Skip to Main Content

Architects

Basic Biographic Details

John Douglas
Architect
Circa (Year)
1709
Exact Date
20/06/1778
John Douglas practised as an architect in Edinburgh in the mid-18th century. In the ‘Depositions in the Cause William Adam v. Lord Braco’ it is stated that ‘since the year 1730 he has built several houses…for private Gentlemen’ and that ‘he has made Draughts of several houses, which he has afterwards been employed to build’. In 1746 he was described as ‘one John Douglas at Edinburgh next in character to Mr Adams [who] has built several houses’. He seems to have been the builder/architect in much the way William Adam was. However his practice was relatively small by comparison. He never built a major country house or public building.

Douglas’s style can be gleaned from the collection of his drawings held in RCAHMS which includes plans and elevations copied from James Gibbs’ ‘Book of Architecture’. Douglas’s copy of this book is held in the collection. Though he borrowed a number of motifs from Gibbs, Douglas’s work is recognisably Scottish, for example in the large proportion of wall to window, the use of turnpike stairs. He also liked using polygonal shapes in the octagonal church at Killin, the octagonal steeples at Leuchars and Lochmaben and the canted bow at Archerfield. He favoured large faceted urns as a decorative feature.

Douglas seems to have elicited criticism from various people. This may have been partly due to his personality and perhaps simply due to professional rivalry. While building a house at Haddo, John Baxter had been annoyed when John Douglas made adverse comments about his workmanship. Baxter told Sir John Clerk of Penicuik that Douglas was ‘apt to break his toas on stons that lyes not in his road’. He was ‘sorry to see such a cub who could nevor work a piece of good work all his days sett up for a judge’. However Sir John Clerk’s daughter noted in 1751 that Finlaystone House was ‘not so bad…as some people represent’. The fact that Douglas enjoyed the patronage of a number of distinguished clients, such as the Duke of Atholl, Lord Sinclair (to whom Douglas supplied timber) and the Earl of Dalhousie indicates that his work generally found favour although a number of his plans were never executed. He must have been prospering in the year 1758 as he took a tack of part of the island of Inchkeith that year.

Colvin suggests that John Douglas was the same as John Douglas architect in Leith who became a burgess of Edinburgh in 1745 and was still living in Leith in 1773-1774 and that he was probably the John Douglas of Pinkerton whose will (dated 26 March 1773 in Leith), was proved in June 1778. However it is clear that he had Edinburgh property as well. The ‘Caledonian Mercury’ of 18 February 1858 carried an advertisement for a sale of pictures at the ‘House of John Douglas architect’ at the top of the scale stair, head of Flesh Market Close to take place on Monday 19 February. The sale was to continue until ‘all are sold off’. This suggests that John Douglas was living in Edinburgh rather than Leith at this point and that he had a collection of pictures. It is possible he had property in both places. The 'Edinburgh Recorder' confirms that he owned property in High Street, north of Fleshmarket Close (Thomson's Close) as well as at Old Provost's Close, East Head.

Douglas would seem to have died on 20 June 1778. In his will he bequeathed his lands and estate of Pinkerton, Crail by deed of entail on his brother William Douglas and any of William's heirs, suggesting he had no off-spring himself. At his death he had a number of debts owing to him including that by David Orme, writer in Edinburgh, John Leslie of Lumquhat, Robert Hamilton, Provost of Kinghorn and William Brown of Gladmyres, granted to Mrs Jean Forbes relict of John Farquharson of Invercauld.

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

Addresses

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

Private Addresses

Private Addresses2 classic

AddressClassDate From CharDate From TypeDate To CharDate To TypeNotes
Leith Edinburgh ScotlandPrivate/business
Flesh Market Close, High Street Edinburgh ScotlandPrivate/business
Leith Edinburgh ScotlandPrivate/business

Business Addresses

Business Addresses2 classic

AddressClassDate From Date From TypeDate ToDate To TypeNotes
Leith Edinburgh ScotlandPrivate/business174
Flesh Market Close, High Street Edinburgh ScotlandPrivate/business175
Leith Edinburgh ScotlandPrivate/business177

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
Freeland HouseIn year 1733PerthshireScotlandContract for alterations drawn up between Lord Ruthven and John Douglas architect.
Quarrell HouseIn year 1735StirlingshireScotlandWas involved with the enlargement of this house. Design ultimately was that of James Gibbs.
Murthly CastleIn year 1735MurthlyPerthshireScotlandEntrance Block built and probably designed by John Douglas.
Achnacarry, walled gardenIn year 1736Inverness-shireScotlandPayments made to Douglas during this period
Blair CastleIn year 1736Blair AthollPerthshireScotlandDesigns for remodelling Blair Castle. Not executed
AbercairneyIn year 1737PerthshireScotlandExtensive repairs
Lochnell CastleIn year 1737Benderloch (near)ArgyllScotlandMay have been responsible for the design of new house 1737-39.
Galloway HouseIn year 1740WigtownshireScotlandDrew up designs which were implemented by John Baxter. Holly Kinnear gives \'late 1730s\'.
Arbroath HarbourIn year 1741ArbroathAngusScotlandAdvised on how to alleviate silting up of harbour.
Killin ChurchIn year 1743KillinPerthshireScotlandHis design is mentioned in a letter of 1743 from Lord Breadalbane\'s chamberlain. He therefore presumably designed the church built in 1744.
Amulree ChurchIn year 1743AmulreePerthshireScotlandAlthough Colvin lists this under the work of John Douglas of Edinburgh, he notes that the design is vernacular in character and unlike other churches by Douglas. It is therefore possible that the design is by John Douglas of Perthshire who designed the parish school at Dull.
Parish Church of St AthernaseIn year 1744LeucharsFifeScotlandOctagonal tower
Kilmahew CastleIn year 1744CardrossDunbartonshireScotlandMay have been responsible for the remodelling in the gothic taste.
Traquair Housec. 1744PeeblesPeeblesshireScotlandProposed re-fronting of the house
ArcherfieldIn year 1745East LothianScotlandWork on house

References

Archive References

The following archives hold material relating to this person:

Arc ref classic

Archive NameSourceSource Cat NoBuilding IdItem NameNotes
Gifts and depositsNational Archives of Scotland (formerly SRO)200026GD164/693
Gifts and depositsNational Archives of Scotland (formerly SRO)200026GD 224/168/51758Papers relating to tack of island of Inchkeith, proposed to be taken by John Douglas, architect, and James Rutherford, clerk of Kinghorn, formerly set to brother of John Orrock, land surveyor at Alva.
Wills and TestamentsNew Register House200769CC 8/8/124(2)