Basic Biographical Details

Name: A & A Heiton
Designation:  
Born: 1848
Died: 1858
Bio Notes: Andrew Heiton Senior was born c.1793 and was one of three members of the Heiton of Darnick family who became architects, apparently through the influence of Sir Walter Scott with William Atkinson and Edward Blore, his architects at Abbotsford. Of these William and Francis worked for Blore, the former on Goodrich Court, Herefordshire from 1829 and the latter on Alupka, Crimea from 1832. Both died in 1833. Andrew may have worked for Atkinson as he was presumably clerk-of-works on Lord Kinnaird's Rossie estate when his son Andrew Heiton II was born at Inchture on 3 April 1823. Subsequently he settled in Perth and made his first recorded appearance as an architect when in association with William Stirling he undertook repairs to Forteviot Parish Church in 1830. Shortly thereafter he was commissioned to build Craighall Rattray, the earlier parts of which have similarities to Abbotsford. By the 1840s his principal clients were the railway companies.

Heiton married Janet Lorimer and had two sons who became architects. The elder, his father's namesake, served his apprenticeship with his father. He was subsequently sent to the office of Burn & Bryce for wider experience. He returned to his father's office in the mid-1840s and was taken into partnership in 1848 under the name of A & A Heiton. The younger brother, Thomas Arthur Heiton, also worked in the practice. They jointly succeeded William MacDonald Mackenzie as City Architect of Perth on his death in 1856, but on 8 August 1858 the elder Heiton died and Andrew Heiton Junior became sole partner.

In the following year John Murray Robertson, born of a strict Plymouth Brethren family in Strathord in 1844, became an apprentice; he swiftly rose to an exceptional position in the office, undertaking much of the actual designing from the later 1860s. Around 1862 William Leiper, who had been in the offices of J L Pearson and William White in London, was engaged as an assistant, the strong early French vein in the firm's work dating from that time. Leiper appears to have been in the office only briefly, however, being sent to Dublin to build Findlater Church. Later someone in the office, perhaps Heiton's younger brother Thomas Arthur Heiton, would appear to have been in Alfred Waterhouse's office as Waterhouse's style is markedly in evidence at Perth Municipal Buildings.

From the 1850s Heiton developed a very large country house and large suburban house practice. By 1865 there was so much work in hand in Dundee that a branch office was established there, and c.1868 or earlier Robertson was dispatched to Dundee to build Castleroy. The Gilroys, Heiton's clients there, having taken a liking to him, promised Robertson their support and he set up an independent practice in Dundee in 1873. Robertson's archive shows that he was responsible for building or completing Heiton's commissions in the Dundee area. Robertson also took in other farmed-out work from Perth, an arrangement that lasted at least until 1888, the Station Hotel in Perth being the last job in which Robertson had a substantial involvement.

Heiton remained 'a man of splendid physique' until he was seventy 'when the effects of old age were visibly apparent'. He never married. Probably because of his father's connection with Sir Walter Scott he was a notable collector of antiquities, particularly armour, weapons and furniture, and on inheriting the estate of Darnick turned the ancient tower house into a showplace for his collection. Although he took no other part in public life Heiton was a prominent mason, being for several years RWM of Lodge St Andrew no 74. He was admitted FRIBA on 23 June 1879, his proposers being John Honeyman, John Baird and James Salmon. In the EAA members roll of 1880 Thomas Arthur Heiton is referred to as deceased and from at least 1884 Heiton was assisted by his nephew Andrew Heiton Granger, born c.1862 who was educated at Fettes College. It is not yet known if he had experience outwith his uncle's office, but his early predilection for houses with half-timbered gables makes this seem likely. He appears to have taken over the design work of the practice in the mid-1880s, exhibiting the firm's work in his own name at the RSA between 1884 and 1886.

Andrew Heiton Junior died on 3 March 1894 from 'congestion of the brain' and was buried in Old Greyfriars Churchyard, Perth on 5 March. His sister Margaret installed a window to the memory of her parents and her two brothers in St John's Church in that year.

Heiton's practice was continued by Granger who also succeeded to the Darnick estate and reversed his name to Andrew Granger Heiton.

Private and Business Addresses

The following private or business addresses are associated with this :
 AddressTypeDate fromDate toNotes
Item 1 of 272, George Street, Perth, Perthshire, ScotlandBusiness1868 *  
Item 2 of 229, Albert Square, Dundee, ScotlandBusiness1878 *  

* earliest date known from documented sources.

Employment and Training

Employees or Pupils

The following individuals were employed or trained by this (click on an item to view details):
 NameDate fromDate toPositionNotes
Item 1 of 4William Nairne Tait (or William Nairn Tait)1847Mid 1850sApprentice 
Item 2 of 4Robert Arthur Lawson1848Before 1854Apprentice 
Item 3 of 4Andrew Heiton (senior)18481858Partner 
Item 4 of 4Andrew Heiton (junior)18481894(?)PartnerDid not trade under this name after , but simply under his own name

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 281847Auchterarder Free Church ManseAuchterarder PerthshireScotlandPlans dated 3 April 1847
Item 2 of 281847Pitcairngreen Free MansePerth PerthshireScotland 
Item 3 of 281848BowerswellPerth PerthshireScotlandAttributed (HS); probably designed by Andrew Heiton Junior
Item 4 of 281848Stations for Scottish Central RailwayGreenhill to Perth Perthshire etcScotland 
Item 5 of 281848Stations for Scottish Midland Junction RailwayPerth to Forfar Perthshire/AngusScotland 
Item 6 of 281848Stirling StationStirling StirlingshireScotlandOriginal station
Item 7 of 28c. 1848Stations for Aberdeen/Scottish North Eastern RailwayForfar & Montrose to Aberdeen Angus/AberdeenshireScotland 
Item 8 of 281850Loyal HouseAlyth PerthshireScotland 
Item 9 of 28c. 1850Perth Joint StationPerth PerthshireScotlandCompleted Tite's station
Item 10 of 281851Fowlis Wester Churchyard, Monument to Rev James MaxtoneFowlis Wester PerthshireScotland 
Item 11 of 281851Perth BankBlairgowrie PerthshireScotlandDesigned original building - Perth Bank
Item 12 of 281852DunalistairFortingall PerthshireScotland 
Item 13 of 281853Findo Gask SchoolFindo Gask PerthshireScotlandReconstruction
Item 14 of 281854Blackford StationBlackford PerthshireScotland 
Item 15 of 281854Gas worksAberfeldy PerthshireScotland 
Item 16 of 281854Perth Joint StationPerth PerthshireScotlandAddition
Item 17 of 281854St John the Baptist RC ChurchPerth PerthshireScotland 
Item 18 of 281855Burntisland Harbour, railway shedBurntisland FifeScotland 
Item 19 of 281855Cloan HouseAuchterarder PerthshireScotlandAdditions
Item 20 of 281855Manse of Findo GaskFindo Gask PerthshireScotland 
Item 21 of 281855NewmilneSt Martins PerthshireScotland 
Item 22 of 281855Railway StationTayport FifeScotlandEngine shed
Item 23 of 281856Birnam StationBirnam PerthshireScotland 
Item 24 of 281856Drumearn, The RossComrie PerthshireScotland 
Item 25 of 281856Dunkeld and Birnam Railway StationLittle Dunkeld PerthshireScotland 
Item 26 of 281856Stirling Goods Shed for Scottish Central RailwayStirling StirlingshireScotland 
Item 27 of 281857Perth BankPerth PerthshireScotland 
Item 28 of 28c. 1857Union Bank of ScotlandPerth PerthshireScotlandDate given by HS

References

Bibliographic References

The following books contain references to this :
 Author(s)DateTitlePartPublisherNotes
Item 1 of 1Colvin, H M1995A Biographical Dictionary of British Architects 1600-18403rd editionNew Haven and London: Yale University Press 

Periodical References

The following periodicals contain references to this :
 Periodical NameDateEditionPublisherNotes
Item 1 of 3Perthshire Advertiser12 August 1858   
Item 2 of 3Perthshire Constitutional5 March 1894   
Item 3 of 3Perthshire Constitutional7 March 1894