James Smith (c. 1645–1731) was a Scottish architect, who pioneered the

Palladian Palladian architecture is a European architectural style derived from the work of the Venetian architect Andrea Palladio (1508–1580). What is today recognised as Palladian architecture evolved from his concepts of symmetry, perspective and ...

style in Scotland. He was described by

Colen Campbell Colen Campbell (15 June 1676 – 13 September 1729) was a pioneering Scottish architect and architectural writer who played an important part in the development of the Georgian style. For most of his career, he resided in Italy and England. As ...

, in his ''Vitruvius Britannicus'' (1715–1725), as "the most experienced architect of that kingdom".

Biography

Born in Tarbat, Ross, Smith was the son of James Smith (died c.1684), a mason, who became a burgess of

Forres Forres (; ) is a town and former royal burgh in the north of Scotland on the County of Moray, Moray coast, approximately northeast of Inverness and west of Elgin, Moray, Elgin. Forres has been a winner of the Scotland in Bloom award on several ...

Moray Moray ( ; or ) is one of the 32 council areas of Scotland. It lies in the north-east of the country, with a coastline on the Moray Firth, and borders the council areas of Aberdeenshire and Highland. Its council is based in Elgin, the area' ...

, in 1659.Colvin, pp.755–758 The architect is generally identified as the "James Smith of Morayshire" who attended the Scots College, Rome from 1671–75, initially with the aim of entering the Catholic priesthood, although some scholars are cautious about the certainty of this identification. He had certainly travelled abroad, however, and was well-educated, with a knowledge of Latin.Gifford, pp.62–67 By December 1677, Smith was in touch with Sir William Bruce, the most prominent architect of the time in Scotland, and the designer of the rebuilt

Holyrood Palace The Palace of Holyroodhouse ( or ), commonly known as Holyrood Palace, is the official residence of the British monarch in Scotland. Located at the bottom of the Royal Mile in Edinburgh, at the opposite end to Edinburgh Castle, Holyrood has s ...

, Edinburgh. Here, Smith served as a mason, under the direction of the master mason Robert Mylne. By December 1679 he was married to Mylne's daughter Janet, when he was made a burgess of

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 ...

in right of his father-in-law. He was admitted to the Incorporation of St Mary's Chapel, the

guild A guild ( ) is an association of artisans and merchants who oversee the practice of their craft/trade in a particular territory. The earliest types of guild formed as organizations of tradespeople belonging to a professional association. They so ...

of masons and wrights in Edinburgh, in 1680. In 1683 he was appointed, at the recommendation of the Duke of Queensberry, to the post of Surveyor and Overseer of the Royal Works, a post previously held by Bruce, with a salary of £100 a year. He was responsible for maintenance of Holyrood Palace, and refurbished the former

Holyrood Abbey Holyrood Abbey is a ruined abbey of the Canons Regular in Edinburgh, Scotland. The abbey was founded in 1128 by David I of Scotland. During the 15th century, the abbey guesthouse was developed into a List of British royal residences, royal r ...

as a

chapel royal A chapel royal is an establishment in the British and Canadian royal households serving the spiritual needs of the sovereign and the royal family. Historically, the chapel royal was a body of priests and singers that travelled with the monarc ...

for King James VII. From 1685–86 he sat in the

Parliament of Scotland In modern politics and history, a parliament is a legislative body of government. Generally, a modern parliament has three functions: Representation (politics), representing the Election#Suffrage, electorate, making laws, and overseeing ...

as member for

. His Royal appointment was renewed after the Union of England and Scotland in 1707, but he never received further pay. He surveyed some of the forts built in the Highlands after 1714, for the

Board of Ordnance The Board of Ordnance was a British government body. Established in the Tudor period, it had its headquarters in the Tower of London. Its primary responsibilities were 'to act as custodian of the lands, depots and forts required for the defence ...

, but this employment ended in 1719 with the appointment of Andrews Jelfe as architect to the Board. He complained in a letter to John Clerk of Penicuik that he had been "disgracefully turned out of His Majesty's service in the 73rd year of his age". In 1715 he unsuccessfully stood as a candidate for Member of Parliament for Edinburgh. In 1686 he purchased the estate of Whitehill, near

Musselburgh Musselburgh (; ; ) is the largest settlement in East Lothian, Scotland, on the coast of the Firth of Forth, east of Edinburgh city centre. It had a population of as of . History The name Musselburgh is Old English language, Old English in ...

, on which he built a country house. However, an unsuccessful coal-mining venture forced him to sell part of the estate in 1706, and he assigned the rest to his son-in-law Gilbert Smith in 1726. Smith fathered 18 children by his first wife, Janet Mylne, who died in 1699, aged 37. He remarried, and fathered another 14 children by his second wife.

Architectural works

Smith's architectural training is not known. Architectural historian

Howard Colvin Sir Howard Montagu Colvin (15 October 1919 – 27 December 2007) was a British architectural historian who produced two of the most outstanding works of scholarship in his field: ''A Biographical Dictionary of British Architects, 1600–18 ...

has speculated that he was associated with

(1676–1729), the Scots architect who introduced Palladian architecture to England. On the basis of a number of Smith's drawings that were in Campbell's possession, Colvin even suggests that Campbell may have been Smith's pupil, and it was Smith who brought Italian ideas back from his travels, inspiring the British Palladianism of the 18th century. With his father-in-law, Robert Mylne, Smith worked on Caroline Park in Edinburgh (1685), and Drumlanrig Castle (1680s). His Canongate Kirk (1688–1690) is a

basilica In Ancient Roman architecture, a basilica (Greek Basiliké) was a large public building with multiple functions that was typically built alongside the town's forum. The basilica was in the Latin West equivalent to a stoa in the Greek Eas ...

-plan, with a

baroque The Baroque ( , , ) is a Western Style (visual arts), style of Baroque architecture, architecture, Baroque music, music, Baroque dance, dance, Baroque painting, painting, Baroque sculpture, sculpture, poetry, and other arts that flourished from ...

facade. In 1691 Smith designed the mausoleum of Sir George Mackenzie of Rosehaugh, in

Greyfriars Kirkyard Greyfriars Kirkyard is the graveyard surrounding Greyfriars Kirk in Edinburgh, Scotland. It is located at the southern edge of the Old Town, Edinburgh, Old Town, adjacent to George Heriot's School. Burials have been taking place since the late 1 ...

. This circular structure is modelled on the Tempietto di San Pietro, designed by

Donato Bramante Donato Bramante (1444 – 11 April 1514), born as Donato di Pascuccio d'Antonio and also known as Bramante Lazzari, was an Italian architect and painter. He introduced Renaissance architecture to Milan and the High Renaissance style to Rom ...

(1444–1514), and illustrated in Palladio's ''Quattro Libri''. Smith's country houses follow the pattern established by William Bruce, with hipped roofs and pedimented fronts, in a plain but handsome

style. Hamilton Palace (1695) was fronted by giant corinthian columns, and a pedimented entrance, although was otherwise restrained. He also designed the nearby estate office, now the Low Parks Museum. Dalkeith Palace (1702–1710) was modelled after William of Orange's palace at Het Loo in the Netherlands. Other houses included Yester House (1701–1715), works at

Alloa Tower Alloa Tower in Alloa, Clackmannanshire, in central Scotland, is an early 14th-century tower house that served as the medieval residence of the Erskine family, later Earls of Mar. Retaining its original timber roof and battlements, the tower is ...

for the Earl of Mar, as well as his own home, built around 1690 on his estate at Whitehill.

Strathleven House Strathleven House is an early 18th-century country house in West Dunbartonshire, Scotland. It is located in the Vale of Leven, around north of Dumbarton. Built in 1700, it is probably the work of the architect James Smith (architect, died 1731), ...

in Dumbartonshire has been attributed to Smith on stylistic grounds. From 1700 he worked largely in association with the mason and architect Alexander McGill, and after 1710, ceased architectural work almost entirely.

Engineering

Smith also undertook engineering work. For instance, he was employed as an arbitrator over a dispute concerning the construction of

Cockenzie Cockenzie and Port Seton ( ; ) is a unified town in East Lothian, Scotland. It is on the coast of the Firth of Forth, four miles east of Musselburgh. The burgh of Cockenzie was created in 1591 by James VI of Scotland. Port Seton harbour was bu ...

harbour. In 1701 he acquired the rights to manufacture the steam engine invented by

Thomas Savery Thomas Savery (; c. 1650 – 15 May 1715) was an English inventor and engineer. He invented the first commercially used steam-powered device, a steam pump which is often referred to as the "Savery engine". Savery's steam pump was a revolutiona ...

, and in the 1720s he was involved, with William Adam and Alexander McGill, in an early proposal for a

Forth and Clyde Canal The Forth and Clyde Canal is a canal opened in 1790, crossing central Scotland; it provided a route for the seagoing vessels of the day between the Firth of Forth and the Firth of Clyde at the narrowest part of the Scottish Lowlands. This allow ...

, linking Scotland's east and west coasts.

List of architectural works

Architectural works by, or attributed to, James Smith. * Drumlanrig Castle, Dumfriesshire (1680–1690), for the

Duke of Queensberry The title Duke of Queensberry was created in the Peerage of Scotland on 3 February 1684 along with the subsidiary title Marquess of Dumfriesshire for the William Douglas, 1st Duke of Queensberry, 1st Marquess of Queensberry. The Dukedom was he ...

, possibly designed with Robert Mylne * Kirk of the Canongate, Edinburgh (1688–1690) *Chapel Royal at

, Edinburgh (1688), destroyed by an anti-Catholic mob the same year *Whitehill, Musselburgh (c. 1690), Smith's own home, enlarged in the 18th century and now known as Newhailes *Mausoleum of George Mackenzie of Rosehaugh (1691), Greyfriars Kirkyard, Edinburgh *

Newbattle Abbey Newbattle Abbey was a Cistercians, Cistercian monastery near the village of Newbattle in Midlothian, Scotland, which subsequently became a stately home and then an educational institution. Monastery It was founded in 1140 by monks from Melrose ...

, Midlothian (1693), advised the Earl of Lothian on alterations * Hamilton Palace, Lanarkshire (1693–1701), for the Duchess of Hamilton. Extended in the 18th century and rebuilt in the 19th, the Palace was demolished in 1921. * Raith House, Raith Estate,

Kirkcaldy Kirkcaldy ( ; ; ) is a town and former royal burgh in Fife, on the east coast of Scotland. It is about north of Edinburgh and south-southwest of Dundee. The town had a recorded population of 49,460 in 2011, making it Fife's second-largest s ...

, Fife (1692–1694) *

Traquair House Traquair House, approximately 7 miles southeast of Peebles, is claimed to be the oldest continually inhabited house in Scotland. Whilst not strictly a castle, it is built in the style of a fortified mansion. It pre-dates the Scottish Baronial s ...

, Borders (1695–1699), alterations * Durisdeer Church, and Queensberry Aisle, Dumfriesshire *Monument to William Douglas, Duke of Hamilton (1634–1694), in

Bothwell Bothwell () is a Protected area, conservation village in the South Lanarkshire council area of Scotland and part of the Greater Glasgow area. It lies on the north bank of the River Clyde, adjacent to Uddingston and Hamilton, Scotland, Hamilton, ...

Church, Lanarkshire (1695) * Old Surgeons' Hall, Edinburgh (1696–1697) * Melville House, Fife (1697–1700), for the Earl of Melville * Yester House, East Lothian (1701–1715), with Alexander McGill for the Marquess of Tweeddale, altered in the 18th century * Dalkeith House, Midlothian (1702–1710), major rebuilding for Anne, Duchess of Buccleuch *Yester Parish Church, Gifford, East Lothian (1710), attributed to Smith and McGill * Dupplin Castle, Perthshire (1720–1725), for the Earl of Kinnoull, destroyed by fire in 1827 *Smith's Land,

High Street High Street is a common street name for the primary business street of a city, town, or village, especially in the United Kingdom and Commonwealth. It implies that it is the focal point for business, especially shopping. It is also a metonym fo ...

, Edinburgh (unknown date), later known as Paisley's Close

Gallery of architectural work

File:Drumlanrig Castle 01.jpg, Drumlanrig Castle File:Drumlanrig elevation.jpg, Drumlanrig Castle, elevation File:Drumlanrig plan.jpg, Drumlanrig Castle, plan File:Dalkeith Palace.jpg, Dalkeith Palace File:7Dalkeith Palace Front.jpg, Dalkeith Palace File:Hamilton Palace II.jpg, Hamilton Palace File:Newhailes - geograph.org.uk - 224437.jpg, Entrance front, Newhailes File:Newhailes - geograph.org.uk - 28583.jpg, Garden front, Newhailes File:Melville House - geograph.org.uk - 121786.jpg, Melville House

References

* Colvin, Howard (1978) ''A Biographical Dictionary of British Architects, 1600–1840'', John Murray *Gifford, John (1989) ''William Adam 1689–1748'', Mainstream Publishing / RIAS {{DEFAULTSORT:Smith, James 1640s births 1731 deaths 17th-century Scottish architects 18th-century Scottish architects 18th-century Scottish male artists Architects from Edinburgh Burgesses in Scotland Burgh Commissioners to the Parliament of Scotland Members of the Parliament of Scotland 1685–1686 Masters of work to the Crown of Scotland People from Highland (council area)