Alexander Gordon (1818–1895) was a Scottish brewer and philanthropist. He was born in

Glen Girnock A glen is a valley, typically one that is long and bounded by gently sloped concave sides, unlike a ravine, which is deep and bounded by steep slopes. Whittow defines it as a "Scottish term for a deep valley in the Highlands" that is "narrower ...

, Aberdeenshire and studied an apprenticeship in Dundee. Shortly after turning 18 Gordon was placed in charge of a brewery in Aberdeen and later worked at the Lochnagar distillery. He moved to London and founded the Messrs. Gordons Brewery in Islington in 1852. Gordon opened a second brewery in Peckham and grew wealthy before his retirement in 1891. Gordon donated money to improve

Ballater Ballater (, gd, Bealadair) is a village in Aberdeenshire, Scotland, on the River Dee, immediately east of the Cairngorm Mountains. Situated at an elevation of , Ballater is a centre for hikers and known for its spring water, once said to cure ...

, a village near his birthplace. His donations enabled the erection of a church, two halls and the Polhollick bridge. Gordon had no children and his estate paid to construct the

Cambus O' May bridge The Cambus O' May bridge spans the River Dee to the east of Ballater, Aberdeenshire, Scotland. It was paid for by the estate of Alexander Gordon, who had grown up nearby. The bridge was built in 1905 and is a suspension footbridge long and ...

after his death.

Early life

Gordon was born in 1818 at Littlemill,

, Aberdeenshire. He was the second son of a tenant farmer married to Betty Gauld of Migvie. He also had two sisters and at least two brothers. Alexander Gordon and his brother, John, were sent to stay with their uncle William Gauld who was a farmer, teacher and preacher. The brothers received a good education, perhaps at

Logie Coldstone Logie Coldstone ( gd, Lògaidh) is a village in Aberdeenshire, Scotland. The village lies north of the River Dee, near Tarland in the Cromar, a basin of land cut out of the Grampian foothills between Aboyne and Ballater. See also *Royal Deesi ...

, and Alexander was apprenticed to a Mr Rattray in Dundee, where the family had another uncle.

Brewing

Alexander Gordon was given charge of a brewery in Aberdeen shortly after turning 18 and by 1838 he was working at the Lochnagar distillery. He afterwards went to a brewery in London, while his brothers went abroad to

Ceylon Sri Lanka (, ; si, ශ්‍රී ලංකා, Śrī Laṅkā, translit-std=ISO (); ta, இலங்கை, Ilaṅkai, translit-std=ISO ()), formerly known as Ceylon and officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka, is an ...

. In London he founded the Messrs. Gordons Brewery in Caledonian Road, Islington, in 1852; he opened a second brewery as a branch of the firm in 1876 at Lyndhurst Road in Peckham. Gordon became wealthy from the brewery and also developed an interest in engineering. He retired from the company on 30 September 1891. By that time, his partners were his nephews George William Gordon and Alexander Duncan Gordon, sons of his brother John. The firm continued in business, under the name A. Gordon and Co., until the early part of the

First World War World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

during which consumption of alcohol was restricted by the

Defence of the Realm Act 1914 The Defence of the Realm Act (DORA) was passed in the United Kingdom on 8 August 1914, four days after it entered the First World War and was added to as the war progressed. It gave the government wide-ranging powers during the war, such as the p ...

Personal life

Gordon married Elizabeth Mickle in 1844 and they did not have any children. In 1895 Gordon died, followed by his wife a few months later. He was buried in Highgate Cemetery in London. Gordon grave Highgate Cemetery

Philanthropy

Gordon donated money to erect many buildings in Ballater. These included a church, the Albert Hall (1874) and Victoria Hall (1895). The halls were intended to provide venues for public entertainment and education. Gordon also paid to erect the Polhollick bridge near the village in 1892, to replace an earlier ferry, after witnessing a drowning at the site. Ten years after Gordon's death his estate gave money to erect another footbridge near Ballater, the

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Gordon, Alexander 1818 births 1895 deaths People from Ballater Scottish brewers Scottish philanthropists 19th-century Scottish people