Basic Biographical Details Name: | George Brown Deas | Designation: | | Born: | 24 December 1875 | Died: | 20 February 1961 | Bio Notes: | George Brown Deas was born on 24 December 1875, the son of James Deas, master draper, of Barnhill and his wife Mary Brown. He was articled to Alexander McCulloch of Dundee in 1891, remaining with him when the practice became McCulloch & Jamieson in 1894. During that time he studied at Dundee Technical College and University College. Thereafter he became a junior assistant to J C Sharp of Glasgow, from 1895 to 1898, subsequently spending two years with John Wills in Derby, two years as assistant to the Borough Surveyor of Devonport, four years in the Admiralty Works Department, Whitehall, London, and eight years as assistant in the Urban District Office, Finchley. Deas was a qualified town planner and was awarded the RIBA Distinction in Town Planning. Between 1914 and 1919 he was Town Planning Engineer to Fife County, Kirkcaldy District, but served for a period in the Highland Cyclists Battalion during the First World War. After the war he began practice in Kirkcaldy in partnership with William Williamson, but after a few years he set up on his own in 1923, his practice extending to Forfarshire, Midlothian, Lanark, Kinross as well as Fife. His work continued to focus largely on town planning, but he was also responsible for the restoration of seven of the old parish churches of Fife for the Church of Scotland General Trustees, including the Norman tower at Markinch. He was listed in directories as both civil engineer and architect.
Deas married Beatrice Malden, daughter of Bernard Joseph Malden, in 1928. He was admitted LRIBA in early 1932, his proposers being William Williamson, Charles Geddes Soutar and William Salmond.
By 1936 Deas appears to have taken his assistant Thomas Bertram into partnership, but Bertram left shortly thereafter to become assistant to William Scott who was Midlothian County Architect.
Deas was elevated to FRIBA on 8 May 1939, again proposed by Williamson and Soutar but his third proposer this time was Frank Charles Mears with whom he had become acquainted through his town planning work. He was a member of the Executive Council of the Town Planning Institute in Scotland and chairman of its Scottish Branch in 1935-36; and was a Fellow of the Society of Antiquaries of Scotland. He was also the founder of Kirkcaldy Boys' Club and president of Kirkcaldy District Scouts in 1929-36.
In or around 1950 Deas formd a partnership with ___ Thomson as George B Deas & Thomson. He seems to have occasionally worked with Harry Hubbard on various project but he never had a formal partnership with him.
Deas died on 20 February 1961 at Victoria Hospital Kirkcaldy. He had been married twice, first to Christian Elizabeth Oswald, and second Beatrice Edith Madden. Both had predeceased him.
Published works: 'Kirkcaldy District and Shyre' - part author. | Private and Business AddressesThe following private or business addresses are associated with this : | | Address | Type | Date from | Date to | Notes | | Central Chambers/162, High Street, Kirkcaldy, Fife, Scotland | Business | Before 1924 | After 1950 | | | Lossiebank/18, Whytehouse Avenue, Kirkcaldy, Fife, Scotland | Private | Before 1931 | After 1939 | |
Employment and TrainingEmployers* earliest date known from documented sources. Employees or Pupils
RIBARIBA ProposersRIBA Proposals
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 | | After 1919 | Miners' Welfare Institute | Kinglassie | | Fife | Scotland | | | 1920 | Cottages, Kirkshotts site | Auchterderran | | Fife | Scotland | | | 1920 | Double cottage | Crossroads | | Fife | Scotland | | | 1920 | Double cottage for the Kirkcaldy District Committee | Markinch | | Fife | Scotland | | | 1920 | Forty-two houses for Fife County Council, Glebe site | East Wemyss | | Fife | Scotland | | | 1920 | Housing for Kirkcaldy District Committee | Kirkcaldy | | Fife | Scotland | | | 1920 | Single cottage for Kirkcaldy District Committee, Kilrie | Kirkcaldy | | Fife | Scotland | | | c. 1920 | Local authority housing | Auchterderran | | Fife | Scotland | | | 1921 | Bonnybank, double cottage | Kennoway | | Fife | Scotland | | | 1921 | Double cottage for Fife County Council | Boreland | | Fife | Scotland | | | 1921 | Double cottage for Fife County Council | | | Fife | Scotland | | | 1921 | Houses for Fife County Council | Glencraig | | Fife | Scotland | Sixty houses | | 1921 | Motor Garage for Barnet & Morton | Kirkcaldy | | Fife | Scotland | | | 1921 | Twenty-eight houses for the County Council | Lochore | | Fife | Scotland | | | 1922 | Auction mart | Kirkcaldy | | Fife | Scotland | Extenison to offices and new restaurant | | 1922 | Houses for Fife County Council | Glencraig | | Fife | Scotland | Twenty-two houses | | 1923 | Houses for Fife County Council | Glencraig | | Fife | Scotland | Twenty-two houses and forty houses | | 1924 | Sanitary inspector's house | East Wemyss | | Fife | Scotland | | | 1924 | Semi-detached villas for F G Stewart and William Walker | Kirkcaldy | | Fife | Scotland | | | 1925 | 30 Houses for Town Council | Loanhead | | Midlothian | Scotland | | | 1925 | Housing for Fife County Council | Windygates | | Fife | Scotland | Houses (altogther 82 houses) | | 1927 | Fifty houses for Fife County Council | Lochore | | Fife | Scotland | | | 1927 | Forty huses for Kirkcaldy Burgh Council | Kirkcaldy | | Fife | Scotland | | | 1927 | Forty-eight houses | Little Raith | | Fife | Scotland | | | 1927 | Twenty houses for Fife County Council, Chapel | Kirkcaldy (near) | | Fife | Scotland | | | 1929 | Four houses for Auchtermuchty Town Council | Auchtermuchty | | Fife | Scotland | | | 1929 | St Drostan's Parish Church | Markinch | | Fife | Scotland | Underpinning of Norman tower and re-opening of lancets - as executant architect? 'New process of pointing' adopted. | | 1929 | Twenty-four houses for Fife County Council | Lochore | | Fife | Scotland | | | 1930 | Houses for Fife County Council, East Wemyss-Rosie site | East Wemyss | | Fife | Scotland | | | 1931 | Housing for Town Council, Boreland | Kirkcaldy | | Fife | Scotland | | | 1933 | Flats, Gray's Park | Auchtertool | | Fife | Scotland | | | 1933 | Houses for Fife County Council, East Wemyss-Rosie site | East Wemyss | | Fife | Scotland | | | 1933 | Housing for Fife County Council | Milton of Balgonie | | Fife | Scotland | | | 1934 | Housing for Fife County Council | Windygates | | Fife | Scotland | Ten houses | | 1934 | Thirty houses for County Council | Cardenden | | Fife | Scotland | | | 1936 | Eight houses on Dollar Road site for Fife County Council | Burntisland | | Fife | Scotland | | | 1936 | Houses for Kirkcaldy Burgh Council, Hayfield Site | Kirkcaldy | | Fife | Scotland | | | 1936 | Housing for Fife County Council, Dundonald | Cardenden | | Fife | Scotland | One hundred and forty houses | | 1936 | Housing scheme for Fife County Council | Leslie | | Fife | Scotland | | | 1936 | King Street Housing Scheme for Kirkcaldy Town Council | Kirkcaldy | | Fife | Scotland | 240 houses | | 1936 | King Street Housing Scheme for Kirkcaldy Town Council | Kirkcaldy | | Fife | Scotland | 276 houses (unclear whether in addition to or including the previous 240) | | 1937 | Feuing plan of glebe | Burntisland | | Fife | Scotland | To provide feuing plan | | 1937 | Forty-four houses for Fife County Council | Coaltown of Balgonie | | Fife | Scotland | | | 1937 | King Street Housing Scheme for Kirkcaldy Town Council | Kirkcaldy | | Fife | Scotland | 170 houses (unclear whether in addition to the above, or a revised scheme) | | 1937 | Twenty-two houses | Milton of Balgonie | | Fife | Scotland | | | 1937 | Two hundred and thirty-four houses for Kirkcaldy District Council | Kirkcaldy | | Fife | Scotland | | | 1938 | Forty timber houses for Fife County Council | Lumphinnans | | Fife | Scotland | | | 1949 | Abbotsrood Church, Hayfield | Kirkcaldy | | Fife | Scotland | | | 1951 | Sauchenbush Church | Kirkcaldy | | Fife | Scotland | Hall. | | 1955 | Templehall Church | Kirkcaldy | | Fife | Scotland | Worked in association with Hubbard but not in partnership. |
ReferencesBibliographic ReferencesThe following books contain references to this : | | Author(s) | Date | Title | Part | Publisher | Notes | | Kirkcaldy Directory | 1924 | The Kirkcaldy Directory 1924-25 | | Kirkcaldy: The Advertiser Office | | | RIBA | 1930 | The RIBA Kalendar 1930-1931 | | London: Royal Institute of British Architects | | | RIBA | 1939 | The RIBA Kalendar 1939-1940 | | London: Royal Institute of British Architects | | | RIBA | 1950 | The RIBA Kalendar 1950-1951 | | London: Royal Institute of British Architects | | | Scottish Biographies | 1938 | | | E J Thurston (pub.) | |
Periodical ReferencesThe following periodicals contain references to this : | | Periodical Name | Date | Edition | Publisher | Notes | | Builder | 4 June 1954 | | | p1007 |
Archive ReferencesThe following archives hold material relating to this : | | Source | Archive Name | Source Catalogue No. | Notes | | H M Register House | Death Register | | | | RIBA Archive, Victoria & Albert Museum | RIBA Nomination Papers | | L no4089 (box 20); F no3656 (box 26) |
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