
Stewart Henbest Capper (15 December 1859 – 8 January 1925) was a prominent architect in the Arts and Crafts style closely associated with Sir
Patrick Geddes
Sir Patrick Geddes (2 October 1854 – 17 April 1932) was a Scottish biologist, sociologist, Comtean positivist, geographer, philanthropist and pioneering town planner. He is known for his innovative thinking in the fields of urban plannin ...
with much of his work mislabelled as Geddes'. Due to ill health he did not achieve much that he might have, and his contemporary
Sydney Mitchell
Arthur George Sydney Mitchell (7 January 1856 – 13 October 1930) was a Scotland, Scottish architect. He designed a large number of bank branches, country houses, churches, and church halls. His most significant commissions include the housin ...
completed much of his most public works. His style cleverly mimics medieval and Renaissance details, and, as it sometimes includes either original or faked medieval date-stones, is regularly accepted as being several centuries older than its true age.
In later life he is remembered as Professor Capper due to his academic role at McGill University in Canada. This is often remembered more than for his work in Scotland, and much of his due fame has been laid on the shoulders of his clients and those who completed his works.
Early life
Born in
Douglas, Isle of Man
Douglas (, ) is the Capital (political), capital city and largest settlement of the Isle of Man, with a population of 26,677 (2021) and an area of . It is located at the mouth of the River Douglas, Isle of Man, River Douglas, and on a sweepi ...
, the son of Jasper John Capper (1820–1918), he was raised in
Upper Clapton
Clapton is a district of east London, England, in the London Borough of Hackney.
Clapton is divided into Upper Clapton, in the north, and Lower Clapton to the south. Clapton railway station lies north-east of Charing Cross.
Geography and orig ...
in London until his family moved to
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 ...
when Stewart was nine years old, either just before or just after the death of his mother, Harriet Millington Jackson (1820–1870). His father remarried soon after the death, to Anna Coventry Blyth. The family lived at 1 Beaufort Road in the
Grange district.
Stewart, and his two brothers, were educated at the Royal High School, where he was dux for the academic year 1874/5. At 16 he then won a place at
Edinburgh University
The University of Edinburgh (, ; abbreviated as ''Edin.'' in post-nominals) is a public research university based in Edinburgh, Scotland. Founded by the town council under the authority of a royal charter from King James VI in 1582 and offi ...
and gained a First Class Degree in Classics. The studies included a period attending the University of
Heidelberg
Heidelberg (; ; ) is the List of cities in Baden-Württemberg by population, fifth-largest city in the States of Germany, German state of Baden-Württemberg, and with a population of about 163,000, of which roughly a quarter consists of studen ...
in Germany, from which it may be concluded that he spoke German competently.
Architecture
Capper then decided to pursue a life in architecture and received a post in the office of
John Burnet & Son 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 ...
in 1884. However, ill-health forced him to abandon this role, and he chose instead to act in the role of personal tutor to the only son of
Sir Robert Morier a diplomat in
Portugal
Portugal, officially the Portuguese Republic, is a country on the Iberian Peninsula in Southwestern Europe. Featuring Cabo da Roca, the westernmost point in continental Europe, Portugal borders Spain to its north and east, with which it share ...
, also acting as Morier's personal secretary. Here he learned both Portuguese and Spanish. After a relatively brief period in this role he moved to
Paris
Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, largest city of France. With an estimated population of 2,048,472 residents in January 2025 in an area of more than , Paris is the List of ci ...
to attend the Ecole des Beaux-Arts as a pupil of
Jean-Louis Pascal
Jean-Louis Pascal (4 June 1837 – 17 May 1920) was an academic French architect.
Life
Born in Paris, Pascal was taught at the École nationale supérieure des Beaux-Arts by Émile Gilbert and Charles-Auguste Questel. He won the Grand P ...
.
He stayed here for 4 years of study, during which time he befriended
Alexander Nisbet Paterson,
Frank Worthington Simon and
John Keppie
John Keppie (4 August 1862 – 28 April 1945) was a Glasgow architect and artist. From an early age he was a close friend of Edward Atkinson Hornel and would often bring in New Year with him in Kirkcudbright. Within the architectural professio ...
.
Following the death of his father and inheritance of the house at 1 Beaufort Road, he returned to Edinburgh in 1887 to work as assistant to
George Washington Browne
Sir George Washington Browne (21 September 1853 – 15 June 1939) was a Scotland, Scottish architect. He was born in Glasgow, and trained there and in London. He spent most of his career in Edinburgh, although his work can be found throughout ...
where he worked until 1891 whereafter he moved totally to his own practice which he had established in 1888. During this period with Browne he had input into the design of the
Central Library on George IV Bridge,
the Royal Hospital for Sick Children, Wright's Buildings on Bruntsfield Place and the Solicitors Buildings on the Cowgate.
In his own practice he drew in his old friend from Pascal's,
Frank Worthington Simon as a partner. Together they quickly came to the attention of the profession, winning a competition for the Hope Chapel in
Wigan
Wigan ( ) is a town in Greater Manchester, England. The town is midway between the two cities of Manchester, to the south-east, and Liverpool, to the south-west. It is the largest settlement in the Metropolitan Borough of Wigan and is its ad ...
, and in 1890 Simon exhibited as part of the Edinburgh International Exhibition working with the architect/artist
William Alan Carter.
The partnership with Simon was brief and dissolved in 1892, and Capper thereafter involved himself closely in the project ideas of
Patrick Geddes
Sir Patrick Geddes (2 October 1854 – 17 April 1932) was a Scottish biologist, sociologist, Comtean positivist, geographer, philanthropist and pioneering town planner. He is known for his innovative thinking in the fields of urban plannin ...
who sought to make good use of abandoned and derelict properties in Edinburgh's Old Town to house students for the "Town and Gown University Settlement", which although now viewed largely as a philanthropic and conservationist gesture this was primarily as a money-making exercise. This involved Capper hugely extending the previously very small Georgian terrace at
Ramsay Gardens
Ramsay Garden is a block of sixteen private apartment buildings in the Castlehill area of Edinburgh, Scotland. They stand out for their red ashlar and white harled exteriors, and for their prominent position, most visible from Princes Street.
...
to create a hugely picturesque building now an iconic part of Edinburgh's townscape. This (although now hard to believe) was done as low-cost student housing but incorporated a house for Geddes himself within it. Capper's ill health returned during the project and over-seeing of the completion and final detailing was done by
Sydney Mitchell
Arthur George Sydney Mitchell (7 January 1856 – 13 October 1930) was a Scotland, Scottish architect. He designed a large number of bank branches, country houses, churches, and church halls. His most significant commissions include the housin ...
who is often incorrectly given credit for the full project. Together with the Ramsay Gardens project Capper also remodelled Riddle's Court, James Court and several Lawnmarket blocks as part of the same University Settlement concept. During this period Capper employed
Ramsay Traquair
Ramsay Heatley Traquair Fellow of the Royal Society of Edinburgh, FRSE Fellow of the Royal Society of London, FRS (30 July 1840 – 22 November 1912) was a Scottish naturalist and palaeontologist who became a leading expert on fossil fish.
Tra ...
as his assistant.
Academic life
When the
Edinburgh College of Art
Edinburgh College of Art (ECA) is one of eleven schools in the College of Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences at the University of Edinburgh. Tracing its history back to 1760, it provides higher education in art and design, architecture, histor ...
was established in 1892 Capper was one of the initial lecturers in Architecture.
In 1896 Capper gave up his overseeing of the various projects passed to him by Geddes. At this stage most were complete other than Ramsay Gardens. Given its enormous prominence in the townscape it was probably reluctantly that he let Mitchell complete his magnum opus.
However, Prof
Gerard Baldwin Brown
Gerard Baldwin Brown, FBA (31 October 1849 – 12 July 1932) was a British art historian.
Life
Brown was born in London, the son of church minister James Baldwin Brown and his wife, Elizabeth, a sister of the sculptor Henry Leifchild. He atten ...
had nominated him to be the first Professor of Architecture at
McGill University
McGill University (French: Université McGill) is an English-language public research university in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. Founded in 1821 by royal charter,Frost, Stanley Brice. ''McGill University, Vol. I. For the Advancement of Learning, ...
in Montreal.
This was also agreed by the principal of McGill,
William Peterson. This Capper accepted believing it would improve his health, but the job was conditional upon him ceasing all other jobs, so this alone may have been the reason for him abandoning the Ramsay Gardens project.
Capper pushed for architecture to be a university-learnt skill rather than the established practice of being "articled" to an existing architect to learn the skill.
In 1903 he returned to Britain, taking a chair as Professor of Architecture in
Victoria University of Manchester
The Victoria University of Manchester, usually referred to as simply the University of Manchester, was a university in Manchester, England. It was founded in 1851 as Owens College. In 1880, the college joined the federal Victoria University. A ...
.
His successor in McGill University,
Percy Erskine Hobbs, left McGill in 1909 and Capper expressed an interest in returning, but the position was instead filled, rather ironically, by Capper's former assistant,
Ramsay Traquair
Ramsay Heatley Traquair Fellow of the Royal Society of Edinburgh, FRSE Fellow of the Royal Society of London, FRS (30 July 1840 – 22 November 1912) was a Scottish naturalist and palaeontologist who became a leading expert on fossil fish.
Tra ...
, and Capper continued in Manchester until 1912.
While in Canada, Capper had served as part-time captain in the Canadian Field Artillery. In Manchester he chose a similar role and rose to
brevet major
In military terminology, a brevet ( or ) is a warrant which gives commissioned officers a higher military rank as a reward without necessarily conferring the authority and privileges granted by that rank. The promotion would be noted in the of ...
in the Officer Training Corps of the University. His time from 1912 to the outbreak of World War I is unclear but at that point he joined the Manchester Volunteers
and was dispatched to
Gallipoli
The Gallipoli Peninsula (; ; ) is located in the southern part of East Thrace, the European part of Turkey, with the Aegean Sea to the west and the Dardanelles strait to the east.
Gallipoli is the Italian form of the Greek name (), meaning ' ...
. Here though he was declared unfit for service, another reflection on his ill-health. Thereafter he attained a post of Military Censor in
Cairo, Egypt
Cairo ( ; , ) is the Capital city, capital and largest city of Egypt and the Cairo Governorate, being home to more than 10 million people. It is also part of the List of urban agglomerations in Africa, largest urban agglomeration in Africa, L ...
, requiring him to learn Arabic. At the end of the war he continued in a similar role in Cairo working for the Ministry of the Interior.
Capper died of a heart attack while in the Anglo-American Hospital in Cairo on 8 January 1925. His funeral was attended by
Lord Allenby
Field Marshal Edmund Henry Hynman Allenby, 1st Viscount Allenby, (23 April 1861 – 14 May 1936) was a senior British Army officer and imperial governor. He fought in the Second Boer War and also in World War I, in which he led the Britis ...
, who was in Cairo at the time, and by officials from the Egyptian government. However, no Scottish friends or family attended, because they were unable to reach Cairo in the customary 24 hours permitted in Arabic countries between death and funeral. As he was unmarried and had no heirs, Capper left his money all to pay additional stipends to teachers at both McGill University and Manchester University. His tomb was designed by architect and life-long friend
Alexander Nisbet Paterson.
Principal works
*Hope Chapel,
Wigan
Wigan ( ) is a town in Greater Manchester, England. The town is midway between the two cities of Manchester, to the south-east, and Liverpool, to the south-west. It is the largest settlement in the Metropolitan Borough of Wigan and is its ad ...
(1888) (with
Frank Worthington Simon)
*Tenements at Wright's Buildings, Bruntsfield, Edinburgh (working for
George Washington Browne
Sir George Washington Browne (21 September 1853 – 15 June 1939) was a Scotland, Scottish architect. He was born in Glasgow, and trained there and in London. He spent most of his career in Edinburgh, although his work can be found throughout ...
) (1887)
*Edinburgh Central Library (working for
George Washington Browne
Sir George Washington Browne (21 September 1853 – 15 June 1939) was a Scotland, Scottish architect. He was born in Glasgow, and trained there and in London. He spent most of his career in Edinburgh, although his work can be found throughout ...
) (1887–88)
*Edinburgh Hospital for Sick Children (working for
George Washington Browne
Sir George Washington Browne (21 September 1853 – 15 June 1939) was a Scotland, Scottish architect. He was born in Glasgow, and trained there and in London. He spent most of his career in Edinburgh, although his work can be found throughout ...
) (1888–89)
*3-7 James Court/493-495 Lawnmarket, Edinburgh (1892)
*453-461 Lawnmarket, including Lady Stair's House, Edinburgh (1892)
*11-16
Ramsay Gardens
Ramsay Garden is a block of sixteen private apartment buildings in the Castlehill area of Edinburgh, Scotland. They stand out for their red ashlar and white harled exteriors, and for their prominent position, most visible from Princes Street.
...
(1892–93) (5-10 completed by
Sydney Mitchell
Arthur George Sydney Mitchell (7 January 1856 – 13 October 1930) was a Scotland, Scottish architect. He designed a large number of bank branches, country houses, churches, and church halls. His most significant commissions include the housin ...
)
*Blairhoyle Masonic Lodge, Thornhill, Stirlingshire (1893)
*Restoration of Riddle's Court and buildings fronting Lawnmarket (1893)
*Blackie House on Lawnmarket (1894)
*Conversion of Craigleith House, Edinburgh to a hospital for consumptives (1894)
*48 Inverleith Place, Edinburgh (1895) (Capper's sole major commission for a private villa)
*New lodge house for Blairhoyle House, Stirlingshire (1895)
*Golf Clubhouse for Edinburgh Ladies Golf Club (1895)
*Whitworth Laboratory, Manchester University (1909)
References
*The Dictionary of Scottish Architects
*The Canadian Encyclopedia
*Biographical Dictionary of Architects in Canada 1800-1950
{{DEFAULTSORT:Capper, Stewart Henbest
1859 births
1925 deaths
Architects from Edinburgh
Alumni of the University of Edinburgh
People from Douglas, Isle of Man