Sir William Hardie Kininmonth (8 November 1904 – 1988) was a Scottish

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 ...

whose work mixed a modern style with Scottish vernacular.

Biography

Kininmonth was born in

Forfar Forfar ( sco, Farfar, gd, Baile Fharfair) is the county town of Angus, Scotland and the administrative centre for Angus Council, with a new multi-million pound office complex located on the outskirts of the town. As of 2021, the town has a pop ...

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. He was educated at Dunfermline High School and later,

George Watson's College George Watson's College is a co-educational independent day school in Scotland, situated on Colinton Road, in the Merchiston area of Edinburgh. It was first established as a hospital school in 1741, became a day school in 1871, and was merg ...

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

. His first architectural training was with William Thomson of Leith, where he was

articled Apprenticeship is a system for training a new generation of practitioners of a trade or profession with on-the-job training and often some accompanying study (classroom work and reading). Apprenticeships can also enable practitioners to gain a ...

. From 1925 to 1929 he also attended classes at

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 ...

under

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 ...

, where he first met

Basil Spence Sir Basil Urwin Spence, (13 August 1907 – 19 November 1976) was a Scottish architect, most notably associated with Coventry Cathedral in England and the Beehive in New Zealand, but also responsible for numerous other buildings in the Moderni ...

, then a fellow student. With Spence, Kininmonth spent a year as an assistant in the office of Sir Edwin Lutyens in London, working on designs for the

Viceroy's House The Rashtrapati Bhavan (, rāsh-truh-puh-ti bha-vun; ; originally Viceroy's House and later Government House) is the official residence of the President of India at the western end of Rajpath, Raisina Hill, New Delhi, India. Rashtrapati Bh ...

in New Delhi, and attending evening classes at

The Bartlett ''The'' () is a grammatical article in English, denoting persons or things already mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in English. ''The'' is the ...

under

Albert Richardson Sir Albert Edward Richardson (London, 19 May 1880 – 3 February 1964) was a leading English architect, teacher and writer about architecture during the first half of the 20th century. He was Professor of Architecture at University College Lon ...

. Returning to Edinburgh, Kininmonth took a teaching post at Edinburgh College of Art, becoming a senior lecturer in 1939. In 1931, Kininmonth set up in practice with Basil Spence, working from a single room in the office of

Rowand Anderson Sir Robert Rowand Anderson, (5 April 1834 – 1 June 1921) was a Scottish Victorian architect. Anderson trained in the office of George Gilbert Scott in London before setting up his own practice in Edinburgh in 1860. During the 1860s his m ...

& Paul in Edinburgh. Kininmonth & Spence executed several commissions for private houses in Edinburgh, including the former's own modernist house at 46a Dick Place, The Grange (1933). In 1934 Kininmonth and Spence was merged with the Rowand Anderson practice, forming Rowand Anderson & Paul & Partners. When Arthur Balfour Paul died in 1938, Kininmonth and Spence became sole partners. In 1942 he was called up for military service, and served with the Royal Engineers in North Africa and Italy. After the war, Basil Spence set up his own practice, while Kininmonth continued the renamed Rowand Anderson Kininmonth & Paul. Kininmonth was knighted in 1972, and awarded an honorary degree by the

University of Dundee , mottoeng = "My soul doth magnify the Lord" , established = 1967 – gained independent university status by Royal Charter1897 – Constituent college of the University of St Andrews1881 – University College , ...

in 1975. During his apprenticeship Kininmonth lived in a house of his own design: 46a Dick Place, The Grange, Edinburgh. He was married to the artist Caroline Kininmonth.

Selected projects

Examples of Kininmonth's work in Edinburgh:

Kininmonth & Spence

* 46a Dick Place, The Grange (1933) * Lismhor, No. 11 Easter Belmont Rd,

Murrayfield Murrayfield is an affluent area to the west of Edinburgh city centre in Scotland. It is to the east of Corstorphine and north of Balgreen and Roseburn. The A8 road runs east–west through the south of the area. Murrayfield is often con ...

(1933–35) * 17 Essex Road, Barnton, Edinburgh (1951)

Rowand Anderson Kininmonth & Paul

* Adam House, Chambers Street (1954) * Renfrew Municipal Airport Terminal Building (1954) * Holland House, first of Edinburgh University's Pollock Halls (1959) * Mary Erskine's School,

Ravelston Ravelston is an affluent area of Edinburgh, Scotland, to the west of the city centre, the east of Corstorphine and Clermiston, the north of Murrayfield, West End and Roseburn and to the south of Queensferry Road (the A90). Ravelston is ofte ...

(1966) * Scottish Provident Building, No.6 St Andrew Square (1961) * North British Distillery Company (NBDC) warehouse,

Gorgie Gorgie ( ) is a densely populated area of Edinburgh, Scotland. It is located in the west of the city and borders Murrayfield, Ardmillan and Dalry. Name The name is thought to be Brythonic in origin. Early forms suggest it derives from ''gor g ...

* Craigsbank Parish Church,

(1964) listed category AEdinburgh's Post-War Listed Buildings * The Vennel, Linlithgow (1967)

References

*
Overview of Sir William Kininmonth

{{DEFAULTSORT:Kininmonth, William 1904 births 1988 deaths Alumni of the Edinburgh College of Art Alumni of The Bartlett People educated at George Watson's College People from Forfar 20th-century Scottish architects People educated at Dunfermline High School Modernist architects from Scotland