Bellevue Terrace designed by Thomas Bonnar

Thomas Bonnar (d. 1847) was a Scottish interior designer and architect of note, working in the

Edinburgh Edinburgh is the capital city of Scotland and one of its 32 Council areas of Scotland, council areas. The city is located in southeast Scotland and is bounded to the north by the Firth of Forth and to the south by the Pentland Hills. Edinburgh ...

area. He is particularly remembered for his outstanding ceilings. Thomas was the father of the artist

William Bonnar William Bonnar Royal Scottish Academy, RSA (1800 – 27 January 1853) was a Scottish Portrait painting, portrait painter. Life Bonnar was born in Edinburgh in 1800. His father was Thomas Bonnar a house-painter and interior designer of consider ...

(1800–1853) and the engraver

Thomas Bonnar Thomas Bonnar (d. 1847) was a Scottish interior designer and architect of note, working in the Edinburgh area. He is particularly remembered for his outstanding ceilings. Thomas was the father of the artist William Bonnar (1800–1853) and t ...

(1810–1873), who collaborated with each other on several works. The group are also known by the family company name of Bonnar & Co.

Life

Bonnar was born in

around 1770, the son of John Bonnar who had created the ceilings in

Penicuik House Penicuik House (alternative spellings in use until mid 19th century: ''Penycuik'', ''Pennycuik'') survives as the shell of a formerly grand estate house in Penicuik, Midlothian, Scotland. The 18th-century palladian mansion (at ) was built on th ...

. His family lived in a new house at 6 South St David Street during his teenage years. He was appointed as a burgess of the city in 1795 and a "sworn measurer" in 1807 and Superintendent of Works for the city in 1809, operating from the Magdalene Chapel in the

Cowgate The Cowgate (Scots language, Scots: The Cougait) is a street in Edinburgh, Scotland, located about southeast of Edinburgh Castle, within the city's World Heritage Site. The street is part of the lower level of Edinburgh's Old Town, Edinburgh, ...

. From 1810 he acted as architect and surveyor to

George Heriot’s School George Heriot's School is a private primary and secondary day school on Lauriston Place in the Lauriston area of Edinburgh, Scotland. In the early 21st century, it has more than 1600 pupils, 155 teaching staff, and 80 non-teaching staff. It was ...

. He lost all public posts in January 1819 due to a bungled execution on 30 December (part of his wide scope of duties) which ended in a public riot. A house at 7 Ann Street is known as "Thomas Bonnar’s House" but there is no record of his living there, but he is responsible for its fine interior decoration. "Thomas Bonar", Superintendent of Works is listed as living at ''Greenside'' on

Leith Walk Leith Walk is one of the longest streets in Edinburgh, Scotland, and is the main road connecting the east end of the city centre to Leith. Forming most of the A900 road, it slopes downwards from Picardy Place at the south-western end of the str ...

in the early 19th century. He did many fine and many unique interiors, including St Bernard’s Well at Stockbridge.

George Heriot's School George Heriot's School is a private primary and secondary day school on Lauriston Place in the Lauriston area of Edinburgh, Scotland. In the early 21st century, it has more than 1600 pupils, 155 teaching staff, and 80 non-teaching staff. It was ...

replaced him with Alexander Black in 1833. He retired in 1832 and died in 1847.

Family

His daughter Elizabeth married

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Works

*Completion of Robert Burn's Nelson’s Monument 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 United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization, UNESCO World Heritage Site. Views of, and f ...

(1814-1816) *Original layout of

New Calton Burial Ground New Calton Burial Ground is a burial ground in Edinburgh. It was built as an overspill and functional replacement to Old Calton Burial Ground and lies half a mile to its east on Regent Road in Edinburgh, Scotland, on the south-east slopes of Cal ...

(1816–1817), completed by Thomas Brown) *Completion of Drummond Place (1816–1817) *1 to 13 Hermitage Place,

Leith Leith (; ) is a port area in the north of Edinburgh, Scotland, founded at the mouth of the Water of Leith and is home to the Port of Leith. The earliest surviving historical references are in the royal charter authorising the construction of ...

(1817–1825) *Gardener’s House, Queen Street Gardens (1819) demolished *Bellevue Crescent (1819–1832) southern half only – northern half unbuilt until 1880s. *4-15 Gloucester Place (1822–1824) *42-54 London Street (1823) *1-85 East Claremont Street (1824) *Atholl Crescent, Atholl Place and the north side of Torphichen Street (1824–1826) *Bellevue Terrace (1825) building works overseen by Alexander Black, northern section never built *Barony Street (1829–1847) building works continued from 1847 by Alexander Black.

Thomas Bonnar (the younger)

Thomas Bonnar the younger was born in Edinburgh on 4 April 1810. He followed in his father’s footsteps as an interior designer and artist but did not venture into architecture. He died on 2 February 1873 and is buried with his wife Mary Thom (1813–1858) in a crowded section of

Dean Cemetery The Dean Cemetery is a historically important Victorian cemetery north of the Dean Village, west of Edinburgh city centre, in Scotland. It lies between Queensferry Road and the Water of Leith, bounded on its east side by Dean Path and o ...

east of the new Dean Gallery entrance and north-east of the distinctive pyramid therein with a strange back-to-back monument with his son Thomas (1838–1896), designed by

David Watson Stevenson David Watson Stephenson (25 March 1842 – 18 March 1904) was a Scottish sculptor, executing portraits and monuments in marble and bronze. Biography Stevenson was born in Ratho, Midlothian, Scotland, on 25 March 1842, the son of William Stev ...

. His sons, engraver William Dundas Bonnar (1831–1855) and Thomas Bonnar (d. 1899) are buried with them. His interiors include: *Drawing-room,

Newbattle Abbey Newbattle Abbey was a Cistercians, Cistercian monastery near the village of Newbattle in Midlothian, Scotland, which subsequently became a stately home and then an educational institution. Monastery It was founded in 1140 by monks from Melrose ...

*Drawing-room,

Mortonhall Mortonhall is an area of Edinburgh, Scotland, on the south edge of the city. The area is along the western end of the Frogston Road between Fairmilehead and Gilmerton, Edinburgh, Gilmerton; it is just to the south of Liberton, Scotland, Liber ...

House *Office interior for Thomas Nelson in

Paternoster Row Paternoster Row is a street in the City of London that was a centre of the London publishing trade, with booksellers operating from the street. Paternoster Row was described as "almost synonymous" with the book trade. It was part of an area call ...

London London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...

*Ceilings for Thomas Nelson in his

home, St. Leonard’s Thomas in turn also had a son named Thomas (1838–1896), who was operational largely in the 1890s and decorated some ceilings at

Falkland Palace Falkland Palace, in Falkland, Fife, Scotland, is a royal palace of the Scottish kings. It was one of the favourite places of Mary, Queen of Scots, who took refuge there from political and religious turmoil of her times. Today it is under th ...

and Liberton House and Riddles Court on the

Lawnmarket The Royal Mile () is the nickname of a series of streets forming the main thoroughfare of the Old Town of Edinburgh, Scotland. The term originated in the early 20th century and has since entered popular usage. The Royal Mile runs between two ...

References

External links

*http://nevinofedinburgh.co.uk/mortonhall-house,-edinburgh.html *http://www.scottish-places.info/scotgaz/features/featurefirst3888.html *http://www.scran.ac.uk/database/record.php?usi=000-000-583-953-C&scache=3zuzbtd6cl&searchdb=scran {{DEFAULTSORT:Bonnar, Thomas 1847 deaths 19th-century Scottish architects British interior designers Architects from Edinburgh 1770s births