Life and career

Born in Edinburgh

Edinburgh

Edinburgh is the capital city of Scotland, the second largest city in Scotland, and the eighth most populous in the United Kingdom. The City of Edinburgh Council governs one of Scotland's 32 local government council areas. The council area includes urban Edinburgh and a rural area...

, Henderson was the son of architect John Henderson

John Henderson (architect)

John Henderson was a Scottish architect. He is chiefly remembered as an ecclesiastical and tractarian architect working in the Gothic style....

 and Hannah Matilda Exley. From 1858–1861 he attended the Royal High School, Edinburgh. He then studied architecture under his father, but his studies were cut short when his father died in June 1862. His education was completed under architect David Cousin who inherited his father's architecture firm.

In May 1867 Henderson emigrated to Australia to join Alexander Davidson

Alexander Davidson

-References:...

's firm in Rokewood, Victoria

Rokewood, Victoria

Rokewood is a small rural township in Victoria, Australia. The town is located in the Golden Plains Shire, west of the state capital, Melbourne. At the 2006 census, Rokewood and the surrounding area had a population of 244.-History:...

. The two men had previously worked together as assistants to his father. Henderson lived with Davidson and his wife, and he initially worked for Davidson as an unpaid associate. Several large commissions in late 1868 helped catapult the venture into financial success which enabled Davidson to send money home to his family in Scotland. One of those projects was Barwon Park in Winchelsea, Victoria

Winchelsea, Victoria

Winchelsea is a town in Victoria, Australia. It is in the Surf Coast Shire local government area and located on the Barwon River 115 km south-west of Melbourne and close to Geelong .- History :...

 which is now a National Trust of Australia

National Trust of Australia

The Australian Council of National Trusts is the peak body for community-based, non-government organisations committed to promoting and conserving Australia's indigenous, natural and historic heritage....

.

In early 1869 the two men relocated the firm to Geelong and in late 1869 a formal partnership between Davidson and Henderson was established with Henderson, as junior partner, receiving a third of the profits. In 1870 the two men notably designed and built oldest buildings for Geelong College

The Geelong College

The Geelong College is an independent, co-educational, day and boarding school, located in Newtown, an inner-western suburb of Geelong, Victoria, Australia....

. The next few years brought several financial hardships to the firm resulting from a series of unfortunate incidents, including disputes with contractors and a depression in the wool industry which effected the economy of Geelong. As a result Davidson and Henderson ended their partnership in December 1873. However, a new partnership was established between the two in in July 1874 with Henderson receiving 4/9 of the profits.

In April 1876 Henderson and Davidson once again dissolved their partnership; this time permanently and on somewhat hostile terms. Henderson had been working largely as the firm's office manager and had overseen the costing of the jobs; work which left him little time for design which was his true passion. Unsatisfied with his position, he accepted an offer to become a partner to architect William Hay

William Hay (architect)

William Hay was a Scottish architect who was actively working internationally from 1842 to 1887. A specialist in gothic architecture, he is primarily known for his work on several churches and cathedrals. His most famous structure is the Bermuda Cathedral in Hamilton, Bermuda which he designed in...

 who had also trained under his father and had recently returned to Edinburgh after a highly successful career for many years as an architect in Toronto. He left Australia for Scotland a few months after dissolving his relationship with Davidson and in early 1877 formed an official partnership with Hay.

Henderson and Hay's practice in Edinburgh mainly consisted of building churches, both in Scotland and abroad. The two men notably designed the Cathedral of the Most Holy Trinity

Cathedral of the Most Holy Trinity

The Cathedral of the Most Holy Trinity is an Anglican cathedral located on Church Street in Hamilton, Bermuda. The original building was designed in the Old English style by James Cranston of Oxford in 1844 and was completed in 1869. That building was destroyed by fire in 1884...

 in Bermuda which was constructed in 1885. While Hay designed the majority of the structure; Henderson designed the eastern portion of the cathedral. He also assisted Hay in the restoration of St. Giles' Cathedral

St. Giles' Cathedral

St Giles' Cathedral, more properly termed the High Kirk of Edinburgh, is the principal place of worship of the Church of Scotland in Edinburgh. Its distinctive crown steeple is a prominent feature of the city skyline, at about a third of the way down the Royal Mile which runs from the Castle to...

 in Edinburgh from 1878–1884. The two men worked together until Hay became seriously ill in October 1887. Hay died eight months later and Henderson took over the practice which he led until his own death seven and a half years later.

In 1897 Henderson married Mary Elizabeth Leith Malcolm. The couple had two daughters together: Elizabeth Stella and Amy Louise Huntly. He died in 1905 at 25 Hermitage Gardens in Edinburgh at the age of 58. He is buried in The Grange, Edinburgh

The Grange, Edinburgh

The Grange is a suburb of Edinburgh, about one and a half miles south of the city centre, with Morningside and Greenhill to the west and Newington to the east. It is a conservation area characterised by large late Victorian stone-built villas, often with very large gardens...

.

Works

Building	Year Completed	Builder	Style	Source	Location	Image
St. Giles' Cathedral St. Giles' Cathedral St Giles' Cathedral, more properly termed the High Kirk of Edinburgh, is the principal place of worship of the Church of Scotland in Edinburgh. Its distinctive crown steeple is a prominent feature of the city skyline, at about a third of the way down the Royal Mile which runs from the Castle to...	1872-1884	William Hay (architect) William Hay (architect) William Hay was a Scottish architect who was actively working internationally from 1842 to 1887. A specialist in gothic architecture, he is primarily known for his work on several churches and cathedrals. His most famous structure is the Bermuda Cathedral in Hamilton, Bermuda which he designed in...  and George Henderson (architect) George Henderson (architect) -Life and career:Born in Edinburgh, Henderson was the son of architect John Henderson and Hannah Matilda Exley. From 1858–1861 he attended the Royal High School, Edinburgh. He then studied architecture under his father, but his studies were cut short when his father died in June 1862...	Gothic architecture Gothic architecture Gothic architecture is a style of architecture that flourished during the high and late medieval period. It evolved from Romanesque architecture and was succeeded by Renaissance architecture....		Edinburgh, Scotland
Bermuda Cathedral, Hamilton	1885	William Hay (architect) William Hay (architect) William Hay was a Scottish architect who was actively working internationally from 1842 to 1887. A specialist in gothic architecture, he is primarily known for his work on several churches and cathedrals. His most famous structure is the Bermuda Cathedral in Hamilton, Bermuda which he designed in...  and George Henderson (architect) George Henderson (architect) -Life and career:Born in Edinburgh, Henderson was the son of architect John Henderson and Hannah Matilda Exley. From 1858–1861 he attended the Royal High School, Edinburgh. He then studied architecture under his father, but his studies were cut short when his father died in June 1862...	Gothic architecture Gothic architecture Gothic architecture is a style of architecture that flourished during the high and late medieval period. It evolved from Romanesque architecture and was succeeded by Renaissance architecture....		Hamilton, Bermuda Hamilton, Bermuda Hamilton is the capital of the British Overseas Territory of Bermuda. It is the territory's financial centre and a major port and tourist destination.-Geography:...