Basic Biographical Details

Name: George Gordon
Designation:  
Born: 1832
Died: 5 August 1906
Bio Notes: George Gordon was born at Tullochallum, near Dufftown in 1832, the son of Alexander Gordon, farmer. He trained for three years with an uncle by marriage, David Gordon, in Beauly, who was a surveyor employed on the Lovat and nearby estates. George Gordon then moved to Glasgow to continue his training, after which he returned to Tullochallum.

He combined surveying with estate management and farming. His earliest estate plans are for farms in Inveravon and Mortlach on the Gordon Castle estate in Upper Banffshire and date from 1857 and 1858. Further work for the Gordon estates followed in the 1860s. He also made survey plans of the churches of Glenlivet and Glenrinnes and in 1860 made a plan of Cullen. In 1866 he was appointed road surveyor of the Upper District of Banffshire, the first of a number of public offices he held.

After Peter MacBey’s death on 18 March 1877, Gordon entered into partnership with MacBey’s eldest son, William Munro MacBey, and extended his business into Morayshire. MacBey & Gordon continued the surveying of the Earl of Fife’s estates.

Gordon was appointed to serve on the ‘Deer Forest Commission', the Irish Land Commission in the 1890s.

The practice was involved in surveying work for the proposed Inverness & Lochend Light Railway which was never built and a number of water schemes – Wick, Forres and Banff.

The practice title changed from MacBey & Gordon to Gordon & MacBey c.1888, but it is not yet clear why this change was made. The practice subsequently moved to Inverness with the office run by Alexander Grant who had been an apprentice in Elgin. George Gordon retired to Edinburgh where he died in 1906. The name changed again in the later 1890s to George Gordon & Co, presumably after the death or retirement of the second MacBey. Gordon's firm continued (run by Gordon’s son Alexander William Robert Gordon) in partnership with Grant. It continued at least until the late 1950s when Gordon Gunn was senior partner.

Gordon had retired to Edinburgh and was living in Merchiston Park in 1903. He died on 5 August 1906 at 13 Chalmers Street, Edinburgh and his funeral mass was held at the Sacred Heart Church, Lauriston Street. His younger son, Henry Reid Gordon, had predeceased him. He died in February 1906 in Kingwilliamstown, Cape Colony. It is not yet clear if his wife Louisa survived him.

Private and Business Addresses

The following private or business addresses are associated with this :
 AddressTypeDate fromDate toNotes
Item 1 of 5Tullochallum, Banffshire, ScotlandPrivate/business1860s1870s 
Item 2 of 57, North Street, Elgin, Morayshire, ScotlandPrivateLate 1870s  
Item 3 of 5Elgin, Morayshire, ScotlandBusinessc. 1885Before 1894(?) 
Item 4 of 5Southside Road, Inverness, Inverness-shire, ScotlandPrivateBefore 1894(?)  
Item 5 of 5Merchiston Park, Edinburgh, ScotlandPrivateBefore 1903c. 1906 

Employment and Training

Employers

The following individuals or organisations employed or trained this (click on an item to view details):
 NameDate fromDate toPositionNotes
Item 1 of 3MacBey & GordonAfter 1874c. 1888Partner 
Item 2 of 3Gordon & MacBeyc. 1888c. 1898Partner 
Item 3 of 3George Gordon & Coc. 1898 Partner 

Buildings and Designs

This was involved with the following buildings or structures from the date specified (click on an item to view details):
 Date startedBuilding nameTown, district or villageIslandCity or countyCountryNotes
Item 1 of 60 Castle Stuart  Inverness-shireScotlandUndated surveys from W Schomberg-Scott, photocopy in NMRS
Item 2 of 601885Thurso BridgeThurso CaithnessScotland 
Item 3 of 601889Dores Free ChurchDores Inverness-shireScotlandAdditions and alterations
Item 4 of 601889Dores Free ManseDores Inverness-shireScotlandAlterations and additions
Item 5 of 601889Mains of Findon, farm offices and farmhouseFindon Ross and CromartyScotlandStables, cattle courts etc
Item 6 of 601889Woodlands farmhouse and steadingDingwall Ross and CromartyScotlandCattle courts and additions to farmhouse
Item 7 of 601890Culbokie InnCulbokie Ross and CromartyScotlandAdditions
Item 8 of 601890Glenisla-Glenlivet DistilleryKeith BanffshireScotland 
Item 9 of 601891Lower Gledfield, farm officesArdross Ross and CromartyScotlandAdditions and aterations to farm buildings
Item 10 of 601891Mains of Findon, farm offices and farmhouseFindon Ross and CromartyScotlandServants' cottages and farmhouse
Item 11 of 601891Overskibo, farmsteadingSkibo Estate SutherlandScotlandCattle courts and additions to steading
Item 12 of 601891Pulrossie (Skibo Estate), steadingSkibo SutherlandScotlandCattle courts
Item 13 of 601891Upper Gledfield, farm buildingsArdross Ross and CromartyScotlandAdditions and alterations to farm buildings
Item 14 of 601892Lee BridgeForres MorayshireScotland 
Item 15 of 601892Parkmore DistilleryDufftown BanffshireScotland 
Item 16 of 601892Villa for Provost SutherlandDornoch SutherlandScotland 
Item 17 of 601893Aerated water factoryInverness Inverness-shireScotland 
Item 18 of 601893Aldourie Post OfficeAldourie Inverness-shireScotland 
Item 19 of 601893Bunchrew, Forester's cottageBunchrew Inverness-shireScotland 
Item 20 of 601893Kilmuir Steading (Drynie Estate)Kilmuir Wester Ross and CromartyScotland 
Item 21 of 601893Knock Station, DistilleryGrange BanffshireScotland 
Item 22 of 601893Knockdhu DistilleryKnock BanffshireScotland 
Item 23 of 601893Mains of Drynie, farmhouse and farmstead and cottagesKilmuir Wester Ross and CromartyScotlandWorkmen's cottages
Item 24 of 601894Invergordon harbour with storehouseInvergordon Ross and CromartyScotlandReconstruction
Item 25 of 601894Ladystone (Bunchrew Estate) Steading and manager's houseBunchrew Inverness-shireScotland 
Item 26 of 601894Mains of Bunchrew, steading and servants' cottagesBunchrew Inverness-shireScotlandSteading
Item 27 of 601898Block of shops and houses, Denny Street and Argyle StreetInverness Inverness-shireScotland 
Item 28 of 601898Easter Lochend (Kilravock estate), house and steading  NairnshireScotland 
Item 29 of 601898Wester Lochend (Kilravock), steading  NairnshireScotland 
Item 30 of 601899Auchnacloich, Grieve's house, farmhouse, steading and servants' cottagesNairn NairnshireScotlandGrieve's house and servant's cottages, and additions to farmhouse and steading
Item 31 of 601899Balnabeen, farmhouse and steadingConon Bridge Ross and CromartyScotlandAdditions to steading
Item 32 of 601899Clune (Aldourie Estate), steadingAldourie Inverness-shireScotlandCovered courts
Item 33 of 601899House, Union RoadInverness Inverness-shireScotlandAdditions
Item 34 of 601899Mulchaich, steadingConon Bridge Ross and CromartyScotland 
Item 35 of 601900Balloch (Culloden Estate), farmhouse and steadingCulloden Inverness-shireScotland 
Item 36 of 601900Balnabeen, farmhouse and steadingConon Bridge Ross and CromartyScotlandFarmhouse
Item 37 of 601900Drummondreoch, farmhouse and steadingConon Bridge Ross and CromartyScotlandAdditions to farm
Item 38 of 601901Alcaig, Farm buildingsConon Bridge Ross and CromartyScotland 
Item 39 of 601901Bobbin Mills, MuirtownInverness Inverness-shireScotland 
Item 40 of 601901Candacraig HouseStrathdon AberdeenshireScotlandAdditions (west wing)
Item 41 of 601902Croygorston (Culloden Estate), Farmhouse, steading and servants' cottagesCulloden Inverness-shireScotlandFarmhouse, servants' cottages, and additions to steading
Item 42 of 601902Croygorston (Culloden Estate), Timber bridge over the River NairnCulloden Inverness-shireScotland 
Item 43 of 601903Dalreigh BridgeAlness Ross and CromartyScotlandReconstructive repair
Item 44 of 601903Invergordon harbour with storehouseInvergordon Ross and CromartyScotlandStores
Item 45 of 601903Lebishie LodgeGlenmoriston Inverness-shireScotland 
Item 46 of 601903Woodside (Culloden Estate), farm buildingsCulloden Inverness-shireScotlandM001046
Item 47 of 601904Cantray-Bruaich (Culloden Estate) Farm cottagesCulloden Inverness-shireScotland 
Item 48 of 601904Culchuraig (Culloden Estate), steadingCulloden Inverness-shireScotlandAdditions
Item 49 of 601904Invergordon harbour with storehouseInvergordon Ross and CromartyScotlandExtension of East Jetty and straightening of East Quay
Item 50 of 601904Kinkell Castle, SteadingConon Bridge (near) Ross and CromartyScotlandAdditions and repairs to farm buildings
Item 51 of 601904VillaAviemore Inverness-shireScotland 
Item 52 of 601906Ferintosh Parish Church, manse and officesConon Bridge Ross and CromartyScotlandImprovements to church manse and offices
Item 53 of 601906Footbridge over the LossieLossiemouth MorayshireScotland 
Item 54 of 601912Coulmore HouseRedcastle, North Kessock Ross and CromartyScotlandAdditions - bows added
Item 55 of 601913Invermoriston ChurchInvermoriston Inverness-shireScotlandHS List
Item 56 of 60192520 Houses for Town CouncilInverness Inverness-shireScotland 
Item 57 of 601925Amat LodgeAmatnatua Ross and CromartyScotlandProposed alterations
Item 58 of 601926Boleskine House  Inverness-shireScotlandAlterations and additions
Item 59 of 601930HousingMallaig Inverness-shireScotland 
Item 60 of 601936Aberchalder Lodge  Inverness-shireScotlandAlterations

References

Periodical References

The following periodicals contain references to this :
 Periodical NameDateEditionPublisherNotes
Item 1 of 4Aberdeen Journal4 July 1903  p6
Item 2 of 4Scotsman13 April 1906  p10
Item 3 of 4Scotsman6 August 1906  p12
Item 4 of 4Scottish Local History201591 Spring/Summer issue