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Practices

Basic Biographic Details

J & W Smith
Architectural practice
Year Only
1845
Year Only
1879
John Smith was born in 1781, the son of William Smith, architect and builder, Aberdeen. Of the father little is recorded except that he was known as 'Sink'em'; that he had his workshop in Longacre; that he designed and built Gilcomston Chapel of Ease and the houses at the bottom end of Marischal Street, all in Aberdeen. It is not known exactly when he died but it appears to have been between February and November 1812. The son is said to have been sent at an early age to the office of James Playfair (or perhaps he assisted him in some junior capacity at the building of Cairness, Aberdeenshire, but neither the Playfair diary nor the Gordon minutes provide any evidence of it). He cannot have worked long for Playfair who died in 1794, and it is not known which London office he was in thereafter. Around 1804 he returned to Aberdeen with an extensive collection of plans and was nearly lost as his ship entered Aberdeen Harbour in a storm. Circa 1805 Smith designed his first major work in Aberdeen, a large house on Union Street for Patrick Milne of Crimonmogate. Two years later Smith succeeded Thomas Fletcher as engineer to the King Street, Union Street and Union Terrace works and laid out St Nicholas Street to connect it with George Street. By 1860 he had produced the first accurate survey of Aberdeen which was published in the same year. Thereafter he built up the largest business both in architecture and building and cabinet-making in the north-east, with headquarters at his house at 142 King Street, Aberdeen. He was associated with Thomas Telford on the harbour improvements planned from 1824 and was formally appointed superintendent of work for the City of Aberdeen in that same year. In that capacity he attended to such matters as street lighting, cleansing and executions (which are said to have brought gloom to the Smith household for weeks). He was also agent for the Imperial Insurance Company.

John died at Rosebank Hardgate, a pleasant 18th-century mansion with a large garden which he inherited from his father-in-law. He had married Margaret Grant, only child of Colonel George Grant of Auchterblair in Banffshire, a marriage which brought useful landed connections, their first home being at Longacre adjacent to the elder William Smith's house and builder's yard. Near contemporary accounts record that she was tall good-looking and aristocratic in demeanour which a family portrait appears to confirm. Smith himself was 'a shy retiring man as well as an able and diligent official'.

Most members of their family died early but his son William joined the practice after graduating MA at Marischal College and subsequently sought experience in London with Thomas Leverton Donaldson. He appears to have returned to Aberdeen by 1842 and was made a partner in 1845. His eldest daughter Margaret Grant Smith (died 1857) married Alexander Gibb, the civil engineer, on 17 March 1831. Some biographical details will be found in Lettice Milne Rae's 'Story of the Gibbs.'

John Smith's work was in his early years almost exclusively refined neo-Greek, but from 1820 onwards most of his churches and large houses were Tudor Gothic, the latter sometimes with Scottish features as at Balmoral from about 1830. These were closely modelled on William Burn's style with which he had become acquainted at Robert Gordon's, Fintray and Auchmacoy.

Brief biographical notices with short lists of principal works compiled by John's son William appeared in the Aberdeen Journal' in July 1852, in 'The Builder' and in the 'Architectural Publication Society's Dictionary'. A great many informative references to his career in Aberdeen will be found in G M Frazer's biography of Archibald Simpson (1790-1847), which appeared as a serial in the 'Aberdeen Weekly Journal' of 1918. A collected copy of these articles is available at Aberdeen Public Library. A fragmentary list of plans and some of his accounts (1807-1832) are in the National Monuments Record of Scotland.

Addresses

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

Business Addresses

Business Addresses2

AddressTypeDate FromDate ToNotes
Aberdeen ScotlandBusiness

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
John SmithSenior PartnerIn year 1845
William Smith IIPartnerIn year 1845In year 1879
Alexander EllisApprenticeIn year 1846In year 1851
John Smith IIApprenticec. 1867c. 1872
John Smith IIAssistantc. 1872In year 1879

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
Edgehill HouseAAberdeenScotlandDate unknown
Haddo HouseDIn year 1845In year 1847Haddo/MethlickAberdeenshireScotland
Huntly Police Office PrisonBIn year 1845HuntlyAberdeenshireScotland
Fraserburgh PrisonAIn year 1845FraserburghAberdeenshireScotland
ManseAc. 1845c. 1850PeterheadAberdeenshireScotland
Haddo House, Butler's Cottage, Gardener's Cottage and LaundryBArchitectural practicec. 1845MethlickAberdeenshireScotlandLaundry
Leochel Cushnie ManseAc. 1845Leochel CushnieAberdeenshireScotland
Haddo Estate, LodgesAc. 1845HaddoAberdeenshireScotland'Probably' (HS)
Trinity HallAIn year 1846AberdeenScotlandOriginal building
Mains of Haddo, farmhouse and officeBArchitectural practiceIn year 1846HaddoAberdeenshireScotlandIf 1845 may be by Smith
Kincardine O'Neil ChurchAIn year 1846Kincardine O'NeilAberdeenshireScotlandRepairs
Tarland ManseAIn year 1846TarlandAberdeenshireScotland
Bogbrae SchoolAIn year 1847In year 1848CrudenAberdeenshire?Scotland
Haddo Estate, monument terminating avenue east south east of houseAIn year 1847HaddoAberdeenshireScotland'Probably' (HS)
Auchaber ManseAIn year 1847ForgueAberdeenshireScotland

References

Bibliographic References

The following books contain references to this architectural practice:

Bib ref

AuthorTitleDatePublisherPartNotes
APSDThe Dictionary of ArchitectureThe Architectural Publication Society (8v 1852-1892)ed Wyatt Papworth

Periodical References

The following periodicals contain references to this architectural practice:

Period ref

Periodical NamePublisherDate CircEditionNotes
Aberdeen Journal1852/07*Obituary of John
Aberdeen Weekly Journal1918*See G M Frazer's biography of Archibald Simpson (appeared serially)

Archive References

The following archives hold material relating to this architectural practice:

Arc ref

Archive NameSourceSource Cat NoBuildingItem NameNotes
John Smith Papers (List of Plans and accounts)National Monuments Record of Scotland/NMRS, RCAHMS