Architects

Name:

(Sir) Matthew Montgomerie Ochterlony

Designation :

Architect

Date of Birth:

Exact Date

Exact DOB:

28/02/1880

Year of Birth :

Circa Year of Birth :

Date of Birth Before (Year):

Date of Birth After (Year):

DOB (1st 'Or' Year):

DOB (2nd 'Or' Year):

Date of Death:

Exact Date

Exact DOD:

10/04/1946

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 :

Sir Matthew Montgomerie Ochterlony was born on 28 February 1880 in Juniper Green, the elder son of Sir David F Ochterlony and his wife Somerville Grahame, daughter of Barron Grahame of Morphie, Kincardineshire. He was educated at the Edinburgh Institution from 1892-94.

In 1899 he was articled to Kinross & Tarbolton and studied at the Edinburgh School of Applied Art, but his training was interrupted by ill health in 1902, on account of which he was obliged to spend the next two years engaged in 'outdoor employment in forestry and market gardening' whilst receiving private tuition. It may have been at that time that he began to be a skilful craftsman in wood and metal and ultimately stained glass. His health having recovered, he returned to the Kinross & Tarbolton office in 1905, eventually being promoted to principal draughtsman (where he valued his position, writing to Kinross's son in 1931: 'My appreciation of your father and his work has increased with my own maturity and I suppose there is no one who admires his ability and judgement more than I did') before leaving to join Dick Peddie & Forbes Smith in 1911. In 1915 he spent a short spell with J N Scott & A Lorne Campbell before enlisting as a private in the Royal Army Service Corps in January 1916. His war service took him to France, and on his demobilisation in May 1919 he returned to Dick Peddie's office for a year before joining Frank Edward Belcombe Blanc of Hippolyte J Blanc & Son, 25 Rutland Square, as chief assistant. That office did not have much business and by arrangement with Blanc, he began to carry out some independent commissions from that office, finally leaving in 1923 to commence practice on his own account from 18 Melville Street. He formed a brief association with William Davidson (born 1875) in 1928, and in 1929 moved his office to 2 Coates Crescent. In 1921 he had married Eleanor Mary Lawrie Fogo, daughter of David F L Row Fogo of Row, Perthshire and granddaughter of the architect John Laurie Row Fogo. He succeeded to the baronetcy in 1931, becoming 4th Baronet.

Ochterlony was admitted LRIBA in mid-1932, his proposers being Harold Ogle Tarbolton, James Alexander Arnott and Alexander Lorne Campbell. He applied for Fellowship in November that year, proposed by Tarbolton, Arnott and Burnett Napier Henderson Orphoot, and was admitted late that year or early the next. By the time of his application he had merged his practice with Tarbolton's at 4 St Colme Street. He was living at Spylaw Cottage, Colinton, a building which he had altered for his own occupation.

Tarbolton was elected ARSA in 1931 and RSA in 1934, Ochterlony ARSA in 1939. In 1938 Tarbolton succeeded Sir George Washington Browne as a Royal Fine Art Commissioner, serving for ten years. He was also a member of the Amenity Committee which considered the work carried out under the Galloway Water Power Act of 1929. He acted as advisory architect and designed the housing schemes. This appointment led to him becoming an advisory architect to the North of Scotland Hydro Electric Board in 1944, and to commissions for the power stations at Loch Sloy and Pitlochry on the Tummel-Garry scheme. He was elected a member of the Institute of British Engineers in October 1939.

In his later years Ochterlony devoted much of his time to stained glass, working in collaboration with his artist friend Andrew Watson Turnbull. His first wife died on 31 December 1938 and three-and-a-half years later, on 25 May 1942, his engagement to Mary Alfreda Meiklejon was announced. He had a long-standing connection with St Cuthbert's Episcopal Church in Colinton and he served as church warden and honorary secretary and treasurer.

Ochterlony died in Edinburgh on 4 October 1946 and Tarbolton at 4 East Castle Street on 31 July of the following year, while his power station schemes were still under construction. The practice continued under the existing name of Tarbolton & Ochterlony. He was succeeded to the Baronetcy by his brother Charles Francis (born 27 June 1891).

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
Balmadie Colinton Edinburgh Scotland	Private/business
Spylaw Cottage/3 Spylaw Park Colinton Midlothian Scotland	Private

row(s) 1 - 2 of 2

Business Addresses2 classic

Address	Class	Date From	Date To	Notes
8 Albyn Place Edinburgh Scotland	Business	c. 1914		Peddie & Fornbes Smith's office
Balmadie Colinton Edinburgh Scotland	Private/business	c. 1916
25 Rutland Square Edinburgh Scotland	Business	1920	1923
18 Melville Street Edinburgh Scotland	Business	1923	1929
Spylaw Cottage Colinton Edinburgh Scotland	Business	c. 1923	c. 1924
26 Melville Street Edinburgh Scotland	Business	c. 1927		From PO Directories
2 Coates Crescent Edinburgh Scotland	Business	c. 1928	After 1932/01
4 St Colme Street Edinburgh Scotland	Business	Before 1933/11	After 1939\|1940	As Tarbolton & Ochterlony

row(s) 1 - 8 of 8

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
John More Dick Peddie	200118	1919/05	In year 1920	Assistant
Kinross & Tarbolton	201997	In year 1899	In year 1902	Apprentice
John Kinross	200965	In year 1905	In year 1911	Chief Draughtsman
Kinross & Tarbolton	201997	In year 1905	In year 1905	Assistant
J M Dick Peddie & Forbes Smith	202893	In year 1911	In year 1914	Assistant
J N Scott & A Lorne Campbell (or Scott & Campbell)	200695	In year 1915	1916/01	Assistant
Hippolyte J Blanc & Son	204287	In year 1920	In year 1923	Chief Assistant
Tarbolton & Ochterlony	200702	Late 1932s	In year 1946	Partner

row(s) 1 - 8 of 8

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

RIBA PROPOSERS2 classic

Proposer	Proposer Link	Date Proposed	Notes
James Alexander Arnott	100044	Early 1932s	for Fellowship
Burnett Napier Henderson Orphoot	202918	Early 1932s	for Fellowship
Harold Ogle Tarbolton	100213	Early 1932s	for Fellowship
James Alexander Arnott	100044	Mid 1932s	for Licentiateship
Harold Ogle Tarbolton	100213	Mid 1932s	for Licentiateship
Alexander Lorne Campbell	200379	Mid 1932s	for Licentiateship

row(s) 1 - 6 of 6

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

RIBA PROPOSALS2 classic

Person	Date Proposed	Notes
George Hay	1937/03/08	for Associateship
Reginald William Johnston	1938/10/24	for Associateship
John Stevenson junior	1941/10/21	for Associateship
William John Urquhart	1946/07/09	For Associateship

row(s) 1 - 4 of 4

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	Island	City or County	Country	Notes
Balmadies	In year 1914	Colinton		Edinburgh	Scotland
St Columba's Episcopal Church	After 1923	Gruline/Salen/Druimlang	Mull	Argyll	Scotland	Alterations
Spylaw Cottage	After 1923	Colinton		Edinburgh	Scotland	Additions and alterations, for himself
Fenella	After 1923	Colinton		Edinburgh	Scotland
17 Rothesay Place	After 1923			Edinburgh	Scotland	Additions and reconstruction
St Cuthbert's Episcopal Church	In year 1925	Colinton		Edinburgh	Scotland	Church hall
St Peter's Episcopal Church and Rectory	In year 1926	Montrose		Angus	Scotland	Triptych and new chancel with Andrew Watson Turnbull (information from NMRS, although all other sources point to Tarbolton alone)
Craigiehall	In year 1927	Cramond		Edinburgh	Scotland	Further work planned - unclear if executed
Balmadies	In year 1927	Colinton		Edinburgh	Scotland	Additions. Perhaps also the 1934 additions
Overburn	In year 1927	Currie		Midlothian	Scotland
Fullarton	In year 1927	Colinton		Edinburgh	Scotland
Kirkside House	In year 1928	St Cyrus		Kincardineshire	Scotland	Alterations and additions to front and staircase - in association with William Davidson
St Anne's	In year 1928	Colinton		Edinburgh	Scotland
Harefield	In year 1928	Colinton		Edinburgh	Scotland
The Lodge	In year 1929			Edinburgh	Scotland	Conversion of stables to house - in association with William Davidson

row(s) 1 - 15 of 48

The following books contain references to this person:

Bib ref classic

Author	Title	Date	Publisher
Scottish Biographies		1938	E J Thurston (pub.)
Post Office Directories
RIBA	The RIBA Kalendar 1939-1940	1939	London: Royal Institute of British Architects

row(s) 1 - 3 of 3

The following periodicals contain references to this person:

Period ref classic

Periodical Name	Date Circ	Edition	Notes
The Times	1933/01/17	*	Announcement of his admittance as FRIBA
The Times	1939/03/17	*	Announcement of admittance as ARSA
The Times	1942/05/25	*	Announcement of engagement to Mary Alfreda Meiklejon
The Times	1946/10/09	*	Obituary
RIBA Journal	1947/03	v54	p286 - obituary
The Times	1938/12/31	*	Death notice of his wife Eleanor Mary
Builder	1946/10/18		p394 - obituary
Scotsman	1946/10/07		Obituary p3

row(s) 1 - 8 of 8

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			L no4149 (box 21); F no3077 (box 16)

row(s) 1 - 1 of 1

Basic Biographic Details

Addresses

Private Addresses

Private Addresses2 classic

Business Addresses

Business Addresses2 classic

Employment and Training

Employers2 classic

RIBA Proposers

RIBA PROPOSERS2 classic

RIBA Proposals

RIBA PROPOSALS2 classic

Buildings and Designs

Buildings and Designs2 classic

References

Bibliographic References

Bib ref classic

Periodical References

Period ref classic

Archive References

Arc ref classic