Sir Frank Mears


1880 - 1953

Town planner and architect. Born in Tynemouth (Tyne and Wear), Mears moved to Scotland with his family when his father was appointed a lecturer in Anatomy at the University of Edinburgh. He was educated at George Watson's College and trained with Hippolyte J. Blanc from 1896 to 1901, and then with Robert Weir Schultz. After time in Europe and England, Mears returned to Scotland in 1906 working initially with Ramsay Traquair (1874 - 1952) but was soon an assistant to Sir Patrick Geddes (1854 - 1932). In 1915, he married Geddes' daughter, Norah, who was a noted landscape architect in her own right. Although Mears had developed his own architectural practice, he continued to collaborate with Geddes on work such as the design of the Scottish National Zoological Park (1913) and the master-plan for the Hebrew University of Jerusalem in 1919. Mears made substantial contributions to planning in many Scottish towns and cities. He was also responsible for the renewal of Stirling's Old Town (1936-53) and a master-plan for Central and South East Scotland (1946).

He died while visiting New Zealand. The practice of Sir Frank Mears Associates continues in Edinburgh to this day.


Use the tabs on the right of this page to see other parts of this entry arrow

If you have found this information useful please consider making
a donation to help maintain and improve this resource. More info...

By using our site you agree to accept cookies, which help us serve you better