Larger versions of these images are located at the foot of the page. Basic Biographical Details Name: | John Maurice Arthur | Designation: | Architect | Born: | 1877 | Died: | 8 May 1954 | Bio Notes: | John Maurice Arthur born in 1877, the son of George Arthur architect and his wife Margaret Catherine Fitzgerald. He was educated at Airdrie Academy and Hutchison's Grammar School, Glasgow and apprenticed to his father 1891-96, remaining as assistant. He studied under Charles Gourlay at the Royal Technical College and excelled in his academic pursuits, being placed sixth in Britain for his Honours Certificate in Building Construction in 1897 and first in Britain for his certificate in History of Architecture in 1898. He spent holidays sketching in Glasgow, Melrose, Oxford, Chester, Durham, and further afield in Belgium, Normandy and Paris. Upon the sudden death of his father in 1899, John inherited the family practice. His work included mission halls, schools, villas, cottages, tenements, business premises and factories. In 1909 the Lithgow family commissioned him to redevelop the Bay Area of Port Glasgow as red sandstone tenements and he opened a Glasgow office (initially at 109 St Vincent Street and from c.1913 at 95 Bath Street). He was admitted LRIBA in the mass intake of 20 July 1911, his proposers being John Bennie Wilson and the Glasgow Institute of Architects.
John was an enthusiastic Volunteer and Territorial Army officer, reaching the rank of Colonel. He had a distinguished war record being awarded the DSO in 1915 for special work in the trenches before Richeberg and was appointed CMG and Officer of the Order of the Crown of Belgium. His full honours included TD, DL and he was a JP. He married Katherine Adam Stevenson Hutton on 21 November 1905 at the Windsor Hotel Glasgow and their daughter Kathleen Hutton Arthur, born 19 August 1909, joined the practice as an assistant in 1934.
According to the entry in Scottish Biographies, he was conservative in politics. He resumed practice in both Airdrie and Glasgow after the First World War and became a Fellow of the RIBA in 1921, his proposers being Alexander Nisbet Paterson, William Brown Whitie and James Lochhead. In his early work he was a freestyle designer of the Burnet school but his later work from 1910 onwards is in a drier classical idiom.
John Maurice Arthur appears to have been the father of George Arthur (born 13 September 1906), who was an apprentice and assistant in the family firm from 1930 to 1935 and whose declaration accepting admittance as an Associate of the RIBA John Maurice witnessed on 3 April 1936.
John Maurice Arthur died on 8 May 1954 of cerebral haemorrhage at Glentore, Drumbathie Road, Airdrie, his home since at least 1911. | Private and Business AddressesThe following private or business addresses are associated with this architect: | | Address | Type | Date from | Date to | Notes |  | 4, Hallcraig Street, Airdrie, Lanarkshire, Scotland | Business | | c. 1940 | |  | 109, St Vincent Street, Glasgow, Scotland | Business | 1911 * | | |  | 4, Graham Street, Airdrie, Lanarkshire, Scotland | Business | Before 1911 | After 1931 | |  | Glentore, Drumbathie Road, Airdrie, Lanarkshire, Scotland | Private | Before 1911 | 1954 | |  | 95, Bath Street, Glasgow, Scotland | Business | c. 1913 | | |  | 137, West Regent Street, Glasgow, Scotland | Business | 1919 * | | |  | 12, Stirling Street, Airdrie, Lanarkshire, Scotland | Private/business(?) | 1950 * | | |
* earliest date known from documented sources.
Employment and TrainingEmployersThe following individuals or organisations employed or trained this architect (click on an item to view details): | | Name | Date from | Date to | Position | Notes |  | George Arthur | 1891 | 1896 | Apprentice | |  | George Arthur | 1896 | 1899 | Assistant | |  | George Arthur & Son | 1899(?) | | Partner | Sole partner after his father's death |
Employees or Pupils
RIBARIBA ProposersRIBA Proposals
Buildings and DesignsThis architect was involved with the following buildings or structures from the date specified (click on an item to view details): | | Date started | Building name | Town, district or village | Island | City or county | Country | Notes |  | 1893 | Caldercruix Free Church | Caldercruix | | Lanarkshire | Scotland | Peden attributes the church to J Arthur |  | 1896 | 'Coatbridge Rows' | Coatbridge | | Lanarkshire | Scotland | |  | 1899 | Airdrie Mansion House | Airdrie | | Lanarkshire | Scotland | Restoration |  | 1899 | Black Bull Inn | Airdrie | | Lanarkshire | Scotland | |  | 1899 | Buildings at Deedes Street and Rochsolloch Road | Coatbridge | | Lanarkshire | Scotland | |  | After 1899 | South Bridge Street UF Church | Airdrie | | Lanarkshire | Scotland | Reconstruction |  | 1901 | British Linen Bank | Airdrie | | Lanarkshire | Scotland | |  | 1901 | Union (?) Bank of Scotland | Airdrie | | Lanarkshire | Scotland | |  | 1902 | Annathill Schoolhouse | Annathill | | Lanarkshire | Scotland | |  | 1902 | British Linen Bank | Coatbridge | | Lanarkshire | Scotland | |  | 1903 | Wilson Memorial Halls | Airdrie | | Lanarkshire | Scotland | |  | 1904 | New Monklands Parish Church | New Monklands/Glenmavis | | Lanarkshire | Scotland | Reconstruction, including addition of apse |  | 1904 | Queen Victoria Nurses' Home | Airdrie | | Lanarkshire | Scotland | |  | 1905 | Airdrie High School | Airdrie | | Lanarkshire | Scotland | |  | 1905 | Masonic Temple | Airdrie | | Lanarkshire | Scotland | |  | 1906 | Rullion Green | Airdrie | | Lanarkshire | Scotland | |  | 1908 | Bay Area, Port Glasgow | Port Glasgow | | Renfrewshire | Scotland | Redevelopment scheme |  | 1908 | Craig Institute | Caldercruix | | Lanarkshire | Scotland | |  | 1909 | Annathill School | Annathill | | Lanarkshire | Scotland | Rebuilding |  | 1909 | John Wood Street Tenements | Port Glasgow | | Renfrewshire | Scotland | |  | 1909 | King Street Tenements | Port Glasgow | | Renfrewshire | Scotland | |  | 1909 | The Star Hotel | Port Glasgow | | Renfrewshire | Scotland | |  | 1910 | Olympia Theatre of Varieties | Bridgeton | | Glasgow | Scotland | |  | 1910 | Sir John Wilson Town Hall | Airdrie | | Lanarkshire | Scotland | Competition design - placed second (Cunningham states 'G Arthur' - presumably John Maurice Arthur as George Arthur & Son as George Arthur himself was dead by then) |  | c. 1910 | Glentore | Airdrie | | Lanarkshire | Scotland | Built for himself. Four villas on Drumbathie Road (Pinecrest (100151), Rockpark (100152), Woodcroft (100153) and Glentore (100154)) built as one group. Close et al (2016, p.117) state John Maurice Arthur set up home in nearby Glentore c.1910. |  | c. 1910 | Marnoch House | Glenboig | | Lanarkshire | Scotland | |  | c. 1910 | Pinecrest | Airdrie | | Lanarkshire | Scotland | Four villas on Drumbathie Road (Pinecrest (100151), Rockpark (100152), Woodcroft (100153) and Glentore (100154)) built as one group. Close et al (2016, p.117) state John Maurice Arthur set up home in nearby Glentore c.1910. |  | c. 1910 | Rockpark | Airdrie | | Lanarkshire | Scotland | Four villas on Drumbathie Road (Pinecrest (100151), Rockpark (100152), Woodcroft (100153) and Glentore (100154)) built as one group. Close et al (2016, p.117) state John Maurice Arthur set up home in nearby Glentore c.1910. |  | c. 1910 | Woodcroft | Airdrie | | Lanarkshire | Scotland | Four villas on Drumbathie Road (Pinecrest (100151), Rockpark (100152), Woodcroft (100153) and Glentore (100154)) built as one group. Close et al (2016, p.117) state John Maurice Arthur set up home in nearby Glentore c.1910. |  | 1911 | Union Bank | Port Glasgow | | Renfrewshire | Scotland | |  | 1912 | Easter Moffat House | Airdrie | | Lanarkshire | Scotland | Restoration |  | 1913 | Belhaven UP Church | Dowanhill | | Glasgow | Scotland | Restoration |  | 1913 | Garage for John Foster | | | Glasgow | Scotland | |  | 1913 | Headquarters of Grand Orange Lodge of Scotland | | | Glasgow | Scotland | |  | 1919 | Layout plan for tenements | | | | | |  | 1919 | Rural cottage | | | | | |  | 1919 | The Knowe | Greenock | | Renfrewshire | Scotland | Restoration |  | 1920 | Rochsoles House | Glenmavis | | Lanarkshire | Scotland | Restoration |  | 1922 | Airdrie War Memorial | Airdrie | | Lanarkshire | Scotland | |  | 1924 | Auchengray | Caldercruix | | Lanarkshire | Scotland | Additions. |  | 1924 | House for James McMorran, Mossend Place, North King Street | Helensburgh | | Dunbartonshire | Scotland | |  | 1925 | Airdrie Public Library | Airdrie | | Lanarkshire | Scotland | |  | 1925 | Airdrie Savings Bank | Airdrie | | Lanarkshire | Scotland | |  | 1925 | Bank of Scotland | Blair Atholl | | Perthshire | Scotland | |  | 1926 | Union Bank | | | Glasgow | Scotland | |  | 1928 | Ramsay's Buildings | Airdrie | | Lanarkshire | Scotland | |  | 1928 | Rockbank Mills | Greenock | | Renfrewshire | Scotland | |  | 1930 | Church of Scotland buildings | Hamilton | | Lanarkshire | Scotland | |  | 1930 | Housing and church | Port Glasgow | | Renfrewshire | Scotland | |  | 1930 | Merion Mills | Greenock | | Renfrewshire | | Additions |  | 1934 | Garrowhill Housing Development | | | Glasgow | Scotland | |  | 1935 | Airdrie Public Baths | Airdrie | | Lanarkshire | Scotland | |  | 1935 | Garrowhill House | Baillieston | | Glasgow | Scotland | Enlargement as Garrowhill Institute |  | 1935 | Town Hall | Port Glasgow | | Renfrewshire | Scotland | Extension |  | 1936 | Airdrie Savings Bank | Bellshill | | Lanarkshire | Scotland | |  | 1936 | Cowal Hotel | Dunoon | | Argyll | Scotland | Extension |  | 1936 | Mure Memorial Church | Garrowhill | | Glasgow | Scotland | |  | 1944 | Lochend Colliery Canteen | | | Lanarkshire | Scotland | |  | 1953 | Jackson Church | Airdrie | | Lanarkshire | Scotland | |
ReferencesBibliographic ReferencesThe following books contain references to this architect: | | Author(s) | Date | Title | Part | Publisher | Notes |  | RIBA | 1939 | The RIBA Kalendar 1939-1940 | | London: Royal Institute of British Architects | |  | RIBA | 1950 | The RIBA Kalendar 1950-1951 | | London: Royal Institute of British Architects | |  | Scottish Biographies | 1938 | | | E J Thurston (pub.) | |
Periodical ReferencesThe following periodicals contain references to this architect: | | Periodical Name | Date | Edition | Publisher | Notes |  | RIBA Journal | 6 May 1916 | | London: Royal Institute of British Architects | p226 |
Archive ReferencesThe following archives hold material relating to this architect: | | Source | Archive Name | Source Catalogue No. | Notes |  | National Monuments Record of Scotland/NMRS, RCAHMS | J Maurice Arthur photograph album of French architecture & own work (& portrait by daughter) c1911 | | |  | Professor David M Walker personal archive | Professor David M Walker, notes and collection of archive material | | Additional information from Iain Paterson |  | RIBA Archive, Victoria & Albert Museum | RIBA Nomination Papers | | L v16 no1101; F no1751 (microfilm reel 14) |
Images © All rights reserved. The Bailie 1935 (RIBA Conference in Glasgow Edition) (courtesy of Iain Paterson) |