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Practices

Basic Biographic Details

Thomas Smith, Gibb & Pate
Architectural practice
Year Only
1970
Year Only
1983
The practice of Thomas Smith, Gibb & Pate was founded by Thomas Smith senior in 1887 with an office in Coatbridge. His son Thomas Nimmo Smith, born 1906, joined the practice as an apprentice c. 1922, becoming first assistant and then partner.

The practice remained open during World War II mainly for the collection of rents and repairs to the Smiths tenanted properties in Dunbeth Avenue and other maintenance work. Thomas Smith senior died in 1941 and his son did not return to the practice until late 1945, having served as a commissioned officer with the Royal Artillery and the Royal Engineers. Because of building licensing business was at a modest level for the next ten years with Robert Aitchison as senior assistant. When normal practice again became possible Smith recruited Robert Hugh Gibb to open an office in Greenock where there were already good connections through the Trades Hotel and other projects. This proved successful, the Marquess of Bute becoming an important client, and Gibb was joined by James Guy Lindsay Pate whose clients were mainly in Cowal where he had his office. Initially they were associates, but they were subsequently taken into partnership, the practice title becoming Thomas Smith, Gibb & Pate. From 1964 to 1972 the practice was consulting architects for Dunoon Burgh including Ardenslate Developments.

As he had no prospect of a partnership Robert Aitchison left the Coatbridge office about 1960 to set up his own practice. The Coatbridge office was now staffed by Charles William Vallance Thom, the son of a provost of Coatbridge, and a little later by Thomas Smith junior who returned to the office after a period gaining experience with Whitehorn & Brown in Edinburgh. Coatbridge Town Council was an important client with major high-rise housing projects, but a growing industrial practice, particularly in distilleries, resulted in the opening of a Glasgow office. Initially Charles Thom was in charge, dividing his time between Coatbridge and Glasgow, but in 1967 William McDonald was recruited for it and quickly became the driving force behind it; its business was mainly industrial and included a large printing machinery factory for Victor Kidder in Birkenhead. Initially McDonald was an associate, becoming a partner in 1975.

In 1979 Thomas Smith junior established an Edinburgh office in York Place as a more convenient base for the Territorial Army and housing association work for Kirkcare and Bield which was by then the main business of the Coatbridge office. By that date his father was semi-retired and business in the Greenock office was beginning to decline, partly as a result of changes in client firms, and partly because of Gibb’s failing health, Thomas Smith junior spending much of his time in the Greenock office to help out and regain clients in the mid to late 1970s. The final retirement of Thomas Nimmo Smith and the continuing decline of Gibb’s health brought about the dissolution of the partnership in 1983. Gibb retained the Greenock office which soon closed; Pate the Dunoon office and McDonald the Glasgow office, all three running these practices in their name only. Thomas Smith junior retained the Edinburgh office which has survived all the others as Smith Scott Mullan Associates currently (2012) based at 378 Leith Walk.

Addresses

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

Business Addresses

Business Addresses2

AddressTypeDate FromDate ToNotes
3 Church Street Coatbridge Lanarkshire ScotlandBusinessIn year 1964
Woodbine Cottage Archallow Argyll ScotlandBusinessBefore 1964After 1970
31 Church Street Coatbridge Lanarkshire ScotlandBusinessIn year 1970After 1980
20 Royal Crescent Glasgow ScotlandBusinessBefore 1975After 1981
65 York Place Edinburgh ScotlandBusinessBefore 1975After 1981Branch office
32 Ardgowan Square Greenock Renfrewshire ScotlandBusinessBefore 1975After 1981
160 Argyll Street Dunoon Argyll ScotlandBusinessIn year 1980

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
Robert Hugh GibbPartner1960sAfter 1980
Barry Edward WilliamsArchitect1960sProject architect
Thomas Nimmo SmithPartner1960sAfter 1980
Charles Wilson Vallance ThomPartner1960sAfter 1980
Thomas Smith (junior)Partner1960s
James Guy Lindsay PatePartnerBefore 1965After 1980
William McDonaldAssociateIn year 1967
Robert AitchisonArchitectIn year 1970
William McDonaldPartnerIn year 1975c. 1983
William McDonaldPartnerIn year 1975
George Robinson KennedyAssociateIn year 1980Or was he a partner?

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
Woodside Street redevelopmentAArchitectural practiceCoatbridgeLanarkshireScotland
Scottish National Zoological Park AquariumBArchitectural practiceCorstorphineEdinburghScotlandEntrance building, reconstructed from A N paterson\'s Aquarium Building where the humidity had affected the steelwork and reinforcement making it unsafe.
Whifflet comprehensive redevelopmentAArchitectural practiceIn year 1966CoatbridgeLanarkshireScotland
Swimming PoolAArchitectIn year 1968DunoonArgyllScotland
St Patrick's RC SchoolAArchitectural practiceIn year 1968GreenockRenfrewshireScotland
HousingAArchitectIn year 1968DunoonArgyllScotland
Gibson Lindsay Old People's HomeAArchitectural practiceIn year 1968CoatbridgeLanarkshireScotland
Housing developments, BroadfieldAArchitectural practice1970sPort GlasgowRenfrewshireScotland
Dunoon Primary SchoolAArchitectural practice1970sDunoonArgyllScotland
YMCA and YWCA premisesAArchitectural practice1970sCoatbridgeLanarkshireScotland
Larkfield Industrial EstateAArchitectural practiceIn year 1970GreenockRenfrewshireScotland
Blairgrove redevelopmentaArchitectural practiceIn year 1971CoatbridgeLanarkshireScotland
Central Redevelopment of the townAArchitectural practiceIn year 1974GourockRenfrewshireScotland
Stewart HallAArchitectural practiceIn year 1974In year 1975ButeArgyll & ButeInitial project for the restoration and refurbishment of derelict Palladian House as private residence. Formerly part of the Bute Estate.
Sheltered housing for Help the AgedAArchitectural practiceIn year 1974KirkintillochDunbartonshireScotland

References

Bibliographic References

The following books contain references to this architectural practice:

Bib ref

AuthorTitleDatePublisherPartNotes
RIBADirectory of Practices 19811981
Municipal AnnualScottish Municipal Annual19641964-1965
RIBARIBA Directory 19701970
RIBARIBA Directory of practices1975