Douglas practised for the whole of his career in a provincial county town, and most of his works were concentrated in Cheshire and North Wales, yet he "conducted a practice which achieved national renown". He was never a member of the Royal Institute of British Architects, but his works featured frequently in national publications, including "Building News", "The Builder", "The Architect", and "The British Architect", the last of which particularly praised many of his works. A number of Douglas's works were exhibited at the Royal Academy and appeared in "Academy Architecture". Douglas's obituary in "The British Architect" referred to him as having "achieved a reputation which has long placed him in the front rank of living architects". In the series "The Buildings of England", Nikolaus Pevsner described him, without reservation, as "the best Cheshire architect". In the companion series "The Buildings of Wales: Clwyd", Hubbard expressed the opinion that he was "the most important and active local architect of the period". Critical praise was not confined to Britain; Douglas's works were acclaimed by the French architect Paul Sédille, and Muthesius wrote of his "consummate mastery of form". Despite this, the only official recognition he received in his lifetime was a medal for Abbeystead House, which was shown at an exhibition in Paris.