“Greek” Thomson’s Works: a Lecture to the Provand’s Lordship Club, by Mr J. Jeffrey Waddell, on Monday the 25th
An article on page nine of The Glasgow Herald, on Tuesday the 26th of February, 1924, reads:
” ‘GREEK’ THOMSON’S WORKS
Mr J. Jeffrey Waddell, in a lecture to the Provand’s Lordship Club in Glasgow last night on
‘Greek’ Thomson, said the architectural works of ‘Greek’ Thomson had been admired not
only by his contemporaries, but were perhaps more appreciated by those who were best
qualified to judge to-day than they were even during his life-time. Mr Jeffrey Waddell
briefly recounted the events of his life, then passed on to a description of his works. These,
he pointed out, consisted, in his early days, of villas mainly along the shores of the Firth of
Clyde, done in the Scots baronial style and very well done, but with the advent of maturity
he laid this style aside for the Greek style, which gave him his name. His principal works,
apart from domestic work and such fine town work as his incomparable Great Western
Terrace, were his three churches, that at Caledonian Road, St Vincent Street, and Queen’s
Park. These were recognised to-day as the finest modern expressions of the ancient Greek
style, finer than anything that was done anywhere by other architects who had the advantages
of travel which Alexander Thomson had not. In addition to this church work Thomson
designed many warehouses, notably that on the east side of Union Street. He had the art of
recombining the features of Greek architecture and adapting them to the uses of modern
times and requirements. It was the lecturer’s opinion that had ‘Greek’ Thomson lived
longer, or had he been followed by a school of younger men working along the lines which
he had made his own, a modern style of architecture would have been evolved such as was
now arising in this country, in the United States, and in France.”
For more information on the Glasgow-born architect, John Jeffrey Waddell (1876-1941), please
see the ‘Dictionary of Scottish Architects’ – https://www.scottisharchitects.org.uk and
George Fairfull-Smith, September 2022.