Alexander McGill (died 1734) was a Scottish mason and

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 ...

, who worked in partnership with fellow architect James Smith. His work was influenced by that of

Sir William Bruce Sir William Bruce of Kinross, 1st Baronet (c. 1630 – 1 January 1710), was a Scottish gentleman-architect, "the effective founder of classical architecture in Scotland," as Howard Colvin observes.Colvin, p.172–176 As a key figure in introduc ...

, and some of his designs later appeared in William Adam's ''Vitruvius Scoticus''. The son of George McGill, a mason in

Arbirlot Arbirlot (Scottish Gaelic, Gaelic: ''Obar Eilid'') is a village in a rural parish of the same name in Angus, Scotland. The current name is usually presumed to be a contraction of Aberelliot''Statistical Account of Scotland'', edited by Sir John Si ...

Angus Angus may refer to: Media * ''Angus'' (film), a 1995 film * ''Angus Og'' (comics), in the ''Daily Record'' Places Australia * Angus, New South Wales Canada * Angus, Ontario, a community in Essa, Ontario * East Angus, Quebec Scotland * An ...

, he was apprenticed in June 1697 to Alexander Nisbet, a mason in

Edinburgh Edinburgh ( ; gd, Dùn Èideann ) is the capital city of Scotland and one of its 32 Council areas of Scotland, council areas. Historically part of the county of Midlothian (interchangeably Edinburghshire before 1921), it is located in Lothian ...

. By 1710 he had been admitted into the mason's lodge, and he is known to have visited London on at least one occasion (in 1717).Colvin, pp.530-531 From 1699 McGill was involved on work at Kellie Castle, Angus, in association with

Alexander Edward Alexander Edward (10 June 1651 – 16 November 1708) was a priest of the Scottish Episcopal Church who later became a draughtsman, architect and landscape designer. He was a stylistic follower of Sir William Bruce, and planned several gardens i ...

, and from 1700 with Smith at

Yester House Yester House is an early 18th-century mansion near Gifford in East Lothian, Scotland. It was the home of the Hay family, later Marquesses of Tweeddale, from the 15th century until the late 1960s. Construction of the present house began in 1699 ...

in East Lothian. At the House of Nairn, McGill completed William Bruce's design after the latter's death. His own designs include those of

Donibristle House Donibristle ( sco, also Dunibirsle) was a house and estate in Fife, Scotland, on the coast of the Firth of Forth. Only the wings of the house remain, within the modern settlement of Dalgety Bay. They are now protected as a category A listed buil ...

in Fife,

Blair Drummond Blair Drummond is a small rural community northwest of Stirling in the Stirling district of Scotland, predominantly located along the A84 road. Lying to the north of the River Forth, the community is within the registration county of Perthshire ...

(1715–17), which was demolished in 1870, and a town house for

James Graham, 1st Duke of Montrose James Graham, 1st Duke and 4th Marquess of Montrose (April 16827 January 1742) was a Scottish aristocratic statesman in the early eighteenth century. Life He was the only son of James Graham, 3rd Marquess of Montrose and Lady Christian Leslie ...

Glasgow Glasgow ( ; sco, Glesca or ; gd, Glaschu ) is the most populous city in Scotland and the fourth-most populous city in the United Kingdom, as well as being the 27th largest city by population in Europe. In 2020, it had an estimated popul ...

's Drygate (demolished 1855). McGill designed the original

Mount Stuart House Mount Stuart House, on the east coast of the Isle of Bute, Scotland, is a country house built in the Gothic Revival style and the ancestral home of the Marquesses of Bute. It was designed by Sir Robert Rowand Anderson for the 3rd Marquess in ...

on the

Isle of Bute The Isle of Bute ( sco, Buit; gd, Eilean Bhòid or '), known as Bute (), is an island in the Firth of Clyde in Scotland, United Kingdom. It is divided into highland and lowland areas by the Highland Boundary Fault. Formerly a constituent isl ...

for

John Stuart, 3rd Earl of Bute John Stuart, 3rd Earl of Bute, (; 25 May 1713 – 10 March 1792), styled Lord Mount Stuart between 1713 and 1723, was a British nobleman who served as the 7th Prime Minister of Great Britain from 1762 to 1763 under George III. He was arguabl ...

, which was later remodelled by William Adam, before burning down, leaving only McGill's pavilions. McGill also designed several churches, including the New Kirk in

Dumfries Dumfries ( ; sco, Dumfries; from gd, Dùn Phris ) is a market town and former royal burgh within the Dumfries and Galloway council area of Scotland. It is located near the mouth of the River Nith into the Solway Firth about by road from the ...

, and

Newbattle Newbattle (from Neubotle, i.e. new dwelling) is a village and civil parish in Midlothian, in the ancient Roman Catholic Diocese of St. Andrews, about seven miles from Edinburgh. There was an abbey there founded about 1140, being the second of th ...

Parish Church (1727). In November 1720 McGill became the first City Architect of Edinburgh, with a salary of £50 a year, at least until the pay was discontinued during lean times in 1725. He carried out various minor public works in the city, until 1729 after which no further mention of him occurs in the city records.Fleming, p.331

References

*Colvin, Howard (1978) ''A Biographical Dictionary of Scottish Architects 1600-1840'', John Murray *Fleming, John (1962) ''Robert Adam and his Circle", John Murray Scottish architects 1734 deaths Year of birth unknown {{UK-architect-stub