Basic Biographical Details

Name: George Frazer
Designation:  
Born: c. 1701
Died: 1774
Bio Notes: The first references to George Frazer as an architect appear in the 1750s. He may be the George Frazer who attended a meeting of freemasons at Mary's Chapel in Edinburgh in 1754. He seems to have to drawn up the plans for a new church in the West Parish in Edinburgh the following year.

William Mylne describes him as ‘another [architect] got up lately in Edinburgh’. In 1763 he drew up a design for enlarging the Excise Office in Edinburgh which one of the Mylne family, probably Robert Mylne, was employed to ‘extend in a better form’. In that same year he was involved with a scheme to throw a bridge across the North Loch. A plan for the proposed bridge was in the hands of George Frazer who was deputy auditor of excise ‘from which any undertaker may make is calcul[ations]and proposals’ and to whom estimates should be submitted. The plan and elevations were drawn up by James Craig, presumably under the direction of Frazer, and were subsequently engraved. The bridge was finally built to new designs by William Mylne in 1763.

During the rest of the 1760s and 1770s he is known to have undertaken various other architectural works.

Frazer died on 12 October 1774, aged 73. His son, Andrew Frazer, was also an architect and worked with the Royal Engineers. In the year after George Frazer's death his library was sold at auction. It contained books on architecture and rare tracts on the history of Scotland. The advertisement also indicates that there were medical books in the collection as well.

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 41755Church in the Parish of the West Kirk  EdinburghScotlandPlans for new church
Item 2 of 41763North Bridge  EdinburghScotlandGave guidance to Craig on his scheme?
Item 3 of 41768ManseCorstorphine EdinburghScotland 
Item 4 of 41769Old High ChurchInverness Inverness-shireScotlandProvided plan for church - to be on the model of Buccleuch church in Edinburgh but larger.

References

Bibliographic References

The following books contain references to this :
 Author(s)DateTitlePartPublisherNotes
Item 1 of 1Colvin, Howard2008A Biographical Dictionary of British Architects 1600-1840 London: YUP. 4th edition 

Periodical References

The following periodicals contain references to this :
 Periodical NameDateEditionPublisherNotes
Item 1 of 4Caledonian Mercury2 December 1754   
Item 2 of 4Caledonian Mercury17 June 1755   
Item 3 of 4Caledonian Mercury18 February 1775   
Item 4 of 4Scots Magazine1774  p559