Basic Biographical Details Name: | Clarke & Bell | Designation: | | Born: | 1841 | Died: | 31 December 1903 | Bio Notes: | William Clarke was born in Ayr in 1809, the son of Marion Paul who gave him the surname of Clark, that of his reputed father William Clark. The Clarke spelling was adopted later. In or about 1823 he was articled to William Burn and remained with him as a draughtsman. George Bell, born on 31 July 1814 in Lanarkshire, the son of John Bell and Agnes Donaldson, joined Burn's staff from the London office of Archibald Elliot II and his brother Alexander. In 1841 while still in Burn's employ they entered a joint competition for Lanarkshire County Buildings and the Merchants' House of Glasgow in which it was 'a condition … that each of the buildings was to have its individuality, but that together they would be in harmony'. Their design - what seems to be their perspective is now in NMRS - appears to have drawn inspiration from Harvey Lonsdale Elmes's original designs for St George's Hall and The Assize Courts in Liverpool when these were separate projects: Bell may have seen these when still in London. As a result of their success in the competition they formed a partnership which at once attained a place in the foremost rank of Scottish architects, a position consolidated by being premiated in the Edinburgh Free Church College competition two years later. The commission for the latter was, however, given to William Henry Playfair. By at least 1843 Clarke and Bell had opened an office in Glasgow at 135 Buchanan Street which seems to have also been their home address, a move further encouraged by the first of several commissions for the reconstruction of the Justiciary Courts in 1845. Together with Baird and Wilson, Clarke and Bell were the principal beneficiaries of the collapse of the D & J Hamilton/James Smith partnership in 1844.
Of the two partners, Clarke was the more active in public affairs. He was one of the leading members of the Architectural Institute of Scotland founded in 1850, contributing a paper on Scots Pictorial Architecture delivered on 27 February 1851. In 1855 he designed the Italian Renaissance Room in that body's Scottish Exhibition Rooms in Bath Street (the building itself was by Alexander Thomson) and, although not one of the leading founding members in 1858, he became a prominent member of the Glasgow Architectural Society, delivering the 1864 opening address. It was, however, Bell who sought membership of the RIBA during the Charles Barry Jun. - John Honeyman recruiting campaign, Clarke being by then sixty-nine and nearing retirement. Bell was admitted FRIBA on 16 December 1878, his proposers being John Baird II, John Honeyman and James Thomson.
Clarke's is the more readily identifiable architectural personality, with a marked predilection for shallow relief and Corinthian pilasters, his style changing little during his long career. The more three-dimensional columnar treatments and richer detail of the Caledonian and North British Insurance buildings were probably Bell's. In contrast to their refined classicism their Gothic buildings were spiky, angular and hard-edged, perhaps influenced by the work of Billings.
Bell died on 4 January 1887 at Invereoch Cottage, Kilmun, and Clarke almost exactly two years later of apoplexy on 5 January 1889 at his house at 12 Ballantine Drive, Ayr. Bell left moveable estate of £2,410 19s 2d, but both partners probably had significant heritable property. Clarke's obituarist described him as 'simple in manner, kindly of heart, genial in social intercourse, full of curious anecdote and reminiscence and with much humour of a peculiar quaintness' - evidently part of the Glasgow architect's stock-in-trade since John Keppie made a similar observation on Sellars's 'quaint repartee'.
Prior to their deaths Clarke and Bell had taken into partnership George Bell II, born in Springburn in 1854, and had come to some sort of arrangement with Robert Alexander Bryden. Bryden was born in Glasgow in 1841, the son of Robert Bryden, Royal Bank Place, and Margaret Ramage of Kirkurd, Peeblesshire. He was educated at Arthur's Academy Dunoon and Kirkcaldy Grammar School. Articled to Clarke & Bell, he was allowed to insert his name in The Glasgow Directory as 'at Clarke and Bell's' by 1864 and in 1865 he made an influential marriage to Elizabeth Robertson, daughter of Alexander Robertson, a Glasgow ironfounder who retired to Dunoon, consolidating the connections Bryden already had there. Like George Bell II, who rose to the rank of Lt Col in the Lanarkshire Artillery Volunteers, Bryden had military connections, as a major in the 1st Lanarkshire volunteers. In the Directory of 1875-76 Bryden appears as 'of Clarke and Bell', implying a very senior position within the firm if not an actual partnership; and from 1876 Bryden seems to have run a simultaneous practice within the same office at 37 West Nile Street, a situation which persisted until 1891 when he was again described as 'of Clarke and Bell' and is known to have been in a formal partnership with the firm (see separate entry for Clarke & Bell & R A Bryden). The partnership was a loose one, with the two practices sharing an accounting structure but carrying out much of their work separately. The office was said to be divided with lettered glazed doors to their separate chambers. When this partnership dissolved on 31 December 1903, Bryden set up practice on his own account at Richmond Chambers, 147 Bath Street and George Bell II continued the practice under the previous name at 212 St Vincent Street.
By 1902 Bell seems to have been concerned to assume into partnership James Hoey Craigie, then his principal assistant, as the latter's Graeco-Baroque was more in touch with the times than Bryden's free Renaissance and better able to compete with Burnet, Campbell and Sandilands. . On 1 January 1905 Craigie was formally taken into partnership by George Bell, the firm's name changing to Clarke & Bell & J H Craigie (see separate entry). | Private and Business AddressesThe following private or business addresses are associated with this : | | Address | Type | Date from | Date to | Notes | | 135, Buchanan Street, Glasgow, Scotland | Business | Before 1843 | 1850 | | | 51, St Vincent Street, Glasgow, Scotland | Business | 1850 | 1860 | | | 37, West Nile Street, Glasgow, Scotland | Business | 1860 | After 1875 | | | 212, St Vincent Street, Glasgow, Scotland | Business | c. 1879 | After 1904 | and to after 1930 for the practice) |
Employment and TrainingEmployees or Pupils* earliest date known from documented sources.
Buildings and DesignsThis 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 | | | Agricultural College | | | Glasgow | Scotland | Extensions - date unknown | | | Blackburn, feuing plan | Ayr | | Ayrshire | Scotland | Date unknown (1915 plans appear to be by another hand) | | | Earlston School | Earlston | | Berwickshire | Scotland | Date unknown | | | Manse at Cove | Cove | | | Scotland | Date unknown | | 1842 | City and County Buildings and second Merchants' House | | | Glasgow | Scotland | S & W sections including second Merchants' House | | 1844(?) | National Bank of Scotland and Square of Business Chambers | Shawlands | | Glasgow | Scotland | Competition design (probably), though it may relate to Municipal Buildings proposal of 1873 | | 1846 | Abattoir, north side | | | Glasgow | Scotland | | | 1846 | Dodridge Farm House | Hopetoun | | West Lothian | Scotland | | | 1846 | St Leonards | Ayr | | Ayrshire | Scotland | | | After 1846 | Abattoirs and Meat Market | | | Glasgow | Scotland | Original abbatoirs | | 1848 | Anderston Free Church | | | Glasgow | Scotland | | | 1848 | Barony Poorhouse | Foresthill | | Glasgow | Scotland | Original building (including porter's lodge) | | 1848 | Inverdon | Ayr | | Ayrshire | Scotland | | | 1848 | Victoria Park feuing | Ayr | | Ayrshire | Scotland | | | 1849 | Biggar Parish School | Biggar | | Lanarkshire | Scotland | | | 1849 | Justiciary Court Houses | | | Glasgow | Scotland | Reconstruction | | 1849 | School | Alloway | | Ayrshire | Scotland | | | 1849 | Schoolhouse | Alloway | | Ayrshire | Scotland | | | 1850s(?) | Cambusdoon House | Alloway | | Ayrshire | Scotland | Plans drawn up for vinery | | 1852 | Triangular block of shops, Jail Square | | | Glasgow | Scotland | | | 1853 | North British Insurance (Assurance) Office | | | Glasgow | Scotland | | | 1854 | Ayr Fort feuing | Ayr | | Ayrshire | Scotland | | | 1854 | Jedburgh Free Church | Jedburgh | | Roxburghshire | Scotland | | | c. 1854 | Caledonian Insurance Office | | | Glasgow | Scotland | | | 1855 | Market Inn | | | Glasgow | Scotland | Alterations | | c. 1855 | Bakery buildings | | | | Scotland | | | c. 1855 | Brisbane Villa | | | Ayrshire? | Scotland | Porch | | c. 1855 | Dalziel Parish School | Dalziel | | Lanarkshire | Scotland | | | c. 1855 | Dolphinton House and lodge | | | Peeblesshire | Scotland | Gate lodge - perhaps prepared plans for work on house as well and certainly for greenhouse. | | c. 1855 | Gatelodge for Mr Kerr | Gareloch | | Dunbartonshire | Scotland | | | c. 1855 | Gothic villa for Mr Montgomrie [sic] | | | | | | | c. 1855 | Hayston House, Lodge | Kirkintilloch | | Dunbartonshire | Scotland | | | c. 1855 | Hunthill House | Jedburgh? | | Roxburghshire? | Scotland | Alterations, screen in corridor etc | | c. 1855 | Hunthill House, stable offices | Jedburgh | | Roxburghshire | Scotland | | | c. 1855 | Italian villa for Robert Henderson | | | Belfast | Northern Ireland | | | c. 1855 | Kayenne Cottage | Dunoon | | Argyll | Scotland | | | c. 1855 | Lady Belhaven's School | Wishaw | | Lanarkshire | Scotland | | | c. 1855 | Large villa at Blantyre Farm | Blantyre | | Lanarkshire | Scotland | | | c. 1855 | Mission Church | | | Glasgow | Scotland | | | c. 1855 | Mission Church | Gorbals | | Glasgow | Scotland | Plans drawn up - not selected | | c. 1855 | Monument to Mr Robertson | Dunoon | | Argyll | Scotland | | | c. 1855 | Royal Theatre | | | Glasgow | Scotland | | | c. 1855 | Shopfront for Arnott & Co | | | Glasgow | Scotland | | | c. 1855 | Stanley Villa | Pollokshields | | Glasgow | Scotland | | | c. 1855 | Tombstone for J S Fleming | Campsie | | Stirlingshire | Scotland | | | c. 1855 | Villa | Campsie | | Stirlingshire | Scotland | | | c. 1855 | Villa for Mr Murdoch | | | | | | | c. 1855 | Villa for Thomas Reid | Garliston | | Lanarkshire? | Scotland | | | 1857 | Ledcameroch | Bearsden | | Glasgow | Scotland | | | 1857 | Lochbrae | Bearsden | | Glasgow | Scotland | | | 1857 | St Germains | Bearsden | | Glasgow | Scotland | | | 1858 | Baronscourt Church | | | Ulster | Northern Ireland | | | 1858 | Skelmorlie Parish Church | Skelmorlie | | Ayrshire | Scotland | Transept added to old church (now the hall) | | 1859 | Abington House | | | Lanarkshire | Scotland | | | 1859 | Justiciary Court Houses | | | Glasgow | Scotland | Further reconstruction work | | c. 1859 | Seafield House and lodge | Ayr | | Ayrshire | Scotland | | | 1860s | Abattoir, south side | | | Glasgow | Scotland | Plans drawn up | | 1860s | Hawick Corn Exchange | Hawick | | Roxburghshire | Scotland | Plans drawn up - not executed | | 1860s | Motherwell First (United) UP Church | Motherwell | | Lanarkshire | Scotland | Prepared plans - but John Grahame Peat secured commission | | 1860 | Arkleton House | Langholm | | Dumfriesshire | Scotland | Original house | | 1860 | Corn Exchange | Jedburgh | | Roxburghshire | Scotland | George Bell responsible | | 1860 | Darlington Place UP Church | Ayr | | Ayrshire | Scotland | | | 1860 | Milton Rooms | | | Glasgow | Scotland | Conversion of Milton Rooms to Magnet Music Hall | | 1860 | Water Office | | | Glasgow | Scotland | | | 1861 | Glasgow Royal Infirmary Surgical Hospital | | | Glasgow | Scotland | Added to Adam's infirmary | | 1861 | Hamilton Burgh Buildings | Hamilton | | Lanarkshire | Scotland | | | 1862 | Blantyre Parish Church | Blantyre | | Lanarkshire | Scotland | | | c. 1862 | Scottish National Albert Memorial | | | Edinburgh | Scotland | Competition design | | 1863 | Slaughter Houses, Market Street | | | Glasgow | Scotland | Alterations | | 1866 | Property at High Street and Exchange Street | Jedburgh | | Roxburghshire | Scotland | | | c. 1866 | Manchester Town Hall | | | Manchester | England | Competition design | | 1867 | Alexandra Music Hall | Cowcaddens | | Glasgow | Scotland | | | 1867 | Ayr Cemetery, Monument to Rev.James Stevenson | Ayr | | Ayrshire | Scotland | | | 1867 | Langbank UP Church | Langbank | | Renfrewshire | Scotland | Competition design | | 1867 | Theatre Royal | | | Glasgow | Scotland | Original building - Bell responsible. | | 1868 | City and County Buildings and second Merchants' House | | | Glasgow | Scotland | Additions to the east (Brunswick Street) | | 1868 | Jamestown Parish Church | Jamestown | | Dunbartonshire | Scotland | Blantyre design reused | | c. 1870 | Girvan UP Church | Girvan | | Ayrshire | Scotland | | | 1871 | City and County Buildings and second Merchants' House | | | Glasgow | Scotland | Northern section - Council Chambers and Municipal Offices in Ingram Street | | 1871 | St Andrews Free Church | Kirkintilloch | | Dunbartonshire | Scotland | | | 1872 | Hillhead Town Hall | | | Glasgow | Scotland | | | 1873 | Fish Market | | | Glasgow | Scotland | | | 1873 | Johnstone Memorial Church | Springburn | | Glasgow | Scotland | | | 1874 | Lenzie Chapel of Ease | Lenzie | | Dunbartonshire/Lanarkshire | Scotland | | | 1874 | Premises, Cadogan Street | | | Glasgow | Scotland | | | 1875 | Clyde Spinning Mill | | | Glasgow | Scotland | | | 1875 | Partick, Hillhead and Maryhill Joint Hospital for Infectious Diseases | | | Glasgow | Scotland | Original building | | 1877 | Ayr Town Hall | Ayr | | Ayrshire | Scotland | Extension to High Street, and alterations - placed second in competition | | 1877 | Drill Hall and Headquarters for 1st Lanark Rifles | | | Glasgow | Scotland | | | June 1877 | Trades House | | | Glasgow | Scotland | Plans for new building submitted for invited competition; subsequently abandoned after failure to reach a decision | | 1878 | Ayr Academy | Ayr | | Ayrshire | Scotland | | | 1878 | Houses for James McLauchlan | Ayr | | Ayrshire | Scotland | | | 1880 | Skibo Castle | Skibo | | Sutherland | Scotland | Reconstruction | | c. 1880 | Redheugh | Kilbirnie | | Ayrshire | Scotland | | | 1881 | Trochraigue House | Girvan | | Ayrshire | Scotland | Addition | | c. 1881 | Glasgow Municipal Buildings | | | Glasgow | Scotland | Competition design entered under the pseudonym Clutha | | 1883 | Paisley County Buildings (Sheriff Court), Meeting Room and Offices | Paisley | | Renfrewshire | Scotland | Won in competition | | 1884 | Arkleton House | Langholm | | Dumfriesshire | Scotland | Alterations - HS suggests that house might be by Andrew MacQueen and gives NMRS as reference | | 1884 | Dalnair House | Drymen | | Stirlingshire | Scotland | Buildings of Scotland wrongly ascribes this to James Bell, as does HS List | | 1884 | Dalnair House Lodge | Drymen | | Stirlingshire | Scotland | | | c. 1884 | Seaman's Institute | | | Glasgow | Scotland | | | 1885 | Adamton | Monkton | | Ayrshire | Scotland | | | 1886 | 42-50 Gordon Street | | | Glasgow | Scotland | | | 1890 | Paisley County Buildings (Sheriff Court), Meeting Room and Offices | Paisley | | Renfrewshire | Scotland | Extension in St James Street (making the façade asymmetrical) | | 1890 | Redheugh | Kilbirnie | | Ayrshire | Scotland | Additions | | 1890 | Titwood Bowling Club | Titwood | | Glasgow | Scotland | | | c. 1890 | Royal Bank of Scotland, Candleriggs | | | Glasgow | Scotland | George Bell II responsible | | c. 1890(?) | Schools | | | Glasgow | Scotland | | | 1891(?) | School for Govan School Board | | | Glasgow | Scotland | May not have been involved - information from Alexander E Diack's RIBA nomination papers, which are unclear as to whether he was assisting Clarke & Bell or John Gordon at the time | | 1891(?) | Warehouse, Argyle Street | | | Glasgow | Scotland | May not have been involved - information from Alexander E Diack's RIBA nomination papers, which are unclear as to whether he was assisting Clarke & Bell or John Gordon at the time | | 1891 or 1892 | Homes | Nitshill | | Glasgow | Scotland | | | 1891 or 1892(?) | School for Glasgow School Board | | | Glasgow | Scotland | | | 1892 | City and County Buildings and second Merchants' House | | | Glasgow | Scotland | Reconstruction of former Council Chambers and Municipal Buildings on Ingram Street as Sheriff Courts | | 1892 | Tenements, Garnet Street and Buccleuch Street | | | Glasgow | Scotland | | | After 1892 | Bagatelle | Greenock | | Renfrewshire | Scotland | | | 1893 | City Sawmills | | | Glasgow | Scotland | | | 1894 | Fyfe Chambers | | | Glasgow | Scotland | | | 1894 | Warehousing and Bank of Scotland at ground floor | | | Glasgow | Scotland | | | After 1894 | North Kelvinside Secondary School | North Kelvinside | | Glasgow | Scotland | or Clarke & Bell & R A Bryden? - conflicting information on assistants' RIBA nomination papers | | 1895 | Drill Hall and Headquarters for 1st Lanark Rifles | | | Glasgow | Scotland | Further work | | After 1895 | Warehouse for H Morrison | | | Glasgow | Scotland | | | After 1895 | Weekly Mail Building | | | Glasgow | Scotland | | | 1897 | A & G Thomson's Warehouse | | | Glasgow | Scotland | Alterations to create restaurant | | After 1897 | Port Glasgow improvement scheme | Port Glasgow | | Renfrewshire | Scotland | | | 1898 | North British Daily Mail Building | | | Glasgow | Scotland | | | Mid 1800s | Bonhill Parish Church | Bonhill | | Dunbartonshire | Scotland | Plans for alterations? | | Mid 1800s | Bothwell UP Church | Bothwell | | Lanarkshire | Scotland | Plans drawn up | | Mid 1800s | Campbell's Music Salon | | | Glasgow | Scotland | New entrance | | Mid 1800s | Commercial Bank of Scotland, Trongate | | | Glasgow | Scotland | Plans drawn up | | Mid 1800s | Design for a villa for Mr McNeill | Ayr | | Ayrshire | Scotland | | | Mid 1800s | East Kilbride UP Church | East Kilbride | | Lanarkshire | Scotland | | | Mid 1800s | Hotel | | | | Scotland | Plans drawn up | | Mid 1800s | House | | | | Scotland | Plans prepared | | Mid 1800s | House | | | | Scotland | Plans drawn up | | Mid 1800s | Leck's Property | | | Glasgow | Scotland | Plans drawn up | | Mid 1800s | Manse | Wishaw | | Lanarkshire | Scotland | | | Mid 1800s | Mr Adam Bryden's Cottage, Rachan Mill | Biggar (near) | | Lanarkshire | Scotland | | | Mid 1800s | Mr Bannatyne's house | | | | | | | Mid 1800s | Mr Keir's Villa | Garscadden | | Glasgow | Scotland | | | Mid 1800s | Mr McCubbin's Villa | Langside Hill | | Glasgow | Scotland | | | Mid 1800s | Mr Monteith's villa | Ascog | Bute | Argyll & Bute | Scotland | | | Mid 1800s | Mr Robert Bell's villa | Wishaw | | Lanarkshire | Scotland | | | Mid 1800s | Offices, West Nile Street | | | Glasgow | Scotland | Alterations? | | Mid 1800s | Rachan | Biggar | | Lanarkshire | Scotland | | | Mid 1800s | Reformed Presbyterian Church | | | Glasgow | Scotland | | | Mid 1800s | Robertson Memorial Church | | | Glasgow | Scotland | | | Mid 1800s | Springburn Manse | Springburn | | Glasgow | Scotland | | | c. 1900 | Adamton | Monkton | | Ayrshire | Scotland | Additions | | Late 1900 or early 1901 | Glasgow and West of Scotland Technical College | | | Glasgow | Scotland | Competition design submitted after invitation - Bell submitted J H Craigie's design rather than one by himself - unsuccessful but placed second by professional staff | | 1901 | Workshop, Commerce Street | | | Glasgow | Scotland | Rebuilding after a fire | | 1902 | A & G Thomson's Warehouse | | | Glasgow | Scotland | Additions - 2 floors added | | 1903 | Kelvinhaugh Sawmills | | | Glasgow | Scotland | Water tower | | 1904 | Caledonia Foundry, Office block for Kerr & Co | | | Glasgow | Scotland | | | 1904 | Two blocks of tenements including Hayburn Vaults Bar | Partick | | Glasgow | Scotland | | | 1904 | Warehouse for Philip McSorley/MacSorley | | | Glasgow | Scotland | | | Before 1906 | Villas, Pollokshields | Pollokshields | | Glasgow | Scotland | |
ReferencesBibliographic ReferencesThe following books contain references to this : | | Author(s) | Date | Title | Part | Publisher | Notes | | Glasgow Contemporaries | 1901 | Glasgow Contemporaries at the Dawn of the Twentieth Century | | | R A Bryden | | Walker, Frank Arneil | 1986 | South Clyde Estuary: An Illustrated Architectural Guide to Inverclyde and Renfrew | | | p19 | | Who's Who in Architecture | 1914 | | | | | | Who's Who in Glasgow | 1909 | | | | George Bell II |
Periodical ReferencesThe following periodicals contain references to this : | | Periodical Name | Date | Edition | Publisher | Notes | | Builder | 22 January 1887 | | | | | Builder | 12 November 1887 | | | | | Builder | January 1889 | | | Obituary of Clarke | | Builder | 21 April 1906 | | | Obituary of Bryden | | Builder | 1915 | 109 | | p312 Obituary of George Bell II | | RIBA Journal | 28 April 1906 | | London: Royal Institute of British Architects | p340 Obituary of Bryden | | RIBA Journal | 6 November 1915 | | London: Royal Institute of British Architects | Bell obituary | | RIBA Journal | 21 June 1930 | | London: Royal Institute of British Architects | J H Craigie obituary p598 | | Scotsman | 3 June 1904 | | | For dissolution of Clarke & Bell partnership |
Archive ReferencesThe following archives hold material relating to this : | | Source | Archive Name | Source Catalogue No. | Notes | | Courtesy of Mark Turnbull, Clive Lucas Stapleton & Partners, Sydney | Information sent to Dictionary | | Sent December 2014 | | National Monuments Record of Scotland/NMRS, RCAHMS | Clarke & Bell Album (drawings trimmed to fit, address, dates & titles cut away) | | | | State Library, New South Wales | Sketchbook and scrapbook of architectural plans and tracings | | |
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