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Practices

Basic Biographic Details

Fryers & Penman
Architectural practice
Year Only
1898
Date Not Known
Arthur John Fryers was born in 1867, the son of John Fryers, draper, and his wife Isabella Greaves. He was articled to William Forsyth McGibbon, attending classes at Glasgow School of Art where he won bronze medals in Measured Drawing; Building Construction; Graphic Statics; and Quantity Surveying. He commenced independent practice in Largs in 1894 and was a somewhat coarse designer. In his later years he lived in considerable style at Warren Park, Largs, a large Old English house built in 1891 for O E Philips when Fryers was twenty-four. He exhibited this house as his own work at the RGI in 1893 but it is probable that McGibbon had a hand in it as Fryers did not commence independent practice until the following year.

In 1898 he went into partnership with his brother-in-law Larmont Douglas Penman. Penman was born on 9 September 1868 at 10 Robertson Street, Glasgow, the son of John Sandilands Penman, wine and spirit merchant, hotel keeper, restaurateur and cab proprietor and his wife Mary Struthers (maiden name Steven). He had been articled to Thomas Lennox Watson from June 1884 until 1889, remaining as assistant for a year after completing his apprenticeship and studying at Glasgow School of Art. In 1890 he had moved to Edinburgh as an assistant to George Washington Browne, attending classes at Heriot-Watt College, but late in the same year he had transferred to the office of Charles Davidson of Paisley. In 1892 he had moved briefly to Robert Thomson's office in Glasgow before finding a place in that of Hippolyte Jean Blanc in Edinburgh, and the following year he had moved again to that of Joseph Hall Morton in South Shields. On 26 March 1894 at the Clark Town Hall, Paisley he had married Amy Fryers, sister of Arthur John.

After the formation of the partnership of Fryers & Penman, the quality of design in the Fryers practice notably improved. The practice began with suburban villas mainly for the Glasgow builder George Hamilton, but by 1905 had secured the patronage of the Coats family. At that date the practice was capable of work of the extremely high quality required by its clientele. In the years around 1910 Fryers & Penman shared a branch office and assistants with Charles Clegg & Son at 21 Spring Gardens, Manchester, and worked in collaboration with the latter firm.

In 1911 -12 Fryers & Penman's Paisley connections with the Coats and Clark families brought the commission for what was probably the largest commercial office building in the UK, St James' Building on Oxford Street, Manchester for the Calico Printers' Association, seven storeys and attics high and twenty-seven bays long to the street and containing 1,000 rooms. For this project they entered into a short-term partnership or association with the long-established Manchester practice of Charles Clegg & Son as Clegg, Fryers & Penman. The elder Clegg (b.1828) was then 83 years old and it seems likely that the effective partner was his son Charles Theodore Clegg (b.1861). The project was completed in 1913, the Cleggs then reverting to the practice title Charles Clegg & Son.

Penman was admitted LRIBA on 22 April 1912, proposed by John Bennie Wilson and the Glasgow Institute of Architects, at which date he was living at Dunallan, West Kilbride with an office at 22 Bath Street in Largs. By 1914 the practice had moved to Clydeview in the same town.

Amy Penman died on 3 February 1908. Penman subsequently married Helen Jane Gauld. He died at Nithsdale, Bowfield Road, West Kilbride on 31 October 1931, leaving moveable estate of £5,863 3s 5d. Fryers lived on at Warren Park until 9 August 1954. He left £18,37 19s 2d.

Addresses

The following private or business addresses are associated with this architectural practice:

Business Addresses

Business Addresses2

AddressTypeDate FromDate ToNotes
21 Spring Gardens Manchester EnglandBusinessIn year 1911In year 1913Branch office
22 Bath Street Largs Ayrshire ScotlandBusinessBefore 1911After 1912
Clydeview Largs Ayrshire ScotlandBusinessIn year 1914
80 North Frederick Street Glasgow ScotlandBusinessFryers & Penman were represented in Glasgow by James Mackintosh, measurer, at this address

Partners, Employees and Pupils

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

Employees or Pupils2

NamePositionDate FromDate ToNotes
Arthur John FryersPartnerIn year 1898
Larmont Douglas PenmanPartnerIn year 1898Before 1931
William BarclayApprentice1898/081902/10
Allan GrahamAssistantIn year 1904In year 1906
Alexander Thomson HeathcoteAssistantIn year 1905In year 1908
Joseph Anderson AllanAssistant1905 or 19061905 or 1906
William BarclayChief Assistant1908 or 19091909 or 1910
Alexander Thomson HeathcoteChief AssistantIn year 1909After 1911in Manchester branch office shared with Charles Clegg & Son
James HoustonApprentice1909/07c. 1913
Henry Rochead WilliamsonDraughtsmanIn year 1910In year 1911
Robert Harkness WallaceAssistantIn year 1920In year 1924
Thomas JackArchitectAfter 1933Before 1935Acting in supervisory capacity on certain projects

Buildings and Designs

This architectural practice was involved with the following buildings or structures from the date specified (click on an item to view details):

Buildings and Designs

BuildingPartnership GPRoleDate FromDate ToTown DistrictIslandCity CountyCountryNotes
House at West KiilbrideAIn year 1876West KilbrideAyrshireScotland
Ardrossan and Saltcoats Infectious Diseases HospitalAIn year 1898ArdrossanAyrshireScotlandWon competition to secure job
BrowheadAAfter 1898Before 1911WindermereWestmorlandEngland
Residence, 11 Hill StreetAAfter 1898Before 1911LondonEngland
Mansion houseAAfter 1898Before 1911SouthbarRenfrewshireScotland
Dalry Public Higher Grade SchoolAAfter 1898Before 1911DalryAyrshireScotland
School(s)AAfter 1898Before 1911West KilbrideAyrshireScotland
School(s)AAfter 1898Before 1911LargsAyrshireScotland
Post OfficeAAfter 1898Before 1911LargsAyrshireScotland
Millport Infectious Diseases HospitalAIn year 1899In year 1900MillportGreat CumbraeButeScotlandWon competition to secure job
Springvale Infectious Diseases HospitalAArchitectural practiceIn year 1899In year 1901SaltcoatsAyrshireScotland
Kirkcaldy Burgh Infectious Diseases HospitalBIn year 1900In year 1902KirkcaldyFifeScotlandAdditional administrative and ward blocks - won competition to secure job
Kirkcaldy District Infectious Diseases HospitalAIn year 1900In year 1902ThorntonFifeScotland
LindenleeAc. 1901PeeblesPeeblesshireScotland
Neidpath ViewAc. 1901PeeblesPeeblesshireScotland

References

Bibliographic References

The following books contain references to this architectural practice:

Bib ref

AuthorTitleDatePublisherPartNotes
Hartwell, ClareManchester (Pevsner Architectural Guides)2001Yale University Pressp181
British Architectural Library, RIBADirectory of British Architects 1834-19142001
Who's Who in Architecture1914
Measurers\' CompanionThe Scottish Architects\' and Measurers\' Companion1911
John J Parkinson-BaileyManchester, an Architectural History2000Manchester UPp137 (illustration)

Periodical References

The following periodicals contain references to this architectural practice:

Period ref

Periodical NamePublisherDate CircEditionNotes
Builder1931/11/06*Penman's obituary

Archive References

The following archives hold material relating to this architectural practice:

Arc ref

Archive NameSourceSource Cat NoBuildingItem NameNotes
RIBA Nomination PapersRIBA Archive, Victoria & Albert MuseumL v23 no1830; F no2681 (box 10) (Penman)
Professor David M Walker, notes and collection of archive materialProfessor David M Walker personal archiveAdditional research by Iain Paterson (information re: Glasgow representative)