William Dootson

• Born : 31 March 1875 at Little Bolton
• Married :  8 February 1902 Annie Crowther at Independent, Chapel Victoria Street, Blackpool
• Died : 12 February 1951 at 225 Northgate Road Stockport

William Dootson was born on 31 March 1865 at Bolton, the son of Henry Dootson, joiner and builder and his wife, Mary (Yarwood). By 1901 the family had moved to Blackpool where William trained as a joiner and shop-fitter. Only after the First World War did he commence practice as an architect obtaining a number of commissions for shops and commercial buildings during the inter-war period. Most were in central Manchester but also included work for Saxone Shoes in Blackpool and Preston. His early buildings show distinct influences of the Modern Movement, but later works are more overtly Art Deco. He became LRIBA in 1932 and a Fellow of Manchester Society of Architects about the same time.            

He married on 8 February 1902 Annie Crowther at Independent, Chapel Victoria Street, Blackpool, having issue two sons and two daughters. Both sons were employed in their father’s office in the 1930s.

William (Will) Dootson (born 1903 died 1988) worked as an assistant to his father in Stockport from late 1936 until November 1938 working on and Dobbins Store Oldham Street and Saxone Market Street. when he obtained a post as architectural technical assistant to Lycett & Platt Ltd of Manchester who had provided the shop-font and canopy for the Dobbins store. By 1942 Will Dootson accepted the post of staff architect to the Saxone Shoe Company in Kilmarnock and removed to Scotland.

Harry Dootson born 31 October 1915, died Taunton Deane Somerset 29 April 1982 is also said to have been employed by his father.

William Dootson died on 12 February 1951