Scotsman Office 1860 by Peddie and Kinnear

Charles George Hood Kinnear FRIBA ARSA

FRSE Fellowship of the Royal Society of Edinburgh (FRSE) is an award granted to individuals that the Royal Society of Edinburgh, Scotland's national academy of science and letters, judged to be "eminently distinguished in their subject". This soci ...

(30 May 1830 – 5 November 1894) was one half of Peddie & Kinnear partnership, one of Scotland’s most renowned and prodigious architectural firms, famed for their development of the Scots Baronial style, typified by Cockburn Street in

Edinburgh Edinburgh ( ; gd, Dùn Èideann ) is the capital city of Scotland and one of its 32 Council areas of Scotland, council areas. Historically part of the county of Midlothian (interchangeably Edinburghshire before 1921), it is located in Lothian ...

which evokes a highly medieval atmosphere. Kinnear was also a pioneer photographer credited with inventing the bellows attachment on early cameras.

Life

He was born in Kinloch House, near

Collessie Collessie is a village and parish of Fife, Scotland. The village is set on a small hillock centred on a historic church. Due to rerouting of roads, it now lies north of the A91. Though a railway embankment was constructed through the middle o ...

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 ...

the son of Christian Jane Greenshields, a rich heiress, and Charles Kinnear a banker in the family firm of Thomas Kinnear & Co. Kinnear can be presumed to have had a privileged life. For most of his early life he lived at 125

Princes Street Princes Street ( gd, Sràid nam Prionnsan) 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, stretching around 1.2 km (thr ...

. His elder brother,

John Boyd Kinnear John Boyd Kinnear (1828 – 10 November 1920) was a Scottish lawyer, writer and Liberal, later Liberal Unionist, politician. Biography Kinnear was the son of Christian Boyd Greenshields and her husband, Charles Kinnear of Kinloch. He was educate ...

, was a politician. After private schooling and a degree at the

University of Edinburgh The University of Edinburgh ( sco, University o Edinburgh, gd, Oilthigh Dhùn Èideann; abbreviated as ''Edin.'' in post-nominals) is a public research university based in Edinburgh, Scotland. Granted a royal charter by King James VI in 1 ...

he trained as an architect under first

William Burn William Burn (20 December 1789 – 15 February 1870) was a Scottish architect. He received major commissions from the age of 20 until his death at 81. He built in many styles and was a pioneer of the Scottish Baronial Revival,often referred ...

then

David Bryce David Bryce FRSE FRIBA RSA (3 April 1803 – 7 May 1876) was a Scottish architect. Life Bryce was born at 5 South College Street in Edinburgh, the son of David Bryce (1763–1816) a grocer with a successful side interest in buildi ...

, both based in

. In 1852 he inherited a large number of properties, reducing any immediate need to be employed. In 1853/4 he appears to have toured

Sicily (man) it, Siciliana (woman) , population_note = , population_blank1_title = , population_blank1 = , demographics_type1 = Ethnicity , demographics1_footnotes = , demographi ...

and

Italy Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical ...

, and is known to have sketched in both

Palermo Palermo ( , ; scn, Palermu , locally also or ) is a city in southern Italy, the capital of both the autonomous region of Sicily and the Metropolitan City of Palermo, the city's surrounding metropolitan province. The city is noted for its ...

and

Pisa Pisa ( , or ) is a city and ''comune'' in Tuscany, central Italy, straddling the Arno just before it empties into the Ligurian Sea. It is the capital city of the Province of Pisa. Although Pisa is known worldwide for its leaning tower, the ci ...

. He was asked to join the rising

John Dick Peddie John Dick Peddie (24 February 1824 – 12 March 1891) was a Scottish architect, businessman and a Liberal Party politician. Biography John Dick Peddie and his twin brother William were the second and third sons of James Peddie WS and Margaret D ...

as a partner in 1855, bringing an always-welcome large cash injection to the firm as a result. At the same time he set up his own home at 12 Alva Street where he lived until death. Despite a second huge inheritance in 1856, he continued to work, clearly having a degree of love for it, rather than a financial need. On the retiral of

Kinnear went into partnership with Peddie’s son,

John More Dick Peddie John More Dick Peddie (21 August 1853 – 10 March 1921) was a British architect. Biography Peddie was the son of the architect and politician John Dick Peddie (1824–1891) and his wife Euphemia Lockhart More. Born in Edinburgh, he attend ...

, placing his name to the front to create the lesser known firm of Kinnear & Peddie. They also employed Peddie’s fifth son, Walter Lockhart Dick Peddie (b.1865). In 1893 he was elected a Fellow of the

Royal Society of Edinburgh The Royal Society of Edinburgh is Scotland's national academy of science and letters. It is a registered charity that operates on a wholly independent and non-partisan basis and provides public benefit throughout Scotland. It was established i ...

. His proposers were Sir

Andrew Douglas Maclagan Sir Andrew Douglas Maclagan PRSE FRCPE FRCSE FCS FRSSA (17 April 1812, in Ayr – 5 April 1900, in Edinburgh) was a Scottish surgeon, toxicologist and scholar of medical jurisprudence. He served as president of 5 learned societies: the Roya ...

, Sir Arthur Mitchell,

Alexander Crum Brown Alexander Crum Brown FRSE FRS (26 March 1838 – 28 October 1922) was a Scottish organic chemist. Alexander Crum Brown Road in Edinburgh's King's Buildings complex is named after him. Early life and education Crum Brown was born at 4 Bellev ...

and A Gillies Smith. Kinnear lived in a large Victorian townhouse at 12 Grosvenor Crescent in Edinburgh's West End. The street was designed by Kinnear's rival, John Chesser. John Menzies, the newsagent magnate was his neighbour.

Photography

The west side of Drumsheugh Gardens, Edinburgh

In 1856, together with

, David MacGibbon and Sir David Brewster, Kinnear was a founding member of the Photographic Society of Scotland, acting as Secretary during Brewster’s Presidency. He made a photographic study of

Milan Milan ( , , Lombard: ; it, Milano ) is a city in northern Italy, capital of Lombardy, and the second-most populous city proper in Italy after Rome. The city proper has a population of about 1.4 million, while its metropolitan city ...

in the same year. In 1857 he contracted a Mr Bell of Potterow, Edinburgh to create a new camera, which is said to be the first use of a customised bellows, allowing complete darkness whilst comfortably adjusting the focal plane. He used this new camera on a study tour of Germany and northern France.

Military career

In 1859 he joined the First Midlothian County (Midlothian Coast) Artillery Volunteer Brigade (at that time an equivalent to today’s Territorial Army) as a junior officer. He was commissioned as a lieutenant in July 1860 and in 1861 became Captain of the Portobello battalion. After rising to become Major Kinnear, he was one of the three majors who personally financed the Regimental Headquarters on Grindlay Street in 1866.

Death and legacy

The grave of Charles Kinnear, Dean Cemetery, Edinburgh

He died suddenly of a heart attack after a normal day at the office in November 1894 and was buried against the north wall in the northern extension to the original

Dean Cemetery The Dean Cemetery is a historically important Victorian cemetery north of the Dean Village, west of Edinburgh city centre, in Scotland. It lies between Queensferry Road and the Water of Leith, bounded on its east side by Dean Path and o ...

. Unusually for an architect, he was given a full military funeral. He is buried with his wife, Jessie Jane Maxwell (1845-1931) and three daughters. The grave lies against the northern outer wall, towards the north-west. It lies not far from his business partner,

, who lies on the southern wall of the same section. Although his estate was large, a high proportion went to pay off the debts of his brother

John John is a common English name and surname: * John (given name) * John (surname) John may also refer to: New Testament Works * Gospel of John, a title often shortened to John * First Epistle of John, often shortened to 1 John * Secon ...

. His son Charles Maxwell Kinnear became a tobacco manufacturer and the younger son,

Norman Boyd Kinnear Sir Norman Boyd Kinnear (11 August 1882 – 11 August 1957) was a Scottish zoologist and ornithologist. Early life Kinnear was the younger son of the wealthy Edinburgh architect Charles George Hood Kinnear and his wife Jessie Jane and came f ...

, a keen ornithologist, went on to become Director of the

British Museum The British Museum is a public museum dedicated to human history, art and culture located in the Bloomsbury area of London. Its permanent collection of eight million works is among the largest and most comprehensive in existence. It docum ...

in 1947.

Works

As part of Peddie & Kinnear, Charles’ output was huge. He is known to have contributed the historical aspect of the designs. They did many banks and churches but are best remembered in

for Cockburn Street: a specific town planning exercise, creating a serpentine link down from the

Royal Mile The Royal Mile () is a succession of streets forming the main thoroughfare of the Old Town of the city of Edinburgh in Scotland. The term was first used descriptively in W. M. Gilbert's ''Edinburgh in the Nineteenth Century'' (1901), de ...

to improve access to

Waverley Station Edinburgh Waverley railway station (also known simply as Waverley; gd, Waverley Dhùn Èideann) is the principal railway station serving Edinburgh, Scotland. It is the second busiest station in Scotland, after Glasgow Central. It is the north ...

As Kinnear & Peddie

See. * Monteath Mausoleum (1864) *Terrace, 1-37 Drumsheugh Gardens,

(1879) *30-34 Palmerston Place,

(1879) *

Callander Callander (; gd, Calasraid) is a small town in the council area of Stirling, Scotland, situated on the River Teith. The town is located in the historic county of Perthshire and is a popular tourist stop to and from the Highlands. The town ...

Hydropathic (1879) (funded by

) *Completion of Chalmers Street in

(1879) *Longmore Hospital for Incurables (asylum) (1879) now Longmore House, home to

Historic Scotland Historic Scotland ( gd, Alba Aosmhor) was an executive agency of the Scottish Office and later the Scottish Government from 1991 to 2015, responsible for safeguarding Scotland's built heritage, and promoting its understanding and enjoyment ...

(extended by Kinnear in 1891) *94 George Street, Edinburgh (1880) *

Kirkintilloch Kirkintilloch (; sco, Kirkintulloch; gd, Cair Cheann Tulaich) is a town and former barony burgh in East Dunbartonshire, Scotland. It lies on the Forth and Clyde Canal and on the south side of Strathkelvin, about northeast of central Glasgow. ...

Church and manse (1881) *Sunbury Mews, Edinburgh (1881) built as stables *Extra floors and ornamentation, 2-8 Cockburn Street Edinburgh (1882) * Kirkcudbright Railway Station (1882) *Lodge house, Newington Cemetery (1883) *Rebuilding of Cortachy Castle following a major fire (1883) *Mosswater Cottages,

(1884) *Remodelling of

Pitreavie Castle Pitreavie Castle is a country house, located between Rosyth and Dunfermline in Fife, Scotland. It was built in the early 17th century, and was extensively remodelled in 1885. The house remained in private hands until 1938, when it was acquired by ...

plus new stables and gate lodge (1884-6) *Sandgate Street and Foul Ford in

Berwick-upon-Tweed Berwick-upon-Tweed (), sometimes known as Berwick-on-Tweed or simply Berwick, is a town and civil parish in Northumberland, England, south of the Anglo-Scottish border, and the northernmost town in England. The 2011 United Kingdom census re ...

(1884) *Royal Bank and tenement over,

Campbeltown Campbeltown (; gd, Ceann Loch Chille Chiarain or ) is a town and former royal burgh in Argyll and Bute, Scotland. It lies by Campbeltown Loch on the Kintyre peninsula. Campbeltown became an important centre for Scotch whisky, and a busy fishing ...

(1885) *Villa at 6 Ravelston Park, Edinburgh (1885) *Slogarie House and attached Cottages,

Kirkcudbrightshire Kirkcudbrightshire ( ), or the County of Kirkcudbright or the Stewartry of Kirkcudbright is one of the historic counties of Scotland, covering an area in the south-west of the country. Until 1975, Kirkcudbrightshire was an administrative count ...

(1886) *British Linen Bank,

Dunfermline Dunfermline (; sco, Dunfaurlin, gd, Dùn Phàrlain) is a city, parish and former Royal Burgh, in Fife, Scotland, on high ground from the northern shore of the Firth of Forth. The city currently has an estimated population of 58,508. Acco ...

(1887) *Feuing of streets for housing, Craiglockhart, Edinburgh (1887) *Four villas on Morningside Drive, Edinburgh (1887) *Reconstruction of Kinglassie Parish Church (1887) *

Lochmaddy Lochmaddy ( gd, Loch nam Madadh, "Loch of the Hounds") is the administrative centre of North Uist in the Outer Hebrides, Scotland. ''Na Madaidhean'' (the wolves/hounds) are rocks in the bay after which the loch, and subsequently the village, are ...

Combination Poorhouse,

North Uist North Uist ( gd, Uibhist a Tuath; sco, North Uise) is an island and community in the Outer Hebrides of Scotland. Etymology In Donald Munro's ''A Description of the Western Isles of Scotland Called Hybrides'' of 1549, North Uist, Benbecula a ...

(1887) *British Linen Bank,

Clydebank Clydebank ( gd, Bruach Chluaidh) is a town in West Dunbartonshire, Scotland. Situated on the north bank of the River Clyde, it borders the village of Old Kilpatrick (with Bowling and Milton beyond) to the west, and the Yoker and Drumchapel ...

(1888) * Southwick Parish Church, Kirkcudbrightshire (1889-90) *Reredos, St John’s Episcopal Church,

, Edinburgh (1890) *Caledonian Railway Station, Lothian Road Edinburgh (1890-3) demolished *Caputh Fountain, Caputh,

Perthshire Perthshire ( locally: ; gd, Siorrachd Pheairt), officially the County of Perth, is a historic county and registration county in central Scotland. Geographically it extends from Strathmore in the east, to the Pass of Drumochter in the nort ...

(1890) *Pitlochry Public Library (alterations), Perthshire (1890) *Mission Hall,

Ellon, Aberdeenshire Ellon ( gd, Eilean) is a town in Aberdeenshire, Scotland, approximately north of Aberdeen, lying on the River Ythan, which has one of the few undeveloped river estuaries on the eastern coast of Scotland. It is in the ancient region of Formart ...

(1890) *

North Berwick North Berwick (; gd, Bearaig a Tuath) is a seaside town and former royal burgh in East Lothian, Scotland. It is situated on the south shore of the Firth of Forth, approximately east-northeast of Edinburgh. North Berwick became a fashionable ...

Golf Clubhouse (1890) *Niddrie Mains School,

(1890) *

British Linen Bank The British Linen Bank was a commercial bank based in the United Kingdom. It was acquired by the Bank of Scotland in 1969 and served as the establishment's merchant bank arm from 1977 until 1999. History Foundation The Edinburgh-based Britis ...

Greenock Greenock (; sco, Greenock; gd, Grianaig, ) is a town and administrative centre in the Inverclyde council area in Scotland, United Kingdom and a former burgh within the historic county of Renfrewshire, located in the west central Lowland ...

(1891) *

Coldstream Coldstream ( gd, An Sruthan Fuar , sco, Caustrim) is a town and civil parish in the Scottish Borders area of Scotland. A former burgh, Coldstream is the home of the Coldstream Guards, a regiment in the British Army. Description Coldstream l ...

Berwickshire Berwickshire ( gd, Siorrachd Bhearaig) is a historic county, registration county and lieutenancy area in south-eastern Scotland, on the English border. Berwickshire County Council existed from 1890 until 1975, when the area became part of th ...

(1891) *

Alexandria, West Dunbartonshire Alexandria ( sco, The Vale,
gd, Alexandria) is a town in

(1893) *

Dalton Dalton may refer to: Science * Dalton (crater), a lunar crater * Dalton (program), chemistry software * Dalton (unit) (Da), the atomic mass unit * John Dalton, chemist, physicist and meteorologist Entertainment * Dalton (Buffyverse), minor ch ...

Parish Church (1893)

Sole Works

*Mosswater Farmhouse and Steading,

(1852) *Kinnear Farmhouse and Steading,

(1853) *Valley Cemetery, Old Town, Stirling (1857) *

Stoneykirk Stoneykirk ( gd, Eaglais Steafain) is an area and a village in the heart of the Rhins of Galloway, Wigtownshire, in the administrative council area of Dumfries and Galloway, Scotland nearly ten miles in length and three and a half miles in bread ...

Parish Church (1859) *Tenement, 64-70

Great Junction Street Great Junction Street is a street in Leith, on the northern outskirts of Edinburgh, Scotland. It runs southeast to northwest following approximately the southwestmost line of the old town walls around Leith. History The road was planned c.180 ...

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 ...

(1859) *Remodelling of his family seat, Kinloch House near

(1880) *Office at 94 George Street,

(1880)

References

*Buildings of Scotland: Edinburgh by Gifford McWilliam and Walker {{DEFAULTSORT:Kinnear, Charles 1830 births 1894 deaths 19th-century Scottish architects Architects from Edinburgh Burials at the Dean Cemetery Alumni of the University of Edinburgh