William Alphonsus Scott [also known as William A. Scott] was born in Dublin, Ireland on 1 September 1871 and was the son of the architect Anthony Scott (c.1845-1919). From 1887 to 1890 he trained in his father's office in Dublin before being articled to Sir Thomas Manly Deane (1851-1933) of Sir Thomas Newenham Deane & Son in Dublin from 1890 to 1893. He then returned to his father's office where he worked as his assistant for six years as A. Scott & Son. He was also employed for six months by the Board of Works, and at some point attended classes at the Metropolitan School of Art in Dublin.
In 1898 he qualified as an architect and in 1899 he moved to London where he worked in various architectural offices, notably that of the Superintending Architect's Department of the London County Council. During this period he was heavily influenced by the prevailing Arts and Crafts movement, particularly by the work of C.F.A. Voysey.
Following his return to Dublin in 1902, Scott set up his own practice. His architectural work was varied and included a range of buildings for the Roman Catholic Church; town halls for Enniskillen (1897-1901) and Cavan (1907-11); several private houses; and the 'garden village' at Talbot's Inch, Kilkenny (1906). In 1917-19 he restored and furnished a medieval tower house, Thoor Ballylee in co. Galway, for the poet W. B. Yeats.
In 1911 Scott was appointed Professor of Architecture at the National University of Ireland. He was elected an a Member of the Architectural Association of Ireland (MAAI) in 1896, and Associate of the Royal Institute of British Architects (ARIBA) in 1899, a Member of the Society of Architects (MSA) in 1899, and an Associate member of the Royal Hibernian Academy (ARHA) in 1910. He died in Dublin on 23 April 1921.
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