| Architect Details |
Samuel Brown, engineer 1831-32; Mackenzie & Matthews, architectural practice 1845.
The partnership of Matthews & Mackenzie had its origin in that of Mackenzie & Matthews. Just before Thomas Mackenzie's death in October 1854 an Inverness office was established with William Lawrie in charge as resident assistant. For ten years both the Aberdeen and the Inverness practices continued under James Matthews' sole name, Lawrie finally becoming a partner in 1864. The practice title of Matthews & Lawrie tended to be used in the Inverness area only, work in and around Aberdeen being usually undertaken in Matthews' name only. By 1877 Alexander Marshall Mackenzie (born 1848), son of Thomas Mackenzie and a pupil in Matthews' Aberdeen office from 1863 to 1868, had amply demonstrated his capacity to gain clients through his own independent practice, which he had commenced in Elgin at the early age of twenty-two. Matthews re-admitted him as a partner, but in respect of Aberdeen and Elgin-based business only, Matthews's other partner William Lawrie retaining his semi-independent position in Inverness where the practice continued under the name of Matthews & Lawrie. From 1883 onward Mackenzie undertook virtually all of the design work of the Aberdeen office, Matthews being preoccupied with civic duties as provost, principally on Rosemount Viaduct and the Union Terrace improvements. The Inverness practice was taken over by John Hinton Gall in his own name only after Lawrie's death in 1887 and Matthews eventually retired completely in 1893 at the age of seventy-three, leaving Mackenzie as sole partner. James Matthews was born in December 1819, son of Peter Matthews, a teller in the Commercial Bank in Aberdeen and a Burgess of Guild, and was christened on 12 or 13 December that year. His mother was Margaret Ross, daughter of William Ross, the architect-builder who had built Union Bridge. Educated at Robert Gordon's Hospital, he was articled to Archibald Simpson in 1834, and worked under the supervision of Simpson's assistant Thomas Mackenzie (born 1814). In 1839 he went to George Gilbert Scott's in London. On his return early in 1844, Simpson offered him the post of chief assistant with the promise of partnership in two years. He declined as he thought Simpson would be 'too greedy' (the Mackenzies, however, found Matthews 'a bit of a Jew'). Matthews then formed his partnership with Thomas Mackenzie, initially with Mackenzie doing most of the designing in Elgin, and Matthews attending to the management of the Aberdeen office. In that year they won the competition for the Free Church College (New College) in Edinburgh, in a competition assessed by Sir Charles Barry. The perspective, formerly at Bourtie, is now in the possession of Professor Alistair Rowan. The competition was set aside, however, and the commission given to William Henry Playfair. Initially the Elgin practice was much more prosperous than the Aberdeen one and in 1848 Matthews applied unsuccessfully for the post of head of the Edinburgh office of the Office of Works. Mackenzie died of brain fever - apparently brought on by an accident - on 15 October 1854, Matthews continuing the practice thereafter under his name alone, though he did form a brief partnership with George Petrie of Elgin in c.1857. Petrie presumably filled the role of Mackenzie manning the Elgin end of the practice. Just before Mackenzie's death an Inverness office had been established with William Lawrie in charge as resident assistant. Although not made a partner until 1864, Lawrie was given what seems to have been a free hand in the design work and for some years the Inverness office was the more prosperous. Matthews continued the Aberdeen office alone, and it was not until 1877 that Mackenzie's son, Alexander Marshall Mackenzie, was taken into partnership, having established a successful practice of his own in his native Elgin. Thereafter Matthews ran the practice as two separate partnerships - Matthews & Mackenzie in Aberdeen and Elgin, and Matthews & Lawrie in Inverness. When Lawrie died in 1887, the Inverness practice was inherited by John Hinton Gall (born 1848), who had been his chief assistant since 1872 and who continued the business under his own name, Matthews withdrawing completely from that branch of the firm. Matthews entered the Town Council in 1863, and retired as a councillor in 1871. In November 1883 he was recalled as Lord Provost and held office until November 1886. He was mainly responsible for implementing the City Improvement Act of 1883 which included building Schoolhill and Rosemount Viaduct and giving improved access to the latter area of the city. He was a director of the North of Scotland Bank, of which he was Chairman from time to time. His public services (in particular the Mitchell Tower and Graduation Hall) brought an Honorary LLD from the University of Aberdeen. In his later years Matthews lived in some grandeur at Springhill, which he had greatly altered for himself. Matthews retired from the practice in 1893 at the age of seventy-three, and died at 15 Albyn Terrace on 28 June 1898. He was buried in St Nicholas churchyard, where his monument records the earlier deaths of his daughter Margaret Rose Matthews on 18 May 1868, his son James Duncan Matthews on 21 November 1890 and his wife Elizabeth Duncan on 21 March 1895.
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Historic Environment Records (HER) 
Moray
HER -
NJ35SW0019 - BOAT O'BRIG