Architects

Name:

Oldrieve Bell & Paterson

Designation :

Architectural practice

Date of Birth:

Year Only

Exact DOB:

14/05/1926

Year of Birth :

1914

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Date of Birth After (Year):

DOB (1st 'Or' Year):

DOB (2nd 'Or' Year):

Date of Death:

Circa (Year)

Exact DOD:

14/05/1926

Year of Death:

Circa Year of Death:

1940

Date of Death Before (Year):

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DOD (1st 'Or' Year):

DOD (2nd 'Or' Year):

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Bio Notes :

William Thomas Oldrieve was born in London on 15 December 1853, the son of William Oldrieve, clerk of works and his wife Elizabeth Tyler. His father's family were Baptists from Devonshire. He was educated at Mansfield Grammar School, serving for a time under his father in the clerks of works office at Thoresby Hall under Anthony Salvin, 1868-71. He then moved to the office of the builders William Cubitt & Sons where he spent the years 1871-73. From there he obtained a place in the War Office, attached to the Royal Engineers where he remained until 1881 when he gained first place in the competitive examinations as assistant architect and surveyor in the Office of Works. During that period he spent at least part of his time in the Edinburgh office under Walter Wood Robertson. At some point post-1880 he was a distinguished pupil of Professor Baldwin Brown, gaining a class medal and the Cousin prize in the Architectural Section of the Fine Arts Class at Edinburgh University. In 1886 he was Godwin Bursar of the RIBA. This he used to visit Hamburg, Berlin, Vienna and Paris, making a particular study of post office buildings, notably Guadet's new Hotel des Postes in Paris and the General Post Office in Hamburg. As a result of his study he was appointed architect for provincial post offices in England and Wales; and in 1904 he was appointed Principal Architect for Scotland. He was admitted FRIBA on 3 December 1906, his proposers being Sir Henry Tanner, Sir John Taylor and Sir Robert Rowand Anderson. Oldrieve had strong antiquarian interests and a took a particular interest in the Ancient Monuments side of his duties, giving a paper on the Royal Palaces of Scotland at the RIBA in 1908, one on the excavation of the original abbey church at Holyrood to the Scottish Ecclesiological Society and another on the roof of Glasgow Cathedral to the Society of Antiquaries.

When Oldrieve retired in 1914 at the age of sixty he formed the partnership of Oldrieve Bell & Paterson. Of his partners William Wilson Paterson at least was a former member of his Office of Works staff, and the formation of the partnership may relate to the drastic downsizing of the Edinburgh office after Oldrieve's retirement when several staff were made redundant. Always known as 'Conky', Paterson had been born about 1889, the younger brother of John Wilson Paterson. He had been articled to the hotel specialist James Macintyre Henry, best known as the architect of Midlothian County Buildings, in 1904 and had attended Leith Technical School and studied at Edinburgh College of Art under John Watson before joining the Office of Works in 1910. He had passed the RIBA's qualifying exam in 1913 and won the Pugin studentship in the same year, and was admitted ARIBA in early 1914, his proposers being Henry, Watson and Oldrieve. Bell was Andrew W Bell, presumably the same who had been Dunfermline Burgh Engineer in the years around 1900, although no further details of him are yet known.

Shortly after his retirement from the Office of Works, Oldrieve was appointed a Royal Commissioner of Ancient and Historical Monuments of Scotland. He also visited New Zealand and the Sandwich Islands and on his return became in 1917 Secretary for the Ministry of Munitions for North and East Scotland; and during that period he was, with Rowand Anderson and Thomas Ross, one of the principal organisers of the National Art Survey for Scotland. At the end of the war he re-formed the partnership of Oldrieve, Bell & Paterson. D Hay Fleming wrote of him 'All who came in contact with him were charmed by his pleasant unassuming and courteous manner, his unselfishness, generosity and transparent sincerity. Between him and the members of his staff, the greatest harmony ever prevailed, due doubtless on the part of his staff to the kindness and consideration he invariably showed them, and his readiness to give them the benefit of his long and varied experience'. Oldrieve was not only a good architect himself, but recruited an exceptionally able staff who were given exceptional opportunities for original design. The buildings executed during his regime were an exceptionally interesting series, predominantly Edwardian classic, but a few were late Gothic and Scots Renaissance, notably Aberdeen Post Office and the unrealised scheme for Falkland Palace - like government offices on Calton Hill.

Oldrieve was deeply religious. He was a member and elder of Morningside Baptist Church, President of the Baptist Union in 1915 and at the time of his death of stomach cancer on 12 January 1922 he was President of the Carrubbers Close Mission and a director of the National Bible Society for Scotland. He left a widow, Emma Goodchild; a son, the Rev Frank Oldrieve, Secretary of the Leper Mission, India; and a daughter. His moveable estate was £3,356 15s 10d.

The style of the practice remained unchanged after Oldrieve's death. William Paterson died c.1955.

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 Ainslie Place Edinburgh Scotland	Business	c. 1914		c. 1940

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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
Henry Douglas Matthew	403548	1936/07		Apprentice
William Thomas Oldrieve (sometimes William Thomas Oldgrieve)	200735	In year 1914	In year 1922	Partner
William Paterson	202194	In year 1914	After 1930	Partner
Andrew W Bell	202198	In year 1914	After 1930	Partner
George Samson Tosh	400631	In year 1923	In year 1928	Apprentice
Charles Mitchell Cuthill	403487	In year 1925	In year 1931	Apprentice	part-time, whilst studying
Thomas Sharp Grossert	403499	In year 1934	In year 1939	Apprentice
Rolf Koren	403556	Mid 1939s	Mid 1939s		Assisting in office during summer months

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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
Iona Abbey	In year 1921		Iona	Argyll	Scotland	Rebuilding of two arches at west end of north arcade
Bristo Baptist Church	In year 1932			Edinburgh	Scotland
26 Kinnear Road	In year 1932			Edinburgh	Scotland
Trustee Savings Bank	In year 1934			Edinburgh	Scotland	Bank formed in 1871 building
Trustee Savings Bank	c. 1934	Stockbridge		Edinburgh	Scotland	Interior work
Edinburgh Savings Bank	In year 1938			Edinburgh	Scotland	Extension
Trustee Savings Bank	In year 1939			Edinburgh	Scotland	William Wilson Paterson as executant architect, and designer in collaboration with Thomas Cecil Howitt

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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