William Spence (1806 - 22 June 1883) was an architect based 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 ...

Background

He was born in 1806 at

Carstairs Carstairs (, Scottish Gaelic: ''Caisteal Tarrais'') is a village in South Lanarkshire, Scotland. Carstairs is located east of the county town of Lanark and the West Coast Main Line runs through the village. The village is served by Carstairs ra ...

, the second son of John Spence (1775-1849) (shoemaker) and Margaret Kane (1778-1820). He married Margaret Field (1824-1879) on 12 December 1843 at Barony, Lanark and they had five children: *Marion Spence (b. 1847) *John William Spence (b. 1854) *Henry Field Spence (b. 1856) *Margaret B Spence (b. 1858) *Jane Spence He died on 22 June 1883 at

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 ...

Argyll and Bute Argyll and Bute ( sco, Argyll an Buit; gd, Earra-Ghàidheal agus Bòd, ) is one of 32 unitary authority council areas in Scotland and a lieutenancy area. The current lord-lieutenant for Argyll and Bute is Jane Margaret MacLeod (14 July 2020) ...

Career

He trained in the offices of

William Burn William Burn (20 December 1789 – 15 February 1870) was a Scottish architect. He received major commissions from the age of 20 until his death at 81. He built in many styles and was a pioneer of the Scottish Baronial Revival,often referred t ...

and

David Bryce David Bryce FRSE FRIBA RSA (3 April 1803 – 7 May 1876) was a Scottish architect. Life Bryce was born at 5 South College Street in Edinburgh, the son of David Bryce (1763–1816) a grocer with a successful side interest in buildi ...

with John Bryce before establishing his own practice around 1837. Around 1839 he was based at 34 Glassford Street in Glasgow. By 1844 he had moved to 141 Buchanan Street, Glasgow, but by 1852 he was in business at 97 Union Street. In 1860 he settled at 52 Renfield Street, Glasgow. In 1857 he was commissioned for a feuing plan to develop the upper areas of Helensburgh. His wife Margaret died in 1879 and this may have prompted him to retire at the end of the same year. His son Henry continued the practice.

Works

*Two houses, Springvale, Glasgow 1837 *Coulter Mains, Culter, Lanarkshire, 1838 *Theatre Royal, Dunlop Street, Glasgow 1839-40 (destroyed by fire in 1863, demolished 1879) *Dalmarnock Gas Works, 122 Old Dalmarnock Road, Dalmarnock 1843 *The City Theatre, Glasgow Green 1844 (demolished 1845) *United Secession Church (later the church hall for St Columba’s Church), King Street West, Helensburgh 1845 *Rhu Parish Church, 1847 *MacIntyre’s Corner, High Street, Glasgow ca. 1850 (demolished 1949) *Chapelacre House, Helensburgh, Dunbartonshire 1850 *Paisley’s Warehouse, 72 Jamaica Street, Glasgow 1854-56 (demolished ca. 1989) *Building at the junction of Cowcaddens Street and Hope Street, Glasgow 1855 *Gilford Castle,

Gilford, County Down Gilford is a village in County Down, Northern Ireland. The village sits on the River Bann between the towns of Banbridge, Tandragee and Portadown. It covers the townlands of Loughans, Ballymacanallen and Drumaran. It had a population of 1,573 ...

1855 *Elmfield House,

1856 *Kinblethmont House, Arbroath, Angus 1856-59 *Peden Cross Building, Dumbarton Road and Elderslie Street, Cranstonhill, Glasgow 1856 *East Thorn Villa, New London Road, Toll Cross, Glasgow 1857 *House for himself, Helenburgh 1858 *Randolph & Elder’s Engineering Works, 13-23 Tradeston Street, Glasgow 1858 (demolished 1970) *Arrochar Parish Church 1859-60 *Bridgend UP Church, West Bridgend, Dumbarton 1859-60 (replaced by a new church in 1886-88 and now used as the church hall) *Pier and Esplanade, Helensburgh 1859 *St Columba’s Church, Sinclair Street, Helensburgh 1860 *Western Concert Hall, Greenock, Renfrewshire 1860 *Baillieston UP Church, Baillieston, Glasgow 1864 *Cameron House, Dunbartonshire/Stirlingshire, 1866-67 (rebuilding after a fire) *Stewart & Macdonald’s Warehouse, 21-31 Buchanan Street and 8-28 Mitchell Street, Glasgow 1866 (also rebuilding and improvement in 1879) *Fraser & McLaren’s warehouse, 115-120 Argyle Street, Glasgow 1867 (Rear building. Rebuilt after a fire in 1872) *House, 1 East Montrose Street, Ardlui, Helensburgh, Dunbartonshire 1868 (latest) *Prince of Wales Theatre, Cowcaddens Street and Stewart Street, Glasgow 1869 (rebuilding after a fire) * Dunlossit House,

Islay Islay ( ; gd, Ìle, sco, Ila) is the southernmost island of the Inner Hebrides of Scotland. Known as "The Queen of the Hebrides", it lies in Argyll just south west of Jura, Scotland, Jura and around north of the Northern Irish coast. The isl ...

1871-1874 *Glasgow Storage Company Warehouse, 250 Wallace Street, Glasgow 1871-72 *John Tod & Co Warehouse, 1-3 Moir Street, Glasgow 1873 *Arthur & Fraser, 14 Buchanan Street, Glasgow 1873 *Clydesdale Bank, 94-96 High Street and 52-54 Commercial Street, Dundee 1876 *Polytechnic Department Store, Jamaica Street, Glasgow 1876 *Tenement for Thomas Sharp, East Princes Street, Helensburgh 1877 *Villa for John Jack, Montrose Street, Helensburgh 1877 *Hermitage School, East Argyle Street, Helensburgh 1879-80 (all demolished 1977 except the Janitor’s House) *Rockmount, 108 Sinclair Street, Helensburgh 1879

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Spence, William 1806 births 1883 deaths Architects from Glasgow