Old photograph of houses on Hill Road in Dalmuir, West Dunbartonshire, Scotland. John Baird, a famous Glasgow architect, was born in 1798, in the village of Dalmuir, Dunbartonshire, now part of the town of Clydebank. He was the son of Thomas Baird, a Wright, a popular figure of that time, and Agnes Baird, and he was the elder brother of another architect with the name of Anthony Baird. At the age of 15, he started training as an architect with another relative of his named John Shepherd, of John Shepherd and Company, which as a firm that consistent of architects and property agents and was located at 636 Argyle Street. While he was an apprentice, the firm managed to complete the west terrace of Carlton Place for Peter Nicholson. In 1818, when he was at the age of 20 and barely out of his apprenticeship and after Shepherd’s death, he took over the business and quickly built up a good reputation that was only seconded by David Hamilton. John Baird’s most important and worthwhile contribution to the city of Glasgow’s architecture was his spearheading use of the cast iron in his buildings’ constructions. Baird died peacefully at home in Westfield, Partick on 18 December 1859 and was buried in Glasgow Necropolis. From 1855 he had suffered from a chronic brain disease which then resulted in his death four years later. Some time before his death he took on a partner, James Thomson to help him carry out his business until the illness took over. James carried on the business as Baird & Thomson with his sons and his successors until the 1940s. Most of the work during his sickness period is thought to be that of James Thomson. His wife outlived him and died on 24 April 1887. Blog post of interest to folks with ancestry, genealogy or Scottish Family Roots in Scotland who may wish to visit one day.
All photographs are copyright of Sandy Stevenson, Tour Scotland, and may not be used without permission.
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