The grave of George Mackie Watson, Grange Cemetery Edinburgh

George Mackie Watson RIBA (1860-1948) was a Scottish architect in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. He trained in the offices of

Robert Rowand Anderson Sir Robert Rowand Anderson, (5 April 1834 – 1 June 1921) was a Scottish Victorian architect. Anderson trained in the office of George Gilbert Scott in London before setting up his own practice in Edinburgh in 1860. During the 1860s his ...

, and was responsible for the design and reconstruction of several churches. From 1912 to 1932 he was involved in the total rebuilding of

Eilean Donan Castle Eilean Donan ( gd, Eilean Donnain) is a small tidal island situated at the confluence of three sea lochs (Loch Duich, Loch Long and Loch Alsh) in the western Highlands of Scotland, about from the village of Dornie. It is connected to the mainl ...

on the west coast of Scotland, for

John Macrae-Gilstrap Lieutenant Colonel John MacRae-Gilstrap (31 December 1861 – January 1937) was a British army officer and a senior figure of the Clan Macrae. He contested a rival claim to the chiefship of the clan, and in 1912 he purchased and subsequently resto ...

Life

He was born at 1 Teviot Row in Edinburgh's South Side, the fourth son of George Watson, cabinetmaker, and his wife, Agnes Shaw. He was educated at

George Watson's College George Watson's College is a co-educational Independent school (United Kingdom), independent day school in Scotland, situated on Colinton Road, in the Merchiston area of Edinburgh. It was first established as a Scottish education in the eight ...

. In 1876 he was articled as an apprentice architect to

working on the

McEwan Hall The McEwan Hall ( gd, Talla MhicEòghainn) is the graduation hall of the University of Edinburgh, in Edinburgh, the capital of Scotland. It was presented to the university in 1897 by William McEwan, brewer and politician, at a cost of £115,0 ...

and National Portrait Gallery projects in Edinburgh. He was promoted to Chief Assistant in 1884. In 1892 he began teaching architecture at Anderson's Edinburgh School of Applied Art but continued to do some work for Rowand Anderson. In 1899 he set up independently as an architect at 4 Hope Street, just off

Charlotte Square 300px, Robert Adam's palace-fronted north side Charlotte Square is a garden square in Edinburgh, Scotland, part of the New Town, designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The square is located at the west end of George Street and was intended ...

in Edinburgh. From 1911 his office was at 50 Queen Street.Edinburgh and Leith Post Office Directory 1911-12 He died on 7 May 1948. He is buried in

Grange Cemetery The Grange (originally St Giles' Grange) is an affluent suburb of Edinburgh, just south of the city centre, with Morningside and Greenhill to the west, Newington to the east, The Meadows park and Marchmont to the north, and Blackford Hil ...

in southern Edinburgh. The grave lies on the south side of the main north path and is marked by a simple small marker stone. He was married to Jean Steedman Mirylees (d.1949). They lived first at 8 Scotland Street in the Second New Town then they moved to 17 East Claremont Street.

Principal works

Selected projects to which Watson contributed as assistant to Rowand Anderson: *Holy Trinity Episcopal Church, Stirling (1876) *

, Edinburgh (1876–1897) * Glasgow Central Station Hotel (1877) *

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 ...

, Bute (1879) * Ballochmyle House,

Mauchline Mauchline (; gd, Maghlinn) is a town and civil parish in East Ayrshire, Scotland. In the 2001 census Mauchline had a recorded population of 4,105. It is home to the National Burns Memorial. Location The town lies by the Glasgow and South Wes ...

(1885) *Restoration of

Dunblane Cathedral Dunblane Cathedral is the larger of the two Church of Scotland parish churches serving Dunblane, near the city of Stirling, in central Scotland. The lower half of the tower is pre- Romanesque from the 11th century, and was originally free-standi ...

(1889) *Kings College Chapel,

Aberdeen University , mottoeng = The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom , established = , type = Public research universityAncient university , endowment = £58.4 million (2021) , budget ...

(1890) *Restoration of

Paisley Abbey Paisley Abbey is a parish church of the Church of Scotland on the east bank of the White Cart Water in the centre of the town of Paisley, Renfrewshire, about west of Glasgow, in Scotland. Its origins date from the 12th century, based on a for ...

(1898) Selected works as an independent practitioner: *Restoration of

Strachur Strachur; ( gd, Srath Chura) and Strathlachlan; ( gd, Srath Lachlainn) are united parishes located on the Cowal peninsula, in Argyll and Bute, Scotland. Strachur is a small village on the eastern coast of Loch Fyne. Geography Cowal is the l ...

church, Argyll (1899) *Feuing plan for the Hailes Estate on Lanark Road, Edinburgh (1900) *St Serfs Church,

Goldenacre Goldenacre is an area in Edinburgh, Scotland, lying on and to the south of the Ferry Road, and south of Trinity. Transport links The area is well-served for local transport, with six bus services provided by Lothian Buses. Destinations includ ...

, Edinburgh (1901) *Unsuccessful competition entry for the

Peace Palace , native_name_lang = , logo = , logo_size = , logo_alt = , logo_caption = , image = La haye palais paix jardin face.JPG , image_size = , image_alt = , image_caption = The Peace Palace, The Hague , map_type = , map_alt = , m ...

in The Hague (1907) *Restoration of

Kirkwall Cathedral St Magnus Cathedral dominates the skyline of Kirkwall, the main town of Orkney, a group of islands off the north coast of mainland Scotland. It is the most northerly cathedral in the United Kingdom, a fine example of Romanesque architecture built ...

, Orkney (1908) *St James Church,

Portobello, Edinburgh Portobello is a coastal suburb of Edinburgh in eastern central Scotland. It lies 3 miles (5 km) east of the city centre, facing the Firth of Forth, between the suburbs of Joppa, Edinburgh, Joppa and Craigentinny. Although historically it ...

(1910) *Remodelling of

Castle Lachlan New Castle Lachlan, is an 18th-century baronial mansion or country house located at Strathlachlan, Cowal peninsula, Argyll and Bute, Scotland. It was built in 1790 by Donald Maclachlan, 19th laird, to replace the 15th century Old Castle Lachlan, ...

, Argyll (1910) *Remodelling of

Falkirk Falkirk ( gd, An Eaglais Bhreac, sco, Fawkirk) is a large town in the Central Lowlands of Scotland, historically within the county of Stirlingshire. It lies in the Forth Valley, northwest of Edinburgh and northeast of Glasgow. Falkirk had a ...

Old Parish Church (1910) *Restoration and consolidation at

Eilean Donan Eilean Donan ( gd, Eilean Donnain) is a small tidal island situated at the confluence of three sea lochs (Loch Duich, Loch Long and Loch Alsh) in the western Highlands of Scotland, about from the village of Dornie. It is connected to the mainl ...

Castle (1912) *Knockdown House,

Toward Toward; ( gd, Tollard) is a village near Dunoon, Scotland, at the southern tip of the Cowal peninsula. During the Second World War, the Toward area was a training centre called HMS Brontosaurus also known as the No 2 Combined Training Centre (C ...

, Argyll (1919)

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Watson, George Mackie 1860 births 1948 deaths Architects from Edinburgh People educated at George Watson's College