Basic Biographical Details

Name: Monro & Partners
Designation:  
Born:  
Died:  
Bio Notes: This is the name of the practice from about 1955 which was established in the mid-19th century by James Milne Monro.

James Milne Monro was born in 1840 and was articled to John Henderson in Edinburgh c.1855. Either just before or at Henderson's death in 1862 he became an assistant in the office of Brown & Wardrop. In the mid-1860s he moved to Glasgow as assistant to William Spence before setting up his own practice at 33 Bath Street in 1872 (Bailey; Gregory, 'Architectural Heritage' XIV gives 1870), moving to no 28 in the same street in 1874.

In 1883 Monro's son Charles Ernest Monro, born 1867 (Bailey and Gregory give 1876) joined the firm as an apprentice becoming assistant in 1888 and partner as J M Monro & Son in 1893. He passed the qualifying exam relatively late in 1902, although he had probably been responsible for most of the firm's Free Renaissance design work since c.1890. He was admitted ARIBA on 2 March 1903, his proposers being David Barclay, Horatio Kelson Bromhead and John Slater. His father then sought admission as Fellow in 1906, his proposers being John James Burnet, John Keppie and David Barclay. The practice moved to 134 Bath Street in 1912.

James Milne Monro died at his home, Saxonholme, Bearsden on 27 June 1921. Throughout his lifetime the firm had concentrated on hotel and industrial work, particularly for bakers. In the early 1920s Charles Ernest's son Geoffrey James, born 1907, joined the firm, followed by the unrelated John Forbes. In the 1920s and 1930s the firm concentrated on department store and shop work chiefly for Marks & Spencer and Bayne & Duckett, initially in an Art Deco classical style. The Glasgow office was moved in 1935 to 307 West George Street. After the firm won the competition for the De Haviland factory, Geoffrey Monro opened an office at Leavesden in Hertfordshire in 1940, moving to an office in Watford in 1943.

Charles Ernest Monro died in 1945. In 1955 the Glasgow office moved to 25 Woodside Place, and in the same year the practice became known as Monro and Partners after the first non-family partners were introduced, on of whom was John Forbes who died in 1970. (Bailey gives the date of the title being changed as 1957).

In 1966 Ian Cruickshank and David Sampson were taken into partnership and in 1972 Alistair Anderson Taylor joined. By 1970 the Cruichshank & Samson were still partners but they had been joined by D Wilcockson, W W Carruthers and C F Davis. Gillean Petrie Small and George Walter Waterston joined as partners in 1983. Geoffrey James Monro died in early 1985. In 1991 the practice merged with Tibbalds Colbourne Karski Williams to become Tibbalds Colbourne Karski Williams Monro, known as Tibbalds Monro.



Private and Business Addresses

The following private or business addresses are associated with this :
 AddressTypeDate fromDate toNotes
Item 1 of 2J A M House/26, Exchange Street, Watford, Hertfordshire, ScotlandBusiness1970 *  
Item 2 of 225, Woodside Place, Glasgow, ScotlandBusiness1981 *  

* 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 13John Forbes19551970Partner 
Item 2 of 13Geoffrey James Monroc. 1955 Partner 
Item 3 of 13Ian Cruickshank (or Cruikshank)1964 Architect 
Item 4 of 13Gillean ('Sam') Petrie Small19651970Architect 
Item 5 of 13Ian Cruickshank (or Cruikshank)1966 Partner 
Item 6 of 13David Ralph Samson1966 Partner 
Item 7 of 13Ian Douglas Wilcockson1970 * Partner 
Item 8 of 13W W Carruthers1970 * Partner 
Item 9 of 13Cecil Fenwick Davis1970 Partner 
Item 10 of 13Gillean ('Sam') Petrie Small19701982Associate 
Item 11 of 13Alastair Anderson Taylor (or Alistair Anderson Taylor)1972 Partner 
Item 12 of 13Gillean ('Sam') Petrie Small19821991Partner 
Item 13 of 13George Walter Waterston1983 Partner 

* earliest date known from documented sources.


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 331961132-148 High StreetPerth PerthshireScotland 
Item 2 of 331963Templeton's Carpet Factory  GlasgowScotlandFactory warehouse
Item 3 of 3324 January 1964Marks & Spencer store  GlasgowScotlandExtension
Item 4 of 331965Marks & Spencer storePaisley RenfrewshireScotlandMajor extensions - with Small as executive architect
Item 5 of 331965Marks & Spencer store59 High Street, Falkirk StirlingshireScotlandMajor extensions
Item 6 of 331965Marks & Spencer store  DundeeScotlandMajor extensions
Item 7 of 331966Marks & Spencer's store  GlasgowScotland 
Item 8 of 331968Bath Street Independent Chapel  GlasgowScotlandW addition.
Item 9 of 33Before 1970Works for Bruce Peebles  EdinburghScotland 
Item 10 of 331971Henderson jewellers shopAyr AyrScotlandAlterations
Item 11 of 331971Marks & Spencer storeKilmarnock AyrshireScotlandMajor extensions
Item 12 of 331971Marks & Spencer storeStirling StirlingshireScotlandMajor extensions
Item 13 of 331971Marks & Spencer's storeEast Kilbride LanarkshireScotland 
Item 14 of 331971Retail shell for British Shoe CorporationAyr AyrshireScotland 
Item 15 of 331972Marks & Spencer store, High StreetAyr AyrshireScotland 
Item 16 of 331974Marks & Spencer Store  EdinburghScotlandMajor extensions
Item 17 of 331977Marks & Spencer StorePerth PerthshireScotland 
Item 18 of 331977Retail shell for Dunn & CoPerth PerthshireScotland 
Item 19 of 331979De Haviland FactoryHatfield HertfordshireEnglandLaboratory and offices
Item 20 of 331981Marks & Spencer's store  AberdeenScotlandExtension
Item 21 of 331982Advance factoryBellshill LanarkshireScotland 
Item 22 of 331983Rentons, 10-15 Princes Street  EdinburghScotlandSubdivision of building
Item 23 of 331984Factory for Howco LtdKilsyth StirlingshireScotland 
Item 24 of 331984Marks & Spencer storeStirling StirlingshireScotlandExtension linking M & S store to Shopping Mall
Item 25 of 331984Marks & Spencer's store  GlasgowScotlandRear extension to store
Item 26 of 331985Marks & Spencers premisesGreenock RenfrewshireScotlandFit-out developer's shell linking to shopping mall at Marks & Spencer's
Item 27 of 33c. 1985Marks & Spencer store  GlasgowScotlandExtension
Item 28 of 331987Marks & Spencer's storeCrawley SussexEnglandExtension
Item 29 of 331989Factory buildingHillington GlasgowScotlandRefurbishment
Item 30 of 331989Factory for Howco LtdBarnsley YorkshireEngland 
Item 31 of 331989Marks & Spencer store59 High Street, Falkirk StirlingshireScotlandFit-out developer's shells linking to adjoining shopping malls
Item 32 of 331989Marks & Spencer storePaisley RenfrewshireScotlandFit-out developer's shells linking to adjoining shopping malls, including negotiating separate relaxations of Building Regulations.
Item 33 of 331990Granite House  GlasgowScotlandRefurbishment

References

Bibliographic References

The following books contain references to this :
 Author(s)DateTitlePartPublisherNotes
Item 1 of 2Bailey, Rebecca M1996Scottish architects' papers: a source book Edinburgh: The Rutland Pressp148
Item 2 of 2RIBA1970RIBA Directory 1970   

Periodical References

The following periodicals contain references to this :
 Periodical NameDateEditionPublisherNotes
Item 1 of 1Builder24 January 1964  p216