DONALD, ROBERT BUCHAN

City surveyor for Belfast from 1928 to 1945. Robert Donald was born in Carfin, Scotland, on 22 September 1879. After attending Dalmuir Public Schools and Allen Glen's School, Glasgow, in 1896 he entered the office of the Glasgow city engineer, where he served his pupilage until 1901, while also studying engineering at the Glasgow and West of Scotland Technical College. He was subsequently employed on the Glasgow main drainage. In 1905 he became assistant engineer to the Huddersfield borough engineer and in 1918 borough engineer, surveyor and architect to Wigan Corporation. In 1928 he was appointed city engineer and surveyor of Belfast, a post which he held until his retirement in 1945. He continued to live in Belfast until his death in May 1963.

Inst.CE: elected associate member, 4 April 1905; transferred to member, 7 March 1922; president of Belfast & District Association, 1934.(1)
RSUA: honorary member by 1937.(2)
Institution of Municipal Engineers: elected associate, 12 August 1904; transferred to associate member, 29 July 1911; transferred to member 23 March 1915; district representative on council, 1925-26; member of council and chairman of the Northern Ireland district, 1930; vice-president, 1935-37; president, 1938-39.

Address: 127 Harberton Park, Belfast, <=1945->=1952;(3) 4 Fairway Drive, Dub Lane, Upper Malone, Belfast, 1959.

See WORKS.

References

All information not otherwise accounted for is from the records of the Institution of Civil Engineers, kindly supplied by the Archivist, Mrs Carol Morgan. This information includes a brief obituary of Donald from The Chartered Municipal Engineer (1963), 199, and lists of members of the Association of Municipal & County Engineers for 1916 and 1930.

(1) IB 86, 17 Nov 1934, 990a.
(2) List of members in Thom's Directory of Dublin (1937), 719.
(3) Lists of RSUA members in Thom's directories.

4 work entries listed in chronological order for DONALD, ROBERT BUCHAN

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Building:	CO. ANTRIM, BELFAST, LOWER REGENCY STREET, NO. 001 (CARRICK HOUSE LODGING HOUSE)
Date:	1930
Nature:	Extensions. Contractor: Wm. Logan & Son. £16,960.
Refs:	Architect & Building News 124, 11 Jul 1930, 60

Building:	CO. ANTRIM, WHITEABBEY, BELFAST MUNICIPAL SANATORIUM
Date:	1933a
Nature:	Proposed design for extensions to same. Not executed.
Refs:	Northern Whig, 2 Sep 1933; Architect & Building News 136, 24 Nov 1933, 230

Building:	CO. ANTRIM, BELFAST, BEDFORD STREET, ULSTER HALL
Date:	1933ca
Nature:	Additional blocks on each side of porte cochere.
Refs:	Paul Larmour, Belfast: an illustrated architectural guide (1987), 23 (no. 39)

Building:	CO. ANTRIM, BELFAST, DURHAM STREET, BOYNE BRIDGE (NEW)
Date:	1934
Nature:	New bridge replacing that of 1863. 61 ft wide, 141 ft long. Tenders received Jul 1934.
Refs:	IB 76, 14 Jul 1934, 586

Author	Title	Date	Details
Donald, Robert Buchan	'The civil engineer and his prospects'	1934	IB 86, 17 Nov 1934, 990a . (Summary of presidential address to Belfast & District Association of Civil Engineers.)