Architects

Name:

Robert James Walker

Designation :

Architect

Date of Birth:

Exact Date

Exact DOB:

27/01/1867

Year of Birth :

Circa Year of Birth :

Date of Birth Before (Year):

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DOB (1st 'Or' Year):

DOB (2nd 'Or' Year):

Date of Death:

Exact Date

Exact DOD:

19/10/1946

Year of Death:

Circa Year of Death:

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DOD (2nd 'Or' Year):

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Bio Notes :

Robert Walker was born at Summerfield, Leith on 27 January 1867, the son of Robert Walker, provision merchant, and his wife Helen Chisholm who had married in 1858.. His middle name James was added later. He was brought up in Fife where he developed an interest in Scottish vernacular architecture from an early age. He studied at Glasgow School of Art in 1885-6 and exhibited as a painter at the Royal Glasgow Institute for the Fine Arts from 1892. He worked for James Miller c.1900-1901, assisting with the design of the Canadian Pavilion for the Glasgow International Exhibition of 1901. Soon thereafter he entered into partnership with Thomas Ramsay from John Hutchison's office. They won the competitions for The Wolverhampton Exhibition of 1902 and for Kirkintilloch Town Hall in 1904 and subsequently engaged in further competition work with notable success in those for the Scottish National Exhibitions in Edinburgh (1908) and Glasgow (1911). The practice was based at 123 Wellington Street.

The success of the practice was not maintained after 1911 and in 1913 the partnership was dissolved. Walker worked independently from an office at 108 Douglas Street, Blythswood Square, Glasgow from that year, practising mainly as an artist but Thomas Charles Hardy had already joined him as an assistant in 1913. Hardy was taken into partnership in or before March 1931, in which month Walker's chief assistant David Reekie Smith was also taken into partnership, the firm becoming R J Walker, Hardy & Smith.

Walker moved to Greenvale, Fintry, in 1938, an event which probably marked his retirement from architecture. He moved again to Sealloch Mohr, Killearn c.1943, and subsequently to Bath. He exhibited landscapes and flower subjects at the Royal Scottish Academy until 1928 and at the Royal Glasgow Institute until 1944, most of his subjects being in and around Fintry.

Walker married Annie Dalglish. He died on 19 October 1946 at 1 Claremont Terrace, Glasgow; his daughter Nan(?) D Clark of Sealladh Mhor, Killearn reported his death.

(NB: Jobs for R J Walker, Hardy & Smith have been entered on assumption that all partners were involved, but very little is known of any of them, and it is possible that some were retired or deceased at the time.)

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
28 Cowcaddens Street Glasgow Scotland	Private
28 Cowcaddens Street Glasgow Scotland	Private
Coterie Club/114 West Campbell Street Glasgow Scotland	Private
37 Garnethill Street Glasgow Scotland	Private/business
Greenvale Fintry Stirlingshire Scotland	Private/business
Sealladh Mohr Killearn Stirlingshire Scotland	Private/business

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Business Addresses2 classic

Address	Class	Date From	Date To
136 Wellington Street Glasgow Scotland	Business	Before 1892	1893 or 1894
37 Garnethill Street Glasgow Scotland	Private/business	1894 or 1895	1896 or 1897
144 West Regent Street Glasgow Scotland	Business	1896 or 1897	1898 or 1899
223 West George Street Glasgow Scotland	Business	1899
147 St Vincent Street Glasgow Scotland	Business	1900
183 West George Street Glasgow Scotland	Business	1901
123 Wellington Street Glasgow Scotland	Business	Before 1903	After 1910
108 Douglas Street Blythswood Square Glasgow Scotland	Business	Before 1913	After 1939
Greenvale Fintry Stirlingshire Scotland	Private/business	1938	1942 or 1943
Sealladh Mohr Killearn Stirlingshire Scotland	Private/business	1942 or 1943	1946

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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
Walker & Ramsay	200910	Before 1904	Before 1913	Partner
R J Walker & Smith	207635	Before 1946	In year 1946	Partner
James Miller	200001	In year 1899	c. 1901	Assistant
R J Walker, Hardy & Smith	204243	c. 1929	In year 1938	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
Thomas Charles Hardy	205475	1913/05	In year 1931	Draughtsman
David Reekie Smith	204690	1919/01	1924/01	Apprentice
David Reekie Smith	204690	1924/01	Before 1931	Draughtsman
David Reekie Smith	204690	After 1924	1931/03	Chief Assistant
Francis Clunie Scott	100478	In year 1922	In year 1923	Apprentice
Arthur Mackenzie Watt-Low (or Watt Low)	206265	In year 1922	In year 1925	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
Glasgow International Exhibition of 1901, Canadian Pavilion	In year 1901	Kelvingrove	Glasgow	Scotland	As assistant to James Miller
Exhibition buildings	In year 1902	Wolverhampton	Staffordshire	England	Won competition and secured job
Kirkintilloch Town Hall and Municipal Buildings	In year 1904	Kirkintilloch	Dunbartonshire	Scotland	Won competition to secure job
Competition design for a public library	In year 1904
City Hall front	In year 1906
Scottish National Exhibition, 1908	In year 1907	Saughton	Edinburgh	Scotland	Competition design - second premium but secured the job
Perth Town Hall	In year 1907	Perth	Perthshire	Scotland	Competition design - unsuccessful
Institute of Engineers and Shipbuilders	In year 1907		Glasgow	Scotland	Unsuccessful competition design
Scottish Exhibition of National History, Art and Industry, 1911, Palace of Industries	In year 1911	Kelvingrove	Glasgow	Scotland	Mainly responsible
Canadian Coronation Arch, Whitehall	In year 1911		London	England
Scottish Exhibition of National History, Art and Industry, 1911, Palace of Fine Arts	In year 1911	Kelvingrove	Glasgow	Scotland	Mainly responsible
Scottish Exhibition of National History, Art and Industry, 1911, Palace of History	In year 1911	Kelvingrove	Glasgow	Scotland	Mainly responsible
Titwood Lawn Tennis Club	In year 1913	Pollokshields	Glasgow	Scotland
Lancefield Boiler Works	In year 1914		Glasgow	Scotland	Alterations to workshop at rear
Eastwood Park	In year 1916	Giffnock	Renfrewshire	Scotland	Alterations?

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The following books contain references to this person:

Bib ref classic

Author	Title	Date	Publisher
RIBA	The RIBA Kalendar 1930-1931	1930	London: Royal Institute of British Architects
RIBA	The RIBA Kalendar 1939-1940	1939	London: Royal Institute of British Architects
Post Office Directories

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The following periodicals contain references to this person:

Period ref classic

Periodical Name	Publisher	Date Circ	Edition	Notes
The Bailie		1911/06/28	*	'Men You Know' series

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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

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Periodical References

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