Barclay, Thomas

Person

Barclay, Thomas

Thomas Barclay was born on the 18th March 1897, the son of Thomas Barclay, meat inspector, and his wife Agnes Lindsay. Barclay studied at the Glasgow School of Art between 1915 and 1918, where he took evening classes in architecture. He served his apprenticeship with the Office of Public Works from 1912 until 1917, where he also studied at the Royal Technical College and received the Halden Bursary in 1916. He served in the army in 1917 and 1918, and the following year was appointed assistant architect in the Glasgow Corporation Housing Department, continuing his studies at the Royal Technical College for a further two years. He remained in the Housing Department thereafter, acting as resident architect for the Mosspark and Knightswood housing schemes from 1923 to 1931, and in 1937 was appointed principal assistant architect in the Department. He was admitted LRIBA on 13 August 1940. During the Second World War Barclay was seconded to the Architectural Section of the City Engineer's Department of Glasgow Corporation. He was involved in civil defence work which included: the protection of the Police Divisional Headquarters, the design and erection of decontamination stations, alterations to police buildings and the design and erection of police wireless control and workshops. On 30 May 1945 he was appointed Deputy Chief Architect of the Housing Department in Glasgow and was promoted to Chief Architect on 14 July 1952. On 1 April 1953 he became Principal Architect (Housing), in the Architecture and Planning Department of Glasgow Corporation. He was admitted FRIBA in early 1959. Barclay was married to Nan Bell. He retired to Kirkcudbrightshire and died on the 26th July 1966.

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Sources: the Dictionary of Scottish Art and Architecture by Peter J M McEwan; Scotland's People: http://www.scotlandspeople.gov.uk.

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