Basic Biographical Details Name: | James Ritchie | Designation: | | Born: | 7 January 1906 | Died: | | Bio Notes: | James Ritchie was born in Edinburgh on 7 January 1906. He was articled to Henry & McLennan from 1920-24 and attended morning and evening classes at Edinburgh College of Art from 1920-25 and evening classes in building science at Heriot Watt from 1921-24. (His birth date may be a mis-reading from Nomination Papers as he would have been very young to start his apprenticeship and study at Edinburgh College of Art). He was awarded class prizes at the College of Art in 1922, 1923 and 1924 and was awarded 1st prize in a competition run by the Edinburgh Architectural Association in 1923.
From 1925-29 he had a post as architectural assistant with Jamieson & Arnott. In 1930 he moved to Stoke on Trent where he worked again as an architectural assistant with the Education Committee of the Town Council and from 1934-42 in the City Architect's Department in Stoke.
During the Second World War Ritchie served with the Engineering Department of the Royal Ordnance at the factory in Swynnerton from 1942-45. He returned to Stoke and spent the year between 1945 and 1946 in the Housing Section of the City Architects Department. He was responsible there for the administration work for 412 houses on two sites during the absence of the architect in charge of housing.
He was elected LRIBA on 6 May 1947, proposed by J R Piggott, Clifton Edwards and E T Watkinson. From 1947 he had a permanent colonial appointment as architectural assistant with the Public Works Department in Belize, British Honduras, Central America. He was in charge of the drawing office, training junior staff and preparing plans for government and municipal buildings, bungalows and houses. He remained in Belize until at least 1966.
He does not appear in RIBA directories after 1960. | Private and Business AddressesThe following private or business addresses are associated with this : | | Address | Type | Date from | Date to | Notes | | 3, Duke Street, Newcastle-under-Lyme, Staffordshire, England | Private | c. 1946 | | | | City Architects' Department, Kingsway, Stoke-on-Trent, Staffordshire, Scotland | Private | 1947 | | | | Belize | Private/business | 1947 | After 1966 | |
Employment and TrainingEmployers
RIBARIBA ProposersThe following individuals proposed this for RIBA membership (click on an item to view details): | | Name | Date proposed | Notes | | Clifton Edwards | 6 May 1947 | For Licentiateship | | J __R___Piggott | 6 May 1947 | For Licentiateship | | E T Watkinson | 6 May 1947 | For Licentiateship |
ReferencesPeriodical ReferencesThe following periodicals contain references to this : | | Periodical Name | Date | Edition | Publisher | Notes | | Belize Weekly Newsletter | 31 January 1966 | | | | | Government Gazette, British Honduras | 21 January 1950 | | | |
Archive ReferencesThe following archives hold material relating to this : | | Source | Archive Name | Source Catalogue No. | Notes | | RIBA Archive, Victoria & Albert Museum | RIBA Nomination Papers | | L no 6104 (Combined Box 119) |
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