Former Dowanhill Parish Church - geograph

William Leiper

FRIBA The Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA) is a professional body for architects primarily in the United Kingdom, but also internationally, founded for the advancement of architecture under its royal charter granted in 1837, three suppl ...

RSA (1839–1916) was a

Scottish Scottish usually refers to something of, from, or related to Scotland, including: *Scottish Gaelic, a Celtic Goidelic language of the Indo-European language family native to Scotland *Scottish English *Scottish national identity, the Scottish ide ...

architect An architect is a person who plans, designs and oversees the construction of buildings. To practice architecture means to provide services in connection with the design of buildings and the space within the site surrounding the buildings that h ...

known particularly for his domestic architecture in and around the town of

Helensburgh Helensburgh (; gd, Baile Eilidh) is an affluent coastal town on the north side of the Firth of Clyde in Scotland, situated at the mouth of the Gareloch. Historically in Dunbartonshire, it became part of Argyll and Bute following local governm ...

.William Leiper
Retrieved 2 July 2018. In addition, he produced a small amount of fine ecclesiastical and commercial architecture 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 ...

and the

Scottish Lowlands The Lowlands ( sco, Lallans or ; gd, a' Ghalldachd, , place of the foreigners, ) is a cultural and historical region of Scotland. Culturally, the Lowlands and the Highlands diverged from the Late Middle Ages into the modern period, when Lowl ...

. He was also an accomplished watercolour artist, and from the late 1870s spent much spare time painting in oils and watercolours. Stylistically Leiper was capable of working in many styles including truly eclectic works such as the Templeton Carpet Factory which is based on the

Doge's Palace The Doge's Palace ( it, Palazzo Ducale; vec, Pałaso Dogal) is a palace built in Venetian Gothic style, and one of the main landmarks of the city of Venice in northern Italy. The palace was the residence of the Doge of Venice, the supreme auth ...

Venice Venice ( ; it, Venezia ; vec, Venesia or ) is a city in northeastern Italy and the capital of the Veneto Regions of Italy, region. It is built on a group of 118 small islands that are separated by canals and linked by over 400 ...

. His best internal work is certainly the Banqueting Hall at

Glasgow City Chambers The City Chambers or Municipal Buildings in Glasgow, Scotland, has functioned as the headquarters of Glasgow City Council since 1996, and of preceding forms of municipal government in the city since 1889. It is located on the eastern side of the ...

Life

Leiper was born in

on 21 May 1839 the eldest son of William Leiper who ran a small private school teaching writing and arithmetic at 187 George Street in the city centre. His mother was Jane Mellis. The family lived at 70 Renfrew Street. He was educated at his father's primary school at 187 George St then at Glasgow High School. From 1855 to 1859, he was apprenticed to the newly formed architectural firm of Boucher & Cousland at 5 Bath Street working on

Renfield R. M. Renfield is a fictional character who appears in Bram Stoker's 1897 Gothic horror novel ''Dracula''. ...

Free Church. He then completed his training in London with W. White then

J. L. Pearson John Loughborough Pearson (5 July 1817 – 11 December 1897) was a British Gothic Revival architect renowned for his work on churches and cathedrals. Pearson revived and practised largely the art of vaulting, and acquired in it a proficiency ...

. Under Andrew Heiton of Perth he was project architect for the Findlater Church in

Dublin Dublin (; , or ) is the capital and largest city of Republic of Ireland, Ireland. On a bay at the mouth of the River Liffey, it is in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Leinster, bordered on the south by the Dublin Mountains, a part of th ...

in 1862. By 1864, he had returned to Glasgow and was in partnership for three years with Robert Grieve Melvin. A major stepping stone in Leiper's career came in 1864 when, aged 26, in the same year of setting up his own practice, he won the commission to build Dowanhill Church in the

Hyndland Hyndland is a residential area in the West End of the city of Glasgow, Scotland. Description Bordering Broomhill, Dowanhill, Kelvinside and Partickhill, it is an upper-middle-class neighbourhood populated mainly by professionals (many emplo ...

district of north-west Glasgow. In this project he commissioned

John Mossman John G. Mossman (London 1817–1890) was one of a number of English sculptors who dominated the production and teaching of sculpture in Glasgow for 50 years after his arrival with his father and brothers from his native London in 1828. His fa ...

to work on the sculptural details and

Daniel Cottier Daniel Cottier (1838–1891) was a British artist and designer born in Anderston, Glasgow, Scotland. His work was said to be influenced by the writing of John Ruskin, the paintings of the Dante Gabriel Rossetti and the work of William Morris. H ...

to work on the stained glass, and continued a relationship with both until the end of his career. From 1874, he received multiple commissions from the

United Presbyterian Church of Scotland The United Presbyterian Church (1847–1900) was a Scottish Presbyterian denomination. It was formed in 1847 by the union of the United Secession Church and the Relief Church, and in 1900 merged with the Free Church of Scotland to form the Unit ...

and may be considered either a member of the church or some other close connection. In his native

, Leiper was responsible for Templeton's Carpet Factory and the Sun Life Building on West George Street, which housed Alexander Reid's famous art gallery, the banqueting hall of

as well as a number of churches. He also had a reputation for designing residential properties in the city and nearby. His most significant works are primarily part of the Arts and Crafts Movement or in the

Gothic Revival style 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 ...

. Leiper was responsible for the design of St Columba's Church and Auchenbothie House in the village of

Kilmacolm Kilmacolm () is a village and civil parish in the Inverclyde council area, and the historic county of Renfrewshire in the west central Lowlands of Scotland. It lies on the northern slope of the Gryffe Valley, southeast of Greenock and aroun ...

Renfrewshire Renfrewshire () ( sco, Renfrewshire; gd, Siorrachd Rinn Friù) is one of the 32 council areas of Scotland. Located in the west central Lowlands, it is one of three council areas contained within the boundaries of the historic county of Renfr ...

, and a number of works in

Dunbartonshire Dunbartonshire ( gd, Siorrachd Dhùn Breatann) or the County of Dumbarton is a historic county, lieutenancy area and registration county in the west central Lowlands of Scotland lying to the north of the River Clyde. Dunbartonshire borders P ...

. One of his residential commissions became the most expensive house sold in the latter town in 2008. He designed the interior of the Russian imperial yacht, '' Livadia'' and the Romanian luxury steamship NMS ''Regele Carol I''. In 1891, he was unsuccessful in his competition entry for the

Kelvingrove Art Gallery and Museum Kelvingrove Art Gallery and Museum is a museum and art gallery in Glasgow, Scotland. It reopened in 2006 after a three-year refurbishment and since then has been one of Scotland's most popular visitor attractions. The museum has 22 galleries, h ...

and in 1895 was unsuccessful in the competition for the North British Railway Hotel in

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 ...

. He lived the last 40 years of his life at "Terpersie", a villa at 2 Upper Sutherland Street in

. In 1903 he got serious blood poisoning and never fully recovered. He retired in 1909 and died at home of a cardiac haemorrhage on 27 May 1916. He is buried with his parents in

Sighthill Cemetery Sighthill Cemetery is an active cemetery in central Glasgow, Scotland dating from 1840. It has an operational crematorium. It lies within the Sighthill neighbourhood on the A803 Springburn Road between Cowlairs Park and Petershill Park, north of ...

in Glasgow. The monument is of his own design.

Artistic recognition

A portrait of Leiper by Colin Hunter is held at

Aberdeen Aberdeen (; sco, Aiberdeen ; gd, Obar Dheathain ; la, Aberdonia) is a city in North East Scotland, and is the third most populous city in the country. Aberdeen is one of Scotland's 32 local government council areas (as Aberdeen City), and ...

Art Gallery. In 2016, a three-month exhibition of Leiper's work in Glasgow was open to the public under the title of the Leiper Gallery.

Main works

Glasgow City Chambers The Banqueting Hall

Dowanhill Dowanhill is an area in the West End of Glasgow, Scotland. An upper middle-class residential district, the area generally contains a mixture of terraced townhouses with private communal gardens, detached villas with private grounds and a number ...

Parish Church (1865) *

Dumbarton Academy Dumbarton Academy is a mixed secondary school in Dumbarton, West Dunbartonshire, Scotland. Location The school is situated near the railway off the B830 in the east of Dumbarton. St James Retail Park is on the opposite side of the North Clyde ...

(1865) *

Dumbarton Dumbarton (; also sco, Dumbairton; ) is a town in West Dunbartonshire, Scotland, on the north bank of the River Clyde where the River Leven flows into the Clyde estuary. In 2006, it had an estimated population of 19,990. Dumbarton was the ca ...

Burgh Halls (1865) plus repairs and alterations in 1883 *Kirktonhill House, Dumbarton (1866) *Offices for Glasgow Gas Lighting Company, 42 Virginia Street (1867) working with William Melvin * Colearn Castle near

Auchterarder Auchterarder (; gd, Uachdar Àrdair, meaning Upper Highland) is a small town located north of the Ochil Hills in Perth and Kinross, Scotland, and home to the Gleneagles Hotel. The High Street of Auchterarder gave the town its popular name of "Th ...

(1869) *Lindsaylands, villa near Biggar (1869) *Gravestone to his parents in

(1870) *Cairndhu villa in

(1871) "the finest of his villas" *Cornhill House near Biggar (1871) *Redholm villa in

(1871) *Bonnyton villa in

(1871) *Cornhill Farm and Steading,

Coulter, Lanarkshire Coulter or Culter (both spellings in use, pronounced "Cooter" with no "l") is a small village and civil parish in South Lanarkshire, Scotland. It lies approximately south of Biggar. Some old maps and local modern houses also have the spelling ...

(1871) *Rannochlea House in

Pollokshields Pollokshields ( gd, Buthan Phollaig, Scots: ''Powkshiels'') is an area in the Southside of Glasgow, Scotland. Its modern boundaries are largely man-made, being formed by the M77 motorway to the west and northwest with the open land of Pollok C ...

(1871) *Thurloe, villa for himself, in

(1871) *

Partick Partick ( sco, Pairtick, Scottish Gaelic: ''Partaig'') is an area of Glasgow on the north bank of the River Clyde, just across from Govan. To the west lies Whiteinch, to the east Yorkhill and Kelvingrove Park (across the River Kelvin), and to t ...

Burgh Halls (1872) *Dalmore villa in

(1873) *Balgray House in

Kelvinside Kelvinside is a district in the Scottish city of Glasgow. It is situated north of the River Clyde and is bounded by Broomhill, Dowanhill and Hyndland to the south with Kelvindale and the River Kelvin to the north. It is an affluent area of Gl ...

(1873) *Bloomgate UP Church in

Lanark Lanark (; gd, Lannraig ; sco, Lanrik) is a town in South Lanarkshire, Scotland, located 20 kilometres to the south-east of Hamilton. The town lies on the River Clyde, at its confluence with Mouse Water. In 2016, the town had a population of 9 ...

(1874) *Bank Street UP Church in

Brechin Brechin (; gd, Breichin) is a city and former Royal burgh in Angus, Scotland. Traditionally Brechin was described as a city because of its cathedral and its status as the seat of a pre-Reformation Roman Catholic diocese (which continues today ...

(1875) *Belhaven UP Church, Dowanhill, Glasgow (1875) * Camphill UP Church,

Queen's Park, Glasgow Queen's Park ( gd, Pàirc na Banrìghinn, sco, Queen's Pairk) is a park situated on the south side of the city of Glasgow, Scotland, between Strathbungo, Shawlands, Battlefield, Mount Florida, and Crosshill The park lies about south of the ci ...

(1875–1883), now a Baptist church *Earnock House, Hamilton (1876/7) *

Whiteinch Whiteinch ( gd, Innis Bhàn) is an area in the city of Glasgow, Scotland. It is situated directly north of the River Clyde, between the Partick and Scotstoun areas of the city. Whiteinch was at one stage part of the burgh of Partick, until that ...

UP Church,

(1876) demolished to create the

Clyde Tunnel The Clyde Tunnel is a crossing beneath the River Clyde in Glasgow, Scotland for road traffic, cyclists and pedestrians. Two parallel tunnel tubes connect the districts of Whiteinch to the north and Govan to the south in the west of the city. Hi ...

*Interior of SY Livadia (1879) yacht for Russian aristocracy, made by John Elder & Co. in

Govan Govan ( ; Cumbric?: ''Gwovan'?''; Scots: ''Gouan''; Scottish Gaelic: ''Baile a' Ghobhainn'') is a district, parish, and former burgh now part of south-west City of Glasgow, Scotland. It is situated west of Glasgow city centre, on the south ba ...

* Ruthven Towers near

(1880) now a care home * Castlepark, Lanark (1880) *Cairndhu stable block,

(1881) *Wheatpark house in Lanark, remodelling and cottage addition (1882) *Grave of Very Rev Norman Macleod,

Milton of Campsie Milton may refer to: Names * Milton (surname), a surname (and list of people with that surname) ** John Milton (1608–1674), English poet * Milton (given name) ** Milton Friedman (1912–2006), Nobel laureate in Economics, author of '' Free ...

(1882) *Remodelling of Ardvuela villa at 20 Queen St in

(1883) *Aros villa in

Rhu Rhu (; gd, An Rubha ) is a village and historic parish on the east shore of the Gare Loch in Argyll and Bute, Scotland. The traditional spelling of its name was ''Row'', but it was changed in the 1920s so that outsiders would pronounce it cor ...

(1883) *Torwood villa in

(1883) plus extension in 1891 when renamed Claredon – now a school *Dorlecote villa at 134 Sinclair Street in

(1883) later renamed Albion Lodge *Tordarroch, 117 Sinclair St in

(1883) *

Kinlochmoidart Ardmolich ( gd, An Àird Mholach) and Kinlochmoidart (''Ceann Loch Mùideart'') are settlements at the east head of Loch Moidart in the Moidart region, Highland, Scotland and are in the Scottish council area of Highland. The Seven Men of Moidart ...

House and lodge houses (1884) * Ruyton Park in

Shrewsbury Shrewsbury ( , also ) is a market town, civil parish, and the county town of Shropshire, England, on the River Severn, north-west of London; at the 2021 census, it had a population of 76,782. The town's name can be pronounced as either 'Sh ...

(1884) Leiper's only English work (built 1887–1889) *External remodelling of Dormira villa in

Partickhill Partickhill ( gd, A' Bhrae na Partaig) is a district of the city of Glasgow. Located to the north of Partick, south of Hyndland and west of Dowanhill, it contains mixed housing stock of tenemental type property and villa style houses, as well as ...

(1885) interior by

Hyndland Parish Church Hyndland Parish Church also known as The Kingsborough Sanctuary, is a 19th-century church located in the Hyndland area of Glasgow. History Hyndland Parish Church was founded with the development of the Hyndland area into residential living in the ...

(1885) *Jubilee Gates,

Victoria Park, Glasgow Victoria Park is a park located in the west of Glasgow, Scotland, adjacent to the districts of Scotstoun, Whiteinch, Jordanhill and Broomhill. The park was created and named for Queen Victoria's jubilee in 1887. The main entrances to the park a ...

(1887) paid for by the "Ladies of Partick" *Ganavan villa in

Oban Oban ( ; ' in Scottish Gaelic meaning ''The Little Bay'') is a resort town within the Argyll and Bute council area of Scotland. Despite its small size, it is the largest town between Helensburgh and Fort William. During the tourist season, th ...

(1888) *

Catholic Apostolic Church The Catholic Apostolic Church (CAC), also known as the Irvingian Church, is a Christian denomination and Protestant sect which originated in Scotland around 1831 and later spread to Germany and the United States.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 ...

(1889) *Monument to Jessie Montgomery Lang,

Glasgow Necropolis The Glasgow Necropolis is a Victorian cemetery in Glasgow, Scotland. It is on a low but very prominent hill to the east of Glasgow Cathedral (St. Mungo's Cathedral). Fifty thousand individuals have been buried here. Typical for the period, only ...

(1889) *

Sun Life Insurance Sun Life Financial Inc. is a Canadian financial services company. It is primarily known as a life insurance company. Sun Life has a presence in investment management with over CAD$1.3 trillion in assets under management operating in a number o ...

Offices, corner of West George Street and Renfield Street in

(1889) Leiper's largest office commission – sculpture is by

William Birnie Rhind William Birnie Rhind RSA (1853–1933) was a Scottish sculptor. Life Rhind was born in Edinburgh on 27 February 1853 as the first son of sculptor John Rhind (1828–1892), and his wife, Catherine Birnie. He was the elder brother of J. Ma ...

* Templeton's Carpet Factory at

Glasgow Green Glasgow Green is a park in the east end of Glasgow, Scotland, on the north bank of the River Clyde. Established in the 15th century, it is the oldest park in the city. It connects to the south via the St Andrew's Suspension Bridge. History In ...

(1889) *Kelly House,

Wemyss Bay Wemyss Bay (; ) is a town on the coast of the Firth of Clyde in Inverclyde in the west central Lowlands of Scotland. It is in the traditional county of Renfrewshire. It is adjacent to Skelmorlie, North Ayrshire. The town and villages have always ...

(1890) destroyed by fire in 1912 *Moredun House and lodge in Paisley (1890) *Grave of Hugh Kerr (1808–1891), tobacco merchant in

Kentucky Kentucky ( , ), officially the Commonwealth of Kentucky, is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States and one of the states of the Upper South. It borders Illinois, Indiana, and Ohio to the north; West Virginia and Virginia to ...

, and separate monument to his wife Jane Kerr, Helensburgh Cemetery (1891) *Earnock Cottage, Hamilton (1892) *St Leomards villa in Gillburn Rd in

(1893) * Victoria Infirmary, Helensburgh (1893) plus 1899 and 1902 extensions *Westbreak villa on Park Rd in

(1893) *Grave of Rev George Jacque in

Churchyard (1895) *Brantwood villa in

(1895) *Primary School in

Garelochhead Garelochhead ( sco, Garelochheid,
gd, Ceann a' Gheàr ...

(1895) *

Tighnabruaich Tighnabruaich; (; gd, Taigh na Bruaich) is a village on the Cowal peninsula, on the western arm of the Kyles of Bute in Argyll and Bute, Scotland. In 2011 the population was 660. It is west of Glasgow and north of the Isle of Arran. Tighnabru ...

House (1895) *Remodelling of

Knockderry Castle Knockderry Castle is a house in Shore Road, Cove, Argyll, Scotland, that was designed by Alexander Thomson in the 1850s, with Baronial additions by William Leiper in 1897. It is category A listed with Historic Environment Scotland. The house wa ...

(1895) for the Templeton family *Viewfield House and lodge,

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 ...

(1897) * Auchenbothie House and estate buildings (1898) lodge later completed by

Charles Rennie Mackintosh Charles Rennie Mackintosh (7 June 1868 – 10 December 1928) was a Scottish architect, designer, water colourist and artist. His artistic approach had much in common with European Symbolism. His work, alongside that of his wife Margaret Macdo ...

*Dhuhill House lodge,

(1898) *

– design and co-ordination of a highly ornate remodelling of the Banqueting Hall including murals by the

Glasgow Boys The Glasgow School was a circle of influential artists and designers that began to coalesce in Glasgow, Scotland in the 1870s, and flourished from the 1890s to around 1910. Representative groups included The Four (also known as the Spook School ...

(1898) *Red Towers,

(1898) *Stable block at Redholm,

(1898) *Remodelling of Ballimore House in

Otter Ferry Otter Ferry ( gd, An Oitir) is a settlement on the Cowal peninsula in Argyll and Bute, Scotland, formerly the site of a ferry across Loch Fyne. Otter Ferry is situated 9 miles from Portavadie from where there is a ferry to Tarbert, in Kintyre, o ...

Loch Fyne Loch Fyne ( gd, Loch Fìne, ; meaning "Loch of the Vine/Wine"), is a sea loch off the Firth of Clyde and forms part of the coast of the Cowal peninsula. Located on the west coast of Argyll and Bute, Scotland. It extends inland from the Sound o ...

(1899) *Barnlongart, Ballimore Estate,

(1899) *Interior work on

NMS Regele Carol I NMS ''Regele Carol I'' was a passenger ship of the Romanian Maritime Service and later a warship of the Romanian Navy, serving as both minelayer and seaplane tender. She was completed and commissioned in 1898 and sunk in 1941, during World War II ...

(1899) for the Romanian Navy *

William Black William is a masculine given name of Norman French origin.Hanks, Hardcastle and Hodges, ''Oxford Dictionary of First Names'', Oxford University Press, 2nd edition, , p. 276. It became very popular in the English language after the Norman conques ...

Memorial,

Duart Point Duart Castle, or ''Caisteal Dhubhairt'' in Scottish Gaelic, is a castle on the Isle of Mull, beside the Sound of Mull off the west coast of Scotland, within the council area of Argyll and Bute. The castle dates back to the 13th century and is ...

, Mull (1899) *Ard Choille house,

Clynder Clynder is a place on the western shore of the Gare Loch, Argyll and Bute, Scotland. Historically in the County of Dunbarton, Clynder is one of a string of small settlements on the Rosneath Peninsula. It is almost directly opposite Rhu, and overl ...

(1900) *Ard Luss villa,

(1900) and 1908 extension *Deroran villa in

(1900) *Watermill at

Glendaruel Glendaruel (Gaelic: ''Gleann Dà Ruadhail'') is a glen in the Cowal peninsula in Argyll and Bute, Scotland. The main settlement in Glendaruel is the Clachan of Glendaruel. Features The present Kilmodan Church was built in the Clachan of Glen ...

House (1901) *Mar Gate villa in

(1901) *Museum at Marden House,

(1902) *St James' Church,

(1902) *Remodelling of

Inn (1903) *Morar House and outbuildings,

(1903) restored by Lorn Macneal architect and finalist for Scottish Home Award 2021 *Offices at 153 St Vincent Street, Glasgow (1904) *Argyll Mansions, shop and tenement on corner of Argyll Street and George Street in

(1905) *Three villas at Rockbank in

(1906) *Uplands, 15 Abercromby Drive,

Bridge of Allan Bridge of Allan ( sco, Brig Allan, gd, Drochaid Ailein), also known colloquially as ''Bofa'', is a town in the Stirling council area in Scotland, just north of the city of Stirling. Overlooked by the National Wallace Monument, it lies on the A ...

(1907) restored 2020 *Polkemmet villa in

(1908) *

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Leiper, William 1839 births 1916 deaths Scottish architects Architects from Glasgow Fellows of the Royal Institute of British Architects