| Architect Details |
William Ramage, architect 1863; John Russell Mackenzie, architect 1865; Jenkins & Marr, architectural practice 1898.
George Gordon Jenkins was born in 1844 and commenced practice as architect and surveyor at 115 Union Street, Aberdeen in or before 1874, his earliest work being concerned with the layout of cemeteries. In the summer of 1878 he took into partnership George Marr who had begun practice as an architect and civil engineer at Campbell of Udny from 1855, concentrating almost exclusively on school and farm work. His practice had moved to Ellon in the mid-1860s and became G & G Marr in 1872. Throughout their early careers, the work of Jenkins & Marr was of a simple and strictly practical nature, but with Mannofield Church (1882), for which an experienced assistant was probably brought into the practice, moved to a rather higher plane. From the earlier 1880s there was briefly a loose partnership with William Davidson in Ellon, the connection with him being through Marr. Around 1886 Harbourne Maclennan joined the firm as apprentice. Maclennan was born in 1871, the son of John Maclennan, land surveyor of Ellon, and educated at Elgin Academy and Dunfermline High School. He stayed on as an assistant for one further year and subsequently made a study tour in Europe: as an academic architect, he was essentially self-taught. When his father was appointed Road Surveyor and Master of Works for East Fife in 1895, he moved to Dunfermline to commence practice but was subsequently invited by Jenkins to return to the Jenkins & Marr practice, Marr having died in 1899. The catalyst was probably the commission to design the Masonic Hall in Crown Street, Aberdeen, which he carried out on his own account in 1908-1910. He was belatedly made a partner in 1915, and became sole partner in 1921. Jenkins had retired by then and died two years later. In 1935 Maclennan took William Alexander (or Arthur?) Davidson, and his own son John Maclennan, into partnership. He was a specialist in paper-making factories and was responsible for designing several distilleries in the north-east, many Local Authority housing schemes, and extensive water supply and drainage schemes throughout Scotland. The practice continued to undertake a wide range of commissions including private houses, work for the Union Bank of Scotland and Aberdeen Savings Bank, alterations and redecoration of churches in Aberdeen and the conversion of building for an old people's home. Harbourne Maclennan died on 27 August 1951. In the 1950s the firm opened a branch office in Wick. George Marr began practice as an architect and civil engineer at Campbell of Udny from 1855, concentrating almost exclusively on school and farm work. The practice moved to Ellon in the mid-1860s and became G & G Marr in 1872. In the summer of 1878, Marr was taken into partnership by the Aberdeen architect and civil engineer George Gordon Jenkins. Throughout their early careers, the work of Jenkins & Marr was of a simple and strictly practical nature, but with Mannofield Church (1882), for which an experienced assistant was probably brought into the practice, it moved to a rather higher plane. In the earlier 1880s Jenkins & Marr formed a loose partnership with William Davidson of Ellon, which lasted at least until the late 1890s. Marr died intestate on 3 October 1899. He does not appear to have been married. In Marr's obituary it is reported that he had a 'special acquaintance with designing papermills'.
William Ramage was born in 1819 and articled to Archibald Simpson c.1834, remaining with him as assistant. He became his principal assistant after the departure of Thomas Mackenzie and James Matthews. Correspondence quoted by G M Fraser indicates that he had a considerable hand in the Mechanics Institute where he taught architectural and mechanical drawing in the 1830s and 1840s. He succeeded to Simpson's practice on his death on 23 March 1847. His principal client was the Episcopal Church of which he was a member. Ramage died on 15 August 1866 aged 46, and was buried at St Clement's, Footdee, where a large granite monument was erected to his memory.
John Russell Mackenzie was the son of Captain Mackenzie of Friendville, and was articled to James Matthews of Mackenzie & Matthews of Aberdeen; when asked by G M Fraser, chief librarian of Aberdeen, Alexander Marshall Mackenzie denied any relationship with Russell Mackenzie, although Fenton Wyness believed there was. Thereafter he was in York for a time for experience, perhaps with G Fowler Jones, and by 1850 had commenced business on his own account in Aberdeen, where he secured the patronage of the Aberdeen Town and Country Bank at least by the mid-1860s. At the beginning of 1878 Mackenzie took Duncan McMillan into partnership, but in 1883 Mackenzie became bankrupt, perhaps as a result of building speculatively in Queen's Garden, although Fenton Wyness was told in his youth that it was from 'flying too high.' The partnership of Mackenzie & McMillan was then dissolved. Mackenzie's situation aroused considerable sympathy: he had been a town councillor for six years and a public testimonial raised 200 guineas presented by Provost Henderson. After a few years of fairly successful practice on his own account, Mackenzie emigrated in August 1888. He went 'mainly on account of his wife' to Johannesburg, where he was immediately commissioned to design the £20,000 Goldfields Club, but died of a fever on 16 June 1889.
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Historic Environment Records (HER)