| Architect Details |
Bell made by John Mowat, Aberdeen; Henry S Tawse (or Harry S Tawse), Walter Ramsay Davidson.
Walter Ramsay Davidson was born on 23 March 1870, the second son of Alexander Davidson of Dess (previously Desswood), Aberdeenshire and his wife Sarah Douglas. His health was delicate and he was educated by a tutor, thereafter proceeding to Pembroke College (RIBA obituary says Caius College), Cambridge. From there he became a pupil in the office of Niven & Wigglesworth, London, followed by several years in Edwin Landseer Lutyens's office. He then set up practice in 1900, initially at 28 Victoria Street and then from c.1907 (or possibly earlier) sharing an office at 8 New Square, Lincoln's Inn, with Vincent Harris. Davidson's practice consisted almost entirely of fairly large arts and crafts houses of considerable refinement and was mainly in Nairn. Their details show the influence of both Niven & Wigglesworth and Lutyens. Of his work Herbert Hardy Wigglesworth wrote that 'he steered clear of the commonplace without any apparent effort'. Davidson never sought election to the RIBA but was an honorary FRIAS and exhibited at the Royal Academy and - in 1913 only - at the Royal Scottish Academy. During the Great War he served with ambulance sections in France. Thereafter he continued to practise and in 1923 was associated with Henry S Tawse. Tawse had been born in 1890 and had attended classes at Aberdeen University, Glasgow University and the Royal College of Science & Technology, Glasgow. His relationship to the engineer P Tawse of Aberdeen, if any, is unknown. Tawse served in the First World War, reaching the rank of Colonel. By 1925 Tawse had entered into partnership with _____ Allan in Aberdeen; in fact, Herbert Kitchener Calder's RIBA nomination papers claim that he was already working for the firm of Tawse & Allan in 1921-2, suggesting that the association with Davidson must have been a loose arrangement, perhaps only for the purposes of carrying out work on Ordiquhill Parish Churchyard. On the death of his elder brother in 1928 Davidson inherited Dess and retired from practice, living at Dess with his sister. Like Vincent Haris he was small in stature. Neighbours at Dess recall that 'Everything seemed to interest him...he was a great talker.' He died unmarried on 23 December 1945.
Henry S Tawse was born in 1890 and attended classes at Aberdeen University, Glasgow University and the Royal College of Science & Technology, Glasgow. His relationship to the engineer P Tawse of Aberdeen, if any, is unknown. He must have served in the First World War, reaching the rank of Colonel. He appears to have worked in association with Walter Ramsay Davidson of Lincoln's Inn, London c.1923 but this must have been a loose arrangement as he was already working in partnership with _____ Allan in Aberdeen by 1921 and continued with him until at least 1936. At the time of his death on 24 December 1959 at Woodend Hospital Aberdeen he was deputy lieutenant and a JP.
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Historic Environment Records (HER)