Dictionary of Irish Architects 1720 - 1940

Architect and CE, of Belfast. Luke Livingston Macassey was born on 7 April 1843 at Carrickfergus, Co. Antrim, where his father was a Congregational minister. Both his parents died while he was still a child. After receiving his schooling at Foyle College, Derry, and St Paul's School, London, from 1856 to 1859 he studied land surveying and drawing from a private tutor and then, from 1859 to 1863, served a four-year pupilage in Derby with George Fletcher & Co., mechanical engineers. He returned to Ireland, where from 1863-65, he was assistant to WILLIAM HASTINGS  WILLIAM HASTINGS in Belfast and from 1865 to 1870 resident engineer for Brown, Kent & Co. in the construction of the new floating and tidal docks at Belfast Harbour. After a further year spent mainly in arbitration work in connection with contractors' accounts, he set up in private practice as a civil engineer in Belfast. He gained a reputation as a skilled arbitrator. In 1886 he was called to the English Bar, and had considerable practice at the Parliamentary Bar in connection with bills dealing with public works of an engineering nature. He also became a leading authority on waterworks. In 1874 he was appointed engineer to the Belfast City & District Water Commissioners, for whom he carried out extensive new work, including several reservoirs. His most important achievement was the development of a water supply for Belfast from the Silent Valley in the Mourne Mountains. He was succeeded in this post by his chief assistant FREDERICK WILLIAM MCCULLOUGH  FREDERICK WILLIAM MCCULLOUGH in 1895. He continued in private practice, having already opened an office in London; by 1904 he had been joined by his second son, Verner W. Macassey.(1) He had an abiding interest in the idea of a tunnel linking Ireland and Scotland, and was himself involved in one of the earlier schemes for such a tunnel. His pupils and assistants included JOHN SMYTH DALZELL JOHN SMYTH DALZELL , SAMUEL KERR KIRKER SAMUEL KERR KIRKER , HUGH LAMONT& HUGH LAMONT& #160; and ANDREW ROBINSON.  ANDREW ROBINSON.

Macassey died on 9 May 1908,(2) having been afflicted with acute rheumatism and gout for some months. Conservative in politics and Church of Ireland by religious denomination, he was also a freemason and a member of the Loyal Orange Institution. His friends, according to the obituary in the Belfast News Letter appreciated 'his varied accomplishments, his kindly humour, his skill as a raconteur, his sincerity of purpose, and his sterling , upright character'. He was married to a daughter of the Rev. James White, minister of the First Presbyterian Church in Carrickfergus, by whom he had six sons and five daughters. His eldest son, Lynden Livingston Macassey (1876-1963), after training as an engineer, became a successful barrister and was knighted in 1917;(3) the third, Ernest (d. 1947), was a Church of England clergyman and journalist.(4)

Inst.CE: elected associate member, 4 February 1879; transferred to member, 9 February 1886.

RSAI: elected member, 12 January 1892.(5)

Belfast Architectural and Engineering Association: reads paper, 'Subaqueous Foundations, 2 Feruary 1866;(6) reads paper, 'Some Notes on Construction', 27 Mar 1876.(7) Belfast Natural History & Philosophical Society:(8) leads discussion on the proposed Channel Tunnel, 6 January 1891; reads papers, 'The Filtration Works for the improvement of the water supply of Belfast', 27 January 1892, 'The Mourne Water Scheme', 2 January 1893, 'A run through the Mourne Mountains', 5 January 1887, 'The Mourne Scheme for the supply of water to the City of Belfast', 8 April 1902.

GLFI: member of Royal Arch Chapter 109.

Addresses:(Work, Belfast) High Street, 1870;(9) 5 Lombard Street, 1880;(10) 2 Rosemary Street, 1886; Garfield Chambers, Royal Avenue, Belfast, 1886; 7 Chichester Street, <=1892->=1906.(11) (Work, London): 1 Plowden Buildings, Temple EC, 1892; 38 Parliament Street, SW, 1895. Home: Sunbury, Cadogan Park, Belfast, at time of death.

See WORKS, BIBLIOGRAPHY. BIBLIOGRAPHY.



References

All information in this entry not otherwise accounted for is from the obituary of Macassey in IB 50, 16 May 1908, 317-18 (reprinted from the Belfast New Letter) and from the archives of the Institution of Civil Engineers, kindly suppied by Mrs Carol Morgan. For Macassey's training and early career I have followed his candidate's circular for admission to the Institution, 1878, rather than the Belfast News Letter obituary, which states that he 'served his apprenticeship with the late Mr T. Watters, engineer and surveyor, Belfast, subsequently being in the office of the late Mr Hanna' and that he received the later part of his training in London.

(1) IB 46, 30 Jul 1904, 498.
(2) The date is given as 9 May in The Belfast News Letter but as 11 May in the Inst.CE archives.
(3) Who was Who (1961-1970), 704.
(4) Who was Who (1941-1950), 714.
(5) JRSAI 22 (1892), ?.
(6) IB 10, 15 Feb 1866, 54.
(7) IB 18, 1 Apr 1876, 86; B 34, 8 Apr 1876, 348.
(8) Information about Macassey's pepers from A. Deane, ed., The Belfast Natural History and Philosophical Society Centenary Volume 1821-1921 (1924), 138.
(9) IB 12, 15 May 1870, 114.
(10) Marcus Patton, Central Belfast: an historical gazetteer (UAHS, 1993), 218.
(11) JRSAI 22, ? (1892) and IB 48, 22 Sep 1906, 782.


24 work entries listed in chronological order for MACASSEY, LUKE LIVINGSTON


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Building: CO. ANTRIM, BELFAST, VICTORIA STREET, NO. 080 (TOWN HALL & MUNICIPAL OFFICES)
Date: 1869
Nature: Competition entrant.
Refs: IB 11, 15 Apr 1869, 89

Building: CO. ANTRIM, BELFAST, MALONE ROAD, NO. 003 & 5
Date: 1869
Nature: Pair of 3-storey stuccoed semi-detached houses.
Refs: Paul Larmour, The Architectural Heritage of Malone & Stranmillis (UAHS, 1991), 101

Building: CO. ANTRIM, BELFAST, ANNADALE, HOUSE
Date: 1870a
Nature: House for James Greer completed from plans and under superintendence of LM; 'entire work carried out by day labour'.
Refs: IB 12, 15 May 1870, 114 (illus. facing p. 116).

Building: CO. ANTRIM, BELFAST, DONEGALL STREET, CONGREGATIONAL CHURCH
Date: 1871
Nature: Street front additions on each side and double stair in centre. Contractor: Guiler.
Refs: IB 75, 5 Jul 1933, 586; Paul Larmour, Belfast: an illustrated architectural guide (1987), 95 (no. 225, illus.); Marcus Patton, Central Belfast: an historical gazetteer (UAHS, 1993), 128

Building: CO. ANTRIM, LOUGHMOURNE RESERVOIR
Date: 1879p
Nature: Construction supervised by LLM.
Refs: IB 50, 16 May 1908, 317

Building: CO. ANTRIM, BELTOY WATERCOURSE
Date: 1879p
Nature: Construction supervised by LLM.
Refs: IB 50, 16 May 1908, 317

Building: CO. ANTRIM, LARNE, WATER SUPPLY
Date: 1883
Nature: New water supply from spring at Sallagh about 4 miles from the town. Contractors: Sweeny & McLernon, Sligo.
Refs: IB 24, 15 May 1882, 162

Building: CO. ANTRIM, PORTRUSH, SEWERAGE
Date: 1885-86
Nature: Lowest tender of £1,100 accepted, subject ot LLM's approval.
Refs: IB 27, 1 Nov 1885; 28, 15 Feb 1886, 60

Building: CO. ANTRIM, LARNE, SEWERAGE
Date: 1887
Nature: New sewerage works.
Refs: IB 29, 1 Apr 1887, 104

Building: CO. ANTRIM, BELFAST, FORKED BRIDGE FILTERS
Date: 1889p
Nature: Construction supervised by LLM.
Refs: IB 50, 16 May 1908, 317

Building: CO. DOWN, SILENT VALLEY RESERVOIR & WATER SUPPLY SCHEME
Date: 1891-92
Nature: Engineer of water supply scheme from Silent Valley in Mourne Mountains for Belfast Water Commissioners.(Lodge and entrance to be inscribed 1898; architect 'L.B.', see W.H. Stephens & Sons papers, PRONI D/1898/1/21)
Refs: IB 33, 15 Oct 1891, 236; 34, 1 Aug 1892, 163; 42, 15 Feb 1900, 281; 93, 10 Oct 1901, 887; 64, 22 Apr 1922, 357; Building News 75, 2 Sep 1898, 339

Building: CO. DERRY, DUNGIVEN, WATER SUPPLY
Date: 1892;1894
Nature: Contractor for supplying and laying pipes, &c: R. Rogers, Limavady (£739-8s-2d.
Refs: IB 34, 15 Sep 1892, 202; 36, 1 Feb 1894, 38

Building: CO. ANTRIM, BALLYCASTLE, WATERWORKS
Date: 1894
Nature: Contractor: Boyle & Clyde.
Refs: B 66, 2 Jun 1894, 432

Building: CO. ANTRIM, BELFAST, KNOCKBRACKEN, WATER MAIN
Date: 1899
Nature: Contractor: Laverty & Sons, Belfast (£9,121).
Refs: IB 41, 1 Oct,1 Nov 1899, 150,177; 50, 16 May 1908, 317

Building: CO. OFFALY, BIRR, WATERWORKS
Date: 1899
Nature: High pressure waterworks scheme.
Refs: IB 41, 15 Sep,1 Dec 1899, 131,200; 42, 15 Mar 1900, 309

Building: CO. ANTRIM, BELFAST, OLDPARK, RESERVOIRS
Date: 1900
Nature: 2 new filter reservoirs for Belfast & District Water commissioners. Contractor: Courtney. Approximate cost: £15,000.
Refs: IB 41, 1 Oct 1899, 15; 42, 15 Jan 1900, 246; 43, 27 Mar 1901, 675; 50, 16 May 1908, 317

Building: CO. DOWN, HOLYWOOD, WATER SUPPLY
Date: 1900
Nature: Proposed extension to present reservoir. Contractor: Granger Bros, Holywood. (£1,338.12s.6d.)
Refs: IB 42, 15 Feb,15 Aug 1900, 281,458

Building: CO. FERMANAGH, ENNISKILLEN, WATER SUPPLY
Date: 1901
Nature: LLM submits scheme costing £4,100.
Refs: IB 43, 12 Sep 1901, 859

Building: CO. KILKENNY, KILKENNY, WATER SUPPLY
Date: 1902-1905
Nature: LLM and A.M. Burden engineers for new Kilkenny waterworks, for Kilkenny Corporation.
Refs: IB 44, 9 Oct 1902, 1440; 47, 22 Apr 1905, 269

Building: CO. CORK, FERMOY, WATERWORKS
Date: 1903-04
Nature: Supplementary waterworks for Fermoy UDC. Contractor: McKee & McNally, Dungannon (£2,640)
Refs: IB 45, 7 May 1903, 1732; 46, 7 May,30 Jul13 Aug 1904, 272,498, ?

Building: CO. DOWN, BANGOR, WATER SUPPLY EXTENSION SCHEME
Date: 1906-07
Nature: New waterworks and reservoir at Ballysallagh for Bangor UDC. Contractor: H. & J. Martin. Carried on after LLM's death by his son, V.W. Macassey.
Refs: IB 46, 17 Dec 1904, 866; 48, 8,22 Sep,17 Nov 1906, 742,782,927; 49, 10 Aug 1907, 570; 50, 13 Jun 1908, 373; 51, 21 Aug 1909, 542

Building: CO. ANTRIM, BELFAST, DORISLAND RESERVOIR & CONDUIT
Date: ?
Nature: Construction supervised by LLM.
Refs: IB 50, 16 May 1908, 317

Building: CO. ANTRIM, BELFAST, FRENCHPARK CONDUIT
Date: ?
Nature: Construction supervised by LLM.
Refs: IB 50, 16 May 1908, 317

Building: CO. ANTRIM, BELFAST, UPPER SOUTH WOODBURN RESERVOIR
Date: ?
Nature: Construction supervised by LLM.
Refs: IB 50, 16 May 1908, 317

Author Title Date Details
Macassey, Luke Livingston Hints on Water Supply of Small Towns and vVillages 1877 London & Belfast, 1877.
Macassey, Luke Livingston Private Bill Legislation and Provisional Orders 1887 London: C. Lockwood & Co., 1887.
Macassey, Luke Livingston, & Scott, William Report of the proposed railway tunnel between Scotland and Ireland 1868 London &Belfast, [1868].. (Pamphlet reviewed in IB 10, 15 Jul 1868, 170.)
Macassey, Luke Livingston, & Strahan, J.a. The Law relating to civil engineers, architects, and contractors 1897 London: Stevens & Sons, 1890; 2nd edition, 1897.