Basic Biographical Details

Name: Andrew Robb Scott
Designation:  
Born: 1851
Died: 3 May 1914
Bio Notes: Andrew Robb Scott was born in Edinburgh in 1851, the son of Dairyman James Scott and Elizabeth Robb of Peebles. He was educated at the Royal High School and articled to David Bryce. In 1874 John Albert Rennison of Paisley took him into partnership, and in the following year they won the competition for the George A Clark Town Hall but did not receive the commission. The partnership was dissolved in 1884, apparently from want of business during the recession, but drink may have been a factor, together with Scott's inability to produce drawings when inspiration was lacking. William John Blain recorded that when the clerk of works at St James School could not get the necessary drawings he locked him in the office 'with two bottles of whisky for company'. Scott then accepted a post as a leading draughtsman with the Glasgow practice of Burnet Son & Campbell where he had a hand in Barony and Shawlands churches, for which he made a whole day study of Dunblane Cathedral, 'not sketching' but 'assimilating the principles of Gothic'. When his commitment to these was complete, he assisted Hippolyte Jean Blanc with the details of the Coats Memorial Church in Paisley. Around 1890 he was based in Westminster. He was premiated in the Victoria (British Columbia) Cathedral Competition of 1892 but did not receive the commission. He was, however, successful in another competition for a government building in Ottawa and spent a year or two there supervising its construction. It was probably lack of other business in Canada which induced him to return to join the Edinburgh architect William Hamilton Beattie as chief assistant to see the North British Station Hotel completed, both during Beattie's travels, and after his death on 29 November 1898. Scott then went into partnership with William Hamilton's younger brother and successor, George Lennox, with whom he designed most of the east side of North Bridge in a style markedly influenced by Burnet's competition design for the North British, but by 1904 the partnership had been broken, probably because of Scott's habits of business. Blain recorded that he 'only worked when inspired… [W]hen Scott began on a building he did no drawing at all for perhaps three or four weeks, then on a sudden he would start to draw and drawing after drawing would be turned out at a great pace and all pinned round him on the walls… [He] worked all night and turned out a remarkable number of drawings in incredibly short time.' The Beattie practice does not seem to have undertaken any significant work after the partnership was dissolved.

Scott later entered politics, standing for election for the Peebles seat in the General Election of November 1910, and coming second. He lived at Argyll Lodge, Peebles, which he appears to have inherited from his brother Captain William Boyd Scott of the Argyll & Sutherland Highlanders and died at Rothesay, Bute on 3 May 1914, leaving heritable property of £253 8s 5d : James Robb Scott, the Southern Railway's in-house architect, was his son, born illegitimately in 1882 to him and the teenager Mary Fletcher, whom he married two years after the birth.

Private and Business Addresses

The following private or business addresses are associated with this :
 AddressTypeDate fromDate toNotes
Item 1 of 12Rothesay, Bute, Bute, ScotlandPrivate 1914 
Item 2 of 1211, Salisbury Street, Edinburgh, ScotlandPrivate1871 * Living with father and mother etc and described as an architectural draughtsman.
Item 3 of 127, Buchanan Terrace, Paisley, Renfrewshire, ScotlandBusiness18741884Boarder at this address at least in 1881. Described as architect.
Item 4 of 12Glasgow, ScotlandPrivate/business1884  
Item 5 of 12Ottawa, Ontario, CanadaBusinessAfter 1890  
Item 6 of 12Westminster, London, EnglandBusinessc. 1890  
Item 7 of 12199, Bruntsfield Place, Edinburgh, ScotlandBusinessc. 1896c. 1897 
Item 8 of 12Edinburgh, ScotlandBusinessc. 1898  
Item 9 of 12136, George Street, Edinburgh, ScotlandBusinessc. 1900c. 1905In Beattie's office
Item 10 of 1213, Union Street, Edinburgh, ScotlandPrivate1904 *  
Item 11 of 125, North Charlotte Street, Edinburgh, ScotlandBusiness1904 *  
Item 12 of 12Argyll Lodge, Peebles, Peeblesshire, ScotlandPrivate1914 *  

* earliest date known from documented sources.

Employment and Training

Employers

The following individuals or organisations employed or trained this (click on an item to view details):
 NameDate fromDate toPositionNotes
Item 1 of 7David Bryce Before 1874Apprentice 
Item 2 of 7Rennison & Scott18741884Partner 
Item 3 of 7Burnet Son & Campbell1884c. 1886Draughtsman 
Item 4 of 7Hippolyte Jean Blancc. 1887c. 1890Assistant 
Item 5 of 7George Beattie & Sonc. 18951898Chief Assistant 
Item 6 of 7George Beattie & Son18981904Partner 
Item 7 of 7Francis George Fielden Hooper18981904Partner 

Buildings and Designs

This was involved with the following buildings or structures from the date specified (click on an item to view details):
 Date startedBuilding nameTown, district or villageIslandCity or countyCountryNotes
Item 1 of 261874St George's ChurchPaisley RenfrewshireScotlandInternal remodelling and addition of apse for organ chamber - presumably completed by Rennison after Scott left the partnership
Item 2 of 261875George A Clark Town HallPaisley RenfrewshireScotlandWon competition but job went to Lynn
Item 3 of 261876High ChurchPaisley RenfrewshireScotlandInternal remodelling
Item 4 of 261877Wellpark West ChurchGreenock RenfrewshireScotland 
Item 5 of 26c. 1880Glasgow Municipal Buildings  GlasgowScotlandCompetition design entered under the pseudonym Apropos
Item 6 of 261881Cartside HouseRenfrew RenfrewshireScotland 
Item 7 of 261881Church of ScotlandBerwick-upon-Tweed NorthumberlandEnglandInterior - design exhibited
Item 8 of 261881Ferguslie SchoolPaisley RenfrewshireScotland 
Item 9 of 261881Good Templar HallsPaisley RenfrewshireScotland 
Item 10 of 261884DunselmaStrone ArgyllScotland 
Item 11 of 261885Established ChurchCorrieArranButeScotlandArchitect in charge of this project - as leading draughtsman with Burnet Son & Campbell.
Item 12 of 261886Barony Parish Church  GlasgowScotlandAssisted with design - was the draughtsman in the office of Burnet Son & Campbell who drew out the project
Item 13 of 261886Shawlands Parish ChurchShawlands GlasgowScotlandAssisted with design as draughtsman for J A Campbell
Item 14 of 26c. 1886Dunselma, boathouseStrone ArgyllScotland 
Item 15 of 26c. 1886Dunselma, LodgeStrone ArgyllScotland 
Item 16 of 26c. 1887Coats Memorial Baptist ChurchPaisley RenfrewshireScotlandDetails - as assistant to Hippolyte Jean Blanc
Item 17 of 26c. 1889Anglican CathedralVictoria British ColumbiaCanadaPlaced second in competition
Item 18 of 261895North British Railway Hotel  EdinburghScotlandChief assistant under William Hamilton Beattie and subsequently in partnership with George Lennox Beattie
Item 19 of 261895Tenement, Howard Street  EdinburghScotland 
Item 20 of 261898Carlton Hotel  EdinburghScotland 
Item 21 of 261898New North Bridge Buildings  EdinburghScotlandBegun by W H Beattie and Scott, completed by G L Beattie and Scott
Item 22 of 261898Royal Insurance Offices  EdinburghScotland 
Item 23 of 26After 1898HotelGullane East LothianScotland 
Item 24 of 261902Argyll LodgePeebles PeeblesshireScotland 
Item 25 of 261903Jenners' St David Street extension  EdinburghScotland 
Item 26 of 261909School, West LintonWest Linton CumberlandEngland 

References

Bibliographic References

The following books contain references to this :
 Author(s)DateTitlePartPublisherNotes
Item 1 of 2Post Office Directories     
Item 2 of 2Robertson, Una A Carskey: a house and its people   

Periodical References

The following periodicals contain references to this :
 Periodical NameDateEditionPublisherNotes
Item 1 of 2Scotsman2 November 1910  p10 - election report
Item 2 of 2Scotsman6 May 1914  Obituary

Archive References

The following archives hold material relating to this :
 SourceArchive NameSource Catalogue No.Notes
Item 1 of 2Census records onlineCensuses  
Item 2 of 2Professor David M Walker personal archiveProfessor David M Walker, notes and collection of archive material Recollections of William John Blain, given to Alfred G Lochhead, 10 December 1952; also information from Steven Robb. Also information from Neil Brown and from Steven Robb, HS regarding will.