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Susan Wagg’s The Architecture of Andrew Thomas Taylor provides a complete history of the man’s career as an architect.

Taylor was born in Edinburgh, Scotland, in 1850. His maternal grandfather was a builder-contractor and “likely inspired Andrew to choose architecture,” according to Wagg. The book concentrates on Taylor’s early practice in Scotland and England from 1864 to 1883 and his twenty years in Canada until 1904. The last chapter is devoted to his return to England, where he lived until his death in 1937.

Taylor started his apprenticeship in Edinburgh, learning what was then considered contemporary “modern Gothic,” or High Victorian Gothic. During his working career in the United Kingdom he studied Victorian classism, castle and church architecture, English Gothic Revival, and other popular styles of the time.

He opened his own office in London, England, in 1879 and then took on a partner, with the firm becoming Taylor & Gordon. This allowed him to travel to Canada in 1883 to open an office in Montreal. It proved to be a lucrative move. In 1884 he received a large commission from the Bank of Montreal to renovate its head office at Place d’Armes.

Taylor’s career was aided by the fact that he was related to the affluent Redpath family, giving him many contacts. His clients were a who’s who of early Canadian wealth, with work on homes commissioned by the Redpath, Bovey Scott, Strathy and Drummond families, among others.

From 1898 to 1902, Taylor also dedicated much of his time to designing country homes and apartment buildings. His designs were spacious and eclectic in style, borrowing from his English training with influences from trips to the United States.

His corporate work continued to flourish across Canada and included the building of branch banks for the Bank of Montreal and some rival banks. The Redpath family’s involvement with McGill College also helped Taylor to receive numerous commissions there. And Taylor devoted time to the founding of both Quebec’s Association of Architects and McGill’s architecture department.

Wagg’s book is illustrated with numerous photos and architectural drawings and includes an appendix of Taylor’s work. The author has compiled a thorough chronological history of Taylor’s life and work and shows how one man left an imprint on this country.