Basic Biographical Details Name: | Fryers & Penman | Designation: | | Born: | 1898 | Died: | | Bio Notes: | Arthur John Fryers was born in 1867, the son of John Fryers, draper, and his wife Isabella Greaves. He was articled to William Forsyth McGibbon, attending classes at Glasgow School of Art where he won bronze medals in Measured Drawing; Building Construction; Graphic Statics; and Quantity Surveying. He commenced independent practice in Largs in 1894 and was a somewhat coarse designer. In his later years he lived in considerable style at Warren Park, Largs, a large Old English house built in 1891 for O E Philips when Fryers was twenty-four. He exhibited this house as his own work at the RGI in 1893 but it is probable that McGibbon had a hand in it as Fryers did not commence independent practice until the following year.
In 1898 he went into partnership with his brother-in-law Larmont Douglas Penman. Penman was born on 9 September 1868 at 10 Robertson Street, Glasgow, the son of John Sandilands Penman, wine and spirit merchant, hotel keeper, restaurateur and cab proprietor and his wife Mary Struthers (maiden name Steven). He had been articled to Thomas Lennox Watson from June 1884 until 1889, remaining as assistant for a year after completing his apprenticeship and studying at Glasgow School of Art. In 1890 he had moved to Edinburgh as an assistant to George Washington Browne, attending classes at Heriot-Watt College, but late in the same year he had transferred to the office of Charles Davidson of Paisley. In 1892 he had moved briefly to Robert Thomson's office in Glasgow before finding a place in that of Hippolyte Jean Blanc in Edinburgh, and the following year he had moved again to that of Joseph Hall Morton in South Shields. On 26 March 1894 at the Clark Town Hall, Paisley he had married Amy Fryers, sister of Arthur John.
After the formation of the partnership of Fryers & Penman, the quality of design in the Fryers practice notably improved. The practice began with suburban villas mainly for the Glasgow builder George Hamilton, but by 1905 had secured the patronage of the Coats family. At that date the practice was capable of work of the extremely high quality required by its clientele. In the years around 1910 Fryers & Penman shared a branch office and assistants with Charles Clegg & Son at 21 Spring Gardens, Manchester, and worked in collaboration with the latter firm.
In 1911 -12 Fryers & Penman's Paisley connections with the Coats and Clark families brought the commission for what was probably the largest commercial office building in the UK, St James' Building on Oxford Street, Manchester for the Calico Printers' Association, seven storeys and attics high and twenty-seven bays long to the street and containing 1,000 rooms. For this project they entered into a short-term partnership or association with the long-established Manchester practice of Charles Clegg & Son as Clegg, Fryers & Penman. The elder Clegg (b.1828) was then 83 years old and it seems likely that the effective partner was his son Charles Theodore Clegg (b.1861). The project was completed in 1913, the Cleggs then reverting to the practice title Charles Clegg & Son.
Penman was admitted LRIBA on 22 April 1912, proposed by John Bennie Wilson and the Glasgow Institute of Architects, at which date he was living at Dunallan, West Kilbride with an office at 22 Bath Street in Largs. By 1914 the practice had moved to Clydeview in the same town.
Amy Penman died on 3 February 1908. Penman subsequently married Helen Jane Gauld. He died at Nithsdale, Bowfield Road, West Kilbride on 31 October 1931, leaving moveable estate of £5,863 3s 5d. Fryers lived on at Warren Park until 9 August 1954. He left £18,37 19s 2d. | Private and Business AddressesThe following private or business addresses are associated with this : | | Address | Type | Date from | Date to | Notes | | 80, North Frederick Street, Glasgow, Scotland | Business | | | Fryers & Penman were represented in Glasgow by James Mackintosh, measurer, at this address | | 21, Spring Gardens, Manchester, England | Business | 1911 * | 1913 | Branch office | | 22, Bath Street, Largs, Ayrshire, Scotland | Business | Before 1911 | After 1912 | | | Clydeview, Largs, Ayrshire, Scotland | Business | 1914 | | |
* earliest date known from documented sources.
Employment and TrainingEmployees or Pupils
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 | | 1876 | House at West Kiilbride | West Kilbride | | Ayrshire | Scotland | | | 1898 | Ardrossan and Saltcoats Infectious Diseases Hospital | Ardrossan | | Ayrshire | Scotland | Won competition to secure job | | After 1898 | Browhead | Windermere | | Westmorland | England | | | After 1898 | Dalry Public Higher Grade School | Dalry | | Ayrshire | Scotland | | | After 1898 | Mansion house | Southbar | | Renfrewshire | Scotland | | | After 1898 | Post Office | Largs | | Ayrshire | Scotland | | | After 1898 | Residence, 11 Hill Street | | | London | England | | | After 1898 | School(s) | Largs | | Ayrshire | Scotland | | | After 1898 | School(s) | West Kilbride | | Ayrshire | Scotland | | | 1899 | Millport Infectious Diseases Hospital | Millport | Great Cumbrae | Bute | Scotland | Won competition to secure job | | 1899 | Springvale Infectious Diseases Hospital | Saltcoats | | Ayrshire | Scotland | | | 1900 | Kirkcaldy Burgh Infectious Diseases Hospital | Kirkcaldy | | Fife | Scotland | Additional administrative and ward blocks - won competition to secure job | | 1900 | Kirkcaldy District Infectious Diseases Hospital | Thornton | | Fife | Scotland | | | c. 1901 | Lindenlee | Peebles | | Peeblesshire | Scotland | | | c. 1901 | Neidpath View | Peebles | | Peeblesshire | Scotland | | | 1902 | Double villas, Hatfield Drive | | | Glasgow | Scotland | | | 1902 | Villa, Rowan Road | Dumbreck | | Glasgow | Scotland | | | 1903 | 1-10 Whittingehame Gardens | | | Glasgow | Scotland | Nos 8 & 9 date from c.1904 | | 1904 | Auchenames House | | | Ayrshire | Scotland | Additions and alterations | | 1904 | Knock Castle | Largs | | Ayrshire | Scotland | West lodge and enlarged house | | 1904 | Villa, Sherbrooke Avenue | | | Glasgow | Scotland | | | 1905 | Houses, Sherbrooke Avenue | | | Glasgow | Scotland | | | 1905 | Lindisfarne and Real Tennis Court | Troon | | Ayrshire | Scotland | Villa | | 1906 | Glen Tanar House | Aboyne | | Aberdeenshire | Scotland | Alterations | | 1906 | West Park House | Skelmorlie | | Ayrshire | Scotland | Additions | | c. 1906 | St Thomas's Episcopal Church | Aboyne | | Aberdeenshire | Scotland | Alexander Thomson Heathcote claims to be responsible, as chief assistant | | 1907 | Annaginny | | | County Tyrone | Eire | | | 1907 | Sudbourne House | Orford | | Suffolk | England | Internal remodelling of James Wyatt house, refaced in brick 1872-83 | | 1908 | Knock Castle | Largs | | Ayrshire | Scotland | Enlarged house and added billiard room | | 1909 | Houses, West Kilbride | | | Ayrshire | Scotland | | | c. 1909 | Mansion house, Southpark | Troon | | Ayrshire | Scotland | | | 1910 | Masonic Lodge | Largs | | Ayrshire | Scotland | | | 1910 | St Fillans | Largs | | Ayrshire | Scotland | Large additions with tower | | Before 1910 | Crawley Court | Crawley | | Hampshire | England | Estate buildings. | | Before 1910 | Villa Zoraide | Cap Martin | | | France | | | 1911 | Fairlie School | Fairlie | | Ayrshire | Scotland | Enlargement | | 1911 | Post Office | West Kilbride | | Ayrshire | Scotland | | | After 1911(?) | The Hoo | Hemel Hempstead | | Hertfordshire | England | | | After 1911 | Toward Castle | Toward | | Argyll | Scotland | Unspecified work - presumably restoration? | | 1912 | Fornethy House | Glenisla | | Angus | Scotland | | | 1919 | Hayocks | Stevenston | | Ayrshire | Scotland | Additions | | 1920s | Houses, Caldwell Road and Corsehill Road | West Kilbride | | Ayrshire | Scotland | | | 1921 | Old War Memorial | West Kilbride | | Ayrshire | Scotland | | | 1923 | Beith UF Church | Beith | | Ayrshire | Scotland | Rebuilding and church halls | | 1924 | Nodesdale House | Largs (near) | | Ayrshire | Scotland | Major reconstruction and enlargement | | 1928 | Parker Memorial Hall | Fairlie | | Ayrshire | Scotland | Octagonal s addition | | 1929 | Building, Main Street and Fort Street corner | Largs | | Ayrshire | Scotland | Design only - not executed | | 1935 | Dunn Memorial Hall | Largs | | Ayrshire | Scotland | re-worked in Tudor style | | 1938 | Amusement Pavilion | Largs | | Ayrshire | Scotland | |
ReferencesBibliographic ReferencesThe following books contain references to this : | | Author(s) | Date | Title | Part | Publisher | Notes | | British Architectural Library, RIBA | 2001 | Directory of British Architects 1834-1914 | | | | | Hartwell, Clare | 2001 | Manchester (Pevsner Architectural Guides) | | Yale University Press | p181 | | John J Parkinson-Bailey | 2000 | Manchester, an Architectural History | | Manchester UP | p137 (illustration) | | Measurers\' Companion | 1911 | The Scottish Architects' and Measurers' Companion | | | | | Who's Who in Architecture | 1914 | | | | |
Periodical ReferencesThe following periodicals contain references to this : | | Periodical Name | Date | Edition | Publisher | Notes | | Builder | 6 November 1931 | | | Penman's obituary |
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 | | Additional research by Iain Paterson (information re: Glasgow representative) | | RIBA Archive, Victoria & Albert Museum | RIBA Nomination Papers | | L v23 no1830; F no2681 (box 10) (Penman) |
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