Jonathan Anderson Bell (3 November 1806 – 28 February 1865) was a Scottish architect, known also as a draughtsman for watercolour paintings.

Biography

Bell was born in

Glasgow Glasgow ( ; sco, Glesca or ; gd, Glaschu ) is the most populous city in Scotland and the fourth-most populous city in the United Kingdom, as well as being the 27th largest city by population in Europe. In 2020, it had an estimated popul ...

, the third child and second son of advocate James Bell and Janet Hamilton Bell. He was the brother of

Henry Glassford Bell Henry Glassford Bell (5 November 18037 January 1874) was a Scottish lawyer, poet and historian. Life Born in Glasgow, the son of advocate James Bell, he received his education at the Glasgow High School and at Edinburgh University. As a poet ...

and

Jane Cross Simpson Jane Cross Simpson (1811–1886) was a Scottish writer, known as a hymn-writer and poet. Life The daughter of James Bell, advocate, and sister to Henry Glassford Bell and Jonathan Anderson Bell, she was born Jane Cross Bell in Glasgow on 12 Nove ...

, He was educated at Edinburgh University. He spent most of 1829 and 1830 in Rome, as an art student. He then served his articles as an architect, and remained for some years afterwards, in the office of Messrs. Rickman & Hutchison of

Birmingham Birmingham ( ) is a city and metropolitan borough in the metropolitan county of West Midlands in England. It is the second-largest city in the United Kingdom with a population of 1.145 million in the city proper, 2.92 million in the West ...

. Thomas Rickman was a major figure of the English

Gothic revival Gothic Revival (also referred to as Victorian Gothic, neo-Gothic, or Gothick) is an architectural movement that began in the late 1740s in England. The movement gained momentum and expanded in the first half of the 19th century, as increasingly ...

, and became a close friend. For around 27 years, Bell practised as an architect in Edinburgh. His designs included country houses, such as Beeslack for

Charles Cowan Charles Cowan (7 June 1801 – 1889) was a Scottish politician and paper-maker. Life He was born in Charlotte Street, Edinburgh, Charlotte Street in Edinburgh on 7 June 1801, the son of Alexander Cowan, papermaker and philanthropist, and Eliza ...

, and the Scottish baronial Victoria Buildings, Glasgow for Archibald Orr Ewing. He was a member of the Institute of Scottish Architects. In 1839 he was appointed secretary to the Royal Association for the Promotion of the Fine Arts in Scotland, a position he retained it until his death. Bell died 28 February 1865.

Works

Thirty of the engravings in John Le Keux's ''Memorials of Cambridge'' are from Bell's drawings. His ''Dryburgh Abbey'' was engraved by William Miller. As a watercolour painter, he was known for landscapes and marine scenes, Italian subjects, and still lifes. Bell's poems were printed only for private circulation. The volume, printed posthumously in 1865, contained a biography.

Notes

;Attribution {{DEFAULTSORT:Bell, Jonathan Anderson 1806 births 1865 deaths Architects from Edinburgh British draughtsmen Scottish watercolourists