Architects

Name:

Kelly & Nicol

Designation :

Architectural practice

Date of Birth:

Year Only

Exact DOB:

05/08/1926

Year of Birth :

1902

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:

After (Year)

Exact DOD:

05/08/1926

Year of Death:

Circa Year of Death:

Date of Death Before (Year):

Date of Death After (Year):

1941

DOD (1st 'Or' Year):

DOD (2nd 'Or' Year):

Town of Birth :

Bio Notes :

William Kelly was born in Aberdeen on 22 December 1861, the son of Francis Bonnyman Kelly, a tailor and outfitter, and his wife Jane Tough, daughter of James Tough, tenant farmer at Mains of Drum. He was educated at William Rattray's School in North Silver Street and attended King's College 1876-78, principally to study mathematics and natural philosophy. In May 1878 he was articled to William and John Smith and on the completion of his articles in May 1883 he sought wider experience in London, William Smith's open reference describing him as having 'gentlemanly manners' and being 'steady diligent and obliging'; he was also an 'exceptionally good draughtsman'. Of the several offices Kelly worked in while in London, only John James Stevenson's has been identified. In 1885 he made a study tour of the French chateaux and visited Spain and Holland. He returned to commence independent practice in Belmont Street in 1886 and, following John Smith's death on 11 April 1887, declining health induced William Smith to invite Kelly to become his partner. The partnership was dissolved late in 1890 or early 1891, probably because of Smith's failing health, as the firm name was retained. In 1893 Kelly married Mary, eldest daughter of George Carmichael, bank agent in Aberdeen, thus becoming the brother-in-law of the architects Charles and Duncan Carmichael. In 1896 Kelly had an important competition win when John James Burnet selected him as architect of Aberdeen Savings Bank, the business of which he retained thereafter.

In 1902 Kelly took into partnership his chief assistant James Brown Nicol. Nicol was born c.1867 and was articled to Alexander Marshall Mackenzie from 1883 to 1888, where he worked under the supervision of the ablest of Mackenzie's assistants, Alexander Mackintosh. In 1889 after a further year in Mackenzie's office he moved to Edinburgh to gain wider experience first with James Bow Dunn in 1889-90 and then with Sydney Mitchell & Wilson as chief assistant from 1890 until 1891 when he returned to Aberdeen initially as Kelly's chief assistant. Some years after he became a partner, Nicol published 'Domestic Architecture in Scotland', a survey of contemporary work, in 1908.

Kelly was elected ARSA in 1911 and had the degree of LLD conferred upon him by the Unversity of Aberdeen in 1919, mainly in recognition of his work at King's College Chapel. He retired from the practice in 1928, but remained consultant architect to Viscount and Lady Cowdray, doing much work on the Dunecht estate and consolidating and partly restoring Dunottar Castle in association with his lifelong friend the historian and antiquary Dr W Douglas Simpson. Simpson described him as 'endowed with commanding height, a fine leonic head and a rich resonant voice… His tall figure and rapid walk made him noticeable among Aberdonians of his time. Men with shorter legs found it trying to come down Albyn Place with him in the morning'. He was active in 'choral singing' and 'a good player of both piano and organ, always reading from the old-fashioned tonic sol-fa system and scarcely ever from the conventional staff notation' but his main interests were antiquarian. Some of his relatively few papers were published by Simpson as a tribute to him from the University of Aberdeen after his death in 1944.

The practice was continued by Nicol after Kelly's retirement. Nicol was an early contributor to the transactions of the Aberdeen Ecclesiological Society, having been enthused by the Rev Dr Cooper, proponent of that society. He furthered the interests of his fellow-architects as President of the Aberdeen Society of Architects from 1925 to 1926 and as a member of the RIAS Council. For many years as Governor of Robert Gordon's College he was Chairman of the Arts & Crafts Committee which controlled the School of Architecture.

Nicol retired from practice in May 1952 and was killed in an accident on the Aberdeen-Ellon road on 25 January the following year. He was survived by his wife, three sons and two daughters.

Bio Notes continued...

Additional Notes

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

Business Addresses2 classic

Address	Class	Date From	Date From Type	Date To	Date To Type	Notes
367 Union Street Aberdeen Scotland	Business	Before 1927		After 1935

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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	Notes
Alexander Mackenzie	205180	1910/06	1915/09	Apprentice	Working under William Kelly
Alexander Mackenzie	205180	1919/02	1920/04	Assistant
James Charles Clark	205608	1919/09	1922/09	Apprentice
James Henderson Davidson	204956	1920/05/04	1925/03	Apprentice
David Proctor Bee	207670	1921/11/01	1923/03/31	Apprentice
William Wyllie Clark Shewan	204768	1923/08	1926/08	Apprentice
George Flett	206810	1929/09	In year 1931	Assistant
John Phin Miller Wright	206303	1931/07	Before 1937	Assistant
Alexander Milne Wilson	206953	1934/08	1937/07/20	Apprentice
John Edward Martin	400036	1935/07	1937/01	Assistant
Alexander Milne Wilson	206953	1937/07/20		Assistant
John Phin Miller Wright	206303	After 1931	In year 1937	Chief Assistant
Henry Erskine Hill	207437	Early 1920s	Late 1921s	Apprentice	for 18 months
William Kelly	201586	In year 1902	In year 1941	Partner
James Brown Nicol	203500	In year 1902	In year 1952	Partner

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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
Music Hall	After 1900		Aberdeen	Scotland	Large additions
Lower Banffshire Joint Infectious Diseases Hospital	In year 1902	Portsoy	Banffshire	Scotland
Society of Friends Meeting House	In year 1902		Aberdeen	Scotland
Demonstration School	In year 1902		Aberdeen	Scotland
Moy House	After 1902	Forres	Morayshire	Scotland	Alterations and reconstruction
Business premises	After 1902		Aberdeen	Scotland
Woodend House	After 1902	Banchory Ternan	Aberdeenshire	Scotland	Alterations and reconstruction
Jubilee Hospital	After 1902	Huntly	Aberdeenshire	Scotland	Extension
Aberdeen Royal Infirmary	After 1902		Aberdeen	Scotland	Extension
Banff District Asylum, Troup/Ladysbridge	In year 1903	Banff	Banffshire	Scotland	Separate villa for male patients (Mayfield Villa)
Mackie Academy	In year 1903	Stonehaven	Kincardineshire	Scotland	Addition of wings
Abernethy's Lodge	In year 1903		Aberdeen	Scotland
Property for W Smith	In year 1903		Aberdeen	Scotland
Invery House	c. 1903	Strachan	Aberdeenshire	Scotland	Restoration and alterations - including later addition of south range beyond the pavilion
Tertowie House	In year 1905	Kinellar	Aberdeenshire	Scotland	Wing added

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Basic Biographic Details

Addresses

Business Addresses

Business Addresses2 classic

Employees or Pupils

Employees or Pupils2 classic

Buildings and Designs

Buildings and Designs2 classic

References