Campbell Douglas


Archibald Campbell Douglas was a Scottish architect based primarily in Glasgow. He designed many churches in Glasgow and Edinburgh, especially those for the Free Church of Scotland.
He was three times President of the Glasgow Architectural Association and Vice President of the Royal Institute of British Architects in 1891.
He was also active in politics, being a member of the Scottish Liberal Club, Glasgow Liberal Club and National Liberal Club. He was also a Justice of the Peace in Argyllshire.

Early Life

He was born in 1828 the son of the Rev. Robert Douglas, minister in the parish of Kilbarchan in Renfrewshire. His mother was Janet Monteath. He attended Glasgow University at the age of 13.
In 1842 he was articled to John Thomas Rochead, architect, who was based in Glasgow.
In 1843, together with his father, they left the established Church of Scotland and joined the Free Church, following the Disruption of that year. This led to many later commissions. After a time in England he set up his own practice in Glasgow in 1855 but also seems to have had an office in Fife, where his brother Robert Douglas was an iron founder and engineer.

Works

He came to early fame with the designs of Briggate Free Church in Glasgow and North Leith Free Church in Edinburgh. At this time he employed the talented draughtsman Bruce Jones Talbot.
In 1860 he took John James Stevenson into partnership and they set up office at 24 George Street in Edinburgh. This lasted until the death of Stevenson's father in 1866 at which point he inherited a large sum of money and drifted out of the profession.
From 1868 to his retiral in 1906 Douglas`s principal office was in Glasgow where he and James Sellars formed the architectural firm of Campbell Douglas & Sellars which expanded to include large commercial. educational and municipal projects. During this period employees included Charles Alfred Chastel de Boinville, a talented Anglo-French architect, who brought a European flavour to the designs. Douglas helped Colin Alexander McVean, a chief surveyor of Japan's Public Works, to build first technical school building, later Imperial College of Engineering.
Douglas married the granddaughter of Alexander Cowan leading to his commission to build the Cowan Institute in Penicuik to his memory.
He died of bladder disease in 1910 at his house 25 Braid Avenue, Edinburgh, leaving the then substantial sum of over £8000.
He was cremated and his ashes were buried in Morningside Cemetery against the south wall, towards the south-west corner. His wife Elizabeth Menzies lies with him.

Trained by Campbell Douglas