Nostalgia: The life of Robert Adam - Kirkcaldy’s architect genius

He settled in the Linktown of Abbotshall now part of Kirkcaldy and brought up a son to follow in his footsteps.

But, like many good fathers, he wanted his son to do better and William Adam was sent to work under Sir William Bruce, then the chief architect in Scotland.

William rose to become the best-known architect of his day in Scotland and while in Kirkcaldy proved his business acumen as a founder of the Links Pottery.

He settled at Gladney House in Bute Street when he married in 1716, and his second son. Robert, was born on July 3, 1728 and would grow up to eclipse his own father’s achievements .

He started his formal education at the Burgh School in Kirkcaldy which stood in Hill Street, on the ground now occupied by the car park of the former Fife Free Press office.

Though five years younger than fellow pupil Adam Smith, the pair would grow to develop a close friendship in adulthood.

When Robert was 11 the family moved to Edinburgh, a more cosmopolitan centre for William Adam’s expanding practice, and young Robert attended the prestigious High School.

In 1743, at the age of 15, he went to Edinburgh University – a normal starting age then – but his studies were cut short by the 1745 Jacobite rebellion and he would never graduate.

In 1750 his father died and Robert, along with his brothers John and James, started taking on commissions for architectural work.

But the most important formative event in his life came in 1754, when he was invited by a patron to go on the Grand Tour.

The Tour was a leisurely and educational tour around the cities of Europe, its length measured in months, or even years.

In Robert’s case the tour was to last three and a quarter years and would have a startling and lasting effect on the architecture of Scotland and England.

Robert’s return caused a virtual revolution in design.

Structurally, he placed the emphasis on space rather than substance, building with a refreshing lightness and elegance.

Design concentrated not just on the external appearance of a house or building, but on every aspect of the inside as well, with Robert insisting on including every type of instruction in his planes, right down to the style of plasterwork and colours – unheard of in architectural circles beforehand.

Given the quality of his work, it was no surprise that he rapidly came to be the most lauded architect of his day, his services in constant demand.

It was an age when an affluent society was eager to embrace the latest architecture and had the means to back their search for perfection.

In Scotland his creations included the entrance facade of Edinburgh University on South Bridge, and HM Register House on Princes Street,as well as the north side of Charlotte Square.

He also designed Bute House, now the official residence of Scotland’s First Minister, Nicola Sturgeon.

For about 40 years Robert Adam worked both north and south of the border, creating buildings which are still regarded as marvels of architectural beauty and inspiring others to imitate his neoclassical style.

In 1781 he was elected an honorary member of,the Society of Antiquaries in Scotland and in 1788 he was made a Fellow of the Royal Society of Edinburgh.

He moved to London, living on Albermarle Street in Mayfair, where he died aged 63 on March 3, 1792.