Bryden was born in Coylton in South Ayrshire, Scotland.
After a period working in the office of Hunter & Morris, architects in Ayr, he moved to London where he stayed for fifteen years studying, at the RSA and the Royal Academy, making a living from commissions and teaching art.
Among his works are bronze portraits of William Wallace and Robert the Bruce in Ayr Town Hall.
he also specialised in carved wooded figures, a collection of which are to be found at Rozelle House Galleries, a museum of art, in Ayrshire.
He published three volumes of etchings illustrating castles in the County of Ayrshire.