Architects

Name:

Robertson & Orchar

Designation :

Engineers - Architectural practice

Date of Birth:

Before (Year)

Exact DOB:

17/07/1925

Year of Birth :

Circa Year of Birth :

Date of Birth Before (Year):

1861

Date of Birth After (Year):

DOB (1st 'Or' Year):

DOB (2nd 'Or' Year):

Date of Death:

Date Not Known

Exact DOD:

17/07/1925

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 :

Robertson & Orchar was a Dundee-based mill-engineer and textile machinery manufacturing partnership with an architectural department. It was founded in 1856 when William Robertson, born 1825 and a leading draughtsman in the engineering department at Baxter Brothers, and James Guthrie Orchar, also born 1825 and then draughtsman to Steele's Lilybank Foundry, took over the Wallace Foundry of the dissolved partnership of Kinmond Hutton & Steele. It was immediately successful, being commissioned to design and build J & A D Grimond's Bowbridge Works and John Smieton's Panmure Works at Carmoustie in the following year.

Mark WAtson writes: 'I have the impression that the majority of the new power loom factories put up in Angus and Fife in 1856- 1867 were by Robertson and Orchar. They have a distinctive appearance, often Italianate, and their ironwork also has give-away details: Polonceau trussed wrought iron and arched but not gothic cast iron roofs, garlic bulb capitals, power transmission from below floors, often from a basement if sited on a hill. After 1867 they were rivalled by Urquhart Lindsay and Co, but the factories made by the latter were more utilitarian'.

Robertson was active in municipal affairs. He became interim town councillor for Dundee's First Ward on the death of Baillie Foggie in 1869, and was elected to the seat in November. He quickly made his name by promoting the augmentation of the Monikie water supply from the Fithie Burn and the Crombie reservoir and strongly advocated the acquisition of the Loch of Lintrathen as a lasting solution to Dundee's water supply. He was however defeated on the route of the pipeline by Provost Yeaman, the latter's direct route proving to have too steep a fall as Robertson had predicted. In 1874 Robertson was elected a magistrate and from 1875 to 1878 he was provost. Thereafter he severed his connection with the Council but continued to play an active role in the affairs of the Royal Lunatic Asylum, Dundee Infirmary, the Mars Training Ship and Dundee High School to which he gifted the gymnasium and the technical workshops. Like his partner Orchar he was a significant art collector and a supporter of the building of the Victoria Art Galleries.

James Guthrie Orchar retired in 1896 and died on 14 May 1898. Robertson's health failed in the latter year. Although he resumed attending business in the spring of 1899, his health became too precarious for him to travel thereafter. He died at Balmore on 11 July 1899, survived by his wife Elizabeth Petrie, and was buried at the Western Cemetery in Dundee. The business was continued by the families (in Orchar's case his wife's, his son James Steel Orchar having predeceased him) and merged with Urquhart Lindsay & Co, founded 1867, as Urquhart Lindsay Robertson Orchar after the First World War.

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
Wallace Foundry Brown Constable Street Dundee Scotland	Business					Thereafter Urquhart Lindsay Robertson Orchar, Blackness and Wallace Foundries, Dundee

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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
William Robertson	204643	Before 1861		Partner
William Gauldie	201113	In year 1897	In year 1898	Assistant	Year in Architectural department
James Guthrie Orchar	100391			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	City or County	Country	Notes
Wallace Foundry	In year 1856		Dundee	Scotland	Alterations and extensive additions, including turning shop, 1871 and kilns and pattern shop 1882
Bowbridge Works	In year 1857		Dundee	Scotland	New buildings as specified in 'events'
Panmure Works	In year 1857	Carnoustie	Angus	Scotland
Canmore Works	1860s	Dunfermline	Fife	Scotland
Pilmuir Linen Works	1860s	Dunfermline	Fife	Scotland	Parts of the works
Albany Works, linen factory	1860s	Dunfermline	Fife	Scotland	Original factory
Castlebrae Works	1860s	Dunfermline	Fife	Scotland
Linen Works	1860 or 1870	Forfar	Angus	Scotland	Possibly
Seafield Works	In year 1861		Dundee	Scotland
Johnstone's Factory	In year 1863	East Wemyss	Fife	Scotland
Den Burn Works	In year 1864	Brechin	Angus	Scotland
South Street works	In year 1864	Forfar	Angus	Scotland
Eden Valley Linen Works	c. 1864	Freuchie	Fife	Scotland	'Probably' (HS)
Larchfield Works	In year 1865		Dundee	Scotland	'Probably' (HS)
Pleasance Works	In year 1865	Falkland	Fife	Scotland

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The following books contain references to this person:

Bib ref classic

Author	Title	Date	Publisher	Notes
Watson, Mark	Jute and Flax mills in Dundee	1990	Tayport: Hutton Press Ltd
Dundee Yearbook		1898		Orchar
Dundee Yearbook		1899		Robertson

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The following periodicals contain references to this person:

Period ref classic

Periodical Name	Publisher	Date Circ	Edition	Notes
The Piper of Dundee		1899/07/26	*

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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
Fairbarin, Lawson Combe Barbour Archive	West Yorkshire Archives, Leeds	200770

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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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