Famous Scottish Architects

Charles Rennie Mackintosh was a Scottish architect, designer, and artist. He was married to fellow artist Margaret Macdonald, and they both were influential on the European design movements Art Nouveau and Secessionism. Mackintosh is considered one of the most important figures of Modern Style (British Art Nouveau style). In his later years, he worked largely as a watercolorist. 

Scottish civil engineer Thomas Telford had begun his career as a mason at 14, having lost his father in infancy. A self-taught architect, he was responsible for building many structures, including the Caledonian Canal and the Menai Suspension Bridge. Named The Colossus of Roads, he symbolized the Scottish Enlightenment.

James Gibbs, one of the most significant architects of his time, was trained in Rome and later merged the Italian and English styles of architecture. His best-known work includes the East Anglican St. Martin-in-the-Fields Church in London. While his works had elements of Baroque architecture, he was also influenced by Palladianism.

One of the greatest British architects of all time, Richard Norman Shaw contributed immensely to the English Domestic Revival movement and is best remembered for his country houses. The Bedford Park in London remains one of his best suburban planning projects. His works reflected Queen Anne Revival, Neo-Baroque, and Gothic Revival elements.

Born to a Scottish father in Sweden, Sir William Chambers initially traveled to Canton as part of the Swedish East India Company. After studying Chinese architecture, he moved on to Paris and then to Italy. The Georgian-period architect was a major pillar of the Palladian style of architecture.

Scottish gardener and landscape artist John Claudius Loudon was also an influential horticultural journalist who wrote extensively on gardens, parks, and home architecture. Known for introducing the Gardenesque style of décor and popularizing the concept of arboretum, he also penned the widely popular The Suburban Gardener and Villa Companion.

Born to a Scottish mother and a Ghanaian father, Lesley Lokko grew up to be not just an architect but also an educator and an author. Her written works deal with themes such as politics, urbanism, and racial identity. After her debut novel, Sundowners, became a bestseller, she penned several other novels.

Apart from building Roman Catholic churches, Scottish architect Jack Coia and his firm also built schools and houses. He not only won the RIBA Gold Medal, but also served the RIAS and the Glasgow Institute of Architects as their president. He was also made a CBE.