Architects

Name:

Bruce Campbell Donaldson

Designation :

Architect

Date of Birth:

Year Only

Exact DOB:

05/08/1926

Year of Birth :

1896

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:

Year Only

Exact DOD:

05/08/1926

Year of Death:

1977

Circa Year of Death:

Date of Death Before (Year):

Date of Death After (Year):

DOD (1st 'Or' Year):

DOD (2nd 'Or' Year):

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Bio Notes :

Bruce Campbell Donaldson was born in 1896 at Waterford, Ireland where his father was manager of the gasworks. The family was Scottish but on his father’s early death, his mother moved the family to London. Nothing is known of his education and apprenticeship but he had probably completed the latter prior to World War I as he was commissioned as a 2nd lieutenant in the Royal Northumberland Fusiliers.

About 1920 F W Woolworth’s chief architect William Priddle put him in charge of the firm’s northern construction office in Liverpool, where he supervised the building of Priddle’s large new store in 1922-27. By 1926 he was entrusted with design as well as construction of Woolworths’ large new stores in Manchester and Leeds, the former being a particularly accomplished classical design.

These made Donaldson the obvious choice as Woolworths’ chief architect when Priddle died suddenly in January 1932. Between that year and 1939 he oversaw a vast programme of new construction and rebuilding, the larger stores having bold American-inspired Art Deco facades in Shaw’s faience. Responsibility for the smaller stores was in general delegated to the regional construction offices in London, Liverpool and Birmingham.

In August 1939 Donaldson suffered the embarrassment of being declared bankrupt. The reason are not known: Donaldson was then on a salary of £3000 p.a. which was large for that date. In view of his exceptional services to the company the matter appears to have been handled sympathetically and he was allowed to retain office, but further financial difficulties during the war years resulted in him gradually being sidelined and replaced by Harold Winbourne, supervisor in the Birmingham office whose formal succession took place in February 1944. Donaldson’s services were retained on a ‘repairs and maintenance’ still a significant responsibility given the ware damage the firm had suffered. After the retirement of William Lawrence Stephenson, head of Woolworths’ UK operations from 1923, management may have been less sympathetic, Donaldson resigning office completely on 31 August 1951 at the age of fifty-five. He died in 1977.

Bio Notes continued...

Additional Notes

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

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	Notes
F W Woolworth & Co Ltd, in-house architects (Woolworth Constuction Department	402150	In year 1920		Architect	In charge of northern construction office in Liverpool
F W Woolworth & Co Ltd, in-house architects (Woolworth Constuction Department	402150	In year 1932	In year 1944	Chief Architect

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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	Island	City or County	Country	Notes
North of Scotland Bank	In year 1933	Wick		Caithness	Scotland	Conversion of bank to Woolworths - as chief architect in Woolworths Liverpool office - perhaps involved
Woolworth	In year 1933	Arbroath		Angus	Scotland	As chief architect in Woolworths - perhaps involved
Woolworth's store	In year 1935			Glasgow	Scotland	Reconstruction with faience facade as Chief Architect to Woolworths
97-99 Montague Street	In year 1936	Rothesay	Bute	Bute	Scotland	As Chief Architect of Woolworths
Woolworth's	In year 1936	Airdrie		Lanarkshire	Scotland	As Chief Architect
Woolworth's	In year 1936	St Andrews		Fife	Scotland	As Chief Architect of Woolworths
Woolworth's	In year 1936	Bathgate		West Lothian	Scotland	As Chief Architect
Woolworth's	In year 1937	Dunfermline		Fife	Scotland	As Chief Architect
F W Woolworth store	In year 1939			Dundee	Scotland	Reconstruction - as Chief Architect to Woolworths
Woolworths, 97-99 High Street	In year 1939	Dumbarton		Dunbartonshire	Scotland	As Chief Architect in Woolworths

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The following books contain references to this person:

Bib ref classic

Author	Title	Date	Publisher	Part	Notes
Morrison, Kathryn A	Woolworths: 100 years on the High Street		London: English Heritage (or Historic England)

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Basic Biographic Details

Addresses

Employment and Training

Employers2 classic

Buildings and Designs

Buildings and Designs2 classic

References

Bibliographic References

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