Bio Notes: James Macintyre Henry was born in Dunkeld in 1852 and had Atholl estate connections. He was articled to Andrew Heiton of Perth from 1866 to 1872, but thereafter moved to Edinburgh, having secured a place in the office of David Bryce, then engaged on Blair Castle for the Seventh Duke. After Bryce's death he moved to the office of Charles Hay, perhaps with a view to partnership, and carried out at least one small job on his own before formally setting up practice on his own account in 1883.
Henry's conservative temperament is best expressed in the words of his partner Thomas Forbes Maclennan: 'His practice was varied, subject to considerable fluctuations and not without its worries, but he rarely was flustered and never in a hurry. He had a sound knowledge of materials and methods of construction but was slow to adopt new materials or new methods. He had not the knack of persuading a client to spend more money, but rather a flair for finding means to reduce cost… he could rarely be persuaded to write a letter offering his services even if he had the plans in the office of the building which had been destroyed by fire or which was otherwise the subject of a building project.' These qualities seem to have endeared him to some clients, particularly Sir James Gibson Craig of Riccarton: the result of the competition for Midlothian County Buildings was overturned and the commission given to him although the design he had sent in had been ranked fourth by the assessor, Walter Wood Robertson. In 1905 Henry took into partnership Thomas Forbes Maclennan who had - according to J R McKay's obituary - been largely responsible for the design of the Midlothian County Buildings. Henry's role thereafter seems to have been more as practice manager. He was Dean of Guild 1912-17.
Maclennan was born in 1873, the son of George Maclennan, and educated at George Watson's College. Articled to McArthy and Watson in 1888 he attended Heriot-Watt College and the School of Art. He spent a year with Leadbetter & Fairley before joining Henry in 1894 and at some point made a study tour of France. He passed the qualifying exam in 1902 and although no London classes are mentioned in his nomination papers, he was able to call on the London architects John Slater and Edward Augustus Gruning, together with Richard Phene Spiers, head of the RA Schools, as proposers when he was admitted ARIBA on 2 March 1903. In 1907 he married Euphemia Anderson, daughter of John Cathles, Secretary of the North British Railway Company, a match which probably brought useful connections.
Henry died on 18 September 1929, leaving very substantial moveable estate of £19,075 7s 0d. Maclennan thereafter ran the practice with junior partners, including J C Cunningham and his own daughter, Mrs E L Westwater. He took a rather more active part in public life than Henry. He joined the Queen's Edinburgh Rifles in 1890, was President of the Edinburgh Architectural Association 1914-18, and during the First World War he served on the Architects' War Committee and volunteered for service as sub-lieutenant in a Royal Engineers Signal Company in 1917. After the war he was one of the founders of the Royal Incorporation of Architects in Scotland of which he was later president and like Henry before him he was Dean of Guild 1930-34. From 1934 to 1937 he was assistant Master of the Merchant Company and was Moderator of the High Constables and Guard of Honour of Holyroodhouse in 1941. In his youth he played water polo.
Maclennan retired in 1949 and died 25 February 1957.