Architects

Name:

John Douglas

Designation :

Architect

Date of Birth:

Circa (Year)

Exact DOB:

30/05/1926

Year of Birth :

Circa Year of Birth :

1709

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:

20/06/1778

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 :

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.'

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
Leith Edinburgh Scotland	Private/business
Flesh Market Close, High Street Edinburgh Scotland	Private/business
Leith Edinburgh Scotland	Private/business

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Business Addresses2 classic

Address	Class	Date From
Leith Edinburgh Scotland	Private/business	174
Flesh Market Close, High Street Edinburgh Scotland	Private/business	175
Leith Edinburgh Scotland	Private/business	177

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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
Freeland House	In year 1733		Perthshire	Scotland	Contract for alterations drawn up between Lord Ruthven and John Douglas architect.
Quarrell House	In year 1735		Stirlingshire	Scotland	Was involved with the enlargement of this house. Design ultimately was that of James Gibbs.
Murthly Castle	In year 1735	Murthly	Perthshire	Scotland	Entrance Block built and probably designed by John Douglas.
Achnacarry, walled garden	In year 1736		Inverness-shire	Scotland	Payments made to Douglas during this period
Blair Castle	In year 1736	Blair Atholl	Perthshire	Scotland	Designs for remodelling Blair Castle. Not executed
Abercairney	In year 1737		Perthshire	Scotland	Extensive repairs
Lochnell Castle	In year 1737	Benderloch (near)	Argyll	Scotland	May have been responsible for the design of new house 1737-39.
Galloway House	In year 1740		Wigtownshire	Scotland	Drew up designs which were implemented by John Baxter. Holly Kinnear gives \'late 1730s\'.
Arbroath Harbour	In year 1741	Arbroath	Angus	Scotland	Advised on how to alleviate silting up of harbour.
Killin Church	In year 1743	Killin	Perthshire	Scotland	His design is mentioned in a letter of 1743 from Lord Breadalbane\'s chamberlain. He therefore presumably designed the church built in 1744.
Amulree Church	In year 1743	Amulree	Perthshire	Scotland	Although 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 Athernase	In year 1744	Leuchars	Fife	Scotland	Octagonal tower
Kilmahew Castle	In year 1744	Cardross	Dunbartonshire	Scotland	May have been responsible for the remodelling in the gothic taste.
Traquair House	c. 1744	Peebles	Peeblesshire	Scotland	Proposed re-fronting of the house
Archerfield	In year 1745		East Lothian	Scotland	Work on house

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The following archives hold material relating to this person:

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Archive Name	Source	Source Cat No	Item Name	Notes
Gifts and deposits	National Archives of Scotland (formerly SRO)	200026	GD164/693
Gifts and deposits	National Archives of Scotland (formerly SRO)	200026	GD 224/168/5	1758Papers 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 Testaments	New Register House	200769	CC 8/8/124(2)

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Basic Biographic Details

Addresses

Private Addresses

Private Addresses2 classic

Business Addresses

Business Addresses2 classic

Buildings and Designs

Buildings and Designs2 classic

References

Archive References

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