ROGERS, Fergus Carstairs

Architect

Also known as CARSTAIRS

Was born in Edinburgh and educated at Dollar Academy, Edinburgh, and at the George Watson School, (Edinburgh?). He studied in Belgium and at the South Kensington Schools in London, and was articled to J McVicar Anderson, FRIBA, in London. He noted in his LRIBA nomination papers (1925) that he had worked for five years in the office of a president of the RIBA whom he did not identify. Rogers came to South Africa in 1889, employed by the PUBLIC WORKS DEPARTMENT in Kimberley for two years before setting up independent practice in Kimberley in 1892 under the style of Carstairs Rogers. In 1898 he won the competition for the second Kimberley Town Hall, the first having been destroyed by fire. In around 1905 he entered into partnership with JG ROSS (cf ROGERS and ROSS) and later, about 1930/1934, with GF WRIGHT (cf ROGERS and WRIGHT). At the time of his death in Kimberly he was working on the plans for a diamond cutting factory for De Beers. He was awarded the MBE for his recruiting work during the First World War. He married in 1893. His daughter was a well-known South African tennis player, Dolly Rogers.

The firm of ROGERS and WRIGHT became successively WRIGHT and WILLOUGHBY-WILLIAMS; WILLOUGHBY-WILLIAMS and RUNHAM; JP RUNHAM; RUNHAM and in 1945 RUNHAM, DUNCAN and JOUBERT.

LRIBA 1925; ISAA 1927; MBE. (Cape Argus 5 Nov 1927 obit; Greig 1971; ISAA mem list; LRIBA nom papers (1925); Picton-Seymour 1977; Watt 1985; RIBA Jnl 1927-28:168 death notice; SAB Nov 1927:53; SAB Nov 1927:53; SAB Dec 1927:47 death notice; SAWW 1910, 1916; WW in Arch 1914; Yuill 1984)

All truncated references not fully cited in 'References' are those of Joanna Walker's original text and cited in full in the 'Bibliography' entry of the Lexicon.

List of projects

With photographs
With notes

City Hall: 1898. Kimberley, Northern Cape - Architect

Cuthbert's Bldg: 1898. Kimberley, Northern Cape - Architect

Diamond cutting factory: 1927. Griquatown, Northern Cape - Architect

Kimberley Bowling Green Club: 1898. Kimberley, Northern Cape - Architect

McGregor Memorial Museum: 1907. Kimberley, Northern Cape - Architect

Nazareth House: 1888. Kimberley, Northern Cape - Architect

Presbyterian Church: 1904. Kimberley, Northern Cape - Architect

School: pre-1914. Griquatown, Northern Cape - Architect

St Patrick’s Christian Brothers' College: 1905 : pre-1933 : 1933. Kimberley, Northern Cape - Architect

Star of the West Public House: 1907. Kimberley, Northern Cape - Architect

Books citing ROGERS

ISAA. 1927. Register of Members the Institute of South African Architects. Johannesburg: ISAA (Unpublished Record). pp R6