William Murray Jack Architectural Slide Collection

The slides cover four subject areas: St Andrews historic; East Neuk historic (Anstruther, Cellardyke, Elie, Crail, Kilconquhar, Pittenweem, St Monans); General sequence (Glenelg Broch, Affleck Castle, Reskenneth Priory, Melville House, Gallery House, The Shore at Arbroath, churches, doocots, bad alterations, maps and plans, repairs, faults, details of architectural features); and Castle conservation sequence (Inverquharity Castle, Pluscarden Priory, Balgonie Castle, Pluscarden Abbey, Rusco Castle, Kellie Castle, Balfour Castle, Pitcullo Castle, Forgan Kirk) and mainly relate to buildings in Fife.

William Murray Jack MBE, FRIAS, FRIBA (1921-1999) was an architect and historic buildings advisor. He was born in Cellardyke, educated at Waid Academy, Anstruther and Dundee College of Art from 1939. After qualification as an architect he joined a firm in Edinburgh but later returned to Dundee as a member of the teaching staff. He was asked by Ian Lindsay to undertake a survey of Fife buildings of architectural and historical interest. He spent some years working for the West African Colonial Service in Nigeria, but on his return to Fife he was asked by Lindsay to work full time on the Historic Buildings Survey of Scotland. He completed Fife, most of Kincardine and nearly all of Angus. He was taken into partnership by JC Cunningham as part of Cunningham, Jack, Fisher and Purdom in 1961. He was based in St Andrews and was an active member of the St Andrews Preservation Trust. He worked in conservation and restoration both locally (Great Eastern and South Court on South Street, 141 South Street, 11 College Street and 24 South Street, St Andrews, Fife Folk Museum in 1964, Scottish Fisheries Museum in Anstruther in 1969) and more widely throughout Scotland in Hew Lorimer's 'Little Houses Scheme'. He was invited to complete Ian Lindsay's restoration work on Pluscarden Abbey in Elgin after Lindsay's death in 1966. This led to more restorations in the north east of Scotland and his work for the National Trust for Scotland on the House of Dun in Angus. He was awarded an MBE in 1992 for his work on restoring historic buildings throughout Scotland.

Source: CM Wolfe, 'Dr Ronald Gordon Cant, Mr William Murray Jack MBE, Companions in Conservation' in the Annual Report and Newsletter of the St Andrews Preservation Trust, 1999, pp. 14-18.

The slides are arranged in their original order.

The photographic collections are currently the subject of a major digitisation project. It is the intention to have the entire archive captured in electronic form, and available (with sophisticated searching facilities) on line via the web. A full version of the software can be accessed in the Library and researchers are welcome to visit the library to use it but it is important that appointments are made in advance. Access to original photographic material may be restricted.

Description compiled by Rachel Hart, Archives Hub Project Archivist.

Hand list of slides is available.

Copies of images held in the photographic collection (with the exception of any photographs which are held either without copyright or under other restrictions imposed by the donor or photographer) can be ordered. Photographs thus provided for purely personal or research purposes are not subject to any fee beyond the photographic costs (for which a scale of charges is available). Prior written permission must be obtained before any further reproduction is undertaken of images supplied, for commercial or non-commercial purposes. Reproduction fees may be charged.

True photographic reprints of most images can be provided, or computer-generated prints of an increasing proportion of the collection at low, medium or high resolution. Given the fragility of the original material our preference is to provide computer prints where possible. We can also provide transparencies and a range of electronic formats.

Deposited in the University of St Andrews in 2000 by Mrs Avril Jack for the mutual benefit of the St Andrews Preservation Trust and the University of St Andrews Library.

GB 227 phAR Alan Reiach photographic collection is of a similar nature.

CM Wolfe, 'Dr Ronald Gordon Cant, Mr William Murray Jack MBE, Companions in Conservation' in the Annual Report and Newsletter of the St Andrews Preservation Trust, 1999, pp. 14-18.

This material is original.