- Robert Lorimer
Sir Robert Stodart Lorimer (1864–1929) was a prolific Scottish
architect noted for his restoration work onhistoric house s andcastles , and for promotion of the Arts and Crafts style.Early life
Lorimer was born in
Edinburgh , the son of James Lorimer, who was Regius Professor of Public Law at Edinburgh University from 1862 to 1890. He was educated atEdinburgh Academy and later at Edinburgh University. He was part of a gifted family, being the younger brother of painterJohn Henry Lorimer , and father to the sculptorHew Lorimer . In 1878 the Lorimer family acquired the lease ofKellie Castle inFife and began its restoration for use as a holiday home.Lorimer began his architectural career working for Sir
Robert Rowand Anderson , and went on to form his own practice in 1893. He was influenced by Scottish domestic architecture of the 16th and 17th centuries and the Scots Baronial style of Kellie Castle where he had spent much time as a young man. Early in his career, Lorimer became influenced by the ideas ofWilliam Morris , and went on to become a committed exponent of the Arts and Crafts style of architecture. He assembled a collaboration ofartist s and craftsmen and, collectively, they exhibited furniture at Arts and Crafts exhibitions inLondon . In 1896 he was elected to theArt Workers Guild .Later life
Lorimer designed a series of cottages in the Arts and Crafts style in the
Colinton area of Edinburgh, the so-called "Colinton Cottages". Constructed using traditional methods and materials, each cottage included a garden layout and interior design, including furniture, in keeping with the Arts and Crafts concept. By 1900, eight cottages had been built and four others were under construction. The decline in popularity of the Arts and Crafts movement from 1900 saw the direction of Lorimer's work change, and he undertook several large scalecountry house commissions, mainly designed in the Scots Baronial style.Ardkinglas Estate , 1906, onLoch Fyne is a particularly notable example of a Scots Baronial country house.The outbreak of
World War I restricted the demand for large new houses and his attention shifted to restoration projects. He already had a reputation as one of Scotland's leading restoration architects following the restoration ofEarlshall in 1899 andHill of Tarvit in 1905, both in Fife. He went on to carry out significant alteration and restoration works atLennoxlove House inEast Lothian andDunrobin Castle inSutherland .Although much of his work, and reputation, was in the sphere of domestic architecture, Lorimer also carried out significant public works. Principal amongst these include his design for the new chapel for the Knights of the Thistle in
St Giles Cathedral , Edinburgh in 1911. He received aknight hood for his efforts and went on to gain the commission for theScottish National War Memorial atEdinburgh Castle in 1919, subsequently opened by thePrince of Wales in 1927.Lorimer became President of the professional body in Scotland, the Incorporation of Architects in Scotland, and it was during his tenure in office that the body received its second
Royal Charter , permitting use of the term 'Royal' in the title. He died in Edinburgh in 1929.Further reading
* Savage, Peter. "Lorimer and the Edinburgh craft designers." Edinburgh : Harris, 1980. ISBN 0904505391.
External links
* [http://www.rcahms.gov.uk/highlightlorimer.html Resources at the Royal Commission on the Ancient and Historical Monuments of Scotland]
* [http://www.edinburgh.gov.uk/libraries/artsphere/architects/lorimer/lorimer.html Biography and references at Edinburgh City Libraries]
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