| Administrative History | From the Online Dictionary of Scottish Architects:
Barbaretus Sinclair Macdonald (generally known simply as Sinclair Macdonald) was born in Brora in August 1865, the son of the Free Church minister there, the Rev John Macdonald. Both his father and mother died early and he was brought up by his grandmother at Melvich. He began his career with the Steam Navigation Company, with which his uncle Hugh was associated. He was subsequently articled to an unidentified architect in Aberdeen, thereafter moving to the office of Alexander Ross in Inverness. In 1889 he commenced independent practice in his uncle's premises at 14 Olrig Street, Thurso. A few years later the practice moved to 18 Princes Street, Thurso, adjacent to Macdonald's house.
In addition to his large architectural practice Macdonald was for many years the agent in Thurso for the Steam Navigation Company. He was also prominent in public life: he was a Freemason and became both a JP for the County of Caithness and a Trustee of Dunbar Hospital. His obituarist described him as 'a man of sterling uprightness, combined with a genial manner'.
Sinclair Macdonald's son, Hugh Sinclair Macdonald, also became an architect. Born on 18 June 1903, he commenced his apprenticeship in his father's office in October 1921, transferring two years later to that of Dick Peddie & Walker Todd in Edinburgh, which enabled him to study at the College of Art under John Begg. He was awarded the RIAS's Rowand Anderson Travelling Studentship in 1929, and by the time he was admitted ARIBA in early 1930 - his proposers being John Begg, Charles Denny Carus-Wilson and Frank Charles Mears - he had spent ten weeks travelling in Scotland, twelve in England, two each in Holland and Belgium, and one in France.
Hugh Sinclair soon returned to Thurso to join his father in practice, and was taken into partnership in 1931. James Constable Leed joined the firm in the 1930s, and a further partner, Archibald James Baxter, was taken on in 1935. During those years the practice maintained a branch office in Wick.
Sinclair Macdonald died on 15 January 1936, leaving a wife Mary Marion Grace (Minnie) Galloway, three sons and one daughter, his son Hugh continuing the firm as senior partner thereafter. Hugh Sinclair served in the Second World War, returning to the office in 1945.
In the later 1940 and 1950s the practice untertook a wide range of work including housing, new and reconstructed farmsteadings, farm houses for the Commissioners of Crown Lands and for private clients and electricity substations for the North of Scotland Hydro-Electric Board.
In 1960 two new partners were taken on by Hugh: James Campbell and John Barrie. During the period 1966-74 the practice was inundated with new work and had difficulty appointing new staff for the Thurso office. As a result the early stages of several projects were farmed out to Alasdair, who was working for Irvine Development Corporation at that time, and his colleagues. Alasdair joined the firm as 'junior partner' in 1974 opening a new office in South Charlotte Street, Edinburgh. However he resigned one year later, going to Recife, Pernambuco, Brazil to work on CAD and other city planning related computing projects for the City Planning Foundation (FIDEM).
Hugh died on 1 May 1979. The practice was continued by James Campbell and John Barnie. The practice later merged with Stockan & Sloan Surveyors of Kirkwall. The name of the firm recently (2012) became Pentarq. |