William Gordon Dey FRIBA (1911-1997) was a Scottish architect. He was a partner in the influential firm of Gordon & Dey which specialised in college buildings and had a long-running working relationship with

Moray House School of Education The Moray House School of Education and Sport ('Moray House') is a school within the College of Arts, Humanities and Social Science at the University of Edinburgh. It is based in historic buildings on the Holyrood Campus, located between the C ...

Life

He was the son of Alexander John Dey

FRSE Fellowship of the Royal Society of Edinburgh (FRSE) is an award granted to individuals that the Royal Society of Edinburgh, Scotland's national academy of science and letters, judged to be "eminently distinguished in their subject". This soci ...

(1868-1937) a pharmaceutical and manufacturing chemist, originally from

Rothiemay Milltown of Rothiemay (Scottish Gaelic: ''Ràth a' Mhuigh'') is a small inland village, built mostly of granite, in the north-east of Scotland and is within the Moray council area bordering neighbouring Aberdeenshire across the river to the sou ...

, and his wife Isabella Scott Robertson. He was born at home, 9

Regent Terrace Regent Terrace is a residential street of 34 classical 3-bay townhouses built on the upper south side of Calton Hill in the city of Edinburgh, Scotland. Regent Terrace is within the Edinburgh New and Old Town UNESCO World Heritage Site inscribed ...

, on

Calton Hill Calton Hill () is a hill in central Edinburgh, Scotland, situated beyond the east end of Princes Street and included in the city's UNESCO World Heritage Site. Views of, and from, the hill are often used in photographs and paintings of the ci ...

Edinburgh Edinburgh ( ; gd, Dùn Èideann ) is the capital city of Scotland and one of its 32 Council areas of Scotland, council areas. Historically part of the county of Midlothian (interchangeably Edinburghshire before 1921), it is located in Lothian ...

on 29 April 1911. He was educated at the Royal High School almost adjacent to his home. In 1929 he began studying Architecture at the

Edinburgh College of Art Edinburgh College of Art (ECA) is one of eleven schools in the College of Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences at the University of Edinburgh. Tracing its history back to 1760, it provides higher education in art and design, architecture, histor ...

. Here he met and befriended his future business partner,

Esmé Gordon Alexander Esmé Gordon (12 September 1910 – 31 May 1993) was a Scottish Modernist architect, writer, and painter who served as Secretary of the Royal Scottish Academy between 1973 and 1978. Born in Edinburgh and educated at Edinburgh Academy ...

. In his year out (1933-4) he made a study tour of

Norway Norway, officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic country in Northern Europe, the mainland territory of which comprises the western and northernmost portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula. The remote Arctic island of Jan Mayen and t ...

Denmark ) , song = ( en, "King Christian stood by the lofty mast") , song_type = National and royal anthem , image_map = EU-Denmark.svg , map_caption = , subdivision_type = Sovereign state , subdivision_name = Danish Realm, Kingdom of Denmark ...

and the

Netherlands ) , anthem = ( en, "William of Nassau") , image_map = , map_caption = , subdivision_type = Sovereign state , subdivision_name = Kingdom of the Netherlands , established_title = Before independence , established_date = Spanish Netherl ...

. He then worked under William Kininmonth in the offices of Rowand Anderson & Paul. In 1935 he undertook a study tour of

Paris Paris () is the capital and most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), making it the 30th most densely populated city in the world in 2020. S ...

and

London London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...

and enrolled in Britain’s first Town Planning course, under

Frank Mears Sir Frank Charles Mears LLD (11 July 1880 – 25 January 1953) was an architect and Scotland's leading planning consultant from the 1930s to the early 1950s. Life and work Born in Tynemouth he moved to Edinburgh in 1897 when his father, Dr ...

. He concurrently helped the then-elderly

John Begg John Begg, commonly known as Jack Begg, (20 September 1866 – 23 February 1937) was a Scottish architect, who practised in London, South Africa and India, before returning to Scotland to teach at Edinburgh College of Art from 1922 to 1933. Li ...

in one of his final projects: the Westfield Autocar project in Stirling. In December 1935 he qualified RIBA, giving both his home and business address as Rothiemay, 22 St John’s Road, Edinburgh: a large Victorian villa on the east side of

Corstorphine Corstorphine (Scottish Gaelic: ''Crois Thoirfinn'') ( ) is an area of the Scottish capital city of Edinburgh. Formerly a separate village and parish to the west of Edinburgh, it is now a suburb of the city, having been formally incorporate ...

. In 1936 he briefly joined the City Architect’s Department under

Ebenezer James MacRae Ebenezer James MacRae (18 January 1881 – 15 January 1951) was a Scottish architect serving as City Architect for Edinburgh for most of his active life. Life He was the son of Rev Alexander MacRae of the Free Church of Scotland. To family ...

and undertook the condition survey of the

Canongate The Canongate is a street and associated district in central Edinburgh, the capital city of Scotland. The street forms the main eastern length of the Royal Mile while the district is the main eastern section of Edinburgh's Old Town. It began ...

prior to its redevelopment. In 1937 he joined the office of Alexander Esme Gordon as an architect, working on the transport pavilion for the Glasgow Empire Exhibition. However this was interrupted by the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

. Initially he joined the

Scots Guards The Scots Guards (SG) is one of the five Foot Guards regiments of the British Army. Its origins are as the personal bodyguard of King Charles I of England and Scotland. Its lineage can be traced back to 1642, although it was only placed on the ...

but then undertook officer training at Sandhurst and received a commission to serve in the

Gordon Highlanders Gordon may refer to: People * Gordon (given name), a masculine given name, including list of persons and fictional characters * Gordon (surname), the surname * Gordon (slave), escaped to a Union Army camp during the U.S. Civil War * Clan Gordon, ...

. He saw active service with the 8th Army in

Egypt Egypt ( ar, مصر , ), officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, is a transcontinental country spanning the northeast corner of Africa and southwest corner of Asia via a land bridge formed by the Sinai Peninsula. It is bordered by the Mediter ...

, including

El Alamein El Alamein ( ar, العلمين, translit=al-ʿAlamayn, lit=the two flags, ) is a town in the northern Matrouh Governorate of Egypt. Located on the Arab's Gulf, Mediterranean Sea, it lies west of Alexandria and northwest of Cairo. , it had ...

, and rose to the rank of captain. He received an early de-mob in 1945 to help with the Clackmannan County Plan under James Shearer but in 1946 returned to his friend Esme Gordon as a full partner, thereafter known as Gordon & Dey. The company moved from 20 Dovecot Road in Corstorphine to 36 Heriot Row in the

New Town New is an adjective referring to something recently made, discovered, or created. New or NEW may refer to: Music * New, singer of K-pop group The Boyz Albums and EPs * ''New'' (album), by Paul McCartney, 2013 * ''New'' (EP), by Regurgitator, ...

as their fortunes grew. He died at the Royal Victoria Hospital in Edinburgh on 16 October 1997.

Non-Architectural Interests

Dey lived all his adult life in Corstorphine and was a keen local historian, writing Corstorphine: A Pictorial History of a Midlothian Village (1990). He was an active member (and Honorary President) of the Corstorphine Trust and oversaw the archive held in the Dower House. He was a member of the Scottish Council for Spastics in Edinburgh and of the Abbeyfield Trust (housing the elderly). He served as a Special Constable for thirty years after the war and received a long-service medal for this role. He was also the official assistant to the Master at the

Merchant Company of Edinburgh The Royal Company of Merchants of the City of Edinburgh, previously known as the Merchant Company of Edinburgh is a mercantile company and Guild officially recognised in 1681, but dating back to at least 1260. The Company, or Confraternity, was ...

. He served first as an Elder then as Session Clerk in St Anne’s Church Corstorphine, a post he held for 17 years.

Family

He was married to Elizabeth (Betty) Margaret Corrigall (d.2011) in 1939.

Notable buildings/works

Buildings of Scotland: Edinburgh by Gifford, McWilliam and Walker *Furnishings in the war memorial chapel,

St Giles Cathedral St Giles' Cathedral ( gd, Cathair-eaglais Naomh Giles), or the High Kirk of Edinburgh, is a parish church of the Church of Scotland in the Old Town, Edinburgh, Old Town of Edinburgh. The current building was begun in the 14th century and extended ...

(1946) *Church hall, Pennywell Road, Edinburgh (1949) main church now a listed building. *Multiple buildings for

in the Canongate including Charteris Land, St John’s Land etc. (1952 to 1980) *

Oxgangs Oxgangs is a suburb in the south-west of Edinburgh, Scotland. Surrounding districts include Caiystane, Dreghorn, Redford, Fairmilehead, Colinton and Swanston and Colinton Mains. The post code area for Oxgangs is EH13. Etymology The name d ...

Primary School (1953) *Internal refurbishment of

Coldingham Priory Coldingham Priory was a house of Benedictine monks. It lies on the south-east coast of Scotland, in the village of Coldingham, Berwickshire. Coldingham Priory was founded in the reign of David I of Scotland, although his older brother and predec ...

(1955) *Rebuilding of 176-184 Canongate (for Moray House) (1955) *Rebuilding of 194-200 Canongate, Old Playhouse Close (1956) *Internal rebuilding of Lodge Dunedin a

Masonic lodge A Masonic lodge, often termed a private lodge or constituent lodge, is the basic organisational unit of Freemasonry. It is also commonly used as a term for a building in which such a unit meets. Every new lodge must be warranted or chartered ...

Morningside, Edinburgh Morningside is a district and former village in the south of Edinburgh, Scotland. It lies alongside the main arterial Morningside Road, part of an ancient route from Edinburgh to the south west of Scotland. The original village served several ...

(1956) *Electricity Showrooms, George Street (1960) demolished and replaced by a pastiche Georgian building *St David’s Church,

Broomhouse Broomhouse may refer to: *Broomhouse, Edinburgh, a housing estate in the western part of Scotland's capital city *Broomhouse, Glasgow, a residential suburb in the south-eastern part of Scotland's largest city *Broomhouse (alternatively Broom House) ...

, Edinburgh (1960) *Department of Brewing and Biochemistry, Heriot-Watt (now part of the International Centre for Brewing and Distilling) (1961) *North Parish Church,

Stirling Stirling (; sco, Stirlin; gd, Sruighlea ) is a city in central Scotland, northeast of Glasgow and north-west of Edinburgh. The market town, surrounded by rich farmland, grew up connecting the royal citadel, the medieval old town with its me ...

(1970) * Gannochy Trust Sports Complex,

Perth Perth is the capital and largest city of the Australian state of Western Australia. It is the fourth most populous city in Australia and Oceania, with a population of 2.1 million (80% of the state) living in Greater Perth in 2020. Perth is ...

(1975) *Kinnoull House and MacMillan House (offices), Perth (1975)

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Dey, William Gordon 1911 births 1997 deaths 20th-century Scottish people Architects from Edinburgh Fellows of the Royal Institute of British Architects People from Milltown of Rothiemay