William Wilkins 1778-1839

Originally published in 1980, this was the first biography of William Wilkins, the regency architect whose reputation once rivalled that of Nash and who is probably the best known today as the designer of the National Gallery in London. The commissions he executed form an important part of our knowledge of the period; Wilkins’ earliest major scheme was Downing College, Cambridge (1806) which helped to spark the Greek revival in Britain. He also, however, had a taste for the gothic, as evinced in his screen for the front of King’s College. Making use of letters, sketches and notebooks, Dr Liscombe studies Wilkins’s career in detail. He charts his development from mathematics student at Cambridge to Professor of Architecture at the Royal Academy; he notes the technical innovations that affected his designs; he considers political and social ideas that lay behind his work; and he examines his friendships with influential figures.