Architects

Name:

McCulloch & Fairley

Designation :

Architectural practice

Date of Birth:

Year Only

Exact DOB:

04/05/1926

Year of Birth :

1876

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:

Circa (Year)

Exact DOD:

04/05/1926

Year of Death:

Circa Year of Death:

1880

Date of Death Before (Year):

Date of Death After (Year):

DOD (1st 'Or' Year):

DOD (2nd 'Or' Year):

Town of Birth :

Bio Notes :

Alexander McCulloch was born in West Fife and commenced his career with practical training in the building trade with a 'leading establishment' in Edinburgh. He studied at Heriot-Watt and in 1864 became assistant to Charles Macpherson, Edinburgh's burgh engineer. In 1868 he commenced the University of Edinburgh's engineering course, winning its first prize and medal in 1870, and was employed by Professor Fleming Jenkin to make illustrations and lecture diagrams. In 1872 he was appointed first assistant to William Mackison, Dundee's burgh engineer, in succession to Watson who became water engineer. In 1875 he resigned to set up practice in Dundee as a civil engineer and in mid-1876 he formed the Dundee and Edinburgh civil engineering and architectural partnership of McCulloch & Fairley with James Graham Fairley whom he had known in Macpherson's office. Born in 1846, the son of William Fairley, millwright and engineer, Fairley had like McCulloch begun his career with four years' practical experience of building, working in his father's office before being articled to Robert Thornton Shiells. At the end of his apprenticeship he spent four years with MacPherson, followed by a period in the Office of Works in Lodon and six months in the Royal Engineers' Office in Edinburgh under Major du Cane and had at some point travelled in France and Italy prior to setting up practice as an architect in Edinburgh in 1873.

The partnership of McCulloch & Fairley had a formal existence of only about three years, but remained effective for at least another eight years, McCulloch continuing to obtain Fairley's assistance for any major architectural commission that came his way, most notably at the French Renaissance Girls' High School (1886) in Dundee, one of the finest Scottish buildings of the 1880s.

McCulloch was admitted AMICE in 1885. He took an active part in Dundee public life, becoming a volunteer officer in 1878, a councillor in 1883, and Convener of the Works Committee of the Water Commission in 1884, having a major hand in the design and construction of the aqueduct from Lintrathen to Clatto. He subsequently had a similar advisory role in the design of the Esplanade, succeeding in changing its design from serpentine to straight. He became a Baillie in 1886, but subsequently resigned to apply for the post of City Water Engineer and was surprised to find himself an unsuccessful candidate.

In 1885 McCulloch engaged as assistant George Jamieson, probably because the time Fairley could give to McCulloch's practice was becoming limited. Born in 1862, Jamieson had been articled to Alexander Hutchison of Dundee 1875-79, remaining as improver 1879-81 and had worked in the office of James Maclaren from 1881 to 1885. In 1894 Jamieson was made a partner, and c.1900 McCulloch retired to Edinburgh where he appears to have been briefly in partnership with a Robert McCulloch at 3 Bernard Street, Leith. Jamieson was admitted LRIBA on 27 February 1911 his proposers being Leslie Ower, J Donald Mills and Godfrey Shepherd. At that date his address was 20 Whitehall Street. His works in independent practice were few, mainly alterations for Dundee Eastern Co-operative Society in Peter Street and elsewhere. He died in January 1939.

Bio Notes continued...

Additional Notes

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

Business Addresses2 classic

Address	Class	Date From	Date From Type	Date To	Date To Type	Notes
22 Euclid Crescent Dundee Scotland	Business	1876				From 1876 onwards
Edinburgh 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	Notes
Alexander McCulloch	201020	In year 1876	c. 1880	Partner
James Graham Fairley	201023	In year 1876	c. 1880	Partner

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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	City or County	Country	Notes
Victoria Hall	In year 1875	Dundee	Scotland
Trinity EU Church	In year 1876	Dundee	Scotland
Rattray Street Baptist Church	In year 1876	Dundee	Scotland
Improvement Act Tenements, Victoria Road	In year 1877	Dundee	Scotland	Executed Aitken's design
Tenement, Victoria Road	In year 1877	Dundee	Scotland
Tenement, Victoria Road and Infirmary Lane	In year 1877	Dundee	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
Who's Who in Architecture		1923

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The following periodicals contain references to this person:

Period ref classic

Periodical Name	Date Circ	Edition	Notes
RIBA Journal	1934/07/07	v41	p890 - obituary of Fairley
Builder	1934/04/17	*	Obituary of Fairley
Scotsman	1934/04/16	*	Obituary of Fairley
The Piper of Dundee	*	*	Biography of McCulloch - CHECK date

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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
Professor David M Walker, notes and collection of archive material	Professor David M Walker personal archive	100041			Personal information on Alexander McCulloch from Harry Band

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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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