Basic Biographical Details

Name:	William Spence & Son
Designation:
Born:	Before 1877
Died:	After 1882
Bio Notes:	William Spence was born at Biggar, the son of John Spence, a shoemaker and Margaret Kean, but the date of his birth has still to be established. His obituary gives his age as sixty-five (i.e. born c.1817), the registration of death as seventy-seven (i.e. born c.1806). In his early life he entered the office of John Bryce of Glasgow who was born c.1805, suggesting the later date; but as he was in practice by at least 1837 it may be that the earlier date is correct. He may have been an assistant rather than a pupil of Bryce as Gildard's reference appears to suggest. It is possible that he spent his earlier years in William Burn or David Bryce's Castle Street office as the first large house with which Spence's name is associated, Coulter Mains, 1838, is markedly of the Burn & Bryce school. Spence made his name early as a theatre architect, and established a strong presence in Helensburgh when he was commissioned to prepare a feuing plan for the upper areas of the town in 1857. He also had what seems to have been a significant domestic practice in Ulster, but this remains somewhat elusive. His later commercial buildings - Stewart & MacDonalds in Buchanan Street and the Clydesdale, Dundee - have a refined Roman Corinthian treatment. Spence married Margaret Field. She died on 9 June 1879. Spence died in Ardlui, Helensburgh on 22 June 1883 after a long illness during which period he was assisted by a son who had an independent practice at 187 St Vincent Street in 1876: this disappears when he seems to have returned to his father's practice which became William Spence & Son, shortly thereafter. Peter Smith alos appears to have been in the practice in 1880, giving the same address, 212 St Vincent Street. William Spence's moveable estate amounted to £2414 8s 9d, but he probably owned significant heritable property.

Private and Business Addresses

The following private or business addresses are associated with this :
	Address	Type	Date from	Date to	Notes
	212, St Vincent Street, Glasgow, Scotland	Business	Before 1877	After 1881

Employment and Training

Employees or Pupils

The following individuals were employed or trained by this (click on an item to view details):
	Name	Date from	Date to	Position	Notes
	George Simpson	1879	1882	Apprentice
	Henry Field Spence	Before 1879	1880	Partner
	William Spence	Before 1879(?)	1880	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 started	Building name	Town, district or village	Island	City or county	Country	Notes
	1877	House for schoolteacher	Helensburgh		Dunbartonshire	Scotland	Extension
	1877	Tenement for Thomas Sharp, East Princes Street	Helensburgh		Dunbartonshire	Scotland
	1877	Villa for John Jack, Montrose Street	Helensburgh		Dunbartonshire	Scotland
	1879	Hermitage School	Helensburgh		Dunbartonshire	Scotland
	1879	House, Sutherand Street	Helensburgh		Dunbartonshire	Scotland	Extension
	1879	Rockmount	Helensburgh		Dunbartonshire	Scotland
	5 May 1879	Carron Bank	Helensburgh		Dunbartonshire	Scotland	Additions
	c. 1879	Stewart & McDonald's Warehouse			Glasgow	Scotland	Rebuilding of south section and improvement of Buchanan Street frontage as a whole
	1881	Burton Hill	Helensburgh		Dunbartonshire	Scotland	Addition

References

Currently, there are no references for this . The information has been derived from: the British Architectural Library / RIBA Directory of British Architects 1834-1914; Post Office Directories; and/or any sources listed under this individual's works.