CARELESS, William Edward (1881-1949) was in partnership with Philip Turner and later held the position of Professor of Architecture at McGill Univ. from 1919 to 1929. Born on 2 December 1881 he articled with the Birmingham firm of Essex, Nicol & Goodman while studying architecture at the Birmingham School of Art. He worked in Sheffield for three years them moved to London to assist Sir Alfred B. Thomas and E.R. Robson before moving to Dundee, Scotland where his credits include the design of the Dundee Public Library, executed in association with the City Architect's Office. In 1912 he accepted an invitation from Percy Nobbs to move to Montreal, Que. After arriving in Canada, he appears to have changed the spelling of his last name from "Careless" to "Carless". He worked briefly as an assistant to both Ross & MacFarlane and to Nobbs. In 1913 he and Philip Turner opened an office which remained active until c. 1915 (see list of works under Turner & Carless). After WWI Carless became a full Professor at McGill University and continued to act as consulting architect to others including Nobbs & Hyde for their design of the McGill Pathological Institute (1923). Carless returned to London, England to take up private practice in 1929, but no references to his work there have been found. He died at Bath, England on 24 April 1949 (obit. The Builder [London], clxxvi, 6 May 1949, 567; inf. Prov. of Quebec Assoc. of Architects; R.I.B.A., Directory of British Architects 1834-1914, 2001, i, 334)
(works in Scotland)
DUNDEE, SCOTLAND, "Netherton of Cragie", a large Arts & Crafts style residence for James Kinloch, west side of Craigiebarn Road, 1911; still standing 2018 (Historic Scotland, heritage designation statement dated 29 Oct. 1991, descrip., and credited to William Careless, Architect)
DUNDEE, SCOTLAND, "Craigiebarn", a large Arts & Crafts style residence for Henry Renny, east side of Craigiebarn Road, 1911; still standing 2018 and now called "Craigiebarn House" (R.I.B.A., Fellowship Application form submitted by William Careless on 23 February 1915, with list of works)
SELECTED ESSAYS
"The Architecture of French Canada", an illustrated article on the historical architecture of Quebec from the 17th to 19th Centuries, published in R.A.I.C. Journal, ii, July-Aug. 1925, 141-45, illus.;
"The Arts & Crafts of Canada", a two part series of essays published in the local weekly Montreal newspaper called The Family Herald & Weekly Star [Montreal], 1 April 1925 and 8 April 1925.