Architects

Name:

Alex Cullen, Lochhead & Brown

Designation :

Architectural practice

Date of Birth:

Year Only

Exact DOB:

04/07/1926

Year of Birth :

1908

Circa Year of Birth :

Date of Birth Before (Year):

Date of Birth After (Year):

DOB (1st 'Or' Year):

DOB (2nd 'Or' Year):

Orig Date of Death

1911/01

Date of Death:

Date Not Known

Exact DOD:

04/07/1926

Year of Death:

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 :

Alexander Cullen was born on 18 June 1856 at Craigneuk, Wishaw, the son of William Cullen and his wife Mary Hill. Initially he was apprenticed to a builder, but he then attended Glasgow University and set up practice in Clyde Street, Motherwell in the early 1880s.

In 1889 Colonel H H Robertson Aikman commissioned him to reconstruct The Ross at Hamilton as a major house in the David Bryce manner: it was exhibited at the RSA and the RGI and was widely published, establishing his reputation. An office in Quarry Street, Hamilton was established to build it and undertake other work in the Hamilton area, Cullen having become architect to the standing joint committee of the County of Lanarkshire.

Cullen was admitted FRIBA in November 1898 on the recommendation of the Glasgow Institute of Architects: his proposers are not known as the relevant sheet is missing. By that date he had already been admitted FRSE, a very unusual distinction for a provincial architect.

In 1898-99 Cullen designed Brandon Chambers, Hamilton as his main office and Motherwell became a branch office. His practice prospered and by 24 June 1902 the business was so extensive with many commissions both public and private in the counties of Lanarkshire and Renfrewshire that he took into partnership his chief and senior assistants James Lochhead and William Brown.

Of the partners, Lochhead had been born in 1870 in Johnstone, the son of J Lochhead, a furniture dealer in Hope Street, Ayr, and had been educated at Ayr Grammar School and subsequently Ayr Academy. He had served his articles with Allan Stevenson of Ayr from 1884, remaining as an assistant until 1891. He had then moved to become chief draughtsman in the practice of Henry Higgins of Glasgow, attending classes at the Glasgow and West of Scotland Technical College where he had received the Bronze Medal in Building Construction in 1892 and had been a Queen's Prizeman in Architecture and Architectural Design in 1893. In the latter year he had entered the Office of Public Works in Glasgow whilst continuing his studies, and in 1894-98 he had acted as assistant lecturer to Professor Gourlay in the Architectural Classes at the College. He had passed the qualifying exam to become ARIBA on 11 June 1894, his proposers being John Honeyman, Campbell Douglas and Thomas Lennox Watson. He had joined Cullen's practice as chief draughtsman and prospective partner in 1898.

William Brown had been born in 1873 and had been articled to Cullen in 1888, attending technical and art classes at Hamilton Academy from 1889 to 1894, and had remained as assistant after completing his apprenticeship. After being taken into partnership, Brown was put in charge of the Motherwell office of Cullen's firm at 4 Clyde Street.

After Lochhead's arrival the work of the practice became extremely accomplished Edwardian Baroque and classical. Initially the practice name remained as Alex Cullen; it won the major competition for Hamilton Municipal Buildings in 1903, and a Glasgow office was established at Atlantic Chambers in Hope Street to supervise the Western District Hospital, a by-product of the competition for the Eastern District Hospital in which Cullen and Lochhead had been placed first but did not receive the commission. From 1908 onwards the practice was known as Alex Cullen, Lochhead & Brown.

Cullen had wide interests and was well read in architectural history as well as contemporary architecture and this is reflected in the varied nature of the practice's large library. In 1907 he gifted a proportion of this library to Hamilton District Libraries. Although these books have now been dispersed, the catalogue shows that in addition to the publications of Pugin, Scott, Fergusson, the Audsleys, Starforth and G A T Middleton, Cullen subscribed to 'The American Architect' and bought books on Japanese and Mexican architecture; and among his continental books was a copy of Guimard's 'Le Castel Beranger'. Cullen himself was the author of many articles on a variety of subjects and his book 'Adventures in Socialism', a history of New Lanark, was published in 1910. He was a Fellow of the Society of Antiquaries of Scotland and at the time of his death he was President of the Architectural Section of the Glasgow Philosophical Society.

Lochhead was active in public life. In 1896 he became the first President of the Royal Technical College (Glasgow) Craftsman's Society; he also served as President of Hamilton Arts & Crafts Society for two years, and was President of the Glasgow Architectural Association from 1906 to 1907. He wrote many articles and delivered numerous papers to these societies as well as to the Edinburgh Architectural Association, Glasgow Philosophical Society, Glasgow Scientific Society and Ayr Sketch Club.

Cullen died at the relatively early age of 54 on 21 January 1911 and was buried at Bent Cemetery, Hamilton. His moveable estate amounted to £9,238 11s 2d, a very large sum for an architect at that date. He was survived by his widow, Barbara Rodger, and by three sons and two daughters. His youngest son, Alexander (born 1892), was one year into his articles with the firm at the time. Lochhead and Brown continued the practice thereafter, dropping Cullen's forename from the practice title which then became simply Cullen, Lochhead & Brown.

Bio Notes continued...

Additional Notes

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

Business Addresses2 classic

Address	Class	Date From
Brandon Chambers Hamilton Lanarkshire Scotland	Business	1911
4 Clyde Street Motherwell Lanarkshire Scotland	Business
Atlantic Chambers Glasgow Scotland	Business

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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 Mair	202807	1909/08/01	1911/01	Assistant
Alexander Cullen	200389	In year 1908	1911/01	Partner
William Mair Bishop	203442	In year 1908	1911/01	Senior Assistant
Hugh Dykes Simpson	203412	In year 1908	1911/01	Assistant
Malcolm Sinclair McCallum	202433	In year 1908	In year 1910	Assistant
James Lochhead	200391	In year 1908	1911/01	Partner
William Brown	200393	In year 1908	1911/01	Partner
James McLellan Brown	200445	In year 1908	c. 1909	Apprentice
John Donaldson	403578	In year 1919	In year 1921	Apprentice
Allan Barrowman Wilson	403592	In year 1934	In year 1938	Assistant
John ('Jack') McCall Dick	405491	Late 1950s		Architect
James McLellan Brown	200445	c. 1909	1911/01	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
Beckford Street School	In year 1898	Hamilton	Lanarkshire	Scotland	Plans for alterations; plans for new cookery classroom and additions to infant department
Electric Theatre	In year 1903	Falkirk	Stirlingshire	Scotland
Kirklands Mental Hospital	In year 1904	Bothwell	Lanarkshire	Scotland	Nurses' home and cottages
Bothwell Police Station	In year 1904	Bothwell	Lanarkshire	Scotland
Russell Memorial Hall	In year 1906	Bothwell	Lanarkshire	Scotland
Langloan UF Church	In year 1908	Coatbridge	Lanarkshire	Scotland
Hamilton Municipal Buildings and Public Library	In year 1908	Hamilton	Lanarkshire	Scotland	Continued job after competition win in 1903, before practice title changed (municipal offices only built before First World War)
Academy School	In year 1908	Hamilton	Lanarkshire	Scotland	Proposed alterations and additions
Masonic Temple	In year 1908	Hamilton	Lanarkshire	Scotland	Secured commission in competition
Quarter Police Station	In year 1908	Quarter	Lanarkshire	Scotland
Salvation Army Citadel	In year 1908	Hamilton	Lanarkshire	Scotland
Primitive Methodist Church	In year 1908	Hamilton	Lanarkshire	Scotland
Tarbert UF Church	In year 1908	Tarbert	Argyll	Scotland
Chapeltoun	In year 1909	Dunlop	Ayrshire	Scotland
Burgh Hospital	In year 1909	Motherwell	Lanarkshire	Scotland

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The following books contain references to this person:

Bib ref classic

Author	Title	Date	Publisher	Part	Notes
Bailey, Rebecca M	Scottish architects' papers: a source book	1996	Edinburgh: The Rutland Press
Walker, Frank Arneil	South Clyde Estuary: An Illustrated Architectural Guide to Inverclyde and Renfrew	1986			p140

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The following periodicals contain references to this person:

Period ref classic

Periodical Name	Date Circ	Edition	Notes
Glasgow Herald	1911/01/23	*	Obituary of Alexander Cullen
Hamilton Advertiser	1911/01/28	*	Obituary of Alexander Cullen
Lanarkshire [Newspaper] Check	1911/01/25	*	Obituary of Alexander Cullen

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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
RIBA Nomination Papers	RIBA Archive, Victoria & Albert Museum	100005			F v13 p13 (microfiche 117/E5) (Cullen's paper)
Cullen Lochhead and Brown Archive	Cullen Lochhead & Brown Architects	200094

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Basic Biographic Details

Addresses

Business Addresses

Business Addresses2 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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