Old Photograph Balhary House Scotland

Old photograph of Balhary House near Alyth, Perthshire, Scotland. This Scottish house was built for John Smyth by John Carver of Kinloch in 1817. John Carver was born on 11 November 1834, the son of John Carver of Carverfield, Kinloch who died 27 February 1858 and the cousin of the much older David Carver who practised from Kinloch throughout his career. His mother was Elizabeth Henderson. John was trained as an architect by his father but was also apprenticed as a joiner before entering the office of an Edinburgh architect: the style of his draughtsmanship suggests that of David Bryce. He returned to Meigle to take over his father's practice in the mid-1850s. Latterly he is described in census as an architect with two assistants and also as a farmer of 7 acres. The parish church at Coupar Angus shows Carver to have been a very able Gothic designer while the City of Glasgow Bank at Kirriemuir showed an original if idiosyncratic approach to Scottish Baronial. Although he designed a few large houses his practice seems to have consisted mainly of secondary estate work.



All photographs are copyright of Sandy Stevenson, Tour Scotland, and may not be used without permission.

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