| Architect Details |
A. and W. Reid, architects 1881; William Liddle Duncan, architect c.1920.
Alexander Reid, born 1816 or 1817, and William Reid, born 1825, were nephews and pupils of William Robertson of Elgin and inherited his practice following his death on 12 June 1841. The practice was at first in Alexander's name only as William was only sixteen, but the latter became a partner in 1843 or 1844. A third brother, Charles, born 1828, was presumably articled to his brothers in or about 1842 and at some point left them to gain wider experience. He became chief draughtsman with Brown & Wardrop in Edinburgh, and after Thomas Brown retired or died in 1872 or 1873 he was taken into partnership. In the mid-1840s the Reids moved their practice to Inverness, their address there being 6 Academy Street (and 39 Union Street) in the earlier 1860s when they were in partnership with an unidentified Mackenzie. By 1868 they had moved to 141 High Street and the brothers were on their own again. In late 1874 or 1875 George Melven was taken into partnership as A & W Reid & Melven, but by 1878 the practice was again A & W Reid. By the mid-1880s they had returned to Elgin with an office at Post Office Buildings, Commerce Street, their main clients being the Cawdor and Moray estates. William Reid died in 1893 and Alexander took their chief assistant John Wittet into partnership. Wittet was born on 5 February 1868 at Bridge of Earn and articled to David Smart of Perth from 1882 to 1888. In the latter year he moved to the office of Hippolyte Jean Blanc in Edinburgh which enabled him to study at Heriot-Watt College and Edinburgh School of Art. By 1892 he had moved briefly to Glasgow to work for Clarke & Bell before joining the Reids as chief assistant in the same year. When he joined the partnership in the following year, the practice title changed to A & W Reid & Wittet.
William Liddle Duncan was born in 1870, son of James Duncan, architect of Turriff. He took classes at Edinburgh School of Art in 1885-87 before being apprenticed to his father and completing his studies at Robert Gordon's College, Aberdeen. On completing his apprenticeship he moved briefly to Edinburgh 'to complete his architectural training' and then returned to his father's office as assistant. He was finally taken into partnership in 1897, later continuing the practice on his own account after his father's death in 1907. He was awarded the bronze medal by the Highland and Agricultural Society of Scotland for designs for farm buildings in their competition of 1908. Duncan was admitted LRIBA in the mass intake of 20 July 1911, his proposers being Arthur Clyne, John Wilson Walker and Arthur Hay Livingstone Mackinnon, and was admitted FRIBA in May 1930. For a number of years he held the appointment of architect to Aberdeen Education Authority for the Turriff and Huntly districts and his housing at Rhynie, Gartly and Insch was 'of such outstanding merit that he was specialliy invited to exhibit at the Royal Scottish Academy of 1943'. In the realm of public life he was active, being Preident of the Aberdeen Society of Architects and a member of the Council of the RIBA and RIAS. In his private life he was an enthusiastic volunteer and an expert marksman, winning the St George's Medal at Bisley as well as being a devotee of the game of bridge. William Liddle Duncan died in 1951, remaining in practice until the week of his death. The practice was continued by James Munro, whom he had taken into partnership in 1947 and who had worked in his office since 1930. The practice title changed to W L Duncan & Munro. Munro retired in 1975.
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Historic Environment Records (HER)