Thomas Lennox Watson (21 August 1850 – 12 October 1920), FRIBA, was a Scottish architect and interior designer. Born in Glasgow, he submitted designs for the city's City Chambers (1880) and Kelvingrove Art Gallery (1892) competitions, but was unsuccessful.

Early life

Watson was born in Glasgow on 21 August 1850, the son of Charles and Elizabeth. His father was a member of the G. & J. Burns shipping company. The naval architect George Lennox Watson was his cousin. He was educated at the High School of Glasgow.

Career

At the age of 16, Watson was articled to Boucher & Cousland. He studied at the Glasgow School of Art under

Charles Heath Wilson Charles Heath Wilson (1809–1882) was an Anglo-Scottish art teacher and author. Life The eldest son of Andrew Wilson, the landscape-painter, he was born in London in September 1809. He studied art under his father, and in 1826 accompanied him to ...

. Upon the end of his apprenticeship in 1871, he moved to London as an assistant to

Alfred Waterhouse Alfred Waterhouse (19 July 1830 – 22 August 1905) was an English architect, particularly associated with the Victorian Gothic Revival architecture, although he designed using other architectural styles as well. He is perhaps best known f ...

. He returned to his hometown in 1874, and formed his own practice at 137 West Regent Street. He moved down the street to number 108 shortly thereafter. Around 1907, Watson began a partnership with Henry Mitchell. Professor Alexander McGibbon explained how Watson established patents for hollow walls and monolithic construction in concrete. These were tested in a cottage in Kilbirnie, with walls hardened on the flat which were raised vertically in around ninety minutes.

Selected notable works

* Crieff West Parish Church, Perthshire (1837-38) * Adelaide Place Baptist Church, Pitt Street (1875-77) *

Perth North Church North Church is located in Perth, Perth and Kinross, Scotland. Of Church of Scotland denomination, it is located on Mill Street, but its official address is 209 High Street (where its entrance is located behind the façades of the High Street pro ...

, Mill Street (1880) *

Hillhead Baptist Church Hillhead Baptist Church is a Baptists, Baptist church in the west end of Glasgow, Scotland. It is affiliated with the Baptist Union of Scotland. It has operated for over 125 years, one of 164 active Baptist churches in Scotland in the early twen ...

, Creswell Street (1883) * Wellington Church, University Avenue (1882-84) * Royal Marine Hotel, Hunters Quay (1890) * Woodcroft, Larbert (1890-91) * The South School, Paisley (1893-95) * 59 Bath Street (1899–1900, demolished c. 1967) * Dr James Hederwick Monument, with a bronze portrait by J. P. Macgillivray, Glasgow Cathedral (1901) * Saracen Head tenement, Gallowgate (1906) * the interiors for the yachts, '' Mohican'' and '' Meteor'', the latter for Kaiser Wilhelm II * War memorial of the Royal Technical College (1920)

Personal life

Watson become a fellow of the Royal Institute of British Architects in 1884. He became president of the

Glasgow Institute of Architects 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 ...

and of the

Glasgow Architectural Association 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 ...

. He was also governor of the Glasgow and West of Scotland Technical College. He retired around 1915, in his mid-60s. He did continue to exhibit, however.

Death

Watson died from cancer on 12 October 1920, at 11 Loudon Terrace, the house in which he was born 70 years earlier.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Watson, Thomas Lennox 1850 births 1920 deaths 19th-century Scottish architects 20th-century Scottish architects Fellows of the Royal Institute of British Architects Scottish interior designers Architects from Glasgow Alumni of the Glasgow School of Art