Ebenezer James MacRae

He did various sketching tours around the country in his twenties: York, England (1902 and 1904), Melrose (1904), Belgium (1905), Cambridge (1907), Lincoln (1907), Northamptonshire (1907), and Oxford (1907).

Late in 1908 he got a post as an assistant in the City Architect's Department of the then Edinburgh Corporation, serving under James Anderson Williamson.

From this date onwards the main thrust of his workload would be the provision of high-quality social housing with good space standards and light levels.

[4] His final years as City Architect were relatively unproductive since most public building works ceased during World War II, an exception being the completion of West Pilton to a much depleted specification.

He resisted building more modern flats with shared facilities and only one housing development, Royston Mains Crescent (1935), designed by George C Robb, was built in facing brick.

Other housing developments include Prestonfield, Niddrie Mains (now demolished), Stenhouse, Redbraes, Saughton Golf Course (Whitson), Craigentinny, Granton and Craigmillar.

MacRae appears to have been involved in several projects promoting the history of Edinburgh: a series of bronze plaques at the head of the various historic closes along the Royal Mile, explaining their history; works at the Marquis of Huntly's house removing ground floor shops and addition of faux stone inscriptions; works in Greyfriars Kirkyard, consolidating tombs and organising recarving of several panels on the tops of tombs (leading to their current homogeneity).