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John Burnet (architect)
Encyclopedia
John Burnet was a Scottish architect who lived and practised in Glasgow
. He was born the son of soldier and trained initially as a carpenter, before becoming a Clerk of Works
. He rose to prominence in the mid-1850s.
Burnet designed many of Victorian Glasgow’s public buildings, employing a range of styles, including Neoclassical
, Gothic
, Renaissance
, Italianate and Scottish Baronial . He commissioned many sculptors to adorn his buildings, among them John Mossman
and John Crawford
.
on 27 September 1814. He was the son of Lieutenant George Burnet, a soldier in the Kirkcudbright and Galloway Militia, and Margaret Wardlaw, who was the daughter of a Dalkeith merchant, John Wardlaw. John Burnet was educated at Dunipace
Parish School. He later took an apprenticeship as a carpenter, graduating to architecture and becoming a clerk of works
in the Alloa
-Clackmannan
area.
Burnet was largely self-taught as an architect. He worked for the Architectural Publication Society's Dictionary and through this work he had access to a library of architectural work by Jean-Nicolas-Louis Durand
, Paul Letarouilly and Eugène Viollet-le-Duc
. It is also known that Burnet travelled and sketched in Germany
, France
and Italy
.
In 1845 he married Elizabeth Hay Bennet, the daughter of Lindsay Bennet, a Leith
merchant. They had five children. The eldest, George Wardlaw, grew up to become Sheriff Substitute
of Aberdeen
but predeceased his father in an accident on a bamboo bicycle. His second son Lindsay Burnet, a mechanical engineer, and his youngest daughter Elizabeth also died before him. He had another daughter, Margaret. The most well-known of his children was his youngest son, John James Burnet
(1857–1938), who himself became an influential Modernist architect.
In the mid-1850s John Burnet (senior) rose in prominence with his designs for Glasgow buildings such as the Greek temple-style
Elgin Place Church, the Clapperton/Middleton warehouse on Miller Street, and Madeira Court on Argyle Street, which was shows influences of the work of Charles Wilson
. He won commissions in the 1860s from Glasgow merchants and shipowners, building large baronial houses for them at Auchendennan, Arden
, Kildalton and Kilmahew.
Burnet became an accomplished Gothic
designer, which is evident in his designs for Woodlands Church and the Glasgow Stock Exchange
.
Burnet became a Fellow of the Royal Institute of British Architects
(FRIBA) in 1876.
In 1882, he formed and architectural partnership with his son John James Burnet
(1857–1938). As his son John James took a greater role in the architects' practice, Burnet was less active in the design of buildings, acting increasingly as a consultant. In 1886 John Archibald Campbell joined the partnership, and around 1889 Burnet senior went into semi-retirement at the age of seventy-five.
John Burnet died in Glasgow on 15 January 1901, leaving moveable estate of £3,210 5s 2d.
Three of Glasgow's most important buildings are credited to Burnet Senior in his later years: the Clydesdale Bank
headquarters in St Vincent Place
, the Merchants' House and the Union Bank of Scotland building (the latter assisted by his son).
Among his surviving works are:-
Other work has been destroyed or demolished, including:-
He is buried in the Western Necropolis .
Glasgow
Glasgow is the largest city in Scotland and third most populous in the United Kingdom. The city is situated on the River Clyde in the country's west central lowlands...
. He was born the son of soldier and trained initially as a carpenter, before becoming a Clerk of Works
Clerk of Works
Clerks of Works are the most highly qualified non-commissioned tradesmen in the Royal Engineers. The qualification can be held in three specialisations: Electrical, Mechanical and Construction. The clerk of works , often abbreviated CoW, is employed by the architect or client on a construction site...
. He rose to prominence in the mid-1850s.
Burnet designed many of Victorian Glasgow’s public buildings, employing a range of styles, including Neoclassical
Neoclassical architecture
Neoclassical architecture was an architectural style produced by the neoclassical movement that began in the mid-18th century, manifested both in its details as a reaction against the Rococo style of naturalistic ornament, and in its architectural formulas as an outgrowth of some classicizing...
, Gothic
Gothic Revival architecture
The Gothic Revival is an architectural movement that began in the 1740s in England...
, Renaissance
Neo-Renaissance
Renaissance Revival is an all-encompassing designation that covers many 19th century architectural revival styles which were neither Grecian nor Gothic but which instead drew inspiration from a wide range of classicizing Italian modes...
, Italianate and Scottish Baronial . He commissioned many sculptors to adorn his buildings, among them John Mossman
John Mossman
John Mossman was one of a number of English sculptors who dominated the production and teaching of sculpture in Glasgow for 50 years after his arrival with his father and brothers from his native London in 1828...
and John Crawford
John Crawford
John Crawford may refer to:* John Crawford , Australian economist* John Crawford , American actor* John Crawford , Canadian hockey player...
.
Biography
John Burnet was born at Craighead House, Kirk o' ShottsSalsburgh
Salsburgh is a small semi rural former coal mining village in the heart of greenbelt surrounded by farmland in the district of North Lanarkshire, Scotland, the closest major town to the village is Shotts 3 miles to the South East and Airdrie, North Lanarkshire 6 miles to the North West...
on 27 September 1814. He was the son of Lieutenant George Burnet, a soldier in the Kirkcudbright and Galloway Militia, and Margaret Wardlaw, who was the daughter of a Dalkeith merchant, John Wardlaw. John Burnet was educated at Dunipace
Dunipace
Dunipace is a village in the west of the Falkirk council area of Scotland. The village is south of Stirling and north-west of Falkirk. The village is situated on the north bank of the River Carron and adjoins the town of Denny to the south of the river....
Parish School. He later took an apprenticeship as a carpenter, graduating to architecture and becoming a clerk of works
Clerk of works
Clerks of Works are the most highly qualified non-commissioned tradesmen in the Royal Engineers. The qualification can be held in three specialisations: Electrical, Mechanical and Construction. The clerk of works , often abbreviated CoW, is employed by the architect or client on a construction site...
in the Alloa
Alloa
Alloa is a town and former burgh in Clackmannanshire, set in the Central Lowlands of Scotland. It lies on on the north bank of the Firth of Forth close to the foot of the Ochil Hills, east of Stirling and north of Falkirk....
-Clackmannan
Clackmannan
Clackmannan District 1975-96From 1975, Clackmannan was the name of a small town and local government district in the Central region of Scotland, corresponding to the traditional county of Clackmannanshire, which was Scotland's smallest...
area.
Burnet was largely self-taught as an architect. He worked for the Architectural Publication Society's Dictionary and through this work he had access to a library of architectural work by Jean-Nicolas-Louis Durand
Jean-Nicolas-Louis Durand
Jean-Nicolas-Louis Durand was a French author, teacher and architect. He was an important figure in Neoclassicism, and his system of design using simple modular elements anticipated modern industrialized building components...
, Paul Letarouilly and Eugène Viollet-le-Duc
Eugène Viollet-le-Duc
Eugène Emmanuel Viollet-le-Duc was a French architect and theorist, famous for his interpretive "restorations" of medieval buildings. Born in Paris, he was a major Gothic Revival architect.-Early years:...
. It is also known that Burnet travelled and sketched in Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
, France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
and Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
.
In 1845 he married Elizabeth Hay Bennet, the daughter of Lindsay Bennet, a Leith
Leith
-South Leith v. North Leith:Up until the late 16th century Leith , comprised two separate towns on either side of the river....
merchant. They had five children. The eldest, George Wardlaw, grew up to become Sheriff Substitute
Sheriff Court
Sheriff courts provide the local court service in Scotland, with each court serving a sheriff court district within a sheriffdom.Sheriff courts deal with a myriad of legal procedures which include:*Solemn and Summary Criminal cases...
of Aberdeen
Aberdeen
Aberdeen is Scotland's third most populous city, one of Scotland's 32 local government council areas and the United Kingdom's 25th most populous city, with an official population estimate of ....
but predeceased his father in an accident on a bamboo bicycle. His second son Lindsay Burnet, a mechanical engineer, and his youngest daughter Elizabeth also died before him. He had another daughter, Margaret. The most well-known of his children was his youngest son, John James Burnet
John James Burnet
Sir John James Burnet was a Scottish Edwardian architect who was noted for a number of prominent buildings in Glasgow, Scotland and London, England...
(1857–1938), who himself became an influential Modernist architect.
| Dates | Practice name | Partners |
|---|---|---|
| 1882–1886 | John Burnet and Son | John Burnet, JJ Burnet http://www.scottisharchitects.org.uk/architect_full.php?id=200192 |
| 1886–1897 | John Burnet, Son and Campbell | John Archibald Campbell John Archibald Campbell John Archibald Campbell was an American jurist.Campbell was born near Washington, Georgia, to Col. Duncan Greene Campbell... http://www.scottisharchitects.org.uk/architect_full.php?id=100125 |
| 1897–1919 | John Burnet and Son | reverted to old name after Campbell left http://www.scottisharchitects.org.uk/architect_full.php?id=200192 |
| 1918–1930 | Sir John Burnet & Partners | Thomas Smith Tait and David Raeside http://www.scottisharchitects.org.uk/architect_full.php?id=204644 |
| 1919-1920 or 1921 | John Burnet, Son & Partners | Thomas Harold Hughes http://www.scottisharchitects.org.uk/architect_full.php?id=203989 |
| 1921–1940 | Burnet, Son & Dick | Norman Aitken http://www.scottisharchitects.org.uk/architect_full.php?id=201684 |
| 1930-c.1949 | Sir John Burnet, Tait & Lorne | JJ Burnet, Thomas Smith Tait and Francis Lorne (later also Gordon Thomas Tait Gordon Tait Gordon Thomas Tait was a British architect, active in London.Tait was the eldest son of Scottish architect Thomas Smith Tait and Constance Hardy. He abandoned a career as a sculptor to follow in his father's footsteps. Between 1930 and 1935 he studied at the Architectural Association in London,... ) http://www.scottisharchitects.org.uk/architect_full.php?id=200089 |
In the mid-1850s John Burnet (senior) rose in prominence with his designs for Glasgow buildings such as the Greek temple-style
Greek Revival architecture
The Greek Revival was an architectural movement of the late 18th and early 19th centuries, predominantly in Northern Europe and the United States. A product of Hellenism, it may be looked upon as the last phase in the development of Neoclassical architecture...
Elgin Place Church, the Clapperton/Middleton warehouse on Miller Street, and Madeira Court on Argyle Street, which was shows influences of the work of Charles Wilson
Charles Wilson (architect)
Charles Wilson was a Scottish architect from Glasgow.-Biography:Charles Wilson was the younger son of a Glasgow-based master mason and builder. After working for his father, he was articled to the architect David Hamilton in 1827...
. He won commissions in the 1860s from Glasgow merchants and shipowners, building large baronial houses for them at Auchendennan, Arden
Arden, Glasgow
Arden is the location of a medium-sized housing estate on the very edge of Glasgow, southwest of the city centre.-History:The S.S.H.A built the estate between 1953 and 1957, to rehouse families from the old overcrowded inner city tenements. Historically, Arden was a farm and formed part of Sir...
, Kildalton and Kilmahew.
Burnet became an accomplished Gothic
Gothic Revival architecture
The Gothic Revival is an architectural movement that began in the 1740s in England...
designer, which is evident in his designs for Woodlands Church and the Glasgow Stock Exchange
Glasgow Stock Exchange
The Glasgow Stock Exchange is a prominent building and financial institution in the centre of the city of Glasgow, Scotland.The exchange was founded in 1844. In 1973, it merged with the London Stock Exchange, becoming the hub of its Scottish operations....
.
Burnet became a Fellow of the Royal Institute of British Architects
Royal Institute of British Architects
The Royal Institute of British Architects is a professional body for architects primarily in the United Kingdom, but also internationally.-History:...
(FRIBA) in 1876.
In 1882, he formed and architectural partnership with his son John James Burnet
John James Burnet
Sir John James Burnet was a Scottish Edwardian architect who was noted for a number of prominent buildings in Glasgow, Scotland and London, England...
(1857–1938). As his son John James took a greater role in the architects' practice, Burnet was less active in the design of buildings, acting increasingly as a consultant. In 1886 John Archibald Campbell joined the partnership, and around 1889 Burnet senior went into semi-retirement at the age of seventy-five.
John Burnet died in Glasgow on 15 January 1901, leaving moveable estate of £3,210 5s 2d.
Notable works
Clydesdale Bank
Clydesdale Bank is a commercial bank in Scotland, a subsidiary of the National Australia Bank Group. In Scotland, Clydesdale Bank is the third largest clearing bank, although it also retains a branch network in London and the north of England...
headquarters in St Vincent Place
St Vincent Place
St Vincent Place is a heritage precinct in Albert Park, Victoria, Australia.St Vincent Place is bounded by Park Street, Cecil Street, Bridport Street, Cardigan Place and Nelson Road. It is bisected by Montague Street, allowing the passage of trams on route 1...
, the Merchants' House and the Union Bank of Scotland building (the latter assisted by his son).
Among his surviving works are:-
- Glasgow Stock ExchangeGlasgow Stock ExchangeThe Glasgow Stock Exchange is a prominent building and financial institution in the centre of the city of Glasgow, Scotland.The exchange was founded in 1844. In 1973, it merged with the London Stock Exchange, becoming the hub of its Scottish operations....
, 159 Buchanan Street - Merchants' House, 7 West George Street
- Fitzroy Place, Sauchiehall Street (1847)
- Bank of Scotland, 1-3 Bridge Street, (1857)
- Alexander's SchoolAlexander's SchoolAlexander's School, at 94 Duke Street, Glasgow, was designed by John Burnet and built in 1858 for James Alexander, the proprietor of the cotton mill next door - itself an innovative 1849 fire-proof construction - to educate local children...
, 94 Duke Street (1858) - Govan Burgh Chambers, 18-20 Orkney Street (1867)
- Tomb of George Baillie outside Glasgow CathedralGlasgow CathedralThe church commonly known as Glasgow Cathedral is the Church of Scotland High Kirk of Glasgow otherwise known as St. Mungo's Cathedral.The other cathedrals in Glasgow are:* The Catholic Metropolitan Cathedral Church of Saint Andrew...
(1873) - Woodlands Parish Church, Woodlands Gate, (1874)
- Overnewton School, 50 Lumsden Street (1877)
- Lanarkshire House (now The Corinthian), 191 Ingram Street, (1876)
- Arlington Baths ClubArlington Baths ClubThe Arlington Baths Club is a nineteenth century baths in Glasgow, Scotland. It was not formed as a "Swimming Club" in the meaning today and the oldest swimming club in England, and therefore probably in the UK is Brighton Swimming Club formed in 1860...
(1870–1871)
Other work has been destroyed or demolished, including:-
- Elgin Place Congregational Church, 193-5 Pitt Street (1856, demolished 2004)
- Eglinton Congregational Church, 341 Eglinton Street (1866, demolished 2000)
- Western InfirmaryWestern InfirmaryThe Western Infirmary is a teaching hospital situated in the West End of Glasgow, Scotland. There is also a Maggie's centre at the hospital to help cancer patients, as well as the Glasgow Clinical Research Facility....
, Dumbarton Road, (1874, demolished 1981).
He is buried in the Western Necropolis .
External links
- John Burnet (senior) - Dictionary of Scottish Architects