Francis William Deas

In 1890 he was articled to Robert Rowand Anderson and also began attending the new Edinburgh College of Art under Prof Frank Worthington Simon where he studied for three years.

This was partly in the companionship of Robert Lorimer (who was a lifelong friend), who apparently swayed him from his original intention of being an interior designer to instead be an architect.

He returned to Edinburgh late in 1897 and set up an office at 63 Frederick Street which he shared with Victor Daniel Horsburgh (but not as partners).

In 1902 he set up in a grander office at 15 Rutland Square, leased from Robert Rowand Anderson (now the headquarters of the RIAS).

This culminated, in part, in a paper published in the RIBA Journal in February 1931 on the life and work of Lorimer.