Basic Biographical Details Name: | Cousin & Ormiston | Designation: | | Born: | Before 1878 | Died: | c. 1905 | Bio Notes: | George Cousin was David Cousin's brother and was in his office at Royal Exchange by at least 1864 along with William Ormiston who was, according to his apprentice John Hinton Gall, Cousin's partner though perhaps not necessarily at that date. When David Cousin was spending much of his time abroad trying to recover his health George Cousin and William Ormiston appear to have been responsible for his private practice, although Ormiston also entered into short-term arrangements with John Lessels during that period, submitting a joint design for the Medical School. Either when David Cousin died in the USA in August 1878, or perhaps earlier, they formed the partnership of Cousin & Ormiston to continue it, but they did not retain the business of the British Linen Bank, David Cousin's main client.
George Cousin died on 17 September 1890 but Ormiston who became Lord Dean of Guild continued to practise under the firm's name. The practice's known works were few and unimportant until 1900 when the commission for the Hotel Paris was received (although in 1895 they were acting as agents in selling a piece of ground in Lauriston Gardens whilst still describing themselves as 'architects', in 1898 they are described as 'surveyors and valuators' and maybe a large part of their business was related to that. The practice acted as vaulators for the acquistion by a new company of the Abbotshall Spinnign Mills). However after 1900 when the commission for the Hotel Paris was received their architectural work seems to have flourished. For this project a very able free-style assistant was recruited but his identity has not been traced through the nomination papers. In 1904 the commission for James Gray & Sons' equally stylish building was received, but in the following year Ormiston merged the practice with that of Lessels & Taylor, bringing to a final conclusion the long-standing links between the Cousin and Lessels practices. | Private and Business AddressesThe following private or business addresses are associated with this : | | Address | Type | Date from | Date to | Notes | | 140, Princes Street, Edinburgh, Scotland | Business | Before 1892 | c. 1905 | |
Employment and TrainingEmployees or Pupils
Buildings and Designs
ReferencesPeriodical ReferencesThe following periodicals contain references to this : | | Periodical Name | Date | Edition | Publisher | Notes | | Scotsman | 9 May 1895 | | | | | Scotsman | 21 May 1898 | | | | | Scotsman | 25 June 1898 | | | |
Archive ReferencesThe following archives hold material relating to this : | | Source | Archive Name | Source Catalogue No. | Notes | | RIBA Archive, Victoria & Albert Museum | RIBA Nomination Papers | | John Hinton Gall: L v17 no1275 (mentions 'G Cousin' as Ormiston's partner) |
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