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DEUCHAR, Charles Cunnold

Born: 1883 08 03
Died: 1939 27 06

Architect / Quantities Surveyor


Year registered: 1927

ARIBA (1923); MCQS; ISAA (1927); TPIA (1927).

Became chief architect to the South African Railways. He was born in Scotland and was articled to Arthur Marshall, ARIBA, Nottingham, England in 1898 for three years, joining FB Lewis, ARIBA, as an Improver in 1901 for two years. His obituary gives the date of his arrival in South Africa as 1904 but his nomination papers for Associate membership of the RIBA indicate that he entered JW TWIST's office in Bloemfontein in 1904 where he remained until 1904 [?]. He joined the Government service of the Orange River Colony as a draughtsman in the PUBLIC WORKS DEPARTMENT in 1904. On Union in 1910 he transferred to the PUBLIC WORKS DEPARTMENT in Pretoria. His career was interrupted by six years of war service: in 1914 he served in Enslin's Horse during the Rebellion and then took part in the South West Africa campaign. He also served in the South African Horse in German East Africa before returning to work in the PWD after the war. In 1920 Deuchar, with JS CLELAND, won the competition for the Pretoria War Memorial which was planned for Church Square. It was not built here but at the Union Buildings garden a few years later to designs by Gordon LEITH. By 1923 Deuchar was lecturing in Design at the architectural classes in Pretoria. He collaborated with Alec PEASE, a colleague in the PWD, on a submission for the competition (1926) for the Pretoria Technical College, won by Leith. He formed part of a team around Cleland, the then chief architect of the PWD. Deuchar was transferred to the SOUTH AFRICAN RAILWAYS AND HARBOURS Administration in 1929 as chief architect, Johannesburg, a post he held until his death in Johannesburg; his address at the time of his death was 45 Northwold Drive, Saxonwold, Johannesburg.

There is also a listing of this architect on Dictionary of Scottish Architects.

(ARIBA nom papers 1923; Building Sep 1920:391; CSL, ORC 1907; ISAA mem list; PWSA Jul 1939:38 obit; TAD MHG 2473/30; SAAR Jun 1926:35-37 ill)

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.

Books citing DEUCHAR

Brown, SM. 1969. Architects and others: an annotated list of people of South African interest appearing in the RIBA Journal 1880-1925. Johannesburg: Unpublished dissertation, University of the Witwatersrand. pp

ISAA. 1927. Register of Members the Institute of South African Architects. Johannesburg: ISAA (Unpublished Record). pp D7