Wilson, Joseph

Person

Wilson, Joseph

fl c1903-1960s

Joseph Wilson's date of birth is variously given in the Glasgow School of Art Rolls as 25 or 26 December 1887 or 1888. 'Who's Who in Architecture 1923' gives 1887. He was articled to Brand & Lithgow in 1903 and remained as assistant until 1910, attending classes at Glasgow School of Architecture from 1906. After two years' additional full-time study at the School he was appointed draughtsman to Cullen Lochhead & Brown in 1912. The following year he was employed by Charles Gourlay at the Royal Technical College as assistant and lecturer. He received his diploma in 1914. During these early years he undertook two main study tours, spending four weeks in Somerset in 1911 and seven weeks touring England and France in 1913. His career was interrupted by war service from 1915. He appears to have returned to his teaching post at the Royal Technical College after the war, and was admitted ARIBA under the war exemption scheme in mid-1919, his proposers being James Lochhead, Alexander Nisbet Paterson and John Bennie Wilson. In 1923 he was working in the practice of C J McNair. Wilson was in independent practice at Cockburn Buildings, 141 Bath Street by 1926. In July 1927 he was appointed consultant architect to Mactaggart & Mickel but resigned in June 1929 because of workload and fees. He continued beyond that date as architect to the Associated Western Heritable Company and its subsidiaries, London Heritable Investments and Grove End Gardens Ltd. He was a member of the SAS, later the RIAS. Although he appears to have worked in London in the late 1930s, his address in the RIBA Kalendar is still given as 200 St Vincent Street in 1939-40. In the RIBA Directory Joseph Wilson is still in practice, though now in his early 80s, operating in a practice under his name. He would appear to have been in partnership with his son, Norman Ramsay Wilson. He is listed in the School's World War One Roll of Honour. If you have any more information, please get in touch.

The Dictionary of Scottish Architects: http://www.scottisharchitects.org.uk/architect_full.php?id=203574