52 Weeks of Inspiring Illustrations, Week 47: the Gillespie and Scott architectural archive

speccoll
Monday 10 June 2013
Gillespie and Scott's alterations to the Royal and Ancient Clubhouse, St Andrews, 1898 (St Andrews ms37778b/15)
Gillespie and Scott’s alterations to the Royal and Ancient Clubhouse, St Andrews, 1898 (St Andrews ms37778b/15)

Amongst our holdings is the extensive archive of Gillespie and Scott, a firm of local architects active in St Andrews since 1876. The founding partner, James Gillespie, died in 1914, and the business was carried on by his partner James Scott (d. 1944) and Scott’s sons and grandsons.  In 1994 the practice was purchased by architect Alistair Graham, who still trades under the Gillespie and Scott name, now from premises in Elie.

Villa at Rathelpie, St Andrews, 1891
Gillespie and Scott’s Villa at Rathelpie, St Andrews, 1891 (St Andrews ms37778b/222)
Gillespie and Scott's Villa at Rathelpie, St Andrews, 1891 (St Andrews ms37778b/15)
Gillespie and Scott’s Villa at Rathelpie, St Andrews, 1891 (St Andrews ms37778b/222)
Bute Medical School, University of St Andrews, 1897-98
Gillespie and Scott’s alterations to the Bute Medical School, University of St Andrews, 1897-98 (St Andrews ms37778b/34)
Gillespie and Scott's alterations to the Bute Medical School, University of St Andrews, 1897-98 (St Andrews ms37778b/34)
Gillespie and Scott’s alterations to the Bute Medical School, University of St Andrews, 1897-98 (St Andrews ms37778b/34)
Shop in Bell Street, St Andrews, 1886
Shop in Bell Street, St Andrews, 1886 (St Andrews ms37778b/36)

The practice became one of the most active of any East Fife architects, with work undertaken in every sphere of building activity: lavish townhouses and villas for expanding 19th century St Andrews’ incoming wealthy; cottages and shops in the town and elsewhere; rural architecture from farmhouses, cottages and steadings to country mansions; churches; schools; university buildings; even large industrial complexes such as the Nairn Linoleum Works in Kirkcaldy and the Guardbridge Paper Mill. It was an extraordinary output for what never became a large company (even although they established for a while a branch office in Kirkcaldy).

Gillespie and Scott's Shop, Church Street, St Andrews, 1897 (St Andrews ms37778b/235)
Gillespie and Scott’s Shop, Church Street, St Andrews, 1897 (St Andrews ms37778b/235)
Gillespie and Scott's United Presbyterian Church, Buckhaven, Fife, 1867-68 (St Andrews ms37778b/288)
Gillespie and Scott’s United Presbyterian Church, Buckhaven, Fife, 1867-68 (St Andrews ms37778b/288)
Reconstruction of Baptist Church, St Andrews, 1901
Gillespie and Scott’s reconstruction of Baptist Church, St Andrews, 1901 (St Andrews ms37778b/60)

The company archive, as well as extensive survey notebooks, contract files, and business records, includes plans for over 3,500 architectural projects undertaken between the 1870s and the 1980s in Fife and beyond.

Gillespie and Scott's Auchmuty Paper Works, Markinch, Fife, 1892-93 (St Andrews ms37778b/169)
Gillespie and Scott’s Auchmuty Paper Works, Markinch, Fife, 1892-93 (St Andrews ms37778b/169)
Lindores Stable Office, Abdie, Fife, 1901
Gillespie and Scott’s Lindores Stable Office, Abdie, Fife, 1901 (St Andrews ms37778b/354)

A fantastic source for local architectural development, the plans also reveal social, economic and lifestyle trends (in, for example, the changing nature and eventual disappearance of servant’s quarters; provision of internal v. external toilets in cottages; and in one example the inclusion of a “stable  for a motor car”).

House, Bridge Street, St Andrews, 1889
Gillespie and Scott’s House, Bridge Street, St Andrews, 1889 (St Andrews ms37778b/316)
Thornton (quoad sacra) Parish Church, Fife, 1897
Thornton (quoad sacra) Parish Church, Fife, 1897 (St Andrews ms37778b/4)

But above all, many of the plans are things of beauty. Often scribbled on, and bearing all the grime and damage of active use, these are nonetheless works of art. With so many to choose from, the illustrations shown here are only a tiny sample – mainly elevation drawings of a variety of building types from around Fife, all drawn before 1900. Entirely practical in purpose (the careful colouration, for example, being systematically used to identify the relevant parts of a building and to differentiate between materials), these are nonetheless ‘inspiring illustrations’ par excellence.

NR

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13 thoughts on "52 Weeks of Inspiring Illustrations, Week 47: the Gillespie and Scott architectural archive"

  • Things You Realize After You Get Married
    Things You Realize After You Get Married
    Tuesday 11 June 2013, 7.04pm

    These drawings are so cool, and they really give you a glimpse of history too!

    Reply
  • nerdgeistofficial
    nerdgeistofficial
    Tuesday 11 June 2013, 8.32pm

    these drawings are absolutely beautiful :)

    Reply
  • cwaitress
    cwaitress
    Tuesday 11 June 2013, 9.45pm

    these are beautiful :)) ___________________________________ http://acatastrophewaitress.wordpress.com/

    Reply
  • murphyji
    murphyji
    Tuesday 11 June 2013, 10.13pm

    Nice to see hand drawn and coloured elevations. They just do add something special to the process of design. Makes all our new funky cad designs look weak.

    Reply
  • Terie Kay
    Terie Kay
    Wednesday 12 June 2013, 1.33am

    Reblogged this on Resort & Luxury Real Estate, Co. and commented: This was completely enjoyable & a fascinating read! Take a second to read & learn a little in architectural illustration & design, while enjoy the drawings. Enjoy & feel free to comment!

    Reply
  • meanmoonstudio
    meanmoonstudio
    Wednesday 12 June 2013, 3.24am

    Love older architectural drawings. The lettering styles are always interesting to take note of.

    Reply
  • Gillespie and Scott architectural archive | Echoes from the Vault | Civism and Cities
    Wednesday 12 June 2013, 7.01pm

    […] via 52 Weeks of Inspiring Illustrations, Week 47: the Gillespie and Scott architectural archive | Echoes…. […]

    Reply
  • Anne Bonney
    Anne Bonney
    Wednesday 12 June 2013, 8.24pm

    The scribbles make them all the more interesting.

    Reply
  • jskainer
    jskainer
    Saturday 15 June 2013, 5.46am

    Reblogged this on Magpie That.

    Reply
  • papaaaw
    papaaaw
    Saturday 29 June 2013, 6.55am

    Reblogged this on Walk On and commented: Beautiful architectural archive of some of the work of Gillespie and Scott. I absolutely love seeing how architecture and design were done before. Seeing the roots of my line of work inspires me to design better.

    Reply
  • bercton
    bercton
    Sunday 7 July 2013, 3.28pm

    Really original designs truly inspiring!

    Reply
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    Friday 28 February 2014, 12.56pm

    […] * In the dark | outside authority * Picture of the Day – July 12, 2013 | Natalia Maks * 52 Weeks of Inspiring Illustrations, Week 47: the Gillespie and Scott architectural archive | Echoes from the Vault * Zaha Hadid una vez mas… | Rosa de los Vientos * The Blue… | Rosa de […]

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  • Cataloguing architectural plans of the Dean of Guild | Echoes from the Vault
    Wednesday 8 April 2020, 2.00pm

    […] the local architectural firm Gillespie and Scott, and we have featured them before as part of our Inspiring Illustrations blog series. These beautifully illustrated plans date from 1907 and are for a proposed Double Villa […]

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