John Currie (14 December 1839 – 25 September 1922)Probate Registry, London, England, 25 September 1922 was a Scottish architect, prominent in the 19th and early 20th centuries.John Currie
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Dictionary of Scottish Architects The Dictionary of Scottish Architects is a publicly available online database that provides biographical information about all architects known to have worked in Scotland between 1660 and 1980, and lists their works. Launched in 2006, it was comp ...

He designed several notable buildings in Scotland, including town halls, schools and churches. Several of his works are now

listed building In the United Kingdom, a listed building or listed structure is one that has been placed on one of the four statutory lists maintained by Historic England in England, Historic Environment Scotland in Scotland, in Wales, and the Northern Irel ...

Early life

Currie was born on 14 December 1839, in

Elie Elie and Earlsferry is a coastal town and former royal burgh in Fife, and parish, Scotland, situated within the East Neuk beside Chapel Ness on the north coast of the Firth of Forth, eight miles east of Leven. The burgh comprised the linked vi ...

Fife Fife (, ; gd, Fìobha, ; sco, Fife) is a council area, historic county, registration county and lieutenancy area of Scotland. It is situated between the Firth of Tay and the Firth of Forth, with inland boundaries with Perth and Kinross (i ...

, to Thomas Currie and Helen Ovenstone. Currie's father was an architect and builder, and it is believed John was articled to his practice. From around 1862, he was understood to be in partnership with his father.

Career

Around 1862, Currie's father's business became Thomas Currie & Sons, presumably marking John's joining the company. Currie was working independently around 1870, in a practice at 5 St Andrew Square in Edinburgh. It does not seem that the business had a long existence, for it appeared in the

Post Office A post office is a public facility and a retailer that provides mail services, such as accepting letters and parcels, providing post office boxes, and selling postage stamps, packaging, and stationery. Post offices may offer additional serv ...

directory for 1870–71 only. He returned to his hometown, Elie, and formed another independent practice, with his father as his main client. Currie's son, Thomas William, went into practice (named J. & T. W. Currie) with him in late 1903 or early 1904.

Selected notable works

* Elie Parish Church (1855) – now Category B listed * Elie Primary School (1858) – north block only; now Category C listed *

Elie and Earlsferry Town Hall Elie and Earlsferry Town Hall is a former municipal structure in High Street in Elie and Earlsferry, Scotland. The structure, which is currently used as an events venue, is Category B listed. History The first building on the site was an earlie ...

(1872) – now Category B listed *

Kellie Castle Kellie Castle is a castle just outside Arncroach and below the dominant hill in the area, Kellie Law. it is about 4 kilometres north of Pittenweem in the East Neuk of Fife, Scotland. Early history The earliest records of Kellie go back to 115 ...

Pittenweem Pittenweem ( ) is a fishing village and civil parish in Fife, on the east coast of Scotland. At the 2001 census, it had a population of 1,747. Etymology The name derives from Pictish and Scottish Gaelic. "Pit-" represents Pictish ''pett'' 'pl ...

(1878) – repairs; now Category B listed *

Crail Tolbooth and Town Hall Crail Tolbooth and Town Hall is a municipal structure in Crail, Fife, Scotland. The building, which stands in Marketgate, at its junction with Tolbooth Wynd, is Category A listed. History The structure was developed in two discrete sections, th ...

(1886) – alterations, including doorway; now Category A listed * Crail mercat cross (1887) – capital and

finial A finial (from '' la, finis'', end) or hip-knob is an element marking the top or end of some object, often formed to be a decorative feature. In architecture, it is a small decorative device, employed to emphasize the Apex (geometry), apex of a d ...

added; – now Category B listed *Elie and Earlsferry Town Hall (1887) *Claremont, Elie (1897) *

Elie Golf Club The Golf House Club, Elie established in 1875, is a historic members golf club located in the East Neuk of Fife, Scotland. Members have playing rights over Elie Links, a UK Top 100 Golf Course. Approximately ten miles from the " spiritual home of ...

clubhouse (1907) – addition

Personal life

Currie was married to Grace Curror. She died on 19 December 1912, aged 57. They had three children: Thomas, Grace and Margaret.

Death

Currie died on 25 September 1922, aged 82. At the time of his death, he was living at his villa, Claremont (in Links Place, Elie), which he built in 1897. He is interred in the

kirkyard In Christian countries a churchyard is a patch of land adjoining or surrounding a church, which is usually owned by the relevant church or local parish itself. In the Scots language and in both Scottish English and Ulster-Scots, this can also ...

of Elie Parish Church, one of his works.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Currie, John 1839 births 1922 deaths 19th-century Scottish architects 20th-century Scottish architects