Alexander Cattanach Jr.
Scottish architect, 1856–1928

Alexander Cattanach (9 June 1895 – 19 January 1977) was a Scottish architect, prominent in the first half of the 20th century. His designs were mostly for cinemas.
He was the son of fellow architect Alexander Cattanach Sr.
Early life
Mackenzie was born on 9 June 1895, one of Alexander Senior's five sons.
He was educated at Kingussie School and Glasgow School of Art, though his time at the latter was interrupted by World War I. He served with the Queen's Own Cameron Highlanders during the conflict. He also served with them during World War II, being promoted to Colonel in the process.
Career
Cattanach took over his father's practice around 1928, when Cattanach Senior fell ill.
Selected notable works
Perth Playhouse, Perth (1933)
Kirkwall Power Station, Kirkwall (after 1945)
Personal life
Cattanach was married to Grace Ann McDougall Hood. She died on 12 December 1976, and Cattanach followed her a few weeks into the new year, aged 81.
“Alexander Cattanach Jr.” enters the record as scottish architect, 1856–1928. Crown Archives preserves that source wording while asking what Alexander, Cattanach and Scottish can confirm, complicate or overturn.
Why this record matters
“Alexander Cattanach Jr.” is worth following because a concise public description often conceals a longer documentary argument. Here, Alexander, Cattanach and Scottish provides the most credible route into that argument.
Biographical claims are most persuasive when dates, appointments and relationships can be traced to records created close to the events described. The source revision retrieved here is dated Jan 28, 2026. The linked authority identifier is Q108757313. 1 of 1 selected statements include explicit references; 0 carry qualifiers and 0 use preferred rank. The first chronological checks are 1895, 1977, 1928 and 1933.
Public reputation and documentary evidence do not always develop together; absence from a summary is not evidence of historical absence. The lead is largely declarative, so disagreement and counter-evidence require a deliberate search beyond the opening account. Authority statements aid reconciliation but still require their own references, qualifiers and ranks to be checked.
How to read it
Read biographical claims against dates, named institutions and the cited references. Distinguish a subject’s later reputation from evidence produced during their lifetime.
- Establishing names and roles
- Building a first chronology
- Locating cited institutions
Personal papers, civil or court records, institutional files and the scholarship cited by the source.
Three-step research path
- Establish the record: confirm the title “Alexander Cattanach Jr.”, its source revision and the description used here.
- Expand the search: follow Alexander Cattanach Jr. primary sources, Alexander Cattanach Jr. archive and Alexander research across catalogues and specialist indexes.
- Test the account: compare the strongest cited source with the responsible institution’s current record and note any disagreement.
Questions for further research
- Which source most directly establishes the central claim about “Alexander Cattanach Jr.”?
- How has the subject’s reputation changed across later accounts?
- Which claims depend on a single source or contested interpretation?
Search terms from this dossier
This entry incorporates text from “Alexander Cattanach Jr.” on English Wikipedia. Contributors are listed in the page history. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Selected authority identifiers and statements are retrieved from Wikidata under CC0; their references and qualifiers remain part of the verification path.