Alexander Robert Robertson was born in Alford Aberdeen, Scotland on 27 September 1877 and was articled to David & Jorden in Aberdeen, Scotland in 1894 and studied at Aberdeen School of Design where he briefly taught. In c.1899 he moved to London where he attended the Royal Academy Schools in London and qualified as an architect in 1902. By 1908 he had moved to China and was working as an architect in Hankow. He had returned to London by 1910.
Robertson was elected an Associate of the Royal Institute of British Architects (ARIBA) in 1902 and a Fellow of the Royal Institute of British Architects (FRIBA) in 1926.
His address was given as 17 South Villas, Camden Square, London in 1905 and 1914; and 91 Brick Lane, London in 1923 and 1939. He died in Everett, Snohomish, Washington, USA on 17 October 1958
Directory of British Architects 1834-1914. Compiled by Antonia Brodie, et al. Volume 2: L-Z. London; New York: British Architectural Library, Royal Institute of British Architects/Continuum, 2001