Robert Reid and the Scottish Office of Works (1827-1840)

On 31 January 1827, George IV issued a Royal Warrant which created the new Office of Works in Scotland, naming Robert Reid as Principal Officer with a yearly salary of 500 pound. The appointment of Reid as first Principal Officer is significant as he became the first salaried public sector architect in Scotland. An architect paid by the Crown was not a new arrangement, however it was important that Reid's appointment was full-time and exclusive, thus not relying on any private work as many of his predecessors had. This paper attempts to document and further clarify Reid's role in establishing such a department in Scotland.