Basic Biographical Details

Name: Kenneth Andrew Begg
Designation:  
Born: 27 February 1903
Died:  
Bio Notes: Kenneth Andrew Begg was born on 27 February 1903, the son of architect John Begg (born 1866 at Bo'ness), who was at the time working as consulting architect to the Government of Bombay and later practised in Edinburgh. The younger Begg attended classes at the School of Architecture, Edinburgh College of Art, from October 1922 until 1928, and was a pupil of Dick Peddie & Walker Todd in 1924 and 1925. In June 1928 he was granted an exemption from the RIBA final exam, and in the same year won the Rowand Anderson Silver Medal and a £100 travelling studentship which allowed him to tour Scotland and France for three months. Prior to that time he had also visited Lincoln, Northamptonshire, Gloucestershire and Yorkshire.

He was admitted ARIBA in early 1929, his proposers being his father, Frank Charles Mears and Charles Denny Carus-Wilson. At that time he was living with his father at 94 Inverleith Place and working in the Mears & Carus-Wilson office. Later that year he moved to London to work as assistant to Sir Edwin Lutyens, leaving him in 1931 to become chief assistant to William D'Arcy Cathcart in Salisbury, Rhodesia. After two years there he returned to London to work as chief assistant to Laurence Mursell Gotch, but in 1936 he left Britain again to commence practice as a principal in Madras, Southern India, in the partnership of Edwards, Reid & Begg. He retired from that partnership in 1939 to join H M Forces, and on his demobilisation in 1945 became Chief Architect to the Government of Uganda. He was admitted FRIBA in 1951, his proposers being Henry Kendall, G B E Norburn and N Thornley Dyer.

By 1960 Begg had moved to work for the Ministry of Works and Transport in Ibadan, Western Nigeria. By 1963-4 he was Chief Architect, Public Works Department, Ministry of Works & Hydraulics, Georgetown, Guyana. He remained in this post until at least 1967. He is no longer listed in the 1970 Directory.

Private and Business Addresses

The following private or business addresses are associated with this :
 AddressTypeDate fromDate toNotes
Item 1 of 494, Inverleith Place, Edinburgh, ScotlandPrivate1929 *  
Item 2 of 414, Gowers Road, Entebbe, UgandaPrivate1951 *  
Item 3 of 4Ibadan, NigeriaPrivate/businessc. 1960  
Item 4 of 4Georgetown, GuyanaPrivate/businessc. 1963  

* earliest date known from documented sources.

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 8J M Dick Peddie & Walker Todd19241925Apprentice 
Item 2 of 8Mears & Carus-Wilsonc. 19281929Assistant 
Item 3 of 8Edwin Landseer Lutyens19291931Assistant 
Item 4 of 8William D'Arcy Cathcart19311933Chief Assistant 
Item 5 of 8Laurence Mursell Gotch19331936Chief Assistant 
Item 6 of 8Edwards Reid & Begg19361939PartnerIn Madras office
Item 7 of 8Public Works Department, Entebbe, Uganda1945After 1951Chief ArchitectGovernment Architect
Item 8 of 8Ministry of Works & Transport, Western Nigeriac. 1960 Architect 

RIBA

RIBA Proposers

The following individuals proposed this for RIBA membership (click on an item to view details):
 NameDate proposedNotes
Item 1 of 6John Begg1929for Associateship
Item 2 of 6Charles Denny Carus-Wilson1929for Associateship
Item 3 of 6Harold Thornley Dyer3 April 1951For Fellowship
Item 4 of 6Henry Kendall3 April 1951For Fellowship
Item 5 of 6(Sir) Frank Charles Mears1929for Associateship
Item 6 of 6George Bertram Edward Norburn3 April 1951For Fellowship

References

Bibliographic References

The following books contain references to this :
 Author(s)DateTitlePartPublisherNotes
Item 1 of 3RIBA1961Kalendar 1960-61   
Item 2 of 3RIBA1964The RIBA Kalendar 1963-64   
Item 3 of 3RIBA1966Kalendar 1966-67   

Archive References

The following archives hold material relating to this :
 SourceArchive NameSource Catalogue No.Notes
Item 1 of 1RIBA Archive, Victoria & Albert MuseumRIBA Nomination Papers A no4315 (combined box 7); F no4603 (combined box 24)