Architects

Name:

William Leslie

Designation :

Architect

Date of Birth:

Year Only

Exact DOB:

04/05/1926

Year of Birth :

1802

Circa Year of Birth :

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DOB (2nd 'Or' Year):

Date of Death:

Exact Date

Exact DOD:

18/02/1879

Year of Death:

Circa Year of Death:

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Date of Death After (Year):

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DOD (2nd 'Or' Year):

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Bio Notes :

William Leslie was born at New Deer in 1802. His family were Independents, i.e. Congregationalists. He established himself at Park Cottage, Broadford, Aberdeen by at least 1828 when he designed a castellated lodge and gate for Hatton Castle. As a contractor his first job is said to have been the additions at Craibstone House, presumably those built in 1829, but it is not clear whether he designed them. He certainly built the North Church in Aberdeen to John Smith's designs in 1829-30 and Castle Newe to Simpson's designs in 1831. In 1836 he was appointed agent for the Sutherland estates, undertaking architectural and civil engineering work, from 1838 in partnership as McDonald & Leslie, based in Dornoch. His Sutherland appointment did not exclude contracting for others and in 1840-41 McDonald & Leslie widened the Bridge of Dee to the designs of James Walker of Walker & Burgess, London, using the original facings as far as practicable, a contract which marked the beginning of a shift of his business interests towards Aberdeen.

In 1844 the Duke of Sutherland commissioned designs from Sir Charles Barry for the enlargement of Dunrobin. These could not be fitted into the contours of the site, and after a castellated design made by the Duke himself had been discarded, the Duke returned to Barry's design and adapted it to the site with William Leslie as his architect in 1845, Barry being consulted on the details as the work proceeded. Leslie's role there is detailed in a letter by Leslie to Barry's son and biographer the Rev Alfred Barry 11 September 1866, enclosing a sketch elevation and ground plan by the Duke, 30 June 1844. Much of the detail design work was however in the hands of a pupil of Archibald Simpson's, Peter Kerr, from 1845 until 1848 when he joined Barry's staff in London.

In 1851 Leslie is recorded as living in Aberdeen and described as an 'architect and builder employing 150 hands'. The partnership of McDonald & Leslie was dissolved in 1853 when Leslie concentrated his business interests and practice in Aberdeen. Sometime thereafter he became a town councillor and was Lord Provost 1869-73; during his tenure of that office he became a landed gentleman buying the small estate of Nethermuir, remodelling the house as a neat Scots baronial villa. Although he appeared as an architect in the 'Architects Engineers and Building Trades Directory' 1868, with an address at Union Street his principal businesses were those of railway contractor and granite merchant. The buildings known to have been designed by him are few in number and mostly on the Sutherland estate. He died in Aberdeen on 18 February 1879.

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
Park Cottage Broadford Aberdeen Scotland	Private/business
8 Golden Square Aberdeen Scotland	Private

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Business Addresses2 classic

Address	Class	Date From	Date To
Park Cottage Broadford Aberdeen Scotland	Private/business	1828
Dornoch Aberdeenshire Scotland	Business	1838	1858
123 Union Street Aberdeen Scotland	Business	1868

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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	Notes
McDonald & Leslie	201898	In year 1838	In year 1858	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
Peter Kerr	201775	After 1845	c. 1848	Draughtsman
John Malcolm	202639	c. 1862	c. 1865	Apprentice

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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
Hatton Castle Lodge and Gates	In year 1828	Turriff	Aberdeenshire	Scotland	Lodge and gates
Kingussie Parish Church	In year 1833	Kingussie	Inverness-shire	Scotland	Additions
Dornoch Cathedral	In year 1835	Dornoch	Sutherland	Scotland	Assisted Alexander Coupar with restoration work
Bridge of Dee	In year 1840		Aberdeen	Scotland	Executed plans by James Walker of London
Rhives House	In year 1840	Rhives	Sutherland	Scotland	Design probably by Leslie
Helmsdale Harbour	In year 1841	Helmsdale	Sutherland	Scotland	Embanked the river\'s shore
Dunrobin Castle	In year 1844	Dunrobin	Sutherland	Scotland	Reconstruction incorporating suggestions from Duke of Sutherland based on Charles Barry' s scheme
Lairg Parish Church	In year 1845	Lairg	Sutherland	Scotland
Dornoch School	In year 1845	Dornoch	Sutherland	Scotland
Dunnet Manse	In year 1846	Dunnet	Caithness	Scotland
Uppat House	In year 1846	Golspie	Sutherland	Scotland	Extensive additions
Little Ferry Pier and boathouse	After 1850	Golspie	Sutherland	Scotland	Rebuilding
Dunrobin Castle, Flagstaff Lodge	c. 1850		Sutherland	Scotland	Attribution by Elizabeth Beaton - with William Fowler
Dunbeath Castle	In year 1851		Caithness	Scotland	Additions
Lochmore Lodge	In year 1851		Ross & Cromarty	Scotland

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The following books contain references to this person:

Bib ref classic

Author	Title	Date	Publisher	Part	Notes
British Architectural Library, RIBA	Directory of British Architects 1834-1914	2001
Architects Engineers and Building Trades Directory	Architect's, Engineer's and Building Trades' Directory	1868	London, Wyman

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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

Buildings and Designs

Buildings and Designs2 classic

References

Bibliographic References

Bib ref classic