Ian Gordon Lindsay (29 July 1906 – 28 August 1966) was a Scottish
architect
An architect is a person who plans, designs and oversees the construction of buildings. To practice architecture means to provide services in connection with the design of buildings and the space within the site surrounding the buildings that h ...
. He was most noted for his numerous restoration projects, sometimes of whole villages but curiously was also involved in the design of several hydro-electric power stations.
Early life
Lindsay was born in Edinburgh in 1906, son of George Herbert Lindsay, distiller and
baillie (town councillor), and Helen Eliza Turnbull. He was educated at
Marlborough College
( 1 Corinthians 3:6: God gives the increase)
, established =
, type = Public SchoolIndependent day and boarding
, religion = Church of England
, president = Nicholas Holtam
, head_label = Master
, head = Louis ...
and
Trinity College, Cambridge
Trinity College is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge. Founded in 1546 by King Henry VIII, Trinity is one of the largest Cambridge colleges, with the largest financial endowment of any college at either Cambridge or Oxford. ...
. Here he began a lifetime friendship with
John Betjeman
Sir John Betjeman (; 28 August 190619 May 1984) was an English poet, writer, and broadcaster. He was Poet Laureate from 1972 until his death. He was a founding member of The Victorian Society and a passionate defender of Victorian architecture ...
.
Like many artistically-minded Cambridge undergraduates of his generation, Lindsay came under the spell of "Manny":
Mansfield Duval Forbes. In his circle, Lindsay made a number of friends who were to have considerable influence on his later work; amongst these were
Raymond McGrath
Raymond McGrath (7 March 1903 – 23 December 1977) was an Australian-born architect, illustrator, printmaker and interior designer who for the greater part of his career was Principal Architect for the Office of Public Works in Ireland.Nich ...
, Oliver Hill,
Robert Hurd, Thomas Steuart Fothringham and Robert Simpson.
Architect
After leaving Cambridge he was apprenticed to
Reginald Fairlie
Reginald Francis Joseph Fairlie LLD (7 March 1883 – 27 October 1952) was a Scottish architect. He served as a commissioner of RCAHMS and on the Ancient Monuments Board for Scotland.
Life
see
Born at Kincaple, Fife, he was the son of J. Og ...
in 1927. In 1931 he commenced practice on his own account before joining the firm of
Orphoot and Whiting in 1933. In 1932 Lindsay married the Hon Maysie Elizabeth Loch, daughter of
Major General the 2nd Baron Loch of Drylaw and Stoke College.
During the 1930s Lindsay quickly developed a wide circle of personal and professional friends, many of whom were later to provide work for his architectural practice. Amongst these were the
4th Marquess of Bute, and his nephew Major Michael Crichton Stuart, Dr
Francis Carolus Eeles
Francis Carolus Eeles (1876 – 17 August 1954, Dunster'Obituary: Dr. F. C. Eeles', ''The Times'', 18 August 1954) was an English liturgical scholar and ecclesiastical historian.
Eeles was on the Advisory Committee of the Warham Guild, establish ...
(secretary of the
Council for the Care of Churches
The Central Council for the Care of Churches of the Church of England was formed in 1917, developing from the Central Committee for the Protection of English Churches under the Archbishops' Council. It became the Church Buildings Council in 2007, ...
), J S Richardson (principal inspector of Ancient Monuments) and Peter F. Anson the writer and historian.
''The Dictionary of Scottish Architects'' states that Lindsay's circle of influential contacts was further widened when his sister, Ailsa Margaret Lindsay, married Lt Col Charles Findlay DSO, younger son of architect
Lt Col James Leslie Findlay and grandson of
John Ritchie Findlay of ''
The Scotsman
''The Scotsman'' is a Scottish compact newspaper and daily news website headquartered in Edinburgh. First established as a radical political paper in 1817, it began daily publication in 1855 and remained a broadsheet until August 2004. Its pare ...
''.
The connection to the Marquess of Bute (and his links to the
National Trust for Scotland) led Lindsay to be commissioned in 1936 to draw up lists of important buildings in 103 Scottish towns and villages, based on an
Amsterdam
Amsterdam ( , , , lit. ''The Dam on the River Amstel'') is the capital and most populous city of the Netherlands, with The Hague being the seat of government. It has a population of 907,976 within the city proper, 1,558,755 in the urban ar ...
model of three categories (A,B and C). Lindsay continued this work for many years, although interrupted by the outbreak of
war, and this produced the basic list upon which statutory protection for
listed buildings was later introduced in 1947, following expansion to cover all areas.
As Orphoot, Whiting and Lindsay the firm began major projects of restoration and renovation in the late 1930s at
Iona Abbey, and the
Canongate Kirk in Edinburgh.
In 1934 Lindsay joined the ruling council of the
Cockburn Association, the influential Edinburgh conservation organisation, a position he retained for the next 31 years. In 1939, under the auspices of the Cockburn Association, he published ''Old Edinburgh, 1947'' (Edinburgh, Oliver & Boyd, 1947), containing a comprehensive survey and map of the remaining intact historic buildings in Edinburgh.
During the war Lindsay served in the
Royal Engineers
The Corps of Royal Engineers, usually called the Royal Engineers (RE), and commonly known as the ''Sappers'', is a corps of the British Army. It provides military engineering and other technical support to the British Armed Forces and is head ...
. By 1945, in the rank of Major, he was serving with the
British Army of the Rhine
There have been two formations named British Army of the Rhine (BAOR). Both were originally occupation forces in Germany, one after the First World War and the other after the Second World War. Both formations had areas of responsibility located ...
repairing war damaged buildings and constructing refugee accommodation.
After the war Lindsay returned to architecture, gaining Fellowship of the
RIBA
The Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA) is a professional body for architects primarily in the United Kingdom, but also internationally, founded for the advancement of architecture under its royal charter granted in 1837, three supp ...
in 1949.
In early 1952 the practice became Ian G Lindsay and Partners, and began the reconstruction of many small houses in the historic burgh of
Culross in
Fife
Fife (, ; gd, Fìobha, ; sco, Fife) is a council area, historic county, registration county and lieutenancy area of Scotland. It is situated between the Firth of Tay and the Firth of Forth, with inland boundaries with Perth and Kinross ...
, on behalf of the
National Trust for Scotland. Similar projects for the Trust followed, across Scotland.
In the late 1950s and early 1960s Ian Lindsay undertook a major project involving the renovation of more than one hundred buildings in
Inveraray, in Argyll, which had been previously gifted to the nation by the
Duke of Argyll
Duke of Argyll ( gd, Diùc Earraghàidheil) is a title created in the peerage of Scotland in 1701 and in the peerage of the United Kingdom in 1892. The earls, marquesses, and dukes of Argyll were for several centuries among the most powerfu ...
. Another major restoration, that of
Pluscarden Abbey
Pluscarden Abbey is a Catholic Benedictine monastery in the glen of the Black Burn, southwest of Elgin, Moray, Scotland. It was founded in 1230 by Alexander II for the Valliscaulian Order.
In 1454, following a merger with the priory of Urquh ...
in Moray began at this time and was completed after Lindsay's death by William Murray Jack (1921–1999).
Ian Lindsay died of
Hodgkin's Disease
Hodgkin lymphoma (HL) is a type of lymphoma, in which cancer originates from a specific type of white blood cell called lymphocytes, where multinucleated Reed–Sternberg cells (RS cells) are present in the patient's lymph nodes. The condition ...
in
Bangour Hospital in 1966. At his express wish his ashes were scattered from a boat into the waters of
Iona Sound. The practice continued his work into the 1970s.
Legacy
Many of Ian Lindsay's drawings and other papers are preserved by the
in the Ian G Lindsay Collection.
In 1980
Dr Ronald Cant[ established and endowed the Lindsay-Fischer lectureship, administered by The Society of Antiquaries of Scotland, in honour of Ian Lindsay and Gerhard Fischer (1890-1977). The lectureship commemorates the men's work on the historic architecture of Scotland and Norway respectively and their achievements in promoting relations between Scottish and Norwegian scholars. The Lindsay-Fischer Lecture is given in Scotland by a Scandinavian scholar and the Fischer-Lindsay Lecture is given in Oslo by a Scottish scholar, in alternate years.Obituary Ronald Gordon Cant 1908 - 1999, Proceedings of the Society of Antiquaries of Scotland (130) 2000]
/ref>
Principal works
*Interior of Ceres Parish Church
*Private apartments at Inveraray Castle (1930)
*Restoration of Culross village for the National Trust for Scotland (1932-6)
*Memorial Chapel in St John's Episcopal Church, Edinburgh
The Church of St John the Evangelist is a Scottish Episcopal church in the centre of Edinburgh, Scotland. It is sited at the west end of Princes Street at its junction with Lothian Road, and is protected as a category A listed building.
Backgro ...
(1933)
*Restoration of St Monans Parish Church (1935)
*St Finnan's RC Church, Invergarry (1936)
*Various rebuilding projects for the National Trust for Scotland in the village of Falkland (1936-8)
*"Period Rooms" for the Glasgow Empire Exhibition
Glasgow ( ; sco, Glesca or ; gd, Glaschu ) is the most populous city in Scotland and the fourth-most populous city in the United Kingdom, as well as being the 27th largest city by population in Europe. In 2020, it had an estimated p ...
(1938)
*Restoration of Iona Abbey (1938) (commission passed by Reginald Fairlie
Reginald Francis Joseph Fairlie LLD (7 March 1883 – 27 October 1952) was a Scottish architect. He served as a commissioner of RCAHMS and on the Ancient Monuments Board for Scotland.
Life
see
Born at Kincaple, Fife, he was the son of J. Og ...
).
*Restoration of Canongate Kirk and manse (1939)
*Restoration of Achnacarry House, Inverness-shire (1947)
*Restoration of pulpit in North Leith Parish Church, Madeira Street, Leith
Leith (; gd, Lìte) is a port area in the north of the city of Edinburgh, Scotland, founded at the mouth of the Water of Leith. In 2021, it was ranked by ''Time Out'' as one of the top five neighbourhoods to live in the world.
The earliest ...
(1948)
*War memorial in St Cuthbert's Church, Edinburgh (1950)
*Restoration of Aldie Castle (1950-5)
*Restoration of Airlie Castle (1956)
*Lussa Power Station (for Hydro-Electric Board) (1956)
*Restoration of Culross Town Hall (1957)
*Restoration of St Oran's Chapel
St Oran's Chapel (Odhráin/Orain/Odran) is a medieval chapel located on the island of Iona in the Inner Hebrides off the west coast of Scotland. Built in the 12th century, the chapel was dedicated to St Oran. St Oran's Chapel was a ruin until ...
, Iona (1957)
*Restoration of Druminnor Castle
Druminnor Castle is an L-plan castle, dating from the early 15th century, about two miles east of Rhynnie, in a steep valley by the Keron burn, in Aberdeenshire, Scotland.Lindsay, Maurice (1986) ''The Castles of Scotland''. Constable. p198
His ...
(1958)
*Major restoration of the town of Inverary
Inveraray ( or ; gd, Inbhir Aora meaning "mouth of the Aray") is a town in Argyll and Bute, Scotland. It is on the western shore of Loch Fyne, near its head, and on the A83 road. It is a former royal burgh, the traditional county town of ...
(1958)
*Restoration of riverside buildings of Cramond
Cramond Village (; gd, Cathair Amain) is a village and suburb in the north-west of Edinburgh, Scotland, at the mouth of the River Almond where it enters the Firth of Forth.
The Cramond area has evidence of Mesolithic, Bronze Age and Roman ac ...
Village (1959)
*Restoration of Tullibole Castle
Tullibole Castle is a 17th-century castle in Crook of Devon
Crook of Devon is a village within the parish of Fossoway in Kinross-shire about west of Kinross on the A977 road. Its name derives from the nearly 180-degree turn, from generally ...
home of the Scott-Moncrieffs (1959)
*Major rebuilding and restoration of Newhaven Village (1960-6)
*Restoration of Cawdor Castle
Cawdor Castle is a castle in the parish of Cawdor in Nairnshire, Scotland. It is built around a 15th-century tower house, with substantial additions in later centuries. Originally a property of the Calder family, it passed to the Campbells in t ...
(of Macbeth fame) (1960)
*Restorations and new-build on Dean Path, Dean Village
Dean Village (from ''dene'', meaning 'deep valley') is a former village immediately northwest of the city centre of Edinburgh, Scotland. It is bounded by Belford Road to the south and west, Belgrave Crescent Gardens to the north and below the ...
, Edinburgh (1960)
*Restoration of Inveraray Castle (1960)
*Restoration of the "Little Houses" in Culross (1960)
*Various additions and restorations at Pluscarden Abbey
Pluscarden Abbey is a Catholic Benedictine monastery in the glen of the Black Burn, southwest of Elgin, Moray, Scotland. It was founded in 1230 by Alexander II for the Valliscaulian Order.
In 1454, following a merger with the priory of Urquh ...
(1960)
* Loch Gair Power Station (1961)
*Restoration of Old Breachacha Castle on the island of Coll
Coll (; gd, Cola; sco, Coll)Mac an Tàilleir (2003) p. 31 is an island located west of the Isle of Mull in the Inner Hebrides of Scotland. Coll is known for its sandy beaches, which rise to form large sand dunes, for its corncrakes, and for ...
(1961)
*Expansion of Huntly House Museum into old tenements to west (1962)
*New terraced housing at Union Street, Lochgilphead (1963)
*Prestigious restoration of New Lanark
New Lanark is a village on the River Clyde, approximately 1.4 miles (2.2 kilometres) from Lanark, in Lanarkshire, and some southeast of Glasgow, Scotland. It was founded in 1785 and opened in 1786 by David Dale, who built cotton mills and hou ...
village (1964)
*Restoration and extensions to St. Cecilia's Hall for Edinburgh University (1966)
*Restoration of Barscobe Castle
Barscobe Castle is a 17th-century tower house in Balmaclellan, Kirkcudbrightshire, Scotland. It is a typical house of a country laird, and according to a panel above the entrance, was built in 1648. The L-plan tower was constructed using ston ...
for Sir Hugh Wontner (1970)
Lindsay's publications
*''The Cathedrals of Scotland'' Edinburgh, W & R Chambers, 1926
*''Old Edinburgh, 1939'' Edinburgh, Oliver & Boyd, 1939
*''Old Elgin'' (with Ronald G Cant) Edinburgh, Oliver & Boyd, 1945
*''Old Edinburgh, 1947'' Edinburgh, Oliver & Boyd, 1947
*''Old Glasgow'' (with Ronald G Cant) Edinburgh, Oliver & Boyd, 1947
*''Old Stirling'' (with Ronald G Cant) Edinburgh, Oliver & Boyd, 1947
*''The Architecture of Scotland'' London, The Arts Council of Great Britain, 1948
*''Georgian Edinburgh'' Edinburgh, Oliver & Boyd, 1948
*''The Church (Canongate booklets; no.1)'' Edinburgh, Rev.R.S.Wright, 1950
*''Culross, The Royal Burgh of'' Edinburgh, The National Trust for Scotland, 1959 (pamphlet)
*''The Scottish Parish Kirk'' Edinburgh, The Saint Andrew Press, 1960
*''Inveraray & the Dukes of Argyll'' (with Mary Cosh) Edinburgh, The Edinburgh University Press, 1973
References
Notes
{{DEFAULTSORT:Lindsay, Ian Gordon
1906 births
1966 deaths
Architects from Edinburgh
20th-century Scottish architects
Alumni of Trinity College, Cambridge
People educated at Marlborough College
Deaths from cancer in Scotland
Burials at sea