Basic Biographical Details Name: | Robert Keith | Designation: | | Born: | 5 May 1848 | Died: | February 1914 | Bio Notes: | Robert Keith was born at Drumsturdy in the parish of Monifieth on 5 May 1848. He was apprenticed as a mason and began his working life as such, mainly in Broughty Ferry and the parish of Monifieth. He settled in Dundee in 1866 at the age of eighteen, took classes at the Government School of Design and commenced business as an architect in 1872, initially in association with a very able draughtsman J F Anderson who seems to have provided free-lance architectural service to the engineering drawing office in the town as and when required. Anderson's background has never been adequately established, but he appears to have had an independent practice in Fife.
Keith married Ann Stiven Lawson on 1 July 1869.
Keith took an active part in public life to which he owed much of his practice. In 1853 he became a director and member of the committee of management for Dundee Royal Lunatic Asylum, through which he obtained the feuing of the grounds of the original asylum at Stobswell, having previously become a member of the Dundee and Liff and Benvie parochial board when these were combined. In 1886 he was elected a police commissioner for Broughty Ferry and in the following years junior magistrate for that burgh, although he does not appear to have acquired much business there. Subsequently he was elected a town councillor in Dundee, becoming a 'hard' baillie whose sentences 'generally met the ends of justice': his position as a magistrate was said to have secured numerous commissions from the licensed trade. Although he never sought membership of the RIBA, Keith was also active in local professional matters as a founder member of the Dundee Institute of Architecture Science and Art and was its Treasurer for two years. The mainstay of the practice was production line tenement-building, particularly in the Lilybank, Watson Street, Arbroath Road and Springhill areas and in Stobswell, Hilltown, Hawkhill and Lochee Road.
In 1897 Robert Keith's son, William Bruce Dickie Keith, born in 1881 joined the practice as an apprentice, taking classes at University College Dundee and the Young Men's Christian Institute: it is not as yet clear what the latter were as most other Dundee apprentices attended Patrick H Thom's classes at the Technical Institute. Although the practice was then at a low ebb, William was taken into the partnership in 1906 and was admitted LRIBA on 24 June 1912. He was described by his contemporaries as a good draughtsman but not an especially able designer.
Robert Keith died in February 1914. His estates were sequestrated in January the following year. After his father's death William relied considerably on evening and weekend help from Vernon Constable and James MacLellan Brown, both city employees. He closed the practice c.1928 and emigrated to Australia. | Private and Business AddressesThe following private or business addresses are associated with this : | | Address | Type | Date from | Date to | Notes | | Ivybank, West Ferry, Dundee, Scotland | Private | | 1914 | | | 41, Lilybank, Dundee, Scotland | Business | 1872 | | Prbably tenement site office | | 87, High Street, Dundee, Scotland | Business | 1878 | | From at least 1878 onwards until at least 1894 | | 10, Whitehall Street, Dundee, Scotland | Business | Before 1910 | 1914 | |
Employment and TrainingEmployersThe following individuals or organisations employed or trained this (click on an item to view details): | | Name | Date from | Date to | Position | Notes | | Robert Keith & Son | 1906 | February 1914 | Partner | |
Employees 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 | | 1872 | Tenements, Allan Street | | | Dundee | Scotland | Never completely carried out | | 1872 | Tenements, Barrack Road and Parker Street | | | Dundee | Scotland | | | 1873 | Tenements, Hospital Wynd and Rosebank Street | | | Dundee | Scotland | With J F Anderson as draughtsman | | 1874 | Tenements, Rosebank Street and Kinnaird Street | | | Dundee | Scotland | | | 1875 | Offices, Dock Street, Trades Lane and Candle Lane | | | Dundee | Scotland | | | 1875 | Tenements in Hawkhill | | | Dundee | Scotland | | | 1875 | Tenements, West Port | | | Dundee | Scotland | | | 1876 | Shops, offices and flats, High Street | | | Dundee | Scotland | Elevations design by Mackison under the 1871 Improvement Act, Lot 2 on feuing plan | | 1877 | Victoria Markets and Arcade | | | Dundee | Scotland | Probably by J F Anderson | | 1877 | Villa, Nelson Terrace | West Ferry | | Dundee | Scotland | | | c. 1877 | Tenements, Lilybank | | | Dundee | Scotland | | | c. 1877 | Tenements, Watson Street | | | Dundee | Scotland | | | 1883 | St Joseph's RC School and Institute | | | Dundee | Scotland | | | 1883 | St Mary's RC School | | | Dundee | Scotland | Additions - 2-storey block | | c. 1883 | Her (His) Majesty's Theatre | | | Dundee | Scotland | Design only, superseded by William Alexander | | 1885 | Dundee Lunatic Asylum Chapel | | | Dundee | Scotland | Conversion to Maryfield Parish Church | | 1885 | Whitehall Street | | | Dundee | Scotland | As executant architect for most of street; William Mackison designed elevations | | 1886 | St Andrews RC Church | Montrose | | Angus | Scotland | | | 1886 | Stables for Stratton | | | Dundee | Scotland | | | Before 1887 | Chapelshade Parish Church | | | Dundee | Scotland | Repairs and alterations | | 1888 | Logie Hall | | | Dundee | Scotland | | | 1890 | Dundee Eastern Co-operative Society Bakery | Clepington | | Dundee | Scotland | | | 1892 | Thomas Justice & Sons premises | | | Dundee | Scotland | Original building | | c. 1895 | Tenements, Arbroath Road and Springhill | | | Dundee | Scotland | | | 1899 | Whitehill (or Whitehall) Villas | Newport | | Fife | Scotland | | | 1900 | Excise Offices and stores | | | Dundee | Scotland | | | 1900 | Gymnasium and Institute | Broughty Ferry | | Dundee | Scotland | | | 1901 | Camelon Institute | Stirling | | Stirlingshire | Scotland | | | 1901 | Claremont | West Ferry | | Dundee | Scotland | | | 1903 | Hotel | Pitlochry | | Perthshire | Scotland | Alterations and decoration of hotel | | 1903 | Hotel Buildings | | | | South Africa | | | c. 1909 | St Mark's Manse | | | Dundee | Scotland | Redecoration | | 1911 | Bank | Meigle | | Perthshire | Scotland | Extensive alterations | | 1911 | C Patterson's Property | | | Dundee | Scotland | | | 1911 | Hotel | Lerwick | Mainland | Shetland | Scotland | Alterations | | 1911 | Improvement scheme in High Street | | | Dundee | Scotland | Large improvement scheme at west end of High Street | | 1911 | Kemback Parish Church and manse | Kemback | | Fife | Scotland | Decoration and taking in water supply | | 1911 | Wishart Memorial Church | | | Dundee | Scotland | Decoration | | c. 1911 | St Mark's Greenfield Church | | | Dundee | Scotland | Restoration | | 1913 | House on Farington Hall estate | | | Dundee | Scotland | | | 1913 | Villa, Americanmuir Road | | | Dundee | 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 | | | | | Dundee Year Book | 1914 | | | | | | Post Office Directories | | | | | |
Periodical ReferencesThe following periodicals contain references to this : | | Periodical Name | Date | Edition | Publisher | Notes | | Builder | 14 February 1914 | | | p208 | | Edinburgh Gazette | 19 January 1915 | | | Sequestration of Keith's estates. Information courtesy of Rob Close. | | The Piper of Dundee | 11 November 1887 | | | |
Archive ReferencesThe following archives hold material relating to this : | | Source | Archive Name | Source Catalogue No. | Notes | | Courtesy of Charles Coupar | Information sent via 'Contact Us' on website | | Sent June 2010 | | Professor David M Walker personal archive | Professor David M Walker, notes and collection of archive material | | Personal information from Robert Dron |
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