Office of Works
Encyclopedia
The Office of Works was established in the English
Royal household
in 1378 to oversee the building of the royal castles and residences. In 1832 it became the Works Department within the Office of Woods, Forests, Land Revenues, Works and Buildings. It was reconstituted as a government department in 1851 and became part of the Ministry of Works in 1940.
The organisation of the office varied but latterly it was headed by a Surveyor and administered by a Comptroller. In 1782 these offices were merged into Surveyor-General and Comptroller. From 1761 there were named Architects. The office also had posts of Secretary, Master Mason and Master Carpenter.
After James Wyatt's death in 1813 a non-professional Surveyor-General was appointed Colonel
B.C. Stephenson he was assisted by three 'Attached Architects': Sir John Soane
, John Nash
and Sir Robert Smirke
. This arrangement ended with 1832 with the formation of the Works Department and H.H. Seward was appointed Surveyor of Works and Buildings.
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
Royal household
Royal Household
A Royal Household in ancient and medieval monarchies formed the basis for the general government of the country as well as providing for the needs of the sovereign and his relations....
in 1378 to oversee the building of the royal castles and residences. In 1832 it became the Works Department within the Office of Woods, Forests, Land Revenues, Works and Buildings. It was reconstituted as a government department in 1851 and became part of the Ministry of Works in 1940.
The organisation of the office varied but latterly it was headed by a Surveyor and administered by a Comptroller. In 1782 these offices were merged into Surveyor-General and Comptroller. From 1761 there were named Architects. The office also had posts of Secretary, Master Mason and Master Carpenter.
After James Wyatt's death in 1813 a non-professional Surveyor-General was appointed Colonel
Colonel
Colonel , abbreviated Col or COL, is a military rank of a senior commissioned officer. It or a corresponding rank exists in most armies and in many air forces; the naval equivalent rank is generally "Captain". It is also used in some police forces and other paramilitary rank structures...
B.C. Stephenson he was assisted by three 'Attached Architects': Sir John Soane
John Soane
Sir John Soane, RA was an English architect who specialised in the Neo-Classical style. His architectural works are distinguished by their clean lines, massing of simple form, decisive detailing, careful proportions and skilful use of light sources...
, John Nash
John Nash (architect)
John Nash was a British architect responsible for much of the layout of Regency London.-Biography:Born in Lambeth, London, the son of a Welsh millwright, Nash trained with the architect Sir Robert Taylor. He established his own practice in 1777, but his career was initially unsuccessful and...
and Sir Robert Smirke
Robert Smirke (architect)
Sir Robert Smirke was an English architect, one of the leaders of Greek Revival architecture his best known building in that style is the British Museum, though he also designed using other architectural styles...
. This arrangement ended with 1832 with the formation of the Works Department and H.H. Seward was appointed Surveyor of Works and Buildings.
Surveyor of the King's Works
- 1597-1604 William Spicer
- 1604-1606 Sir David CunninghamDavid Cunninghame of RobertlandSir David Cunninghame of Robertland, in Ayrshire, was Master of Work to the Crown of Scotland from 1602 to 1607.Involved in the murder of the Earl of Eglinton in 1585, Cunninghame spent some time in exile at the royal court of Denmark, and the Danish government wrote to James VI of Scotland to...
- 1606-1615 Simon Basil
- 1615-1643 Inigo JonesInigo JonesInigo Jones is the first significant British architect of the modern period, and the first to bring Italianate Renaissance architecture to England...
- 1643-1653 Edward Carter
- 1653-1660 John Embree
- 1660-1669 Sir John DenhamJohn Denham (poet)Sir John Denham was an English poet and courtier. He served as Surveyor of the King's Works and is buried in Westminster Abbey....
- 1669-1718 Sir Christopher WrenChristopher WrenSir Christopher Wren FRS is one of the most highly acclaimed English architects in history.He used to be accorded responsibility for rebuilding 51 churches in the City of London after the Great Fire in 1666, including his masterpiece, St. Paul's Cathedral, on Ludgate Hill, completed in 1710...
- 1718-1719 William Benson
- 1719-1726 Sir Thomas Hewett
- 1726-1737 Richard Arundell
- 1737-1743 Henry Fox
- 1743-1760 Henry Finch
- 1760-1768 Thomas Worsley
- 1779-1782 James Whitehead Keene
Comptroller of the King's Works
- 1423-1452 Robert Shiryngton, http://books.google.co.uk/books?id=6FIsN-A7lqwC&pg=PA112&lpg=PA112&dq=%22Controller+of+the+King's+Works%22&source=web&ots=7R7Gbaglym&sig=1teNyJMpdXHm6T_yy1ouQ2obHi4&hl=en
- 1456-1461 Peter Idley, http://www.artfact.com/catalog/viewLot.cfm?lotCode=R1OVE3D8
- 1597-1606 Simon Basil
- 1606-1641 Thomas BaldwinThomas Baldwin (comptroller)Thomas Baldwin was Comptroller of the King's Works from 1606 to 1641.Baldwin came from a family of Hertfordshire gentry. As Comptroller he seems to have been an administrator rather than an architect but did carry out a number of designs.He designed the Jesus Hospital at Bray, Berkshire for the...
- 1641-1668 James Wethered
- 1668-1684 Hugh MayHugh MayHugh May was an English architect in the period after the Restoration of King Charles II. He worked in the era which fell between the first introduction of Palladianism into England by Inigo Jones, and the full flowering of English Baroque under John Vanbrugh and Nicholas Hawksmoor. His own work...
- 1689-1702 William TalmanWilliam Talman (architect)William Talman was an English architect and landscape designer. A pupil of Sir Christopher Wren, in 1678 he and Thomas Apprice gained the office of King's Waiter in the Port of London...
- 1702-1726 Sir John VanbrughJohn VanbrughSir John Vanbrugh – 26 March 1726) was an English architect and dramatist, perhaps best known as the designer of Blenheim Palace and Castle Howard. He wrote two argumentative and outspoken Restoration comedies, The Relapse and The Provoked Wife , which have become enduring stage favourites...
- 1726-1758 Thomas RipleyThomas Ripley (architect)-Career:He first kept a coffee house in Wood Street, off Cheapside, London and in 1705 was admitted to the Carpenter's Company. An ex-carpenter, he rose by degrees to become an architect and Surveyor in the royal Office of Works...
- 1758-1769 Henry FlitcroftHenry FlitcroftHenry Flitcroft was a major English architect in the second generation of Palladianism. He came from a simple background: his father was a labourer in the gardens at Hampton Court and he began as a joiner by trade. Working as a carpenter at Burlington House, he fell from a scaffold and broke his leg...
- 1769-1782 Sir William ChambersWilliam Chambers (architect)Sir William Chambers was a Scottish architect, born in Gothenburg, Sweden, where his father was a merchant. Between 1740 and 1749 he was employed by the Swedish East India Company making several voyages to China where he studied Chinese architecture and decoration.Returning to Europe, he studied...
Surveyor-General and Comptroller
- 1782-1796 Sir William ChambersWilliam Chambers (architect)Sir William Chambers was a Scottish architect, born in Gothenburg, Sweden, where his father was a merchant. Between 1740 and 1749 he was employed by the Swedish East India Company making several voyages to China where he studied Chinese architecture and decoration.Returning to Europe, he studied...
- 1796-1813 James WyattJames WyattJames Wyatt RA , was an English architect, a rival of Robert Adam in the neoclassical style, who far outdid Adam in his work in the neo-Gothic style.-Early classical career:...
Deputy Surveyor
- 1718-1719 Colen CampbellColen CampbellColen Campbell was a pioneering Scottish architect who spent most of his career in England, and is credited as a founder of the Georgian style...
(dismissed) - 1719-1735 Westby Gill (promoted)
- 1735-1748 William KentWilliam KentWilliam Kent , born in Bridlington, Yorkshire, was an eminent English architect, landscape architect and furniture designer of the early 18th century.He was baptised as William Cant.-Education:...
(died in post) - 1748-1758 Henry FlitcroftHenry FlitcroftHenry Flitcroft was a major English architect in the second generation of Palladianism. He came from a simple background: his father was a labourer in the gardens at Hampton Court and he began as a joiner by trade. Working as a carpenter at Burlington House, he fell from a scaffold and broke his leg...
(promoted) - 1758-1780 Stephen Wright (died in post)
- 1780-1782 Sir Robert TaylorRobert Taylor (architect)Sir Robert Taylor was a notable English architect of the mid-late 18th century.Born at Woodford, Essex, Taylor followed in his father's footsteps and started working as a stonemason and sculptor, spending time as a pupil of Sir Henry Cheere...
Surveyor of the King's Private Roads
- 1660-1690 Andrew Lawrence
- 1690-1715 Michael Studholme
- 1716-1731 William WatkinsWilliam WatkinsWilliam Watkins may refer to:* Bill Watkins , Canadian baseball manager* Bill Watkins , CEO of Seagate Technology* Billy Watkins, head coach of the Auburn college football program, 1900–1901...
- 1731-1737 Richard Arundell
- 1737-1756 Thomas RipleyThomas Ripley (architect)-Career:He first kept a coffee house in Wood Street, off Cheapside, London and in 1705 was admitted to the Carpenter's Company. An ex-carpenter, he rose by degrees to become an architect and Surveyor in the royal Office of Works...
- 1756-1757 John Offley
- 1757-1760 Sir Henry Erskine, 5th BaronetSir Henry Erskine, 5th BaronetSir Henry Erskine, 5th Baronet was a Scottish soldier and politician.He served as Member of Parliament for Ayr Burghs 1749–1754 and for Anstruther Easter Burghs 1754–1765-References:*...
- 1760–1771 Hon. Edward FinchEdward FinchEdward Finch-Hatton was a diplomat and politician.He was born Hon. Edward Finch, 5th son of Daniel Finch, 2nd Earl of Nottingham and of Hon. Anne Hatton daughter and in her issue sole heiress of Christopher Hatton, 1st Viscount Hatton. He was educated at a school at Isleworth and at Trinity...
- 1771–1772 Thomas Whateley
- 1772–1782 Hon. Henry Fane
Superintendent of all the King's Gardens
- 1689-1700 William Bentinck, 1st Earl of PortlandWilliam Bentinck, 1st Earl of PortlandHans William Bentinck, 1st Earl of Portland, Baron Bentinck of Diepenheim and Schoonheten, KG, PC was a Dutch and English nobleman who became in an early stage the favourite of William, Prince of Orange, Stadtholder in the Netherlands, and future King of England. He was steady, sensible, modest...
- 1700-1702 Richard Jones, 1st Earl of RanelaghRichard Jones, 1st Earl of RanelaghRichard Jones, 1st Earl of Ranelagh PC FRS , known as The Viscount Ranelagh between 1669 and 1677, was an Irish peer, politician both in the Parliaments of England and Ireland.-Background:...
Surveyor of Gardens and Waters
- 1715-1726 Sir John VanbrughJohn VanbrughSir John Vanbrugh – 26 March 1726) was an English architect and dramatist, perhaps best known as the designer of Blenheim Palace and Castle Howard. He wrote two argumentative and outspoken Restoration comedies, The Relapse and The Provoked Wife , which have become enduring stage favourites...
- 1726-1737 Charles Dartiquenave
- 1738-1760 Hon. Thomas Hervey
- 1761-1763 George OnslowGeorge Onslow, 1st Earl of OnslowGeorge Onslow, 1st Earl of Onslow PC , known as The Lord Onslow from 1776 until 1801, was a British peer and politician....
- 1763-1763 Lord Charles SpencerLord Charles SpencerLord Charles Spencer PC was a British politician and courtier.-Background:Spencer was the second son of Charles Spencer, 3rd Duke of Marlborough, and the Hon. Elizabeth, daughter of Thomas Trevor, 2nd Baron Trevor...
- 1763-1764 John Marshe Dickinson
- 1764-1769 Hon. Charles Sloane CadoganCharles Cadogan, 1st Earl CadoganCharles Sloane Cadogan, 1st Earl Cadogan was a British peer and Whig politician.Cadogan was the only son of the 2nd Baron Cadogan and his wife, Elizabeth, the second daughter of Sir Hans Sloane, Bart. From 1749–54 and again from 1755, Cadogan was a Member of Parliament for Cambridge until he...
- 1770-1782 William Varey
Paymaster of the Works
- ?–1726 Charles Dartiqueneve
- 1726–1738 Hugh HowardHugh HowardHugh Howard was a portrait-painter and collector of works of art from Dublin.-Biography:Hugh Howard was born in Dublin on the 7 February 1675. He was the eldest son of Dr. Ralph Howard of Shelton, county Wicklow...
- 1738–1741 John HarrisJohn Harris (courtier)John Harris was a British courtier and politician.He was a Member of Parliament for Helston from 1727 and then sat for Ashburton from 1741 to 1767. From 1741 he also held the post of Master of the Household to George II and III....
- 1741–1742 Sir Robert Brown, 1st BaronetSir Robert Brown, 1st Baronet, of WestminsterSir Robert Brown, 1st Baronet was a British politician and merchant.He was the son of William Brown and Grisel Brice and for some time a merchant and King George II's resident in Venice...
- 1742–1743 Sir Charles Gilmour, 2nd Baronet
- 1743–1755 Denzil OnslowDenzil Onslow (of Stoughton)Denzil Onslow was a British politician. A member of the influential Onslow family of Surrey, he held a number of lucrative Government posts, and died owing a substantial sum to the Treasury through mismanagement of his accounts....
- 1755–1782 George Augustus Selwyn
Architect of the Works
- 1761-1769 Sir William Chambers
- 1761-1769 Robert AdamRobert AdamRobert Adam was a Scottish neoclassical architect, interior designer and furniture designer. He was the son of William Adam , Scotland's foremost architect of the time, and trained under him...
- 1769-1777 Sir Robert TaylorRobert Taylor (architect)Sir Robert Taylor was a notable English architect of the mid-late 18th century.Born at Woodford, Essex, Taylor followed in his father's footsteps and started working as a stonemason and sculptor, spending time as a pupil of Sir Henry Cheere...
- 1769-1782 James Adam
- 1777-1780 Thomas SandbyThomas SandbyThomas Sandby was an English draughtsman, watercolour artist, architect and teacher. Along with his younger brother Paul, he became one of the founding members of the Royal Academy in 1768, and was its first professor of architecture...
- 1780-1782 James Paine
Secretary to the Board of Works
- 1715-1718 Nicholas HawksmoorNicholas HawksmoorNicholas Hawksmoor was a British architect born in Nottinghamshire, probably in East Drayton.-Life:Hawksmoor was born in Nottinghamshire in 1661, into a yeoman farming family, almost certainly in East Drayton, Nottinghamshire. On his death he was to leave property at nearby Ragnall, Dunham and a...
- 1718-1719 Benjamin Benson
- 1719-1726 John HallamJohn HallamJohn William Francis Hallam was a Northern Irish character actor.- Career :He appeared in many film and television roles including Nicholas and Alexandra , Murphy's War , The Pallisers , The Mallens , Flash Gordon , Dragonslayer , the BBC television adaptations of Prince Caspian...
- 1726-1736 Nicholas HawksmoorNicholas HawksmoorNicholas Hawksmoor was a British architect born in Nottinghamshire, probably in East Drayton.-Life:Hawksmoor was born in Nottinghamshire in 1661, into a yeoman farming family, almost certainly in East Drayton, Nottinghamshire. On his death he was to leave property at nearby Ragnall, Dunham and a...
- 1736-1766 Isaac WareIsaac WareIsaac Ware was an English architect and translator of Italian Renaissance architect Andrea Palladio.He was apprenticed to Thomas Ripley, 1 August 1721, and followed him in positions in the Office of Works, but his mentor in design was Lord Burlington.Ware was a member of the St...
- 1766-1775 William Robinson
- 1775-1782 Kenton CouseKenton CouseKenton Couse was an English architect and Secretary to the Board of Works from 1775 to 1782.He was apprenticed to Henry Flitcroft whose patronage obtained him posts in the Office of Works. His most famous work was the remodelling of 10 Downing Street in 1766–1775. He was co-designer of the...