Robert Alexander Bryden (7 July 1841 – 14 April 1906) 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 ...

, prominent in the second half of the 19th century. He was mainly active in the west of Scotland, where he designed schools, churches and municipal buildings.

Early life

Bryden was 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 ...

, Scotland, in 1841, the son of Robert Bryden and Margaret Ramage.Robert Alexander Bryden
at ScottishArchitects.org.uk He was educated at Arthur's Academy in

Dunoon Dunoon (; ) is the main town on the Cowal peninsula in Argyll and Bute, Scotland. It is located on the western shore of the upper Firth of Clyde, to the south of the Holy Loch and to the north of Innellan. As well as forming part of the cou ...

Argyll Argyll (; archaically Argyle; , ), sometimes called Argyllshire, is a Shires of Scotland, historic county and registration county of western Scotland. The county ceased to be used for local government purposes in 1975 and most of the area ...

, and Kirkcaldy Grammar School.

Career

In the 1860s, he was an apprentice at Glasgow-based practice Clarke & Bell, of whom he became a partner around 1875.Clarke & Bell & R. A. Bryden
–

Dictionary of Scottish Architects The Dictionary of Scottish Architects is a publicly available online database that provides biographical information about all architects known to have worked in Scotland between 1660 and 1980, and lists their works. Launched in 2006, it was comp ...

He was elected a

Fellow of the Royal Institute of British Architects A fellow is a title and form of address for distinguished, learned, or skilled individuals in academia, medicine, research, and industry. The exact meaning of the term differs in each field. In learned or professional societies, the term refers ...

in 1878.

Selected works

Selected works include:

Dunoon Burgh Hall Dunoon Burgh Hall is a municipal building in Argyll Street, Dunoon, Argyll Street, Dunoon, Scotland. The structure, which is used as an events venue, is Category B listed building, listed. History Following significant population growth, largel ...

(1873) * St Cuthbert's Church, Dunoon (1874; now demolished) * St John's Church, Dunoon (1876) * Dunoon Infants' School (1880) * Broughton Parish Church (rebuilding; 1886) *

Seafield Children's Hospital The Seafield Children's Hospital was a health facility in Doonfoot Road, Ayr, South Ayrshire, Scotland. It is a Category B listed building. History Seafield House, which was originally commissioned by Sir William Arrol for use as his home, wa ...

(rebuilding; 1888) *Lanarkshire Regimental Drill Hall, Glasgow (1894) *

Dunoon Pier Dunoon Pier is a Victorian era, Victorian pier in Dunoon, Argyll and Bute, Scotland. It is owned by Argyll and Bute Council, and was completed in its current form in 1898. Reaching out into the Firth of Clyde, the earliest parts of the pier date ...

and offices (rebuilding; 1896) *Sir Charles Cameron Memorial Fountain, Glasgow (1896) – the clocktower dome of the fountain

Personal life

Bryden married Elizabeth Robertson, daughter of Alexander Robertson. They had at least one child, a son named Andrew Francis Stewart Bryden (1876–1917), who also became a noted architect and a Fellow of RIBA. For the final few years of his father's life, the two worked as partners.

Death

Bryden died in Glasgow in 1906, aged 64. He is interred in Dunoon Cemetery,Hooray - Dunoon Burgh Hall
June 2017 half a mile to the north of

, one of his designs. He is believed to be the subject of the building's

stained-glass window Stained glass refers to coloured glass as a material or art and architectural works created from it. Although it is traditionally made in flat panels and used as windows, the creations of modern stained glass artists also include three-dimensio ...

.Stained Glass
– Dunoon Burgh Hall

References

;Specific ;General
Acknowledgment of Bryden as the architect of the former Pearl Association Building (now the Radisson Glasgow)Quarriers Homes CAA Draft Report
-

Inverclyde Council Inverclyde Council is one of the 32 Local authorities of Scotland, local authorities of Scotland, covering the Inverclyde council area. In its current form the council was created in 1996, replacing the previous Inverclyde District Council which ...

{{DEFAULTSORT:Bryden, Robert Alexander 20th-century Scottish architects 19th-century Scottish architects Fellows of the Royal Institute of British Architects 1841 births 1906 deaths Architects from Glasgow