William Adam Edinburgh, Scottish Neoclassical Architecture, Photo, House, Works

William Adam Architect, Scotland

Scottish Classical Architect – Georgian Buildings, UK

post updated 28 Mar 2021

William Adam Architect – Key Projects

Key Buildings by architect William Adam, all in Scotland, alphabetical:

Chatelherault Lodge, Lanarkshire, south west Scotland

Duff House, Banff, Banffshire, northeast Scotland

Duff House Banff Scotland by William Adam Architect
scanned image © Adrian Welch

General Wade’s Bridge, Aberfeldy, Perthshire

Haddington Town House, East Lothian
Date built: 1748
originally by William Adam but little of his work remains
Haddington Town House William Adam building
Haddington building : photo from Wylie Shanks Architects
Haddington Town House
wylieshanks architects were appointed in 2012 as conservation architects to East Lothian Council for the repair of the steeple, which has spalling stonework and a damaged finial.

Haddo House, Aberdeenshire
Date built: –

Mellerstain House, Berwickshire, Scotland

Mellerstain House
Image © Adrian Welch
Mellerstain
Stately home set within 80 hectares of parkland
Home of the 13th Earl of Haddington
The east and west wings were completed first, by architect William Adam. They were built for George Baillie and Lady Grisel Baillie.
When Lady Grisel Baillie died, a son of the Earl of Haddington inherited Mellerstain – George Hamilton. He commissioned Robert Adam to design and build the central part of the property.
This was forty five years after his father William had built the wings. The intricate plasterwork interior is a very good example of Robert Adam’s (eponymous) style, using Greek motifs and unusual combinations of colours.

Old College – Library, Glasgow University
Date built: 1732

Pollok House, Pollokshaws, Lanarkshire

Robert Gordon’s College, Aberdeen

Robert Gordon's College
photograph © Adrian Welch
Robert Gordon’s College

Yester House, East Lothian
Dates built: 1699-1728
Design by James Smith & Alexander MacGill, with interventions by William & Robert Adam
Yester House is an early 18th-century mansion near Gifford in East Lothian, Scotland. It was the home of the Hay family, later Marquesses of Tweeddale, from the 15th century until the late 1960s. Construction of the present house began in 1699, and continued well into the 18th century in a series of building phases. It is now protected as a category A listed building, and the grounds of the house are included in the Inventory of Gardens and Designed Landscapes in Scotland, the national listing of significant gardens.

More buildings online soon

Location: Kirkcaldy, Fife, Scotland

William Adam Scotland – Practice Information

Background

William, father of famous Scottish architect Robert Adam, was born in Kirkcaldy, Fife, eastern Scotland, in 1689.

In 1724 William transformed Hopetoun House (Sir William Bruce, 1700) into a great Scottish Classical House and this remains one of his key works. He was appointed in 1729 as the Surveyor of the Kings’ Works in Scotland. Robert joined John as an architect apprentice to his father William Adam in 1746.

William died in 1748 and was buried at Greyfriars Churchyard, Edinburgh. Robert then became John’s partner in the family business.

John Adam was born 1721 and his brother James Adam in 1732.

Scottish Architecture

Scottish Tour : key Scottish Buildings

Edinburgh Tours : Architecture Walking Tours

There is a contemporary Robert Adam architect, based in England who practices in the Classical style of architecture: Robert Adam Architects

William Adam’s son – architect Robert Adam

Key Hopetoun House by Robert Adam in South Queensferry, Scotland

Architecture Studios

Literature House for Scotland, John Knox House, Edinburgh
Winning Architects: Witherford Watson Mann ; Groves-Raines Architects Studios ; Studio MB
Literature House for Scotland

Buildings / photos for the William Adam Architect page welcome