David Robertson ARSA

FRIBA 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 suppl ...

(1834-1925) was a Scottish architect and artist. He was three times President of the Edinburgh Architectural Association. He was strongly linked to the United Presbyterian Church in Scotland and designed many new churches for them.

Life

He was born in 1834 at 12 Gilmore Place 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 ...

’s West End, the son of D J Robertson, an accountant normally resident at 27 Clyde Street. His father became City Chamberlain around 1840. Young David was articled to the local architect

David Cousin David Cousin (19 May 1809 – 14 August 1878) was a Scottish architect, landscape architect and Urban planning, planner, closely associated with early cemetery design and many prominent buildings in Edinburgh, Scotland, Edinburgh. From 1841 to ...

in 1850. In 1852 he entered the Trustees Academy on Picardy Place to train as a draughtsman. After further training in Liverpool he returned to Edinburgh to assist

John Lessels John Lessels (9 January 1809 – 12 November 1883) was a Scottish architect and artist, active in Edinburgh and the Scottish Borders (particularly in the former county of Berwickshire). Life He was born and educated in Kirkcaldy, Fife, and ...

before setting up his own practice in 1865 at 16 Picardy Place. In 1875, he moved to the larger and more prestigious address of 12 Queen Street. As an artist he began exhibiting at 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 1878 and served as President of the Edinburgh Arts Club. In the 1880s he was living with his family at 19 Morningside Place in southern Edinburgh. Although some records wrongly state that he is buried in

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 ...

he is buried with his wife and mother-in-law in

Morningside Cemetery, Edinburgh Morningside Cemetery is a cemetery in south List of graveyards and cemeteries in Edinburgh, Edinburgh. It was established in 1878 by the Metropolitan Cemetery Company, originally just outwith the then city boundary, the nearest suburb then b ...

. The grave lies to the west and has been toppled.

Family

He was married to Jessie Beith (d.1897).

Works

*Internal remodelling of Palmerston Place UP Church, Edinburgh (1873) *Inchdrewer House (299 Colinton Road), Edinburgh (1876) later remodelled by

Robert Lorimer Sir Robert Stodart Lorimer, Order of the British Empire, KBE (4 November 1864 – 13 September 1929) was a prolific Scotland, Scottish architect and furniture designer noted for his sensitive restorations of historic houses and castles, f ...

*Caerlee House,

Innerleithen Innerleithen () is a civil parish and a small town in the committee area of Tweeddale, in the Scottish Borders. It was formerly in the historic county of Peeblesshire or Tweeddale. Etymology The name "Innerleithen" comes from the Scottish G ...

(1878) *Gillespie Memorial Hall and remodelling of church interior,

Kippen Kippen is a village in west Stirlingshire, Scotland. It lies between the Gargunnock Hills and the Fintry Hills and overlooks the Carse of Forth to the north. The village is west of Stirling and north of Glasgow. It is south-east of Loch Lo ...

(1878) *UP Church,

Morningside, Edinburgh Morningside is a district and former village in the south of Edinburgh, Scotland. It lies alongside the main arterial Morningside Road, part of an ancient route from Edinburgh to the south west of Scotland. The original village served several ...

(1879) *54 St Albans Road,

Grange, Edinburgh The Grange (originally St Giles' Grange) is an affluent suburb of Edinburgh, just south of the city centre, with Morningside and Greenhill to the west, Newington to the east, The Meadows park and Marchmont to the north, and Blackford Hi ...

(1880) *Danevale Park, a substantial mansion near

Crossmichael Crossmichael () is a small village on the east side of Loch Ken in the historical county of Kirkcudbrightshire, about north of Castle Douglas in Scotland. Crossmichael is also the name of the Civil parishes in Scotland, civil parish in Kirkc ...

(1882) *Alterations to Arthur Street UP Church (off

Leith Walk Leith Walk is one of the longest streets in Edinburgh, Scotland, and is the main road connecting the east end of the city centre to Leith. Forming most of the A900 road, it slopes downwards from Picardy Place at the south-western end of the str ...

in Edinburgh (1883) demolished *Alterations to Greenside Parish Church,

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 ...

in Edinburgh (1885) *Little Church in the Field, Gorgie/Dalry, Edinburgh (1887) *John Ker Memorial Church,

Polwarth, Edinburgh Polwarth is a mainly residential area of Edinburgh, Scotland. It is bounded by Bruntsfield and Merchiston to the east and south, Gorgie and Dalry, Edinburgh, Dalry to the north, Fountainbridge to the north and east, and Craiglockhart to the we ...

(1892) demolished 1984 *Tenement and shops at 1 to 12 London Road, at head of Easter Road in Edinburgh (1893) *Gorgie UP Church Hall (1896) *Artist's Studios at Hospitalfield, Arbroath (1902) *Edgar Hall, Chesser Avenue, Edinburgh (1911) (as Robertson was now 77 years old this was probably a free work done as a favour to the church)

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Robertson, David 1834 births 1925 deaths Scottish architects Architects from Edinburgh Artists from Edinburgh