23 Facts About Alexander Thomson

Alexander "Greek" Thomson was an eminent Scottish architect and architectural theorist who was a pioneer in sustainable building.

Alexander Thomson was born in the village of Balfron in Stirlingshire.

Alexander Thomson began work in 1834, as a clerk in a lawyers office in Glasgow.

Alexander Thomson learnt a great deal from getting access to Foote's extensive library and collection of classical casts, but in 1836 Foote had to retire due to illness.

In September 1847 Alexander Thomson married Jane Nicholson, and on the same day her sister married another architect, John Baird, who fell out with his previous partner.

Alexander Thomson served as president of both the Glasgow Architectural Society and the Glasgow Institute of Architects.

Alexander Thomson was an elder of the United Presbyterian Church of Scotland, and his deep religious convictions informed his work.

Alexander Thomson produced a diverse range of structures including villas, a castle, urbane terraces, commercial warehouses, tenements, and three extraordinary churches.

Alexander Thomson developed his own highly idiosyncratic style from Greek, Egyptian and Levantine sources and freely adapted them to the needs of the modern city.

At the age of 34, Alexander Thomson designed his first and only castle, Craigrownie Castle, which stands at the tip of the Rosneath Peninsula in Cove, overlooking Loch Long.

Grave monuments designed by Alexander Thomson that are worthy of study include those to the Revd.

Alexander Thomson was a visionary who introduced into our vocabulary some of the essential elements of sustainable housing.

Alexander Thomson suggested that closely spaced parallel tenements be built within the central courtyard, the ends of which will be open to facilitate ventilation.

Alexander Thomson proposed that alternate streets be glazed for better warmth and safety for the residents.

Alexander Thomson's published writings include the Haldane lectures on the history of architecture and the Inquiry as to the Appropriateness of the Gothic Style for the Proposed building for the University of Glasgow which attempted to refute Ruskin and Pugin's claims for the superiority of Gothic.

On 21 September 1847, Alexander Thomson married Jane Nicholson, granddaughter of the architect Peter Nicholson, in a double wedding ceremony with her sister, Jessie, who married John Baird II.

One brother, George Alexander Thomson, became a baptist missionary in Limbe, Cameroon, where he combined his religious activities with a passion for botany.

Alexander Thomson's nephew, Rev William Cooper Thomson was a missionary in Nigeria, after whose first wife the bleeding-heart vine Clerodendrum thomsoniae was named.

Alexander Thomson died on 22 March 1875 at his home in Moray Place in Strathbungo, Glasgow, fittingly in one of his own creations.

Alexander Thomson's obituary appeared in Building News on 26 March 1875, written by his friend, Thomas Gildard, who wrote his biography.

The Alexander Thomson Travelling Studentship, of which the second winner was Charles Rennie Mackintosh, was established in his honor, "for the purpose of providing a travelling studentship for the furtherance of the study of ancient classic architecture, with special reference to the principles illustrated in Mr Thomson's works".

Alexander Thomson was the pre-eminent architect of his era in Glasgow, yet until recently, his buildings and his reputation have been largely neglected in the city graced by his works.

An interior view of the dome of Holmwood House, designed by Alexander Thomson, is the main motif on the reverse side.