Architects

Name:

James Hamilton & Son

Designation :

Architectural practice

Date of Birth:

Year Only

Exact DOB:

14/05/1926

Year of Birth :

1877

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:

Year Only

Exact DOD:

14/05/1926

Year of Death:

1907

Circa Year of Death:

Date of Death Before (Year):

Date of Death After (Year):

DOD (1st 'Or' Year):

DOD (2nd 'Or' Year):

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Bio Notes :

James Hamilton was born c.1826 the son of John Hamilton, manager of St Rollox Chemical Works and his wife Jane McKay. By his own account in the 'Architects, Engineers and Building Trades Directory' of 1868, he was articled to Alexander Kirkland with whom he remained several years as an assistant, setting up on his own account in 1857. While at Kirkland's he designed in his own name several monuments in the Glasgow Necropolis including the boldly theatrical one to J H Alexander. Thomas Gildard (ms p.20) is careful to emphasise that he was not related in any way to David Hamilton or his son James. From what the late Professor William James Smith learned when with the Hamiltons in the early twentieth century, Hamilton was largely responsible for the design of Kirkland's Venetian Tillie & Henderson Building, 37-51 Miller Street, and Eagle Buildings on Bothwell Street. Tillie & Henderson was a Londonderry company and it was in Ireland that Hamilton made his name by winning the elevations competition for the Ulster Bank in 1857 with elevations related to Tillie & Henderson's; he also designed several branches for that bank. Hamilton also established himself as an expert in the design of baths buildings, his Directory entry recording essays on heating, ventilation and acoustics. In 1861 Kirkland took Hamilton into partnership (his previous partnership with James Russell having ended in 1856) with an office in West Nile Street, but Kirkland abruptly withdrew at the end of 1861, leaving for London to recommence practice as a civil engineer only on 19 February 1862. Their apprentice Thomas Ross (1839-1930), later of MacGibbon and Ross then left for the office of Charles Wilson. James Hamilton continued the Glasgow practice alone with the assistance of James Sellars from 1864-67. To manage the Belfast office he entered into a partnership with Frank Stirrat who had supervised the building of the Ulster Bank, an arrangement that lasted from 1863 until 1866.

James Hamilton's son John H, born in 1851, was educated at Glasgow High School and Glasgow School of Art and completed his articles with his father 1867-1873. Thereafter he gained five years experience in unspecified offices, and at some stage travelled on the continent. He was taken into formal partnership as James Hamilton & Son in 1877. However father and son disagreed c. 1884 and John practised independently until a few months before his father died in 1894 when a reconciliation took place and the partnership was reformed. The name James Hamilton & Son was then used from this date until 1907 when it was dropped in preparation for John's son Arthur Donaldson Hamilton being taken into partnership, the firm becoming John Hamilton & Son in 1910. Arthur was born on 25 January 1882 and articled to his father 1899 to 1905, attending Glasgow School of Art and the Glasgow and West of Scotland Technical College. In 1905 he was placed with John Archibald Campbell for experience, returning to his father's practice as an assistant before being taken into partnership. Much of the work of the practice was valuation, notably for the Glasgow City and District Railway and the Caledonian Railway, and arbitration, notably for the Glasgow Corporation Sewage Scheme.

All three generations of Hamiltons were closely associated with Rothesay, where they had weekend houses. They built many villas there and in the surrounding area.

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
132 West Regent Street Glasgow Scotland	Business	1882		1883
212 St Vincent Street Glasgow Scotland	Business	1904

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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
Arthur Donald Hamilton	201065	1899/08/01	In year 1905	Apprentice
Hugh Aitken Hutchison Walker	207400	1907/06	1912/06	Apprentice
James Hamilton	200286	In year 1877	c. 1884	Partner
John H Hamilton	200287	In year 1877	c. 1884	Partner	Resumed partnership in 1893
James Hoey Craigie	200284	In year 1885	In year 1890	Apprentice	Under James Hamilton
James Hamilton	200286	c. 1893	In year 1894	Partner
John H Hamilton	200287	c. 1893	In year 1907	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	Town, District or Village	Island	City or County	Country	Notes
Moorhouse	After 1868	Barrhead		Renfrewshire	Scotland	Unclear whether by John Hamilton alone or in partnership
Duncan Halls	In year 1877	Rothesay	Bute	Bute	Scotland
Corner tenement with shop, Russell Street and Mill Street	In year 1877	Rothesay	Bute	Bute	Scotland	HS suggestion
Baths, Leslie Street	In year 1884	Pollokshields		Glasgow	Scotland	Won competition and secured job
St Rollox UP Church	In year 1893	St Rollox		Glasgow	Scotland
Shawlands Academy	In year 1893	Shawlands		Glasgow	Scotland
Drill Hall, Rumford Street	In year 1894	Bridgeton		Glasgow	Scotland
Gorbals Grain Mills	In year 1895	Gorbals		Glasgow	Scotland	Second section
Shawlands Academy	In year 1896	Shawlands		Glasgow	Scotland	Extension
New Cathcart Free Church and Hall	In year 1898	Cathcart		Glasgow	Scotland	Hall only; commission for main church lost to J B Wilson
Battlefield East Church	In year 1898	Battlefield		Glasgow	Scotland	Hall
School and janitor's house	In year 1898	Pollokshaws		Glasgow	Scotland
Church hall and vestry, Moss Road	In year 1898			Glasgow	Scotland
Shawlands Free Church Hall	In year 1898	Shawlands Cross		Glasgow	Scotland
Shawlands Academy	After 1899	Shawlands		Glasgow	Scotland	Additions

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The following periodicals contain references to this person:

Period ref classic

Periodical Name	Publisher	Date Circ	Edition	Notes
RIBA Journal		1935/11/09	v43	p38 - obituary of John Hamilton

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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			Information from personal recollections of the late Professor William James Smith
Gildard's 'Some Old Glasgow Architects' supplementary manuscript	Mitchell Library	200053

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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

Periodical References

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Archive References

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