Architects

Name:

Leslie Grahame Thomson (or Leslie Grahame-Thomson; later Leslie Grahame MacDougall)

Designation :

Architect

Date of Birth:

Exact Date

Exact DOB:

14/08/1896

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DOB (2nd 'Or' Year):

Date of Death:

Exact Date

Exact DOD:

06/03/1974

Year of Death:

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Bio Notes :

Leslie Grahame MacDougall was born Leslie Grahame Thomson on 14 August 1896, the son of Patrick William Thomson, departmental store proprietor. He was educated at Merchiston Castle School and was called up at the end of his final year, serving first with the Highland Light Infantry and as a sergeant in the Army Pay Department, and from 1917 in Egypt and Palestine with the Egyptian Expeditionary Force. On his return he commenced his architectural training at Edinburgh College of Art under Sir George Washington Browne and John Begg and was articled to Sir Robert Lorimer. The course ended with a full-time year at the end of which he and another student were the first to complete the full recognised RIBA diploma course giving exemption from the qualifying exam and he was admitted ARIBA on 14 February 1927. Prior to this he had travelled widely listing Italy, France, Switzerland, Belgium, Holland, Norway, Greece as well as the places in which he saw active service - Constantinople, Palestine, Egypt, Tunisia, Algeria and Syria.

In 1927 Thomson set up practice on his own account at 10 St Colme Street, moving to 6 Ainslie Place in 1930 or 1931. Through a combination of sheer ability, excellent presentation watercolours and family connections he was successful at once. Initially he worked in a markedly Lorimer-influenced style but quickly moved into a white-walled style with American-Italian and sometimes 'Cape Dutch' elements similar to those adopted by Oldrieve Bell & Paterson, the last of these, William Paterson being a particular friend. Later Scandinavian influences took a hold over him, following a number of study tours abroad, a development also associated with Frank James Connell who became his partner in late 1937 and had a large hand in the Caledonian Insurance Building. In 1936 he received the commission for the new headquarters building for the National Bank of Scotland but his more conservative design for it did not meet with the approval of the bank and Arthur Davis of Mewes & Davis was brought in as consultant to redesign the elevations. The practice was backed up by a magnificent library sold in 1983. As was remarked at the time, 'he had absolutely everything'. Thomson was elected FRIBA on 21 June 1937, his proposers being Reginald Fairlie, Frank Charles Mears and John Fraser Matthew. He was also elected ARSA in that year. The partnership with Connell ended when the latter was called up, and during the Second World War Thomson taught for a short period at Edinburgh College of Art from want of other work.

After the war Connell joined the staff of the Scottish office as an architect-planner, ending his career as a Regional Planning Officer. Thomson resumed practice as sole partner and was elected a full Academician in 1949. For a number of years he was joint secretary of the Association for the Preservation of Rural Scotland with Sir Frank Mears; he was also President of the RIAS between 1953 and 1955 and President of the Edinburgh Architectural Association 1949-1951.

In 1933 Thomson married Barbara Mary Henderson, daughter of chartered accountant Kenneth Henderson, and built Srongarbh (also known as Srongara or Strongara) in West Linton as their marital home. This marriage broke down but in 1949 Thomson married Coline (Collean) Helen Elizabeth MacDougall. She became Clan Chief as Madame MacDougall of MacDougall in 1953 and, on the instigation of Lord Lyon King of Arms of Scotland, her husband took the name of MacDougall in lieu of Thomson (officially changed 21 May 1953), their main residence becoming Dunollie Castle, Oban. The practice, however, continued as Leslie Grahame-Thomson & Associates. In the early 1960s an office opened at 2 Shore Street, Oban and by the late 1960s the Edinburgh office was being run down. MacDougall never completely retired, maintaining a small specialist practice from Dunollie from 1972 or 1973 until he died on 3 June 1974. In the last few years of his life he was working on a book on Dunollie and the Clan MacDougall, but it is unclear whether this ever reached publication.

Publications:

'The Student's vista', RIAS Quarterly Spring 1924, no 9
'The late Sir Robert Lorimer and his work' RIAS Quarterly 1929, no 31
'Concerning this heritage' RIAS Quarterly 1932 no 38
'Christian symbolism' Transactions of the Scottish Ecclesiological Society v.14 1951 part 3
'Centurial message' RIAS Quarterly February 1955, no 99
'The Reid Memorial Church', guidebook

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
Inglewood/18 Hermitage Drive Edinburgh Scotland	Private
Srongara/Srongarbh/Strongara (later The Neuk) West Linton Peeblesshire Scotland	Private
Dunollie Castle Oban Argyll Scotland	Private

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Business Addresses2 classic

Address	Class	Date From	Date To
10 St Colme Street Edinburgh Scotland	Business	1926	c. 1930
6 Ainslie Place Edinburgh Scotland	Business	c. 1931	After 1964
108 Old Brompton Road London England	Business	1947
2 Shore Street Oban Argyll Scotland	Business	1966	After 1970

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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
(Sir) Robert Stodart Lorimer	200052	1921/10	1924/09	Apprentice
Leslie Grahame Thomson & Connell	200829	1937 or 1938	c. 1940	Partner
Leslie Grahame-Thomson & Associates	202403	After 1950	1972 or 1973	Senior 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
Gilbert Laurie Cadell	206195	1932/10/07	1933/10/23	Assistant
Arnold McKenzie Hunter	400038	1937/07	1938/08	Assistant
Arnold McKenzie Hunter	400038	1937/08	1937/09	Assistant
John Michael Fox	100541	After 1933	Before 1937	Assistant	Gave 'periodical assistance to Mr Leslie Thompson â¦ of Edinburgh (presumably Grahame-Thomson)
Morton John Heddell Cowie	201029	In year 1926	After 1930	Assistant	During holidays
James Robertson	204754	In year 1934	After 1935	Assistant
Frank James Connell	200828	In year 1935	1937 or 1938	Assistant
James Conner	400128	In year 1937		Assistant
(Professor Sir) James Duncan Dunbar-Nasmith	400348	In year 1953	In year 1954	Architect	Employed for six months
William Logan junior	403524	c. 1946		Architect

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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
(Sir) Robert Stodart Lorimer	200052	1927/02/14	For Associateship
Charles Denny Carus-Wilson	202706	1927/02/14	For Associateship
John Begg	200375	1927/02/14	For Associateship
Reginald Francis Joseph Fairlie	200253	1937/06/21	for Fellowship
John Fraser Matthew	201983	1937/06/21	for Fellowship
(Sir) Frank Charles Mears	202402	1937/06/21	for Fellowship
(Miss) Frances Mary Marquis	400888	Early 1945s	for Associateship

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

RIBA PROPOSALS2 classic

Person	Date Proposed	Notes
Ian Sinclair Gavin	1938/03/07	for Associateship
John Hardie Glover	1938/03/07	for Associateship
Stuart Russell Matthew	1938/04/04	for Fellowship
Thomas Aikman Swan	1939/06/19	for Fellowship
Arnold McKenzie Hunter	1939/06/19	for Associateship
James Stewart Johnston	1939/10/09	for Fellowship
Charles Edward Tweedie (junior)	1940/01/09	for Fellowship
Robert James Naismith	1941/10/21	For Associateship
Philistas Rognvald Howard Stoughton Holbourn	1941/10/21	for Associateship
Thomas Sharp Grossert	1941/12/16	for Associateship
William Henry Sayers	1942/04/14	for Licentiateship
Guy Davis	1942/11/17	for Associateship
John ('Jack') Baird	1943/03/16	for Associateship
Alan Douglas	1943/04/13	for Associateship
Theodore Shealtiel Clerk	1943/10/01	for Associateship

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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
House with four public rooms	In year 1924			Scotland	Inscribed on draeings 'Leslie G Thomson ARIBA 10 St Colme Street, Edinburgh'
Stock Exchange	c. 1925		Edinburgh	Scotland
Ronachan	After 1926	Clachan	Argyll	Scotland	Alterations
Alterations and interior decoration of town house	After 1926		Edinburgh	Scotland
Trinity Church	After 1926	Bromley	Kent	England	Alterations
House for F C Drummond Hay	After 1926	Dunkeld	Perthshire	Scotland
House for A Warren	After 1926		Argyll	Scotland
House for J H Lamb	After 1926		Edinburgh	Scotland
House for Rev Mitchell	After 1926		Edinburgh	Scotland
House for Mrs Yooll	After 1926		Edinburgh	Scotland
Bungalow at Dunkeld	In year 1927	Dunkeld	Perthshire	Scotland
House at Murrayfield	c. 1928	Murrayfield	Edinburgh	Scotland
House at Colinton for Miss Ross	c. 1928	Colinton	Edinburgh	Scotland
St John's Church	c. 1928	Perth	Perthshire	Scotland	Sketch plan of window (signed by Leslie Graham Thomson & Associates)
Reid Memorial Church (and church officer's house)	In year 1929		Edinburgh	Scotland

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The following books contain references to this person:

Bib ref classic

Author	Title	Date	Publisher	Part	Notes
Post Office Directories
G, A E	Leslie Grahame MacDougall (profile)	1956	RIAS Quarterly	Autumn, no 105
MacDougall, H	Christ's Church Dunollie, 1901-1957, 1993
Martin-Kaye, Hugh (ed.)	Leslie Grahame MacDougall	1947	Architecture Illustrated volume 26 no 200 (Entire issue devoted to MacDougall's work)	January
Merchiston Castle School	Merchiston Castle School Register, 1833-1962
Glendinning, Miles	Rebuilding Scotland: The Postwar Vision, 1945-75	1997	Tuckwell Press Ltd		p8 Proposals for North of Scotland Hydro Electric Board Headquarters, Pitlochry
Municipal Annual	Scottish Municipal Annual	1964		1964-1965

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The following periodicals contain references to this person:

Period ref classic

Periodical Name	Date Circ	Edition	Notes
Scotsman	1937/03/13	*
Scotsman	1974/06/05	*	Obituary
RIAS Quarterly	1953/08	93	p2 Official change of name and biography on election to presidency of the RIAS
Builder	1954/05/21		p918
Builder	1951/2/2		p186
Builder	1947/7/4		p12-4

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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 no3402 (box 22); A no 4043 (Box 7)

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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

RIBA Proposers

RIBA PROPOSERS2 classic

RIBA Proposals

RIBA PROPOSALS2 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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