Basic Biographical Details

Name: Thomas Roger Kitsell
Designation:  
Born: 1864
Died: 1917
Bio Notes: Thomas Roger Kitsell was born in 1864, the son of Thomas Kitsell a retired civil servant who worked for the Inland Revenue and whose work must presumably have taken him to Edinburgh for a period of time during the younger Thomas's early years. The younger Thomas was educated at George Watson's College in Edinburgh and Edinburgh University where he attended classes in Fine Art. In 1878 he was articled to Robert Rowand Anderson, remaining as assistant for a further five years after the competition of his articles in 1883. He moved to London to gain wider experience, becoming chief assistant to Howell & Son, and moving thereafter as assistant to John Alfred Gotch of Kettering and then as chief assistant to Charles Edwin Ponting of Marlborough. He sat the qualifying exam in 1891 and was elected ARIBA on 8 June of that year. His proposers were John Alfred Gotch, Charles Henry Howell and James Archibald Morris which suggests that he had already been working for Howell & Son and for Gotch before that date. In 1891 Kitsell appears to have spent time in Weston-super-Mare and in Manchester from addresses (given in his RIBA Nomination Paper?), though it is as yet unclear if these were work addresses or simply residential. He won an RIBA prize for measured drawings of old buildings in 1888 and the Tite Prize in 1892.

In or before 1893 Kitsell had secured a post with the War Office where he remained for eight years. In 1901 at the relatively late age of thirty-seven he commenced independent practice in Plymouth where he built up a busy practice. In appears that he never retuned to Scotland to work.

He died in 1917.

Private and Business Addresses

The following private or business addresses are associated with this :
 AddressTypeDate fromDate toNotes
Item 1 of 49, West Street, Weston-super-Mare, Somerset, EnglandBusiness1891 *  
Item 2 of 4The Derbys, Manchester Road, Bury, Greater Manchester, EnglandBusiness1891 *  
Item 3 of 417, George Street, Plymouth, Devon, EnglandBusiness1907 *  
Item 4 of 427, Portland Square, Plymouth, Devon, EnglandBusiness1914  

* 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 7(Sir) Robert Rowand Anderson18781881Assistant 
Item 2 of 7Anderson & Browne18811883Assistant 
Item 3 of 7Wardrop, Anderson & Browne18831885Assistant 
Item 4 of 7Wardrop & Anderson18851887Assistant 
Item 5 of 7John Alfred GotchAfter 1887Before 1893Assistant 
Item 6 of 7Charles Henry HowellAfter 1887Before 1893Assistant 
Item 7 of 7Charles Edward PontingAfter 1887Before 1893Senior Assistant 

RIBA

RIBA Proposers

The following individuals proposed this for RIBA membership (click on an item to view details):
 NameDate proposedNotes
Item 1 of 3John Alfred Gotch8 June 1891for Associateship
Item 2 of 3Charles Henry Howell8 June 1891for Associateship
Item 3 of 3James Archibald Morris8 June 1891for Associateship

References

Bibliographic References

The following books contain references to this :
 Author(s)DateTitlePartPublisherNotes
Item 1 of 1Who's Who in Architecture1914    

Archive References

The following archives hold material relating to this :
 SourceArchive NameSource Catalogue No.Notes
Item 1 of 1RIBA Archive, Victoria & Albert MuseumRIBA Nomination Papers A v11, p93 (microfiche 49/B4)