Page 83 - Bulletin 15 2011

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Pilkington, Gordon (1886-1968)

Gordon Pilkington was born in Sea Point and after completing his
schooling at Diocesan College Rondebosch, was articled to Baker and Masey
in Cape Town in 1903, at the time when Masey ran that ofce. After a spell
in London in the ofce of Dunn and Watson,
he returned to South Africa and worked for a
while on the Union Buildings, Pretoria with
Herbert Baker. He returned to Cape Town in
1911 to work as chief assistant in the practice
of Hawke and McKinlay. There he designed
the home Coolarty, 42 Main Road, St. James
for Rachel Kerr. In 1916 he set up his own
practice during which time he designed the
home, Brynmoor, 16 Ley Road, St., James
for J.B. Cleghorn. In 1919 he and Hugh
McQueen, a Cape Town born architect, set up
practice and one of the rst contracts was the
design of a large house at 16 St. James Road,
for G.S. Ronaldson.
Gordon Pilkington - 1923
Their work continued in Ley Road, where
in February 1920 they designed a home for George Pilkington (Gordon’s
brother) at 11 Ley Road (Oriana). This was followed 12 May 1920 with the
design of a cottage, 9 Ley Road, for Mr. J.W. Abbott, as well as alterations

to Harold Jones’ home The Ranger, 7 Ley Road. This home was originally
built for T. Herbert to Austin Cooke’s design in 1905.
In 1921 Pilkington and McQueen parted company with Pilkington going
to Durban to supervise the design and construction of the Durban War

Memorial.

McQueen continued on his own
where he designed a new dance-
hall, lounge, cloakroom and dining-
room at the Kelvin Grove Country
Club. His only recorded work in
St. James was in August 1927
when he designed more garages
and a new double storey extension
of bedrooms and a passage way at
the south end of St. James Hotel
for Captain Gentry.

Brynmoor