James Austen Laird LRIBA (22 September 1878 – 14 February 1950) was an architect based in Glasgow.[1]
Background edit
He was born in Glasgow, the son of John Laird (1850-1947) and Martha Barr (1851-1933) on 7 September 1904 he married Agnes Risk Thomson (1881 - 1914) and they had four children:
- John McClelland Laird (1905–1988)
- Mary Risk Laird (1907–1961)
- Muriel Martha Barr Laird (1909–1990)
- Agnes Austen Laird (1912–2007)
In 1919 he married Janet Hamilton (Nettie) Thomson (1877–1944), older sister of his deceased wife. He died on 14 February 1950 in Croydon and left an estate valued at £35,486[2] (equivalent to £1,535,800 in 2023).[3]
Career edit
He was articled to Macwhannell & Rogerson from 1894 to 1898 and then acted as assistant to John James Burnet from 1899 to 1901. He started independent practice in 1901 and worked in partnership with J.W. Laird and James Napier.[4]
He was awarded a Licentiate of the Royal Institute of British Architects in 1911.
He is best known for Carlung House at West Kilbridge, which he designed for his uncle Robert Barr, Balmore School in Possilpark, and the Keil Hotel, Southend, Kintyre
Works edit
- Empress Cinema, 557 Govan Street, Gorbals, Glasgow 1912[5]
- Greystones, Houston Road, Kilmacolm 1913[6]
- Balmore Public (now Greenview) School, 165 Glenhead Street, Glasgow 1929
- Carlung House, West Kilbride, Ayrshire 1930[7]
- Keil Hotel, Southend, Kintyre 1937 – 1939[8]
References edit
- ^ Brodie, Antonia (20 December 2001). Directory of British Architects 1834–1914: Vol 2 (L-Z). Royal Institute of British Architects. p. 4. ISBN 9780826455147.
- ^ "Perthshire Estates". Dundee Courier. Scotland. 1 December 1950. Retrieved 1 November 2021 – via British Newspaper Archive.
- ^ UK Retail Price Index inflation figures are based on data from Clark, Gregory (2017). "The Annual RPI and Average Earnings for Britain, 1209 to Present (New Series)". MeasuringWorth. Retrieved 7 May 2024.
- ^ "James Austen Laird". Dictionary of Scottish Architects. Dictionary of Scottish Architects. Retrieved 31 October 2021.
- ^ "Empress Cinema". Dictionary of Scottish Architects. Dictionary of Scottish Architects. Retrieved 31 October 2021.
- ^ "Greystones, Houston Road, Kilmacolm". Historic Scotland. Retrieved 24 October 2021.
- ^ "Carlung House". Dictionary of Scottish Architects. Dictionary of Scottish Architects. Retrieved 31 October 2021.
- ^ "Keil Hotel". Dictionary of Scottish Architects. Dictionary of Scottish Architects. Retrieved 31 October 2021.