John Ross McKay RIBA (1884–1962) was a 20th-century Scottish architect. He was also President of the Clan MacKay Society. He gives his name to the J R McKay Medal for architectural students. His work covers a diverse range: from villas to major factories and department stores. He was also responsible for several cinemas and public houses.

Life

He was born in Edinburgh on 11 June 1884 the son of William McKay and his wife Elizabeth Anderson. He was apprenticed as an architect in 1899 also studying at Edinburgh School of Applied Art and Heriot-Watt College. In 1903 he joined the office of Francis William Deas and, after gaining his Diploma in 1905, in 1906 he became a junior architect in the office of Robert Lorimer at 49

Queen Street, Edinburgh Queen Street is the northernmost east-west street in Edinburgh's First New Town. It begins in the east, at the Scottish National Portrait Gallery. It links York Place with the Moray Estate. It was named "Queen Street" after Queen Charlotte of ...

. He served in the First World War from 1917 to 1919: both at VIII Corps headquarters and in the

Royal Scots Fusiliers The Royal Scots Fusiliers was a line infantry regiment of the British Army that existed from 1678 until 1959 when it was amalgamated with the Highland Light Infantry (City of Glasgow Regiment) to form the Royal Highland Fusiliers (Princess Mar ...

(Labour Corps) as a lieutenant in France but mainly involved in military mapping and creating panoramas for planning purposes. In 1920 he returned to Lorimer's office as "chief assistant". His employment with Lorimer ended somewhat abruptly when he informed Lorimer that he had been invited to stay at Hunterston House, as a guest of his former commanding officer, General Aylmer Hunter-Weston. Lorimer had an issue with this as the general was a current client, and he felt an assistant should not attend where he himself had not been invited. Lorimer failed to acknowledge that this was not the reason for invitation. McKay ignored Lorimer's warnings and attended the function. Lorimer fired him on his return.Dictionary of Scottish Architects: J R McKay Soon after leaving Lorimer he went into partnership with

James Smith Richardson James Smith Richardson (1883–1970) was a Scottish architect, antiquarian and archaeologist. He was the first Inspector of Ancient Monuments for Scotland, and was responsible for a series of popular guidebooks to monuments in public care. Ear ...

in his office at 4 Melville Street. However, Richardson more or less left all architectural work to McKay, as he had been appointed a full time Inspector for the Ancient Monuments Directorate. From 1930 McKay was Vice President of the Edinburgh Architectural Association. In the Second World War, other than designing some emergency hospitals, and military HQs all work dried up. In 1942 Richardson officially left the partnership and Mckay was instead joined by Walker Todd, but this was short-lived as Walker Todd died in 1944. Suffering from mental illness, his final years were spent in Craig House, Edinburgh, a private asylum. He died there on 2 August 1962.

Family

He was married to Dora Kennedy.

Main projects

*Villa, 4 Grant Avenue, Colinton (1913) *Factory for George F. Merson, Edinburgh (1920) *C & J Brown premises, Edinburgh (1920) *Douglas & Foulis printworks, Edinburgh (1920) *Mayfield Garage,

Mayfield, Edinburgh Mayfield is an area of Edinburgh, Scotland, about one mile south from the city centre, with Craigmillar Craigmillar ( gd, Creag a' Mhuilleir, IPA: �kʰʲɾʲekˈaˈvɯʎɪɾʲ, from the Gaelic ''Creag Maol Ard'', meaning 'High Bare Rock', ...

(1920) *West Acres, Balerno (1920) *Lochote House, Linlithgow (1921) *New wing, Belhaven House, near Dunbar (1922) *Caley Picture House, Tollcross, Edinburgh (1922) *Hillend Farmhouse, south of Edinburgh (1922) *Oldfields, North Berwick (1923) *St Ninian's Church, Leith (1923) *Belton (villa) in

Gullane Gullane ( or ) is a town on the southern shore of the Firth of Forth in East Lothian on the east coast of Scotland. There has been a church in the village since the ninth century. The ruins of the Old Church of St. Andrew built in the twelft ...

(1924) *New frontage, 67-81 Shandwick Place, Edinburgh (1924) *Gate Lodge, Saughton Cemetery (1924) *Nungate, North Berwick (1924) *The Gatehouse, North Berwick (1924) *Auchindoune, Liberton, Edinburgh (1925) *Garage for Bruce Lindsay & Co, St Leonards, Edinburgh (1925) *Kinleith Mill near Currie (1925) *Ravelrig House, Balerno (1925) *16 Brights Crescent, Edinburgh (1926) *Blanerne, North Berwick (1926) *Edinburgh Cat and Dog Home (1926) *Carlton Cinema, Edinburgh (1927) * Corstorphine Hill Cemetery (1927) *Tigh na Coille, Fearnan,

Loch Tay Loch Tay ( gd, Loch Tatha) is a freshwater loch in the central highlands of Scotland, in the Perth and Kinross and Stirling council areas. It is the largest body of fresh water in Perth and Kinross, and the sixth largest loch in Scotland. The ...

(1927) *MacAndrews, Edinburgh (1928) *Ravensworth, Colinton (1928) *Dornock Mill, Crieff (1929) *West Mills, Colinton (1929) *Garage for G C MacAndrew, Edinburgh (1930) *49/51 High Street, Tranent (1932) *Aithernie, Davidsons Mains (1932) *House for Miss W D Renwick, Peebles (1932) *House for William Thynne, Aberlady (1932) *Nicolson Street Church, rebuilding all except frontage after a fire (1932) now Southside Community Centre * 3 to 21 Kenmure Avenue, Duddingston (1933) *House for W A Scott Douglas ("Solsgirth"),

(1933) *Office bloch, Roseburn Terrace/Russell Road, Edinburgh (1933) *Tea rooms at

Loch Striven Loch Striven ( gd, Loch Sroigheann) is a sea loch extending off the Firth of Clyde, and forms part of the Cowal peninsula coast, in Argyll and Bute, Scotland. Loch Striven extends off of the Firth of Clyde just north of the Isle of Bute, where ...

(1933) *Victoria Hotel,

Bamburgh Bamburgh ( ) is a village and civil parish on the coast of Northumberland, England. It had a population of 454 in 2001, decreasing to 414 at the 2011 census. The village is notable for the nearby Bamburgh Castle, a castle which was the seat of ...

(1933), a traditional design *7 Craigmillar Park, Edinburgh (1933) *Castlekemp House, North Berwick (1933) *"Industrial Bar", Edinburgh (1934) *"Moat Bar", Moat Place, Edinburgh (1934) *National Bank, Inverkeithing (1934) *Factory for Morton Sundour Fabrics,

Carlisle Carlisle ( , ; from xcb, Caer Luel) is a city that lies within the Northern England, Northern English county of Cumbria, south of the Anglo-Scottish border, Scottish border at the confluence of the rivers River Eden, Cumbria, Eden, River C ...

(1935) *Riddell Mill, Roxburgh (1935) *Thomson & Norris Factory at Turnhouse near Edinburgh (1935) *12 Mortonhall Road, Edinburgh (1935) *Department store,

Princes Street Princes Street ( gd, Sràid nam Prionnsan) is one of the major thoroughfares in central Edinburgh, Scotland and the main shopping street in the capital. It is the southernmost street of Edinburgh's New Town, stretching around 1.2 km (three ...

/Hope Street (1935) converted into the Johnnie Walker Experience in 2021 *"Motor Bar", 133 Lothian Road, Edinburgh (1935) *Daimler showroom, 14-16 Shandwick Place, Edinburgh (1936) *Binns Furniture Repository, Edinburgh (1936) *Carfraemill Hotel,

Oxton, Scottish Borders Oxton is a small rural village in the Scottish Borders area of Scotland, just off the A68. It is north of Lauder, and southeast of the centre of Edinburgh, yet in a quiet rural position. History The village of Oxton lies in the parish of C ...

(1936) *Harp Hotel, Corstorphine (1936) *Lorrisden House,

Midlothian Midlothian (; gd, Meadhan Lodainn) is a historic county, registration county, lieutenancy area and one of 32 council areas of Scotland used for local government. Midlothian lies in the east-central Lowlands, bordering the City of Edinburgh, ...

(1936) *"Powderhall Arms", Edinburgh (1936) *SMT garages and offices, Edinburgh (1936) *SMT garages at

(1936) *SMT garages at Airdrie (1936) *11 Church Hill in Edinburgh (1937) *138

Constitution Street Constitution Street is a thoroughfare in Leith, Edinburgh, Scotland. It runs north from the junction of Leith Walk, Great Junction Street and Duke Street to the Albert Dock in Leith Docks. History The street takes its name from Constitution ...

, Leith (1937) *55-59 High Street, Tranent (1937) *7 St Margarets Road, Edinburgh (1937) *9/11 Hope Street (off Charlotte Square, Edinburgh (1937) *Cloverhill,

Broughton, Scottish Borders Broughton is a village in Tweeddale in the historical county of Peeblesshire in the Scottish Borders council area, in the south of Scotland, in the civil parish of Broughton, Glenholm and Kilbucho and Upper Tweed Community Council. Broughton is ...

(1937) *Craigend, North Berwick (1937) *House for W N Murphy, Craiglockhart (1937) *Playhouse Cinema, North Berwick (1937) *Public House, 127-132 High Street,

Royal Mile The Royal Mile () is a succession of streets forming the main thoroughfare of the Old Town of the city of Edinburgh in Scotland. The term was first used descriptively in W. M. Gilbert's ''Edinburgh in the Nineteenth Century'' (1901), des ...

, Edinburgh (1937) *20 Mansionhouse Road, Edinburgh (1938) *Flats at Falcon Avenue, Morningside, Edinburgh (1938) *"Haymarket Bar", Edinburgh (1938) *House for Mrs Stevenson,

(1938) * McVitie's Bakery, Edinburgh (1938) *Premises for Croall & Son, Edinburgh (1938) *Riverside block, Quayside Mills, Leith demolished 1990 *Regal Cinema, Shotts (1938) *Flats at Falcon Park, Morningside, Edinburgh (1938) *Territorial Army Drill Hall, Firrhill, Edinburgh (1939) *Garage at Falconhall, Edinburgh (1939) * 52nd Searchlight Regiment HQ, Edinburgh (1939) *Emergency Military Hospital,

Bellsdyke Hospital Bellsdyke Hospital, also known as Stirling District Lunatic Asylum ('SDLA') or Stirling District Asylum, is a former psychiatric hospital at Larbert, Falkirk that was opened in June 1869 and largely closed in 1997. It was an asylum set up by the ...

, Larbert (1939) *Emergency Military Hospital,

Clovenfords Clovenfords is a village in the Scottish Borders area of Scotland, north of the hamlet (place), hamlet of Caddonfoot and west of the town Galashiels. The village sits on undulating grasslands and surrounding rolling hills. The 2011 census gave i ...

(1939) *Factory for British Vacuum Cleaner Co,

Broxburn Broxburn ( gd, Srath Bhroc, IPA: �s̪ɾaˈvɾɔʰk is a town in West Lothian, Scotland, on the A89 road, from the West End of Edinburgh, from Edinburgh Airport and to the north of Livingston. Etymology The name Broxburn is a corruption of " ...

(1947) *Factory for Telegraph Condenser Co., Bathgate (1947) *8 St Andrew Square, Edinburgh (1954) demolished 2015

Gallery

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:McKay, John Ross 1884 births 1962 deaths Scottish architects