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Alexander Cattanach Jr.

Scottish architect, 1856–1928

Correspondence, annotated notebooks and portrait silhouettes prepared for research
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Record originEnglish Wikipedia
Text licenseCC BY-SA 4.0
Source revisionJan 28, 2026
Entity authorityQ108757313 ↗
Source-derived summary

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.

Editorial summary

“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.

Editorial reviewA useful biographical orientation record, particularly for establishing names, roles and a first chronology. The current lead gives the account dated anchors—1895, 1977, 1928, 1933—that can be checked directly. The linked authority record independently contributes the date 1895-01-01. Its strongest next move is a source search built around Alexander, Cattanach and Scottish.
Editorial analysis

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.

Evidence profile

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.

Critical limits

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.

Best used for
  • Establishing names and roles
  • Building a first chronology
  • Locating cited institutions
Verify next

Personal papers, civil or court records, institutional files and the scholarship cited by the source.

Three-step research path

  1. Establish the record: confirm the title “Alexander Cattanach Jr.”, its source revision and the description used here.
  2. Expand the search: follow Alexander Cattanach Jr. primary sources, Alexander Cattanach Jr. archive and Alexander research across catalogues and specialist indexes.
  3. Test the account: compare the strongest cited source with the responsible institution’s current record and note any disagreement.

Questions for further research

  1. Which source most directly establishes the central claim about “Alexander Cattanach Jr.”?
  2. How has the subject’s reputation changed across later accounts?
  3. Which claims depend on a single source or contested interpretation?
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Source & attribution

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.