Architects

Name:

James MacLaren Ross

Designation :

Architect

Date of Birth:

Exact Date

Exact DOB:

13/09/1878

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Date of Death:

Exact Date

Exact DOD:

03/02/1944

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Bio Notes :

James MacLaren Ross was born in Edinburgh on 13 September 1878, the son of Thomas Ross of MacGibbon & Ross and his wife Mary. He was educated at the Edinburgh Academy from 1889 to 1894 and apprenticed to his father's firm from September 1894 to May 1899. During that period he studied at Heriot-Watt College gaining the Modern History medal in 1895 and the Building Construction medal in 1897.

After completing his apprenticeship he spent several months travelling and sketching in Scotland before moving to London and securing a position in the office of R Selden Wornum in September 1899. This enabled him to study at the Architectural Association where he won the Essay Medal in 1900, his essay being published as 'The Life and Work of Sir William Chambers' in 'AA Notes' 1901. He won the Design Medal in 1902 and was appointed the Association's librarian. He passed the qualifying exam in 1902 and was admitted ARIBA on 19 January 1903, his proposers being Wornum, Francis Hooper and William Alfred Pite.

Ross commenced independent practice in London in 1907 (EA Register) or 1908 (nomination paper) and married Cecilia Mary Neill of Edinburgh. In 1909 he received honourable mention in the RIBA Essay Prize competition his subject being Sir William Chambers. He established a good domestic practice with commissions as far away as Vancouver, BC, Canada, but this was interrupted by war service as a lieutenant in the Royal Engineers during which he was awarded the MC at Cambrai in 1915. After the war his most important client was his brother Dr Thomas Arthur Ross of the Cassel Hospital for Functional Nervous Disorders at Swaylands Kent; in his later years he specialised in garden design and country house alteration work rather than new building. He was member of the practice standing committee 1934-38.

After the outbreak of the Second World War he was commissioned in the Home Guard and he died amid a busy practice of war factory and war damage workon 2 March 1944.

'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
9 Doughty Street London WC England	Private/business
175 Piccadilly London W England	Private/business

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Business Addresses2 classic

Address	Class	Date From
51 Mornington Road Gloucester Gate London NW England	Business	1903
9 Doughty Street London WC England	Private/business	1914
175 Piccadilly London W England	Private/business	1914

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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
MacGibbon & Ross	200487	1894/09	1899/05	Apprentice
Ralph Selden Wornum	202014	1899/09	Before 1908	Assistant

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The following individuals proposed this person for RIBA membership (click on an item to view details):

RIBA PROPOSERS2 classic

Proposer	Proposer Link	Date Proposed	Notes
Ralph Selden Wornum	202014	1903/01/19	for Associateship
William Alfred Pite	202312	1903/01/19	for Associateship
Francis George Fielden Hooper	204061	1903/01/19	for Associateship

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This person proposed the following individuals for RIBA membership (click on an item to view details):

RIBA PROPOSALS2 classic

Person	Date Proposed	Notes
James Edwin Forbes	1910/07/04	for Licentiateship

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The following books contain references to this person:

Bib ref classic

Author	Title	Date	Publisher	Notes
Who's Who in Architecture		1914
The Edinburgh Academy Register		1914
Walker, David	The Architecture of MacGibbon & Ross: The Background to the Books	1984	Breeze, David (ed.): 'Studies in Scottish Antiquity', Chapter 16, pp391-449	p448

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The following periodicals contain references to this person:

Period ref classic

Periodical Name	Publisher	Date Circ	Edition	Notes
RIBA Journal		1944/07	v51	p243 - obituary
Builder		1944/03/10	v166	p 198 - obituary

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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
RIBA Nomination Papers	RIBA Archive, Victoria & Albert Museum	100005			A v15 p98 (microfilm reel 18)
Professor David M Walker, notes and collection of archive material	Professor David M Walker personal archive	100041			Personal information from Dr David Ross, Cupar

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Basic Biographic Details

Addresses

Private Addresses

Private Addresses2 classic

Business Addresses

Business Addresses2 classic

Employment and Training

Employers2 classic

RIBA Proposers

RIBA PROPOSERS2 classic

RIBA Proposals

RIBA PROPOSALS2 classic

References

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