Edinburgh Architects: Sir Robert Rowand Anderson and George Roberts

A Reader recently drew our attention to the fact that one of the architectural drawings in our Robert Rowand Anderson collection was not in fact by by Anderson.

The architect Robert Rowand Anderson was born in Forres in 1834. Anderson had four years of legal training, and then while serving with the Royal Engineers he studied construction and design. He then entered the Architectural Section of the School of the Board of Manufactures, and before setting up in practice in Edinburgh, in around 1875, he spent a year in continental travel. His practice was very successful and his output was large. His work included the Medical Schools, Edinburgh, the Scottish National Portrait Gallery (and Museum of Antiquities), Edinburgh, the Montrose Memorial within the High Kirk of St. Giles, Edinburgh, and Central Station Hotel, Glasgow. Anderson was knighted in 1902 and he was the first President of the Scottish Institute of Architects. He died on 1 June 1921. The collection itself cosists of around 270 drawers of drawings, along with associated photographs and other material.

After examination it was found that the architect who had created this drawing for 31, 32 and 33 Royal Terrace Edinburgh was in fact one George Roberts. The Dictionary of Scottish Architects confirms that there was a George Roberts working in Edinburgh in the 1860s and 1870s (http://www.scottisharchitects.org.uk/architect_full.php?id=204847) .

It would of course be the practice of architects to acquire other drawings, particularly if they were to be doing subsequent work on the property (we speculate this might be why Anderson or his associates had this drawing). It's also worth speculating similar drawings exist elsewhere in the collection.