Basic Biographical Details Name: | William Gillespie Lamond | Designation: | | Born: | 4 December 1854 | Died: | 23 June 1912 | Bio Notes: | William Gillespie Lamond was born on 4 December 1854 at West Calder where his father was factor, described by the Registrar as 'Steward'. His mother was Christina Gillespie. His father having obtained another post, he completed his school education in Dumfries and it was in that town that he was apprenticed, though to which office is not yet known. Subsequently he went to Northampton to widen his experience, but again the office is not known. In 1883 he designed a byre at Westfield of Newholm, Lanarkshire, a commission probably related to his father's employment at that date.
At about that year he settled in Arbroath as architect and civil engineer with a house at Frockheim. In 1884 he was commissioned to design the water tower at Arbroath. The first designs were in a 'Moorish or Spanish style of architecture' but in deference to local opinion they were changed to 'Scotch Baronial or Castellated'. Once the design had been provided the Burgh Surveyor claimed the right to supervise its building, Lamond refused to hand over the drawings, and the Burgh went to court for them. After attempting to continue his practice in the Arbroath area, Lamond was eventually compelled to give up and c.1896 applied for employment to Charles and Leslie Ower in Dundee, apparently as a result of financial problems arising from the building of Friockheim Turning Works with which his daughter thought he was personally involved.
At the Owers, Lamond was remembered for his extraordinary ability and resourcefulness, which made him something of a hero figure among the younger assistants and the apprentices. The Owers allowed him to design the Pearl Building, and when multiple copies were required he etched his drawings rather than send them to a printer. Although there were tales of Lamond ushering Charles Ower out of the drawing office with a red-hot poker when he did not want to be disturbed, there was briefly at least, a period of real rapport between Charles Ower and Lamond as the latter named his son after him. Unfortunately the partnership of Charles and Leslie Ower broke up in 1898; Lamond remained with Charles, but neither brother ever did so much business again, and Lamond decided to leave for the office of Thomas Martin Cappon, where much of the design work had been delegated to a brilliant apprentice, Harry East. East had largely designed St Patrick's Roman Catholic Church as a third-year apprentice in 1896 and 1897, but left in 1898 while it was still building. Lamond revised the design of the confessionals, substituting for East's gables a curved parapet that seems to have been taken from Hall Cooper & Davis's designs for Chesterfield School and Baths. Drawing other motifs from the work of Charles Harrison Townsend, particularly rounded angles, convex moulding, cantilevered semi-circular canopies and domical cappings, Lamond evolved a very personal style which made its first appearance at the twin campanili of St Mary's Forebank and in varying degrees quickly spread into the work of Lamond's circle from the C & L Ower office, particularly Patrick Hill Thoms, Charles Geddes Soutar and William Gauldie.
By early 1904 Cappon's office was less busy than it had been. Lamond moved to the office of James Hendry Langlands Senior, then about to embark on a major programme of school building as a result of the Education Act of 1901, which raised the school leaving age. His style developed rapidly in Langland's office, and Jugendstil lettering featured prominently in the earlier schools. Unfortunately the architectural features of his best school, Stobswell, provoked complaints from the rate payers and although the Board defended its architect, the generous eaves and detailing of the Stobswell School were pared back thereafter.
Lamond remained with Langlands until his sudden death at Stirling Cottage, Friockheim, on Sunday, 23 June 1912. During his time at Langland's office Lamond assisted other architects with whom he was friendly. Miss Jessie Lamond also remembered a lot of design work being done for an architect outwith Dundee, she thought 'down south' but this has never been traced. Although she remembered him working almost every evening and weekend throughout her childhood, his moveable estate when he died was only £50.
Although James Hendry Langlands Junior - who remembered him with great affection - described him as always smartly dressed, he was not conventional enough to fit easily into the Edwardian business world: he abhorred ties as non-functional, preferring simply a prominent gold collar stud: and after ash from his pipe burned a hole in a very large waxed linen drawing he chewed tobacco instead.
Lamond was a superb draughtsman and a good watercolourist with a preference for pale washes. The Langlands office was hung with large framed watercolour presentation drawings, some of which were retained by Langlands when the office closed, but most were deposited with the buildings depicted. Characteristic of these was the use of figures drawn to a smaller scale than the buildings: of that for the Leng Memorial Chapel (not seen and perhaps no longer extant) Frank Thomson observed that he had made quite a small building seem like the Sainte Chapelle in Paris.
Lamond's son Charles Ower Lamond also became an architect but emigrated to the USA. He was chief architect of the Federal Housing Association in Iowa from 1938 to 1968. He also held supervisory positions with the Iowa Emergency Relief Administration and Works Progress Administration in Clinton Dubuque and Davenport. | Private and Business AddressesThe following private or business addresses are associated with this : | | Address | Type | Date from | Date to | Notes | | Stirling Cottage, Friockheim, Angus, Scotland | Private | | 1912 | | | Arbroath, Angus, Scotland | Business | c. 1883 | | | | Friockheim, Angus, Scotland | Private | c. 1883 | | |
Employment and TrainingEmployers
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 | | | St Vigeans Parish Church | Arbroath | | Angus | Scotland | Unspecified work - date unknown | | 1883 | Westfield of Newholm, byre | Westfield of Newholm | | Lanarkshire | Scotland | Mixed byre | | 1884 | Water Tower | Arbroath | | Angus | Scotland | Design only; executed by burgh surveyor | | c. 1890 | St Vigeans Schoolhouse | Arbroath | | Angus | Scotland | | | 1893 | Fairweather's Turning Works | Friockheim | | Angus | Scotland | | | 1896 | Craigmount House | Kirkton of Strathmartine | | Angus | Scotland | As draughtsman to C & L Ower | | 1896 | Pearl Assurance Building | | | Dundee | Scotland | Mainly responsible for design | | 1897 | British Linen Bank | | | Dundee | Scotland | Mainly responsibly for design | | c. 1898 | Leng Memorial Chapel, lodge and gateway, Vicarsford Cemetery | Forgan | | Fife | Scotland | Perhaps perspective only - as senior assistant to T M Cappon | | 1899 | Episcopal Church hall (St Margaret of Scotland) | Tayport | | Fife | Scotland | May have been by Lamond while with Cappon - on stylistioc grounds | | 1899 | Forfar Fever Hospital | Whitehills, Forfar | | Angus | Scotland | As assistant to T M Cappon on third premiated competition design, which was nevertheless awarded job | | 1899 | St Mary's RC Church | | | Dundee | Scotland | Major rebuilding of earlier church - mainly new façade - as draughtsman to T M Cappon | | 1899 | Wishart Memorial Church | | | Dundee | Scotland | As assistant to Cappon | | 1900 | Airlie Memorial Tower, Glenprosen | Tullahill, Cortachy | | Angus | Scotland | Won in competition - as senior assistant to T M Cappon | | 1901 | Freemasons Hall | Friockheim | | Angus | Scotland | Converted from former church | | c. 1901 | St Joseph's RC School for Boys | | | Dundee | Scotland | New gateway and other alterations | | 1904 | St Joseph's RC Church | Broughty Ferry | | Dundee | Scotland | | | After 1904 | Fairmuir Special School | Fairmuir | | Dundee | Scotland | Competition drawing | | 1905 | 13 Lammerton Terrace | | | Dundee | Scotland | | | 1905 | Ancrum Road School | | | Dundee | Scotland | Reconstruction - as assistant to Langlands | | 1905 | Semi-detached bungalow, Forfar Road | | | Dundee | Scotland | As assistant to Langlands | | 1905 | St Joseph's RC Schools | | | Dundee | Scotland | Original building | | 1907 | Dens Road School | | | Dundee | Scotland | As assistant to Langlands | | 1907 | Dundee Technical Institute | | | Dundee | Scotland | Won in competition | | 1907 | Stobswell Public School | | | Dundee | Scotland | As draughtsman to Langlands | | 1909 | Druimbeg mansion house and motor house | | | Dundee | Scotland | Perhaps as spare-time assistant to Edward Tough | | 1911 | Eastern School | Broughty Ferry | | Dundee | Scotland | As draughtsman | | 1911 | Glebelands School | | | Dundee | Scotland | Rebuilding | | c. 1911 | Harris Academy, Park Place | | | Dundee | Scotland | Reconstruction of Ireland & MacLaren building with additional floor. |
ReferencesBibliographic ReferencesThe following books contain references to this : | | Author(s) | Date | Title | Part | Publisher | Notes | | RCAHMS | 1992 | Dundee on Record | | RCAHMS | St Mary's RC Church; Image of the east gable p46 |
Periodical ReferencesThe following periodicals contain references to this : | | Periodical Name | Date | Edition | Publisher | Notes | | Architectural Review | April 1958 | | | pp269-271 | | Dundee Courier and Advertiser | 24 April 1968 | | | Re: Charles Ower Lamond |
Archive ReferencesThe following archives hold material relating to this : | | Source | Archive Name | Source Catalogue No. | Notes | | Professor David M Walker personal archive | Professor David M Walker, notes and collection of archive material | | Personal information from James H Langlands Junior, Jessie Lamomd, Frank Thomson, W Sinclair Gauldie (derived from his father) |
|