John Adam (5 March 1721 – 25 June 1792) was a Scottish architect, building contractor and

supervisor A supervisor, or lead, (also known as foreman, boss, overseer, facilitator, monitor, area coordinator, line-manager or sometimes gaffer) is the job title of a lower-level management position and role that is primarily based on authority over la ...

Life

Born in Linktown of Abbotshall, now part of

Kirkcaldy Kirkcaldy ( ; ; ) is a town and former royal burgh in Fife, on the east coast of Scotland. It is about north of Edinburgh and south-southwest of Dundee. The town had a recorded population of 49,460 in 2011, making it Fife's second-largest s ...

Fife Fife ( , ; ; ) is a council areas of Scotland, council area and lieutenancy areas of Scotland, lieutenancy area in Scotland. A peninsula, it is bordered by the Firth of Tay to the north, the North Sea to the east, the Firth of Forth to the s ...

, he was the eldest son of architect and entrepreneur William Adam and his wife Mary Robertson (1698–1761). His younger brothers

Robert The name Robert is an ancient Germanic given name, from Proto-Germanic "fame" and "bright" (''Hrōþiberhtaz''). Compare Old Dutch ''Robrecht'' and Old High German ''Hrodebert'' (a compound of ''Hrōþ, Hruod'' () "fame, glory, honour, prais ...

and James Adam also became architects. The Adam family moved to Edinburgh in 1728, as William Adam's career as a designer of country houses began to take off. John attended Dalkeith Grammar School, outside the city, although he did not proceed to university as he was already being involved in the family businesses. However, the family home became a hub of the

Scottish Enlightenment The Scottish Enlightenment (, ) was the period in 18th- and early-19th-century Scotland characterised by an outpouring of intellectual and scientific accomplishments. By the eighteenth century, Scotland had a network of parish schools in the Sco ...

, with numerous Edinburgh ''virtuosi'' visiting. It is believed his father allowed him to do some work on Montrose Mausoleum in Aberuthven,

Perthshire Perthshire (Scottish English, locally: ; ), officially the County of Perth, is a Shires of Scotland, historic county and registration county in central Scotland. Geographically it extends from Strathmore, Angus and Perth & Kinross, Strathmore ...

, in 1736, for his name is in an inscription in the northern wall. During the 1740s, William was gradually handing over control to his eldest son. Upon William's death in June 1748, John took over the family businesses, which besides designing and building houses, included interests in quarrying, mining and other industries. Additionally, John inherited his father's position as Master Mason to the

Board of Ordnance The Board of Ordnance was a British government body. Established in the Tudor period, it had its headquarters in the Tower of London. Its primary responsibilities were 'to act as custodian of the lands, depots and forts required for the defence ...

in North Britain. John also became

Laird Laird () is a Scottish word for minor lord (or landlord) and is a designation that applies to an owner of a large, long-established Scotland, Scottish estate. In the traditional Scottish order of precedence, a laird ranked below a Baronage of ...

of Blair Adam, the estate in

Kinross-shire The County of Kinross or Kinross-shire is a historic county and registration county in eastern Scotland, administered as part of Perth and Kinross since 1975. Surrounding its largest settlement and county town of Kinross, the county borders Per ...

which his father had built up. At Kinross-shire, John created a large personal library. John took his younger brother Robert into partnership, and the two profited greatly from the lucrative Board of Ordnance contracts which were had been initiated following the

Jacobite rising of 1745 The Jacobite rising of 1745 was an attempt by Charles Edward Stuart to regain the Monarchy of Great Britain, British throne for his father, James Francis Edward Stuart. It took place during the War of the Austrian Succession, when the bulk of t ...

. These included the building of Fort George near

Inverness Inverness (; ; from the , meaning "Mouth of the River Ness") is a city in the Scottish Highlands, having been granted city status in 2000. It is the administrative centre for The Highland Council and is regarded as the capital of the Highland ...

, to the designs of military engineer Colonel Skinner. The brothers also continued to execute their late father's designs, including the pavilions and interiors of

Hopetoun House Hopetoun House is a country house near South Queensferry owned by the Hopetoun House Preservation Trust, a charity established in 1974 to preserve the house and grounds as a national monument, to protect and improve their amenities, and to pre ...

. Their first major new commission came in 1754 from William Dalrymple, Earl of Dumfries. The new Dumfries House in Ayrshire was probably mostly to the design of Robert Adam, the more talented architect of the two. Robert oversaw the construction of the house until late summer 1754, when he left on his Grand Tour to Italy. Even when abroad, Robert continued to send home designs. John concentrated on the business side of the practice, although he was a competent, if formulaic, architect. John did win a competition to design a new Royal Exchange in Edinburgh, but he was not appointed as contractor. The successful contractor then appointed another architect, who made changes to the design. However, the building, which now serves as the City Chambers, is still often attributed to John Adam. On Robert's return to Britain, he established himself in London, where he was joined by the younger brothers James and William. John continued to look after the family's Scottish interests, investing in further quarrying ventures, and the Carron Iron Works. He supplied his London-based brothers with capital from the Blair Adam estate, at least until the collapse of a stock market venture by his friend Andrew Fairholme in 1764 left him out of pocket. Further losses occurred after the failure of Robert's speculative Adelphi development in 1772, and John was forced to mortgage Blair Adam. John Adam designed other houses in Edinburgh and the surrounding area, including Milton House in the

Old Town In a city or town, the old town is its historic or original core. Although the city is usually larger in its present form, many cities have redesignated this part of the city to commemorate its origins. In some cases, newer developments on t ...

, Hawkhill House, near

Leith Links Leith Links is the principal open space within Leith, the docks district of Edinburgh, Scotland. This public park is divided by a road into two main areas, a western section and an eastern section, both being largely flat expanses of grass bor ...

, for Lord Alemoor and Kerse House nr.

Falkirk Falkirk ( ; ; ) is a town in the Central Lowlands of Scotland, historically within the county of Stirlingshire. It lies in the Forth Valley, northwest of Edinburgh and northeast of Glasgow. Falkirk had a resident population of 32,422 at the ...

for Sir Lawrence Dundas (all now demolished). In the Annandale town of

Moffat Moffat is a burgh and parish in Dumfriesshire. Part of the Dumfries and Galloway local authority area in Scotland, it lies on the River Annan, with a population of around 2,500. It was a centre of the wool trade and a spa town. Moffat is arou ...

he designed Moffat House for the Earl of Hopetoun. Among his more significant work was Adam Square, a speculative development of three houses on his own property in the city. The development, although not a true "square", represents one of the first

terrace Terrace may refer to: Landforms and construction * Fluvial terrace, a natural, flat surface that borders and lies above the floodplain of a stream or river * Terrace, a street suffix * Terrace, the portion of a lot between the public sidewalk a ...

s of townhouses in Edinburgh. Construction began in 1761, and despite the financial troubles, Lord President Robert Dundas was able to move in by 1768. Adam himself also lived there until 1772, as well as having a villa at Merchiston. Adam Square was demolished in the 1870s, and the site is now occupied by Adam House, a building of the

University of Edinburgh The University of Edinburgh (, ; abbreviated as ''Edin.'' in Post-nominal letters, post-nominals) is a Public university, public research university based in Edinburgh, Scotland. Founded by the City of Edinburgh Council, town council under th ...

. In Edinburgh he lived at Niddry's Wynd (now known as Niddry Street.)Williamson's Edinburgh Street Directory 1785 Upon his death in 1792, he was succeeded as laird of Blair Adam by his only surviving son, the politician and judge William Adam. He is buried in his father's mausoleum in

Greyfriars Kirkyard Greyfriars Kirkyard is the graveyard surrounding Greyfriars Kirk in Edinburgh, Scotland. It is located at the southern edge of the Old Town, Edinburgh, Old Town, adjacent to George Heriot's School. Burials have been taking place since the late 1 ...

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 ...

. It is the largest monument in the graveyard and stands just south-west of the church.

Family

He was married to Jean Ramsay of Abbotshall in

(d.1795).

List of architectural works

Public buildings

* Royal Exchange, Edinburgh, with his brother Robert *

Royal Society of Arts The Royal Society for the Encouragement of Arts, Manufactures and Commerce, commonly known as the Royal Society of Arts (RSA), is a learned society that champions innovation and progress across a multitude of sectors by fostering creativity, s ...

(1772–74) File:The Edinburgh City Chambers, High Street Edinburgh.jpg, The Edinburgh City Chambers, High Street Edinburgh File:John Adam (architect) 20130414 166.jpg, Royal Society of Arts (1772–74)

Garden buildings and follies

* Stables,

Inveraray Castle Inveraray Castle (pronounced or ; Scottish Gaelic ''Caisteal Inbhir Aora'' ) is a country house near Inveraray in the county of Argyll, in western Scotland, on the shore of Loch Fyne, Scotland's longest sea loch. It is one of the earliest ex ...

, joint work with his brother Robert

Urban domestic work

* The Adelphi development, London (1768–1775) mostly demolished 1930s, a ceiling and fireplace are in the

Victoria and Albert Museum The Victoria and Albert Museum (abbreviated V&A) in London is the world's largest museum of applied arts, decorative arts and design, housing a permanent collection of over 2.8 million objects. It was founded in 1852 and named after Queen ...

File:Adam Brothers Adelphi.jpg, The Adam Brothers' Adelphi (1768-72) File:WLA vanda Robert Adam Ceiling roundel with octagon and Apollo and Horae.jpg, Robert Adam ceiling from the Adelphi, now in the V&A

Country houses with major work

* Dumfries House, Ayrshire (1754–1759) *

Douglas Castle Douglas Castle was a stronghold of the Douglas (later Douglas-Home) family from medieval times to the 20th century. The first castle, erected in the 13th century, was destroyed and replaced several times until the 18th century when a large man ...

, Lanarkshire (1757–1761) *Moffat House (1762) File:Dumfries House - frontage - geograph.org.uk - 927584.jpg, Dumfries House File:Moffat House Hotel.jpg, Moffat House, designed by John Adam and completed in 1762 *

Gordon Castle Gordon Castle is a country house located near Fochabers in the parish of Bellie in Moray, Scotland. It was the principal seat of the Dukes of Gordon and was originally called Bog-of-Gight. The six-storey medieval tower dates from 1498 and in th ...

References

*Colvin, Howard (1978) ''A Biographical Dictionary of British Architects'', John Murray *Fleming, John (1962) ''Robert Adam and his Circle''

External links

Robert Adam timeline
{{DEFAULTSORT:Adam, John 18th-century Scottish architects 18th-century Scottish male artists 1721 births 1792 deaths People from Kirkcaldy Burials at Greyfriars Kirkyard People of the Scottish Enlightenment