Samuel Bell
Illustration — The Steeple Church, Dundee Samuel Bell (1739–1813) was a Scottish architect mainly associated with the town of Dundee. He was the prime shaper of the city centre and in particular the Nethergate.
Samuel Bell
Stephencdickson · CC BY-SA 4.0
- Born
- 1739 · Dundee.
- Died
- 1813 · Dundee.
- Nationality
- United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland · Kingdom of Great Britain
- Occupation
- architect
VALÉORINE Encyclopedia
VALÉORINE documentary reading
Documentary summary
Illustration — The Steeple Church, Dundee Samuel Bell (1739–1813) was a Scottish architect mainly associated with the town of Dundee. He was the prime shaper of the city centre and in particular the Nethergate.
Admitted source layer · organised and presented by VALÉORINE
Note VALÉORINE
Samuel Bell (1739–1813) was an architect, of British and British nationality. The architect was born and died in Dundee.
Composed from admitted, traceable facts · 27 September 2026
VALÉORINE
Reference Check
Propose documentary evidence for Samuel Bell. A contribution is never written directly as fact: identity, source, rights and evidence gates still decide.
Sign in to contribute
World of VALÉORINE
Documentary connections
Only confirmed graph relationships appear here. Images are shown only when their identity and reuse rights both pass the documentary gate.
Documentary evidence
Documentary basis
Authority files
wikidata · Q104836441
In this article
Life
Life
• Illustration — Nethergate House, Dundee • Illustration — Morgan Tower, Nethergate, Dundee • Illustration — Miln's Building, Nethergate, Dundee • Illustration — Theatre Royal Dundee He was born on 6 May 1739, the son of John Bell, a wright in Dundee and originally trained as a wright himself. In this role he would have worked with local architects from 1755 to 1770. He then became an architect and received many local commissions from 1770 onwards. He was the first person to be officially Town Architect for Dundee. His most important commission in terms of prestige was the major rebuilding of Dundee's primary church: the Steeple Church. He died on 23 January 1813 and is buried in The Howff burial ground in Dundee.
Main works
Main works
All works are in Dundee unless otherwise stated. • St Andrews Church (1772) working with James Craig • Trades Hall (1776) • English Episcopal Chapel (1783) • St Clements Church (1786) later renamed the Steeple Church • Forfar Parish Church (1788) • "Miln's Building" at 136 Nethergate (1790) • Morgan Tower, 133-139 Nethergate (1790) • Town house for Alexander Riddoch (1790) now known as Nethergate House • Sailor's Home (1790) • Trinity House (1790) • Lintrathen manse (1795) • Tannadice manse (1797) • Duntrune Mill (1799) • Aberlemno Parish Church (1799) • Theatre Royal (1808) • Kinnettles Parish Church (1811) • St Rule's Church, Monifieth (1812) The Theatre Royal still exists as a frontage; at 7 to 21 Castle Street Nethergate House also survives.
Family
Family
Not known
Notes from the source article
Cited by Wikipedia
Notes from the source article
These works are cited by the source article, in its own numbering. They are recorded as its citations, not as sources VALÉORINE has verified.
- 1.Dictionary of Scottish Architects - DSA Architect Biography Report (July 22, 2021, 4:24 am).
- 2.The Dundee Book by Billy Kay
- 3.Outline History.
- 4.Dundee Howff Conservation Group. Stone No.570. Tombs of the Dundee Howff.
- 5.LB25001. 7-21 (Odd Nos) Castle Street, Former Theatre Royal.
- 6.Nethergate House from the Gazetteer for Scotland.
References
Citations
References
Each reference names the institution holding it, so a reader may go to the document itself.
authority record
General reference
The Encyclopedia exists whether or not anything is for sale. Corrections are recorded rather than overwritten, and every version of this record is kept. Published 18 August 2026.
Elsewhere in Design
11,558 published records in this field, each with its sources named.
- Samuel ActonDesigner
- Samuel AngellDesigner
- Samuel B. ReedDesigner
- Samuel BeazleyDesigner
- Samuel BernerDesigner
- Samuel Bridgman RussellDesigner
- Samuel BrownDesigner
- Samuel Burleigh GabrielDesigner
Best supported in this field
For owners
Own a work by Samuel Bell?
A specialist will read what you send and tell you what the house can establish, what it cannot, and whether the object is suited to sale. There is no charge and no obligation. The object stays with you throughout; nothing is shipped to us unless it is arranged in writing beforehand.