Dictionary of Irish Architects 1720 - 1940

Architect, of Dublin. Richard Chaytor Millar was born in 1844, the son of Adam Millar, tea, wine and spirit merchant of Thomas Street and Clifton Villa, Monkstown. After serving a four-year apprenticeship to EDWARD HENRY CARSON  EDWARD HENRY CARSON from 1861 to 1865,(1) he went to London, armed with a letter of intoduction to 'Mr Wyatt, the architect', presumably THOMAS HENRY WYATT THOMAS HENRY WYATT , obtained from 'Mr Longfield', presumably THOMAS HENRY LONGFIELD. THOMAS HENRY LONGFIELD. (2) Millar was in London from 1865 to 1866, working in the offices of FREDERICK WILLIAM PORTER  FREDERICK WILLIAM PORTER and John Newton. In 1867, after a six-month tour of the Continent,(3) he returned to Dublin to set up his own office in the house of JOHN CAHILL JOHN CAHILL , the sculptor, at 197 Great Brunswick Street.(4) In 1869 he invented a device for measuring the heights of buildings which he called the 'Apomecometer'. He exhibited it at the RIAI meeting of June 1869(4) and the conversazione of 16 December 1869,(5) and read a paper about it to the RIBA on 15 November 1869.(6)

Millar practised on his own until 4 July 1874, when he entered into partnership with WILLIAM JOHN SYMES  WILLIAM JOHN SYMES to form the firm of MILLAR & MILLAR & amp; SYMES SYMES . In 1879 the partners were appointed architects to the Bank of Ireland. After the death of Symes in 1892, Millar carried on the business under the same name. In 1898 he was joined by his son ADAM GERALD CHAYTOR MILLAR ADAM GERALD CHAYTOR MILLAR , who succeeded him as architect to the Bank of Ireland in 1907. On 8 November 1910 he was declared bankrupt.

Millar died in 1915.(7) By his wife, Matilda (née Orr), he had eight children.(8) After his death Adam, the eldest, carried on the practice of Millar & Symes. His second son, LOUIS DU PUGET MILLAR LOUIS DU PUGET MILLAR , pursued a successful career as an architect in California.

AAI: member by 1872;(9) reads paper 'On levelling', 26 June 1873.(10)
RIAI: admitted student, 16 February 1865;(11) resigned as associate in letter of 11 May 1874;(12) elected member, 2 March 1885, having been proposed by WILLIAM MITCHELL  WILLIAM MITCHELL and SANDHAM SYMES SANDHAM SYMES ;(13) elected fellow, 14 December 1889.(14)
RIBA: elected associate, 4 December 1865, proposed by THOMAS H THOMAS H wyatt, MATTHEW DIGBY WYATT  MATTHEW DIGBY WYATT and F.W. Porter; elected fellow, 3 June 1889, proposed by JAMES RAWSON CARROLL. JAMES RAWSON CARROLL. (15)

Addresses:(16) Work: 197 Great Brunswick Street, 1867-1886; 186 Great Brunswick Street, 1886-1904; 60 Dawson Street, 1905-1910; 39 Kildare Street, 1911 until death.
Home: Clifton Villa, Monkstown, 1865; Gracefield, Waltham Terrace, Blackrock, <=1874-1876; 3 Eaton Place, Monkstown, 1877-1880; Brooklawn, 30 Mount Merrion Avenue, Blackrock, 1881>=1900; Ervillagh, Foxrock, 1907; 35 Marlborough Road, Donnybrook, 1915.

For works, see works of MILLAR & MILLAR & amp; SYMES; see also BIBLIOGRAPHY. BIBLIOGRAPHY.



References

All information in this entry not otherwise accounted for is from information supplied by Mrs D. Millar, widow of Richard Gerald Millar, to Nicholas Sheaff and Alistair Rowan when they visited her in 1976. At that time Mrs Millar had a collection of drawings and other documents relating to the practice and to the Millar family which were subsequently dispersed. Some items were deposited in the IAA (Acc. 81/50), including typewritten transcripts of the diaries of Adam Millar and Richard Chaytor Millar.


(1) Diary of Adam Millar in collection of Mrs D. Millar, 1976.
(2) Mrs Millar's information conflicts slightly with that in Directory of British Architects 1834-1914 (RIBA 2001), II, 179, which states that Millar went to London in 1864 and remained there for 'nearly two years'.
(3) Some of his watercolours of buildings in Italy were exhibited at the RIAI conversazione in December 1869 (see IB 12, 1 Jan 1870, 4) and his 'Architectural Studies on the Continent' and 'Chapel of the Holy Cross, St Mark's, Venice' were exhibited at the Dublin Exhibition of Arts, Industries, Manufactures & Loan Museum in 1872 (nos. 792 and 940).
(4) IB 11, 15 Jun 1869, 141.
(5) IB 12, 1 Jan 1870, 4.
(6) RIBAJ 20 (1869-70), 22-24.
(7) JRIAI (1916), 9.
(8) John Steven McGroarty, ed., History of Los Angeles County (1923), 384.
(9) IB 14, 15 Nov 1872, 313.
(10) IB 15, 1 Jun 1873, 180; Architect 10, 12 Jul 1873, 18.
(11) Council meeting minutes, 31 Dec 1864, 25; general meeting minutes, 25 Jan,16 Feb 1865, 157,158.
(12) Council meeting minutes, 11May 1874, 184.
(13) Council meeting minutes, 10 Dec 1884, 240; general meeting minutes, 2 Mar 1885, ?.
(14) Council meeting minutes, 2 Dec 1889, 278; annual general meeting minutes, 14 Dec 1889, 293.
(15) Directory of British Architects 1834-1900 (RIBA, 1993), 620; diary of R.C. Millar in the collection of Mrs D. Millar, 1976, records his election as fellow in entry for 12 Jun 1889.
(16) From RIAI lists of members, Thom's directories and Jones's transcripts therefrom and Post Office directories.


Author Title Date Details
Millar, Richard Chaytor 'Description of the Apomecometer for measuring inaccessible heights and distances' 1870 RIBAJ 20 (1870), 22-24.
Millar, Richard Chaytor 'On levelling' 1873 IB 15, 1 Jul 1873, 180-181. (Paper read to AAI 26 Jun 1873.)