Thomas Hamilton (11 January 1784 – 24 February 1858) was a Scottish architect, based in

Edinburgh Edinburgh is the capital city of Scotland and one of its 32 Council areas of Scotland, council areas. The city is located in southeast Scotland and is bounded to the north by the Firth of Forth and to the south by the Pentland Hills. Edinburgh ...

where he designed many of that city's prominent buildings. Born in

Glasgow Glasgow is the Cities of Scotland, most populous city in Scotland, located on the banks of the River Clyde in Strathclyde, west central Scotland. It is the List of cities in the United Kingdom, third-most-populous city in the United Kingdom ...

, his works include: the Burns Monument in

Alloway Alloway (, ) is a suburb of Ayr, and former village, in South Ayrshire, Scotland, located on the River Doon. It is best known as the birthplace of Robert Burns and the setting for his poem Tam o' Shanter (Burns poem), "Tam o' Shanter". Tobias Ba ...

; the Royal High School on the south side of

Calton Hill Calton Hill (; ) is a hill in central Edinburgh, Scotland, situated beyond the east end of Princes Street and included in the city's United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization, UNESCO World Heritage Site. Views of, and f ...

(long considered as a possible home for the

Scottish Parliament The Scottish Parliament ( ; ) is the Devolution in the United Kingdom, devolved, unicameral legislature of Scotland. It is located in the Holyrood, Edinburgh, Holyrood area of Edinburgh, and is frequently referred to by the metonym 'Holyrood'. ...

); the

Royal College of Physicians of Edinburgh The Royal College of Physicians of Edinburgh (RCPE) is a medical royal college in Scotland. It is one of three organisations that set the specialty training standards for physicians in the United Kingdom. It was established by royal charter i ...

; the

George IV Bridge George IV Bridge is an Viaduct, elevated street in Edinburgh, Scotland, and is home to a number of the city's important public buildings. History A bridge connecting the High Street to the south was first suggested in 1817, but was origina ...

, which spans the Cowgate; the Dean Orphan Hospital, now the Dean Gallery; the New North Road Free Church, now the

Bedlam Theatre Bedlam Theatre is a theatre in the Old Town, Edinburgh, Old Town of Edinburgh, Scotland. The building was completed in 1848 for the New North Free Church. After closing as a church in 1941, the building served as a chaplaincy centre and then a s ...

; Cumstoun, a private house in

Dumfries and Galloway Dumfries and Galloway (; ) is one of the 32 unitary council areas of Scotland, located in the western part of the Southern Uplands. It is bordered by East Ayrshire, South Ayrshire, and South Lanarkshire to the north; Scottish Borders to the no ...

; and the Scottish Political Martyrs' Monument in Old Calton Cemetery, Edinburgh. He was one of the leading Greek Revivalists in Scotland, "more imaginative than his peers and more refined in his detailing". He was a favourite of the church for his Gothic designs, being commissioned to design many Free Churches after the

Disruption of 1843 The Disruption of 1843, also known as the Great Disruption, was a schism in 1843 in which 450 evangelical ministers broke away from the Church of Scotland to form the Free Church of Scotland. The main conflict was over whether the Church of Sc ...

. He also designed shops and banks, many of which survive.

Life

Hamilton was born on 11 January 1784 in

to Jean Stevenson and Thomas Hamilton (1754–1824), a carpenter (wright) and cabinet-maker who also worked as an architect, His mother and father were married at the

Canongate Church The Kirk of the Canongate, or Canongate Kirk, serves the Parish of Canongate in Edinburgh's Old Town, in Scotland. It is a congregation of the Church of Scotland. The parish includes the Palace of Holyroodhouse and the Scottish Parliament. It ...

in 1783. His father returned to Edinburgh after his birth and was most notable for remodelling the north-west corner of

St Giles' Cathedral St Giles' Cathedral (), or the High Kirk of Edinburgh, is a parish church of the Church of Scotland in the Old Town, Edinburgh, Old Town of Edinburgh. The current building was begun in the 14th century and extended until the early 16th century; ...

in 1796. He was presumably watched by Hamilton who was then 12 years old. In 1791 his father, working from premises on Brodies Close, substantially altered a building at the head of Old Assembly Close on the

Royal Mile The Royal Mile () is the nickname of a series of streets forming the main thoroughfare of the Old Town, Edinburgh, Old Town of Edinburgh, Scotland. The term originated in the early 20th century and has since entered popular usage. The Royal ...

to make it their family home (now known as 166 High Street). It is notable for its arched windows on the first floor, all visible from the street and unlike the other rectangular windows in the block. The Hamiltons occupied all three upper floors, the ground floor being occupied by William Vair, a stocking maker. Hamilton's father received many City commissions between 1796 and 1803 allowing Hamilton to attend the old High School in High School Yards from 1800 to 1801. The rector at the time was Alexander Adam. In 1803 the family moved to a newly built house of 47

Princes Street Princes Street () is one of the major thoroughfares in central Edinburgh, Scotland and the main shopping street in the capital. It is the southernmost street of Edinburgh's New Town, Edinburgh, New Town, stretching around 1.2 km (three quar ...

in Edinburgh's New Town. His father (listed as a "wright") still retained a workshop at Allan's Close on the

in the Old Town. Hamilton was by then apprenticed to his father. His mother Jean died approximately at the time of this move or shortly before. In 1804 his father remarried: to Margaret McAra. By this time young Thomas seems largely to have been working under the wing of his uncle. John Hamilton (d.1812), a builder living and operating from 4 Dundas Street in the New Town, helping with building projects such as Heriot Row. During this time he acquired considerable knowledge of stone masonry. In 1812 his uncle John died and left the bulk of his estate to Hamilton who was 28 years old. This included several houses on Heriot Row and Dundas Street, built by them both. Since the move to Princes Street, however, his father's affairs had been in disarray, with Hamilton possibly supporting him to some degree. In 1813 his uncle James Hamilton of Springhill agreed to pay £40 towards his father's debts to fend off creditors, but this was never paid. His father was then pursued through the courts from 1818-1822, resulting in the

poinding In Scots law, poinding () is that Diligence (Scots law), diligence whereby a debtor's property is carried directly to a creditor. This type of diligence has now been abolished after the enactment of the Abolition of Poindings and Warrant Sales Act ...

of his goods. His father removed to

Currie Currie is a village and suburb on the outskirts of Edinburgh, Scotland, situated south west of the city centre. Formerly within the County of Midlothian, it now falls within the jurisdiction of the City of Edinburgh Council. It is situated be ...

where he died in June 1824. Hamilton's earliest known architectural drawing, dated 1813, is a plan requested by the Dean of Guild for a scheme by Robert Burn (architect) (1752–1815) to remodel a house on St Andrew Street. Hamilton was a founding member of the

Royal Scottish Academy The Royal Scottish Academy (RSA) is the country's national academy of art. It promotes contemporary art, contemporary Scottish art. The Academy was founded in 1826 by eleven artists meeting in Edinburgh. Originally named the Scottish Academy ...

in 1826. In the 1830s he is listed as living at 57 York Place, on the eastern edge of the Edinburgh New Town. He trained John Henderson in the 1820s. The architect John Starforth trained under Hamilton in the 1830s. In 1852, he submitted a design for improving the

Bank of Scotland The Bank of Scotland plc (Scottish Gaelic: ''Banca na h-Alba'') is a commercial bank, commercial and clearing (finance), clearing bank based in Edinburgh, Scotland, and is part of the Lloyds Banking Group. The bank was established by the Par ...

's Head Office, which was unpopular and described as a "prominent deformity" by Lord Cockburn in 1849. The design was of Greek neo-classical style, and he received 200 guineas (£12000 in today's terms). In his final years he was living at 41 York Place. Interestingly, in deference to his father, he is still referred to as "Thomas Hamilton Junior, architect". He died at 9 Howe Street (an office) on 24 February 1858. He is buried in John Hamilton's vault in Old Calton Cemetery, a few yards south of the Martyrs Monument. Originally unmarked, the pupils of the Royal High School placed a commemorative wall plaque inside the vault in 1929 (to mark the school's centenary).

The Martyrs' Monument

The Scottish Political Martyrs' Monument is a tall obelisk which is a prominent feature on the Edinburgh sky-line. It was funded by public subscription raised by the radical MP

Joseph Hume Joseph Hume Fellow of the Royal Society, FRS (22 January 1777 – 20 February 1855) was a Scottish surgeon and Radicals (UK), Radical Member of Parliament (United Kingdom), MP.Ronald K. Huch, Paul R. Ziegler 1985 Joseph Hume, the People's M.P ...

. The monument bears the following inscription:

To The Memory Of Thomas Muir, Thomas Fyshe Palmer, William Skirving, Maurice Margarot and Joseph Gerrald. Erected by the Friends of Parliamentary Reform in England and Scotland, 1844.

It includes the following quotation:

''I have devoted myself to the cause of The People. It is a good cause - it shall ultimately prevail - it shall finally triumph.''

(Speech of Thomas Muir in the Court of Judiciary on 30 August 1793.) Hamilton also designed the Doric column for the statue of

John Knox John Knox ( – 24 November 1572) was a Scottish minister, Reformed theologian, and writer who was a leader of the country's Reformation. He was the founder of the Church of Scotland. Born in Giffordgate, a street in Haddington, East Lot ...

(1825) in the

Glasgow Necropolis The Glasgow Necropolis is a Victorian era, Victorian cemetery in Glasgow, Scotland. It is on a low but very prominent hill to the east of St. Mungo's Cathedral, Glasgow, Glasgow Cathedral (St. Mungo's Cathedral). Fifty thousand individuals have ...

(see Glasgow's public statues).

Burns Monuments (Edinburgh and Alloway)

The building of a mausoleum on the grave of

Robert Burns Robert Burns (25 January 1759 – 21 July 1796), also known familiarly as Rabbie Burns, was a Scottish poet and lyricist. He is widely regarded as the List of national poets, national poet of Scotland and is celebrated worldwide. He is the be ...

Dumfries Dumfries ( ; ; from ) is a market town and former royal burgh in Dumfries and Galloway, Scotland, near the mouth of the River Nith on the Solway Firth, from the Anglo-Scottish border. Dumfries is the county town of the Counties of Scotland, ...

in 1815 was followed by a general move to erect memorials and statues of the bard in other Scottish towns and cities. In October 1817 a competition was announced in Ayrshire seeking designs for a monument at Burns' birthplace at Alloway. Hamilton had been working on just such a project. His design is based on the Monument to Lysicrates in

Athens, Greece Athens ( ) is the Capital city, capital and List of cities and towns in Greece, largest city of Greece. A significant coastal urban area in the Mediterranean, Athens is also the capital of the Attica (region), Attica region and is the southe ...

, a form often associated with poets and poetry. Hamilton won the competition and the foundation stone was laid in 1820, but the project was shelved and debated for years. It was resumed in 1825 and completed in 1828. A bust of Burns by Patrick Park was added in the memorial in 1854. This was replaced in 1884 by a bust donated by the prominent Scots sculptor Sir John Steell. Following a large subscription in 1817 from Scottish expatriates in India a monument in Edinburgh was funded and after a debate lasting over a decade Thomas Hamilton won this commission in 1831. While largely repeating the design of the Alloway monument, he designed the Edinburgh monument to contain a full sized statue of Burns by

John Flaxman John Flaxman (6 July 1755 – 7 December 1826) was a British sculptor and draughtsman, and a leading figure in British and European Neoclassicism. Early in his career, he worked as a modeller for Josiah Wedgwood's pottery. He spent several yea ...

. The statue was later removed to the

Scottish National Portrait Gallery National Galleries Scotland: Portrait is an art museum on Queen Street, Edinburgh. Portrait holds the national collections of portraits, all of which are of, but not necessarily by, Scots. It also holds the Scottish National Photography Collec ...

where it remains on display. Whilst the Alloway monument is accessible all the year round, the Edinburgh monument is accessible only on special occasions such as Doors Open Day (usually one weekend in late October in Edinburgh). As part of the

Edinburgh Art Festival The Edinburgh Art Festival is an annual visual arts festival, held in Edinburgh, Scotland, during August and coincides with the Edinburgh International Festival, Edinburgh International and Edinburgh Festival Fringe, Fringe festivals. The Art Fes ...

it was opened daily between 28 July 2016 and 28 August 2016.

List of main architectural works

His main works included:Thomas Hamilton Architect 1784-1858, Joe Rock, 1984, Scottish Arts Council * 1820

Norwich Union Norwich Union was the name of insurance company Aviva's British arm before June 2009. It was originally established in 1797. It was listed on the London Stock Exchange and was once a constituent of the FTSE 100 Index. On 29 April 2008, Aviva a ...

Insurance Society Building, 32 Princes Street, Edinburgh, demolished c.1880 * 1822 Kinghorn Town Hall, Fife * 1823 James Spittal's shop "The Gilded Balloon" on the Cowgate (facing Blair Street) destroyed in the Cowgate fire in 2002 * 1824 Hopetoun Rooms, 72 Queen Street, Edinburgh, demolished 1967 * 1825 John Knox Monument,

* 1825–28

Burns Burns may refer to: Astronomy * 2708 Burns, an asteroid * Burns (crater), on Mercury People * Burns (surname), list of people and characters named Burns ** Burns (musician), Scottish record producer Places in the United States * Burns, ...

Monument

, Ayrshire * 1825–29 Royal High School, Edinburgh * 1826 1 to 12 Castle Terrace, Edinburgh * 1827–30 Ayr Town Hall * 1828 Cumstoun House, near

Kirkcudbright Kirkcudbright ( ; ) is a town at the mouth of the River Dee, Galloway, River Dee in Dumfries and Galloway, Scotland, southwest of Castle Douglas and Dalbeattie. A former royal burgh, it is the traditional county town of Kirkcudbrightshire. His ...

* 1829–32

, as part of the improvements to the Lawnmarket, Edinburgh * 1829 John Knox Church, Edinburgh, not executed * 1829 Monument to Sir Robert & Lady Liston, Churchyard

Gogar Gogar is a predominantly rural area of Edinburgh, Scotland, located to the west of the city. It is not far from Gogarloch, Edinburgh Park and Maybury. The Fife Circle Line is to the north. Etymology The name of Gogar first appears in a cle ...

* c.1830 Falcon Hall, Morningside Road, Edinburgh, demolished * 1830 Monument to French Prisoners, Valleyfield Mills,

Penicuik Penicuik ( ; ; ) is a town and former Police burgh, burgh in Midlothian, Scotland, lying on the west bank of the River Esk, Lothian, River North Esk. It lies on the A701 road, A701 midway between Edinburgh and Peebles, east of the Pentland Hil ...

* 1830 Arthur Lodge (attributed), Dalkeith Road, Edinburgh * 1830 Blackwood's Shop, 45 George St, Edinburgh * 1830–32 The Manse,

Coldstream Coldstream () is a town and civil parishes in Scotland, civil parish in the Scottish Borders area of Scotland. A former burgh, Coldstream was where the Coldstream Guards, a regiment in the British Army, originated. Description Coldstream li ...

* 1831 Dean Orphanage, Edinburgh * 1831 The

Monument, Edinburgh * 1831–34 Wallace Tower, Ayr * 1836

Alyth Alyth () () is a town in Perth and Kinross, Scotland, northeast of Blairgowrie and Rattray, Blairgowrie and about northwest of Dundee. In 2022 the town had an estimated population of 3,046. First mentioned by name in a 12th-century royal char ...

Parish Church, Perth & Kinross * 1842 Episcopal Chapel, Bath St,

Dunfermline Dunfermline (; , ) is a city, parish, and former royal burgh in Fife, Scotland, from the northern shore of the Firth of Forth. Dunfermline was the de facto capital of the Kingdom of Scotland between the 11th and 15th centuries. The earliest ...

* 1844 Physicians Hall, 9 Queen St, Edinburgh * 1843 New North Free Church, Forrest Road, Edinburgh * 1844 St. John's Free Church, Johnston Terrace, Edinburgh * 1844 Martyrs' Memorial, Old Calton Cemetery, Edinburgh * 1848 rebuilding of St. Mary's Church, South Leith * 1850 Free Church,

Dunbar Dunbar () is a town on the North Sea coast in East Lothian in the south-east of Scotland, approximately east of Edinburgh and from the Anglo–Scottish border, English border north of Berwick-upon-Tweed. Dunbar is a former royal burgh, and ...

* 1850 Kennoway Church, Fife * 1858 additions to Dunbeath Castle, Caithness

Gallery of architectural works

File:Burns Monument, Alloway. - geograph.org.uk - 155750.jpg, Burns Monument, Alloway File:Burns National Monument Edinburgh.jpg, Burns Monument, Edinburgh File:Old Royal High School, Edinburgh.jpg, Royal High School, Calton Hill Edinburgh File:Royal High School Edinburgh.jpg, Royal High School, Calton Hill Edinburgh File:Former Dean Orphanage, Belford Road Edinburgh.jpg, Dean Orphanage, Edinburgh File:Former Dean Orphanage portico and towers, Edinburgh.jpg, Dean Orphanage portico and towers File:Physicians Hall, Queen Street Edinburgh.jpg, Physicians Hall, Edinburgh File:Wallace Tower, in Ayr's High Street - geograph.org.uk - 257898.jpg, Wallace Tower, Ayr File:South_Leith_Parish_Kirk.jpg, St. Mary's Church, South Leith File:Bedlam_Theatre,_Edinburgh.JPG, New North Road Free Church, Edinburgh (now the Bedlam Theatre)

Life

The Martyrs' Monument

Burns Monuments (Edinburgh and Alloway)

List of main architectural works

Gallery of architectural works

References

Further reading