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Architects

Basic Biographic Details

Walker & Pride
Architectural practice
Year Only
1927
Year Only
18/06/1926
2011
William Hill Walker was born c.1875, the son of James Walker, farmer of Kingsbarns and his wife Jessie, later of Dauphinhill, St Andrews. He was an assistant with Hall & Henry of Church Square, St Andrews when he was taken into partnership by David Henry, the surviving partner of the practice, in 1913, but Henry died in the following year and Walker enlisted for war service. Although an architect and a man of means, Walker seems to have preferred to serve in the line. He was promoted sergeant in the 1/7th Black Watch in 1919 and was awarded the Belgian Croix de Guerre for his role in the advance on Ypres in the previous year. When the office, still at Church Square, was reopened in 1918 it was in the name of William Hill Walker only. His practice at first consisted mainly of police stations and houses and domestic work, mainly alterations.

In 1927 Walker took Frank Pride into partnership. Pride had been born on 28 March 1896, the son of Robert F L Pride, secretary of the linen and jute firm of Cox Brothers, and later (from 1921) of Jute Industries. He had been articled to Leslie Ower (a family friend) and his partner David Lindsay Allan in July 1912, attending Patrick Hill Thoms's classes at Dundee Technical College from 1913. His training had been interrupted by war service with the Royal Engineers from 1916. He had been commissioned 2nd Lieutenant and awarded the Military Cross for constructing a fort bridge over the Escaut River in the Schildt in October 1918. On his return in 1919 he had joined Thoms's firm of Thoms & Wilkie at 21 South Tay Street, Dundee, which had taken over the Ower & Allan firm on Leslie Ower's death in 1916. In 1925, by which time Wilkie had effectively retired from practice, Pride had been sent to St Andrews to take over the practice of the completely unrelated Captain William Walker who had died in February 1923: like Wilkie's, Walker's family had belonged to the parish of Longforgan and he had recommenced practice in St Andrews because of his marriage to Jenny Reid McCririck who lived there. Since Wilkie was also then living in St Andrews it seems that she had turned to Thoms & Wilkie as friends to wind the practice up. Pride had completed the work in hand to Thoms's entire satisfaction, supervised the construction of Thoms & Wilkie's County Buildings in Cupar, and begun to attract new business but Thoms had had no interest in continuing the St Andrews branch office. This resulted in Pride commencing practice on his own account in April 1927, and merging it with Walker's long-established one as Walker & Pride in the same year.

A branch office was opened at 8 Catherine Street, Cupar in 1930. Pride was admitted LRIBA in late 1931, his proposers being Thoms, William Salmond who was then president of the Dundee Institute of Architects, and the then secretary of the same Institute. His office address at that date was in Church Square, St Andrews, and he was living at 28 Lamond Drive.

William Hill Walker was more than comfortably off and his approach to business was somewhat relaxed. In 1933 he retired early, being bought out by Pride, who continued the practice as sole partner but retained the practice title of Walker & Pride. Between 1934 and 1939 he supplied all the architectural work for the St Andrews Building Company. The office was closed in September 1939 when Pride was re-commissioned in the Royal Engineers and was in charge of a bomb disposal squad during the Merseyside blitz. He was invalided out late in 1940 and did not recover sufficiently to reopen the practice until on 1942.

In 1953 Frank Pride's son Glen L Pride was taken into partnership and the office moved to the former Conservative Club at Mercat House, 1 Church Street, St Andrews, but because of national service Glen did not return to the office until 1955.

The practice was employed on a number of country estates which generally included alterations, additions and sub-divisions of the mansion house, cottages, lodges and farms. Between the mid-1950s when Glen Pride joined the firm and the time his father retired in 1966 the practice averaged 100 per year inspections and valuations of properties on behalf of building societies, insurance companies and banks.

Frank Pride retired in 1966 and died on 22 January 1970, leaving his son as sole partner. The practice merged with Muir Associates in 2011 and became Muir Walker and Pride Ltd.

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

Addresses

The following private or business addresses are associated with this person:

Business Addresses

Business Addresses2 classic

AddressClassDate From Date From TypeDate ToDate To TypeNotes
Church Square St Andrews Fife ScotlandBusiness19271953Main office
8 Catherine Street Cupar Fife ScotlandBusiness1930Branch office
Mercat House/1 Church Street St Andrews Fife ScotlandBusiness1953After 1981

Employees or Pupils

The following individuals were employed or trained by this person (click on an item to view details):

Employees or Pupils2 classic

NameName LinkDate FromDate ToPositionNotes
Alexander Webb Abercromby4036011946/10/201951/12/30Chief Assistant
John Robertson Stewart4035601951/081951/12Assistant
Glen Lorimer Pride401758Before 1976Partner
Frank Pride204627In year 1927In year 1966Partner
William Hill Walker206221In year 1927In year 1933Partner
Robert Saddler401031In year 1934In year 1935Assistant

Buildings and Designs

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 NameDate StartedTown, District or VillageIslandCity or CountyCountryNotes
Ten houses for Leslie Town CouncilIn year 1921LeslieFifeScotland
Links HouseIn year 1927St AndrewsFifeScotlandAlterations
House for Cupar District Committee of the County CouncilIn year 1927ParbroathFifeScotland
1 Middleshade RoadIn year 1927St AndrewsFifeScotland
Tenement and shop at corner of South Street and Church StreetIn year 1928St AndrewsFifeScotlandReconstruction of shop at no 107 (St Andrews Citizen office)
1 Glamis DriveIn year 1928DundeeScotland
Forty houses, Maryfield, for Leslie Town CouncilIn year 1928LeslieFifeScotland
3 Middleshade RoadIn year 1928St AndrewsFifeScotland
BaidlandsIn year 1929St AndrewsFifeScotland
Housing for County Council1930sTayportFife
Links HouseIn year 1930St AndrewsFifeScotlandConversion to clubhouse
33 South StreetIn year 1930St AndrewsFifeScotlandReconstruction of shop
Adamson HospitalIn year 1930CuparFifeScotlandNew X-ray and Sterilizing Departments
Police StationIn year 1930East WemyssFifeScotland
Eighty-four houses, Priestden Park, for Town CouncilIn year 1930St AndrewsFifeScotland

References

Bibliographic References

The following books contain references to this person:

Bib ref classic

AuthorTitleDatePublisherPartNotes
Bailey, Rebecca MScottish architects' papers: a source book1996Edinburgh: The Rutland Presspp116-7
Pride, Glen LThe Kingdom of Fife1999The Rutland Press2nd Editionp88, p94, p124, p128, p129, p132, p135, p137

Archive References

The following archives hold material relating to this person:

Arc ref classic

Archive NameSourceSource Cat NoBuilding IdItem NameNotes
Professor David M Walker, notes and collection of archive materialProfessor David M Walker personal archive100041Personal information from Glen L Pride