000

row(s) 1 - 2 of 2

Basic Biographic Details

Addresses

Private Addresses

Private Addresses2 classic

Business Addresses

Business Addresses2 classic

Employees or Pupils

Employees or Pupils2 classic

Buildings and Designs

Buildings and Designs2 classic

References

Bibliographic References

Bib ref classic

Archive References

Arc ref classic