Cathcart William Methven
Cathcart William Methven | |
---|---|
Born | |
Died | 30 August 1925 | (aged 75)
Known for | Civil engineer and artist |
Cathcart William Methven
Life
He was born at 11 Roxburgh Street in
He was apprenticed as an engineer with John Sang in
In February 1888 he was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society of Edinburgh. His proposers were William Swan, John Gray McKendrick, George Chrystal, and Sir John Murray.[6]
He emigrated to South Africa in autumn 1888, when appointed Durban's harbour engineer, his orders were to remove a sandbar obstructing shipping at the harbour entrance, forcing passengers and cargo to be moved by lighter. Methven's plans to get rid of the bar by extending the North Pier and using the scouring action of tidal currents, brought him into conflict with a prominent lawyer, Attorney General and politician, Harry Escombe, who wanted to rely on dredging alone. Consequently, Methven was dismissed on 11 July 1894. This led to a tremendous uproar ending in Escombe's resignation. Much later, in 1918, the South African government granted him £500 in recognition of his services with development of the harbour. His other recommendation that the Umhlatuzi Lagoon be developed as a second harbour for Natal, was also followed in the 1970s and is now known as Richards Bay.
Not content to remain idle, Methven started his own successful business as consulting civil and marine engineer, architect and surveyor on 13 December 1895. He undertook to survey all harbours on the south-east and southern coastline, ranging from
Methven practiced as architect and was one of the founder members of the Natal Institute of Architects. He was an enthusiastic trout fisherman and an accomplished musician.
His involvement in the art world led to his being President of the Natal Society of Artists in 1908, 1912 and 1915. He drew up specifications for the building of the organs in the Durban and Pietermaritzburg Town Halls, and edited A Century of Progress in Natal, 1824–1924 published in Pietermaritzburg.
He died in Pietermaritzburg in South Africa on 30 August 1925.
Family
He was married. His children included Alexander Methven and Iain Lambert Methven.
His assistant, James Buchanan Pentland-Smith, married his eldest daughter.
Publications
- Sketches of Greenock and Its Harbours in 1886. James McKelvie & Sons. 1886.
- Hughes, Nigel (2001). The paintings of the Bay of Natal: a selection of works dating from 1845 to 1982. Privately published. ISBN 978-0-620-27556-9.
- Methven, C.W., ed. (1924). A century of progress in Natal, 1824-1924. Pietermaritzburg: Natal Witness.
Commemoration
Two streets in Durban are named after him, one at Maydon Wharf 29°52′49″S 30°59′55″E / 29.8802046°S 30.998676°E and the other in Westville 29°49′00″S 30°54′07″E / 29.816779°S 30.90186°E.
References
- ^ Jackson, Allan (September 2005). "Review of Views in Colonial Natal by Nigel Hughes". Facts About Durban. Retrieved 9 November 2017.
- ^ "Cathcart William Methven". lifewithart.com.
- ^ Edinburgh Post Office Directory 1849
- ^ Blackwood's Edinburgh Magazine vol 15
- ^ Goold, David (2016). "Dictionary of Scottish Architects". scottisharchitects.org.uk. Retrieved 12 September 2017.
- ISBN 0-902-198-84-X. Archived from the original(PDF) on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 11 September 2017.
- ^ Methven 1924.
- ^ Methven 1886, p. 17.
External links
- Biography of Cathcart William Methven at the S2A3 Biographical Database of Southern African Science
- "John Macpherson". rudolph-gen.com. Archived from the original on 2 January 2020. Retrieved 17 March 2011.
- Biography at artefacts.co.za