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Name: | John Jeffrey Waddell |
Designation: | Architect |
Born: | 1876 |
Died: | 4 December 1941 |
Bio Notes: | John Jeffrey Waddell was born in Glasgow in 1876, the son of Robert Gillan Waddell, railway branch manager and his wife Jane Jeffrey. He was at first educated privately and then at Glasgow High School. He was a nephew of Peter Macgregor Chalmers's formidable wife, Barbara Greig Steel, and so far as is known, was articled to him c.1891, studying at Glasgow School of Art under William James Anderson and at the Royal Technical College under Charles Gourlay. Whether he had any experience elsewhere is not yet known, but he first came into prominence in 1919-21 as a designer of picture houses, mainly in Glasgow. When Chalmers died on 15 March 1922 Mrs Chalmers and John Jeffrey Waddell took over the practice. They did not succeed in retaining the Paisley Abbey commission, whereafter Mrs Chalmers seems to have had no more than a financial interest in the practice, but Waddell did succeed in retaining Chalmers's Church of Scotland connections, mainly for the re-ordering of Georgian and Victorian churches on ecclesiological lines by the addition of chancels. He built relatively few churches completely anew and his only significant restoration was St Bean's (or St Beanus's) at Fowlis Wester which was his best work.
Waddell married Jean Leadbetter Swan in 1903, their first house being at Uddingston. They had two daughters, both active in the Travelling Children's Theatre and the publication of children's books, the better known being Bertha, born 1907. Waddell himself had a literary and antiquarian bent, being the author of 'By Bothwell Banks, Rambles through Lanarkshire' and a pioneer study of Alexander Thomson, published in the Transactions of the Scottish Ecclesiological Society, 1925, v.III part 31-35. In his obituary he is described as architect and archaeologist; he 'discovered many ancient carved stones including the Cross of St Ninian now standing in front of Hamilton Parish Church'. In later years the Waddells lived in considerable style at Caldergrove, a sizable late Georgian country house near Cambuslang.
From c.1925 Waddell was in partnership with Thomas Peach Weir Young as Waddell & Young. The practice ended in tragedy. Around 1940 Waddell instructed an ill-advised lawsuit which he won but subsequently regretted. Although at the time there were rumours that his sudden death was suicide, the death certificate shows that he died of a cerebral thrombosis at 4.10am on 4 December 1941, at Caldergrove. His death was reported by his daughter Jenny. |
This 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 |
 | 1902 | Building plots | Uddingston | | Lanarkshire | Scotland | |
 | 1903 | Glasgow Cathedral, Grainger Memorial nave pulpit | | | Glasgow | Scotland | Executed drawing as assistant to Chalmers (see Academy Architecture 1903) |
 | 1908 | Cathedral Works | | | Glasgow | Scotland | |
 | c. 1910 | Three-storey terraced house | | | | Scotland | |
 | 1918 | Barncluith | Hamilton | | Lanarkshire | Scotland | Additions |
 | 1918 | Camps Works | Motherwell | | Lanarkshire | Scotland | Alterations, new workshop and gantry |
 | 1918 | Eglinton Street UF Church | | | Glasgow | Scotland | Negotiations over the site |
 | 1918 | Newlandsfield Bleach Works | Pollokshaws | | Glasgow | Scotland | |
 | 1918 | Paragon Picture House | | | Glasgow | Scotland | Reconstruction |
 | 1918 | UP Church | Uddingston | | Lanarkshire | Scotland | Alterations |
 | 1919 | Castle Picture House | New Cumnock | | Ayrshire | Scotland | |
 | 1919 | Fern Villa, Wester Craigs | Dennistoun | | Glasgow | Scotland | |
 | 1919 | Ferniehurst | Shawlands | | Glasgow | Scotland | |
 | 1919 | Provands Lordship | | | Glasgow | Scotland | Alterations |
 | 1920 | New Bedford Picture House, Eglinton Street | | | Glasgow | Scotland | Original building |
 | 1920 | Rutherglen Free Church | Rutherglen | | Lanarkshire | Scotland | Alterations and additions |
 | c. 1920 | War Memorial | Kirkcaldy | | Fife | Scotland | Competition (?) entry - not successful |
 | 1921 | Cambridge Picture House | | | Glasgow | Scotland | Original building - conversion of church into cinema? |
 | 1921 | Dalmarnock Picture House | | | Glasgow | Scotland | |
 | 1921 | Garage for Frank N Fisher | | | Glasgow | Scotland | |
 | 1921 | Maxwell Picture House | Pollokshaws | | Glasgow | Scotland | |
 | 1921 | Picture House in Mordaunt Street | | | Glasgow | Scotland | |
 | 1922 | Ardrossan War Memorial | Ardrossan | | Ayrshire | Scotland | Completion of Chalmers's design (he was not in partnership with young until 1925 - 'Buildings of Scotland' error) |
 | 1922 | St Nicholas Parish Church | Uphall | | West Lothian | Scotland | War memorial tablet |
 | 1923 | Abdie Parish Church | Abdie | | Fife | Scotland | Interior recast with new oak communion table, lectern and font |
 | 1923 | Camelon Church of Scotland | Falkirk | | Stirlingshire | Scotland | Execution of chancel addition to the designs of Peter Macgregor Chalmers |
 | 1923 | Gigha and Cara Parish Church | Ardminish | Gigha | Argyll | Scotland | |
 | 1923 | Kenmore Parish Church | Kenmore | | Perthshire | Scotland | Tracery of south transept window and removal of Breadalbane Gallery |
 | 1923 | Paisley Abbey, war memorial | Paisley | | Renfrewshire | Scotland | Executed Blomfield's standard war cross design |
 | 1923 | Penpont Parish Church | Penpont | | Dumfriesshire | Scotland | Communion table |
 | 1924 | Maryhill Old Parish Church | Maryhill | | Glasgow | Scotland | New neo-classical façade added |
 | 1924 | St David's UF Church | Kirkintilloch | | Dunbartonshire | Scotland | Revised scheme (executed) |
 | 1924 | St Margaret's Hall Church | Knightswood | | Glasgow | Scotland | Halls carried out, but commission for church lost to Lorimer 1928 (see separate entry) |
 | 1925 | Dollar Parish Church | Dollar | | Clackmannanshire | Scotland | Short chancel and organ chamber added, also furnishings including chancel panelling, communion table etc. |
 | 1925 | Gourock Old Parish Church | Gourock | | Renfrewshire | Scotland | Lectern and choir |
 | 1925 | Scottish Church | Ixelles | | Brussels | Belgium | |
 | 1925 | St Cuthbert's Church | Monkton and Prestwick | | Ayrshire | Scotland | Rebuilding and redecoration of chancel |
 | 1926 | College and Kelvingrove UF Church halls | | | Glasgow | Scotland | |
 | 1926 | Langside Synagogue | | | Glasgow | Scotland | |
 | 1926 | St Margaret's Church | Knightswood | | Glasgow | Scotland | Designs for church and halls - halls only executed, whilst commission for church went to Lorimer & Matthew |
 | 1926 | St Mary's Parish Church | Banff | | Banffshire | Scotland | Apsed chancel and furnishings added. |
 | 1927 | Denny Old Parish Church | Denny | | Stirlingshire | Scotland | Addition of chancel and addition of stair turret to tower |
 | 1927 | St Bean's Church | Fowlis Wester | | Perthshire | Scotland | Re-mediaevalisation of Georgianised 18th century church |
 | 1927 | St Mungo's Church | | | Edinburgh | Scotland | |
 | 1927 | St Paul's Church Halls | Galashiels | | Selkirkshire | Scotland | |
 | 1928 | Dunino Parish Church | Dunino | | Fife | Scotland | Reduced scheme for remodelling of interior - new chancel but omitting transepts, also furnishings |
 | 1928 | Parish Church | Logierait | | Perthshire | Scotland | Interior recast |
 | 1929 | Hillhead Established Church | Hillhead | | Glasgow | Scotland | Memorial baptistery and font |
 | 1929 | Kelvinside Free Church | Kelvinside | | Glasgow | Scotland | Addition of halls |
 | 1930 | House for N C Marples | Whitecraigs | | Glasgow | Scotland | |
 | 1930 | Kilmonivaig Parish Church | Spean Bridge | | Inverness-shire | Scotland | Addition of chancel and vestry |
 | 1930 | Kinlochleven Church | Kinlochleven | | Argyll | Scotland | |
 | 1930 | St Bride's Parish Church | Sanquhar | | Dumfriesshire | Scotland | Addition of chancel and furnishings |
 | 1930 | St Paul's Church of Scotland | Greenock | | Renfrewshire | Scotland | New reredos |
 | c. 1930 | Church of Scotland | Arisaig | | Inverness-shire | Scotland | Interior refurnished with new oak memorial pulpit and communion table |
 | c. 1930 | Dumfries Municipal Chambers | Dumfries | | Dumfriesshire | Scotland | Competition drawings (not successful) |
 | c. 1930 | Petrol and service station | | | | Scotland | |
 | c. 1930 | Town Hall | | | | Scotland | |
 | 1931 | Castle Douglas Parish Church | Castle Douglas | | Kirkcudbrightshire | Scotland | Addition of chancel |
 | 1931 | St Modan's Parish Church | Rosneath / Roseneath | | Dunbartonshire | Scotland | New vestry and conversion of session house to memorial chapel |
 | 1932 | Dennyloanhead Church | Dennyloanhead | | Stirlingshire | Scotland | Addition of chancel |
 | 1932 | Memorial to Samuel Rutherford Crockett | Laurieston | | Stirlingshire | Scotland | |
 | 1932 | Parish Church | Kilsyth | | Stirlingshire | Scotland | Addition of chancel |
 | 1933 | Bothwell Parish Church and Hamilton Monument | Bothwell | | Lanarkshire | Scotland | Alterations: amalgamation of original 14th-century choir with Hamilton building, and remodelling of interior |
 | 1933 | St Barnabas Episcopal Church | Dennistoun | | Glasgow | Scotland | Design exhibited - presumably unsuccessful competition design |
 | 1933 | St Leonard's Church Halls | Newington | | Edinburgh | Scotland | |
 | 1934 | Montrose Old Church | Montrose | | Angus | Scotland | Design for a 'long church' on an east-west axis to replace existing church - not executed |
 | 1935 | Garelochhead Parish Church | | | Argyll | Scotland | Restoration |
 | 1935 | St Columba's Church | Blackhall | | Edinburgh | Scotland | Addition of aisle and extensive furnishing |
 | 1935 | Toward Church | Toward | | Argyll | Scotland | Chancel added |
 | c. 1936 | Rothesay Pavilion | Rothesay | Bute | | Scotland | Competition drawings ( not successful) |
 | 1937 | Renfrew Parish Church | Renfrew | | Renfrewshire | Scotland | Reredos |
 | 1938 | Johnstone Parish Church | Johnstone | | Renfrewshire | Scotland | Additions |
 | c. 1941(?) | 23 Lauder Road | | | Edinburgh | Scotland | Alterations? New garage? (Apparently executed in 1946, after Waddell's death) |
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