William Kininmonth, Architect : Architecture Information

Kininmonth & Spence, Edinburgh, Scotland

Sir William Hardie Kininmonth, Architect
1904-88

Born in Edinburgh and educated at George Watson's College and Edinburgh
College of Art. Kininmonth was an apprentice under Sir Edwin Lutyens in
London. He later worked with Sir Basil Spence from 1932 at Rowand Anderson
and Paul in Edinburgh and lived at 46a Dick Place, The Grange, Edinburgh –
a modern house designed by himself. William Kininmonth was awarded an
honorary degree by the University of Dundee in 1975.

William Kininmonth - Edinburgh Buildings:
Kininmonth - like Basil Spence - mixed a modern style with Scottish vernacular. Kininmonth buildings in Edinburgh include the following:-

Adam House, Chambers Street: 1954
46a Dick Place, The Grange: 1933
Kininmonth & Spence
17 Essex Road: 1951 - private house
Fettes College Dining hall: 1966 - William Kininmonth building
Fettes College Dining hall: William Kininmonth
Lismhor, No. 11 Easter Belmont Rd, Murrayfield / Ravelston: 1933/35
Kininmonth & Spence
Pollock Halls - Holland House, Edinburgh University: 1959
Mary Erskine's School, Ravelston: 1966
Rowand Anderson, Kininmonth & Paul
No.6 St Andrew Square - Scottish Provident Building: 1961
Rowand Anderson, Kininmonth & Paul
North British Distillery Company (NBDC) warehouse, Gorgie
Renfrew Municipal Airport Terminal Building, 1954

William Kininmonth partner : Basil Spence

William Kininmonth building demolished:
North British Whisky Bonds, Haymarket

William Kininmonth building under threat in Edinburgh:
Scottish Provident Building, St Andrews Square

Adam House, Edinburgh partly by Kininmonth

Adam house is located towards the east end of Chambers Street. The
frontage to Chambers Street is mock-Georgian whilst to the Cowgate it is
boldly modern. Adam House was the first post-war building for Edinburgh
University. Adam House is located (as suggested by title) on the site of
Adam Square, which was demolished to make way for South Bridge and
Chambers Street. South Bridge was designed by Robert Adam but sadly not
executed by him. Adam Square was the home for the Adam family and included
the Watt Institute and School of Arts which became Heriot-Watt University.
Edinburgh University use Adam House for examinations, exhibitions and as
an Edinburgh Festival venue.

Lismhor by Kininmonth & Spence

Lismhor is located in the affluent estate of Easter Belmont Rd,
Murrayfield / Ravelston. Designed by Kininmonth & Spence it was one of a
series of 1930's modern houses in this private road. This building is a
strong, modern house that works well with the sloping site. The flat roofs
gently overhang and the palette is mostly white render.
The light-filled entrance hall is double-height and the disposition and
arrangement of rooms is subtle, modern but not avant-garde. The southern
elevation contains that potent thirties motif, the semi-circular
fenestrated bay: here it comes complete with a secondary smaller roof, a
playful twist. The garden slopes steeply away leaving the eastern facade
to tower forcefully over the garden.

Scottish Provident Building by Rowand Anderson, Kininmonth & Paul

The Scottish Provident Building, No.6 St Andrew Square, was the home of
insurers Scottish Provident but Abbey are reportedly relocating staff in
2004 to Glasgow: a new tenant for the building has yet to be announced.
CDA are apparently investigating (Summer 2004) possible uses including
retail. The building is strongly articulated and ingeniously turns the
corner at the south-west corner of St Andrew Square by retaining the older
corner block and running behind it to emerge with two separated facades.
The building was voted a favourite in Prospect's back page by a key
Edinburgh architecture critic a few years ago and is very popular amongst
many architects, but less so with most of the general public. It of course
sits on a key New Town Square alongside valued historic buildings such as
David Bryce's Bank of Scotland, 38-39 St Andrews Square, and Dundas
Mansion, by Sir William Chambers and later Dick Peddie.

William Kininmonth key building : Scottish Provident Edinburgh

Scottish Architecture: best Scottish Buildings of the last three decades

Modern Houses

William Kininmonth partner : Rowand Anderson

Scottish Architects of the past

Scottish Housing

Edinburgh Architecture : homepage

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William Kininmonth Building : page - adrian welch / isabelle lomholt