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Architects

Basic Biographic Details

John Campbell McKellar
Architect
Exact Date
Exact Date
27/03/1941
John Campbell McKellar was born in Glasgow on 1 November 1859, the son of Robert McKellar, bleacher, dyer and property speculator of Newlandsfield, Pollokshaws, and Janet McNeilage. He was educated at Queen's Park Collegiate School and articled to James Milne Monro in 1875, remaining as an assistant. In 1881 to 1882 he spent a year as assistant to Frank Burnet to gain experience in the building of tenement housing. Early in 1883 he established his own practice in West George Street and in 1884 took on house factoring and property management as well. At first the practice consisted mainly of industrial work and alterations to tenements but from 1888, presumably with family capital, he began to build tenements speculatively. These tenements were mainly concentrated in Crossmyloof and in the Kelvinside-Maryhill area where his father had already laid out Bilsland Drive. David Barclay in McKellar's FRIBA nomination paper of 3 December 1906, for which his other proposers were James Milne Monro, Henry Edward Clifford and C J MacLean, stated that McKellar had 'designed successfully a large proportion of the street properties of shops and dwelling houses in the extension of the City of Glasgow'.

In 1894 McKellar entered into partnership with the house-factor John McKellar, presumably a relative and formerly of Robert Stobo and Co., who had considerable property holdings of his own. But in 1896 McKellar and McKellar was dissolved; John Campbell McKellar then formed a limited liability company John C McKellar Ltd with a capital of £40,000, which held the 33 tenements McKellar had retained out of the 89 he had built. In 1899 the capital was increased to £100,000, and by 1901 the Crossmyloof properties had been sold to concentrate on higher quality development in Kelvinside, Hyndland and Partick where their housing tended to be strategically located in relation to industry. The programme extended from tenements to self-contained houses at Hillington Park in 1906, but despite aggressive 'become your own landlord' marketing, these were slow to sell, only thirty houses being built, and the construction of new property was brought to a close by the introduction of Increment Duty in The Finance Act of 1909 and the Rent and Mortgage Restriction Act of 1914, subjects on which McKellar gave evidence to the Royal Commission on Housing in 1913, stating that 'during the last five years I have not been able to lay one stone upon another'.

Associated with the move up-market was the recruitment, to the architectural practice, of George Gunn and William Stephen Gibson, both from Alexander Cullen's office, in or before 1902. Gunn had been born in 1873 and articled to James Ritchie 1886-91 concurrently attending classes at Glasgow School of Art, whereafter he sought more up-to-date experience first with Stark and Rowntree and then with James A Morris and James Kennedy Hunter in Ayr in 1894. The latter firm had a London office, which provided a useful base from which Gunn passed the qualifying exam in that year. Gunn was admitted ARIBA on 11 March 1895, his proposers being James A Morris, William Forrest Salmon and Thomas Lennox Watson. Gunn was no doubt prospective partner, but an actual partnership did not materialize until the practice became dependent on commissioned work rather than that of John C McKellar Ltd.

The partnership of McKellar Davis & Gunn was not formed until 1911 or 1912, but the background of George B Davis has so far proved untraceable. Davis appears to have withdrawn or died in 1914 as thereafter the practice was known as McKellar & Gunn. This continued until the later 1920s when Gunn took rooms of his own in Burnet's new building for the North British & Mercantile Company at 200 St Vincent Street, Glasgow.

McKellar's personal interests were the Conservative Party, yachting, golf, and a number of other property and insurance directorships. In 1910 he established the West Mexcian Mines Ltd to to buy mines in Mexico from the Rosario Mines Company of Arizona. His first wife Jessie Nisbet Hood, daughter of the Rev Robert Hood, died in 1925; he later remarried, to Jeanette Lochhead. McKellar himself died suddenly of coronary thrombosis at 'Ardery', Kilcreggan on 27 March 1941, the property company but not the architectural practice continuing in the hands of his only son Robert H McKellar, who had earlier been a partner of Archibald McKechnie as estate agents, factory and property valuers.

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
Woodland Terrace Langside Glasgow ScotlandPrivate
48 Herriot Street, Pollokshields Glasgow ScotlandPrivate
8 Glencairn Drive Pollokshields Glasgow ScotlandPrivate
40 Montgomerie Drive Glasgow ScotlandPrivate
Redclyffe Pollokshields Glasgow ScotlandPrivateDate unclear

Business Addresses

Business Addresses2 classic

AddressClassDate From Date From TypeDate ToDate To TypeNotes
West George Street Glasgow ScotlandBusiness1883Before 1889
112 Bath Street Glasgow ScotlandBusinessBefore 1888After 1895
103 Bath Street Glasgow ScotlandBusiness1899
Gresham Chambers/45 West Nile Street Glasgow ScotlandBusinessBefore 1901After 1935
224 St Vincent Street Glasgow ScotlandBusiness1905

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
McKellar Davis & Gunn2012801911 or 1912c. 1914Partner
James Milne Monro200122In year 1875In year 1879Apprentice
James Milne Monro200122In year 1879c. 1881Draughtsman
Frank Burnet100236In year 1881In year 1882Assistant
McKellar & McKellar206092In year 1894In year 1896Partner
McKellar & Gunn206729c. 1913Before 1929Partner

Employees or Pupils

The following individuals were employed or trained by this person (click on an item to view details):

Employees or Pupils2 classic

NameName LinkDate FromDate ToPositionNotes
William Stephen Gibson2012851902/111907/05AssistantSecond Assistant
George Gunn201281Before 19021911 or 1912Principal Assistant
John Ballantine200401In year 1889c. 1894Apprentice
George Sinclair200404In year 1896c. 1896
John King201851In year 1897In year 1902ApprenticeWorked under the supervision of George Gunn.
William Kerr201301In year 1901In year 1904Assistant
William Meek Page202830In year 1905In year 1907Chief Assistant
John Ballantine200401c. 1894In year 1902Assistant

RIBA Proposers

The following individuals proposed this person for RIBA membership (click on an item to view details):

RIBA PROPOSERS2 classic

ProposerProposer LinkDate ProposedNotes
David Barclay2000641906/12/03for Fellowship
James Milne Monro2001221906/12/03for Fellowship
Henry Edward Clifford2002351906/12/03for Fellowship
C J MacLean2040471906/12/03for Fellowship

RIBA Proposals

This person proposed the following individuals for RIBA membership (click on an item to view details):

RIBA PROPOSALS2 classic

PersonDate ProposedNotes
John Ballantine1911/03/20for Licentiateship
William Stephen Gibson1911/07/20for Licentiateship

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
Glasgow Municipal Buildingsc. 1880GlasgowScotlandCompetition design entered under the pseudonym St Mungo Tempus Fugit
Two tenements, Herriet StreetIn year 1886PollokshieldsGlasgowScotland
Tenements of Mansion FlatsIn year 1890HyndlandGlasgowScotland
Ferguson Memorial ChurchIn year 1897SpringburnGlasgowScotland
The Knowe and LodgeIn year 1899PollokshieldsGlasgowScotlandAddition
Dalmarnock Congregational ChurchIn year 1901DalmarnockGlasgowScotland
Commercial buildings, Ayr StreetIn year 1902TroonAyrshireScotland
OaklandsIn year 1902PollokshieldsGlasgowScotland
Luncarty Village HallIn year 1902LuncartyPerthshireScotland
ArderyIn year 1902TroonAyrshireScotland
RedhillsIn year 1902PollokshieldsGlasgowScotland
House for John Campbell McKellarAfter 1902KelvinsideGlasgowScotland
Mansion Flats, 25-53 Lancaster AvenueIn year 1903GlasgowScotland
Terrace of houses, Montgomery DriveIn year 1904KelvinsideGlasgowScotland
Gresham ChambersIn year 1904GlasgowScotland

References

Bibliographic References

The following books contain references to this person:

Bib ref classic

AuthorTitleDatePublisherPartNotes
Post Office Directories
Dictionary of Scottish Business Biographyvolume 2pp150-153

Periodical References

The following periodicals contain references to this person:

Period ref classic

Periodical NamePublisherDate CircEditionNotes
Building Industries1920/11/16*
The Bailie*Vol. CVIp 2762

Archive References

The following archives hold material relating to this person:

Arc ref classic

Archive NameSourceSource Cat NoBuilding IdItem NameNotes
RIBA Nomination PapersRIBA Archive, Victoria & Albert Museum100005F v17 no 1164 (microfilm reel 12)
Professor David M Walker, notes and collection of archive materialProfessor David M Walker personal archive100041Additional research (family information and addresses) by Iain Paterson
Glasgow University ArchivesGlasgow University200162GUA UGD/208 John C McKellar
Information sent via \'Contact us\' on DSA websiteCourtesy of Michael Moss201186Sent October 2012.