Architects

Name:

Matthew Steele

Designation :

Architect

Date of Birth:

Exact Date

Exact DOB:

19/02/1878

Year of Birth :

Circa Year of Birth :

Date of Birth Before (Year):

Date of Birth After (Year):

DOB (1st 'Or' Year):

DOB (2nd 'Or' Year):

Date of Death:

Exact Date

Exact DOD:

12/12/1937

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 :

Matthew Steele was born on 19 February 1878 at Corbie Hall, Bo'ness, the son of Alexander Steele (whose family were Spar and Block Makers though Alexander Steele at one point seems to have been a grocer) and Elizabeth Mackie of Kilbirnie. Matthew attended primary school in Bo'ness and transferred in 1891 to George Heriot's School in Edinburgh for his secondary education. He entered an as yet unidentified office in Glasgow in 1893 as an apprentice allowing him to attend classes at the Glasgow and West of Scotland Technical College between 1896 and 1900, studying under Professor Charles Gourlay. After the completion of the course at the College he entered the City of Glasgow Corporation Telephone Company as a draughtsman and may have come into contact with his counterparts from Scandinavia and Germany as the telephone company sought advice from the municipal companies of Copenhagen, Stockholm and Trondheim before opening its service in 1901. During his time with the telephone company he entered a competition for Thomas Parsons' premises in Oxford Street in London and gained second prize. In 1905 Steele returned to Bo'ness to commence independent practice.

On 28 September the following year he married Margaret Watson Dudgeon Louden, daughter of Robert Louden, builder, at her home, 12 Broughton Place, Edinburgh. The Louden family appear to have had a connection with Bo'ness, John Louden being burgh surveyor. Matthew and Margaret Steele's son Alexander, the future City Architect of Edinburgh, was born three months after their wedding on 20 December at 1 Jane Terrace, Bo'ness. A daughter, Nan, was born later.

Steele rapidly built up a wide range of clients in Bo'ness - perhaps through his connections as a Freemason (his first practice address was the Masonic Hall Buildings at Corbiehall and an early commission was for the new lodge in Stewart Avenue): Dean of Guild records show there was a continual flow of work even during the years of the First World War. Steele's pre-war buildings were designed in an Arts and Crafts or continental early modern manner. His Arts and Crafts style continued into the 1920s but in the 1930s he adopted an Art Deco Moderne manner.

Steele was admitted LRIBA in 1925, having transferred his membership of the Society of Architects to the RIBA at this point without having to go through the normal application procedures. In the 1930s Steele was employed on various Local Authority Housing schemes, some with John Taylor in what was probably an informal partnership. At this time he was also involved as joint sponsor of a scheme for putting a dam across the Forth at South Queensferry to make an inland shipping lake and forming a roadway across the Forth.

Steele died of pneumonia on 12 December 1937 at The Quarry, Carriden, Bo'ness, and was buried in Bo'ness Cemetery.

'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
Clifton Cottage Bo'ness/Borrowstouness West Lothian Scotland	Private
1 Jane Terrace Bo'ness/Borrowstouness West Lothian Scotland	Private
Kelty Avenue Bo'ness/Borrowstouness West Lothian Scotland	Private
The Quarry Grahamsdyke Road, Carriden Bo\'ness/Borrowstouness West Lothian Scotland	Private

row(s) 1 - 4 of 4

Business Addresses2 classic

Address	Class	Date From	Date From Type	Date To	Date To Type	Notes
Masonic Hall Buildings/4 Corbiehall CarridenBo'ness/Borrowstouness West Lothian Scotland	Business	1905		After 1925

row(s) 1 - 1 of 1

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
Alexander Steele	204755	c. 1921	Before 1925	Apprentice	Probably began training in his father's office, but this is not certain

row(s) 1 - 1 of 1

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
West Lothian Pottery, drying shed	In year 1905	Bo'ness / Borrowstouness	West Lothian	Scotland
Double cottage, 47- 49 Dean Road	In year 1905	Bo'ness / Borrowstouness	West Lothian	Scotland
Two blocks of four houses	In year 1906	Bo'ness / Borrowstouness	West Lothian	Scotland
Cottage	In year 1906	Bo'ness / Borrowstouness	West Lothian	Scotland
Shops and flats	In year 1907	Bo\'ness / Borrowstouness	West Lothian	Scotland	New shop and flats above
The Knowe	In year 1907	Bo'ness / Borrowstouness	West Lothian	Scotland	Additional servants' quarters and outlook tower
T Ovens & Sons Chemical works	In year 1907	Bo'ness / Borrowstouness	West Lothian	Scotland	Laboratory
Shed and store	In year 1907	Bo'ness / Borrowstouness	West Lothian	Scotland
Artisan terraced housing	In year 1908	Bo'ness / Borrowstouness	West Lothian	Scotland
Office and flat for Bo'ness Iron Co	In year 1908	Bo'ness / Borrowstouness	West Lothian	Scotland
Tenements, Stewart Avenue	In year 1909	Bo'ness / Borrowstouness	West Lothian	Scotland
Masonic Lodge	In year 1909	Bo'ness / Borrowstouness	West Lothian	Scotland
Seaforth, Linlithgow Road	In year 1909	Bo'ness / Borrowstouness	West Lothian	Scotland
Cross Keys public house	In year 1909	Bo\'ness / Borrowstouness	West Lothian	Scotland
House in the of style of Old Grange	In year 1909	Bo'ness / Borrowstouness	West Lothian	Scotland

row(s) 1 - 15 of 78

The following books contain references to this person:

Bib ref classic

Author	Title	Date	Publisher	Part	Notes
Post Office Directories
Emmerson, Roger and Tilmouth, Mary	Matt Steele, Architect: A Biography	2010	Weidenfeld

row(s) 1 - 2 of 2

The following periodicals contain references to this person:

Period ref classic

Periodical Name	Date Circ	Edition	Notes
Builder	1937/12/24	*	p1147 - obituary
Scotsman	1937/12/14	*	Obituary
Linlithgowshire Gazette	1937/12/17	*	p5 - obituary

row(s) 1 - 3 of 3

The following archives hold material relating to this person:

Arc ref classic

Archive Name	Source	Source Cat No	Building Id	Item Name	Notes
Professor David M Walker, notes and collection of archive material	Professor David M Walker personal archive	100041			Information on addresses and family history from research by Iain Paterson and Roger Emmerson
RIBA Nomination Papers	RIBA Archive, Victoria & Albert Museum	100005			L no2810 (microfilm reel 35)

row(s) 1 - 2 of 2

Basic Biographic Details

Addresses

Private Addresses

Private Addresses2 classic

Business Addresses

Business Addresses2 classic

Employees or Pupils

Employees or Pupils2 classic

Buildings and Designs

Buildings and Designs2 classic

References

Bibliographic References

Bib ref classic

Periodical References

Period ref classic

Archive References

Arc ref classic