Born in Bridge of Allan, nr Stirling, Scotland on 24 February, 1864 (GRO), he studied in London, Paris and Antwerp, and his landscapes were often of subjects painted in Suffolk, Holland, or in Kent where he established the Spenlove School of Modern Landscape Art in 1896 (known as the Yellow Door School, Beckenham), where he offered both private tuition in the studio, or by correspondence.

 Later the School moved to Victoria Street, London (c1919). From 1885-93, his sending-in address was Shortlands (Kent), his subject 'figures', and he had exhibited 57 works in that period. (Graves). Before his School opened, he must have spent some time in West Cornwall, as Bednar finds a painting with a Newlyn title in 1894. The artist married Clara Florence King, and had three children, Adelaide, Theodora and Algernon Francis Raymond SPENLOVE-SPENLOVE, the latter becoming an artist called Frank SPENLOVE as well. There is an article about the much better known Frank Spenlove, Senior, in The Artist (1932), a few months before his death; by this time, his son had quit painting. Frank died on 30 April, 1933, age 67 (GRO) in London.