Architects

Name:

John Bridgeford Pirie

Designation :

Architect

Date of Birth:

Year Only

Exact DOB:

25/06/1926

Year of Birth :

1848

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DOB (2nd 'Or' Year):

Date of Death:

Exact Date

Exact DOD:

24/02/1892

Year of Death:

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Bio Notes :

John Bridgeford Pirie was born in Aberdeen in 1848 (christened 26 December, St Nicholas Parish) the son of John Pirie, a sea captain with George Thomson's line, and his wife Ann Bridgeford. Both his parents died early (his mother in February 1868 his father having predeceased her). He was educated at Ledingham's Academy in Aberdeen. About 1863 he was articled to Alexander Ellis, also the son of a sea captain. There he worked under Robert Gordon Wilson and it was probably through Wilson's subsequent period as an assistant with Alexander Thomson from c.1866 that Pirie was to develop an interest in Thomson's work. At the end of his articles c.1866, Pirie spent a short time as an improver with David Bryce in Edinburgh, returning to Aberdeen as leading draughtsman to James Matthews c.1867. He exhibited a design for a screen at the RSA in 1870 and by March 1871 he was living at 6 Brown Street, Woodside, from which he exhibited at the RSA in 1871-73.

After ten years with Matthews whom he left on 11 September 1877, Pirie went into independent practice at 177 Union Street Aberdeen with the encouragement of the builder John Morgan who was seven years older. He was immediately successful, winning in 1878-79 the competitions for two major churches, one in Fraserburgh and one in Aberdeen, both in a very original, predominantly early French, idiom. Both Morgan and Pirie were founding members of the Aberdeen Philosophical Society and enthusiasts for the teaching of John Ruskin with whom Morgan corresponded. Morgan and Pirie travelled together in Britain to see the latest developments, and Morgan's travels in America and the Far East were to have a considerable influence on the decorative arts aspect of the practice through the books and prints he brought home. Pirie may also have had a link of some kind with Frederick Thomas Pilkington as W T Johnston has traced Pirie using his office at 2 Hill Street, Edinburgh as an address in 1882.

When Pirie opened his office at 177 Union Street he shared it with Arthur Clyne, a former colleague at Matthews's practice. In 1881 they merged their practices as Pirie & Clyne and moved to 123 ½ Union Street which was to remain their address.

Pirie & Clyne were amongst the most individual architects in Scotland in later Victorian times, designing in Thomsonesque Greek and early Gothic, and sometimes even in combinations of these; except at John Morgan's 50 Queen's Road which challenges comparison with Burges's Tower House in originality, Greek was more usually adopted for domestic work. Their churches are invariably early Gothic: they are more conventionally planned than Pilkington's and may not have the same mastery of scale, composition and construction but they are even more individual and inventive in the smaller details, developing unusual motifs which are at times proto-Art Nouveau from a very wide range of sources.

Pirie died of tuberculosis on 24 February 1892 at his house at 24 Hamilton Place. During his last months he occupied himself with the design of the monument to James Saint which relieved 'many a weary hour of illness' and the writing of a paper 'The Beauty of Art', based on a close study of the writings of Ruskin but it was never given. He left a widow Mary Troup MacDougall (who died on 27 May 1936) and five children, one son and four daughters, but no moveable estate, John Morgan observing: 'He died early in years, yet he left abiding monuments of his taste, skill, and genius, and it gives some idea of his genius when one finds some of his details all over town. No company would insure his life, he died poor, and left a young family unprovided for.' Morgan was involved in raising money for them (he gave Bridgeford a quarterly allowance of £4). As late as 1929 money owed to various creditors still appears to have been outstanding. There may have been some difficulty with Clyne as Pirie's widow withdrew her husband's drawings from the practice archive and stored them in the attic of their house in Hamilton Place. After Pirie died Clyne had made up the accounts of the practice and calculated that £11 15s 11d was due to himself, but this does not seem to have been paid. In 1910 this sum was still outstanding and a letter to Clyne's solicitor from Mrs Pirie indicates that one of her daughters, Annie Mary, had been 'threatened' because of this non-payment. The more important drawings from the practice were retained by the family when the Hamilton Place house was closed and are now in the NMRS.

Pirie's son Bridgeford MacDougall Pirie, born 1877, became an architect but practised only briefly in Aberdeen in 1897-99. He emigrated in 1905 to Malta where he worked for the Royal Engineers.

'Biography authored by the Dictionary of Scottish Architects Compilation Team.'

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
6 Brown Street Woodside Aberdeen Scotland	Private
24 Hamilton Place Aberdeen Scotland	Private

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Business Addresses2 classic

Address	Class	Date From	Date To	Notes
81 Skene Square Aberdeen Scotland	Business	1877
177 Union Street Aberdeen Scotland	Business	After 1877	1881
11 Union Buildings Aberdeen Scotland	Business	1878/02
123 1/2 Union Street Aberdeen Scotland	Business	1881	After 1887
2 Hill Street Edinburgh Scotland	Business	1882		Apparently collaborating with Frederick Thomas Pilkington

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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
Pirie & Clyne	200045	In year 1881	In year 1892	Partner
Alexander Ellis	200675	c. 1863	c. 1866	Apprentice
David Bryce	100014	c. 1866	c. 1867	Improver
James Matthews	200044	c. 1867	In year 1877	Assistant

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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
RC Church of St Mary of the Assumption	In year 1863		Aberdeen	Scotland	May have been involved whan an apprentice with Ellis
Cushnie House	After 1863		Aberdeenshire	Scotland	Perhaps as assistant to Matthews
Sketch design of a church	In year 1866				As apprentice to Alexander Ellis - name appears on drawing with that of Ellis
West Free Church	After 1866		Aberdeen	Scotland	As leading draftsman to Matthews
Arnage House	After 1867		Aberdeenshire	Scotland	Further work- as assistant to James Matthews
Banff County Buildings and Sheriff Courthouse	In year 1868	Banff	Banffshire	Scotland	As leading draftsman to Matthews
Design for a screen	In year 1870		Aberdeen	Scotland
St Margaret's Schools	After 1870		Aberdeen	Scotland	Repairs and cleaning of stonework - as assistant to Matthews?
Bank	c. 1870	Banchory	Kincardineshire	Scotland	Pirie as leading draftsman to Matthews
Music Hall	c. 1870		Aberdeen	Scotland	Re-painting of hall - Pirie as leading draftsman to Matthews
Cottage in Carden Place	c. 1870		Aberdeen	Scotland	Painter work - as leading draftsman to Matthews
Cottage at 4 Millburn Street	c. 1870		Aberdeen	Scotland	Painting - as leading draftsman to Matthews
5 Albyn Place	c. 1870		Aberdeen	Scotland	Repainting - with Pirie as assistant
Manse of Benholm	c. 1870	Benholm	Kincardineshire	Scotland	Improving water supply - as leading draftsman to Matthews
Two semi-detached cottages, Queen's Cross	c. 1870		Aberdeen	Scotland	As leading draftsman to Matthews

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The following books contain references to this person:

Bib ref classic

Author	Title	Date	Publisher	Notes
Johnston, W T	Artists of Scotland	2003	Officina Publications CDROM
Morgan, John	Memoirs	1899	Aberdeen
Ball, Victoria Reyner	Some interiors by John Bridgeford Pirie and Arthur Clyne, Architects, Aberdeen	1997	Journal of the Decorative Arts Society, no 21
British Architectural Library, RIBA	Directory of British Architects 1834-1914	2001		Incorrectly gives 1851 as year of birth
In Memoriam		1892		Obituary of Pirie

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The following periodicals contain references to this person:

Period ref classic

Periodical Name	Date Circ	Edition	Notes
Aberdeen Journal	1883/12/12	*	Pirie's nomination to Aberdeen Philosophical Society.
Aberdeen Evening Express	1892/02/25	*	Page 4, column 5, Obituary
Aberdeen Press and Journal	1936/05/29	*	Death notice of Mary Troup MacDougall
The Arbroath Guide	1892/02/27	*	Obituary Back page
Aberdeen Daily Free Press	1892/02/25	*	p4 Obituary
Free Church of Scotland Monthly	1892/03/01	*	Obituary
The Arbroath Guide	1892/03/03	*	Obituary - may be 5 March

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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
J B Pirie Collection	National Monuments Record of Scotland/NMRS, RCAHMS	200720			Document (Discharge by Mary MacNaughton or Pirie, clearing Clyne of any present of future claims by the Pirie's) in favour of Arthur Clyne. NB Elsewhere she is called MacDougall. Various other letters, diary and other cuttings)

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Basic Biographic Details

Addresses

Private Addresses

Private Addresses2 classic

Business Addresses

Business Addresses2 classic

Employment and Training

Employers2 classic

Buildings and Designs

Buildings and Designs2 classic

References

Bibliographic References

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Periodical References

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