William Henry Playfair

FRSE Fellowship of the Royal Society of Edinburgh (FRSE) is an award granted to individuals that the Royal Society of Edinburgh, Scotland's national academy of science and letters, judged to be "eminently distinguished in their subject". This soci ...

(15 July 1790 – 19 March 1857) was a prominent Scottish architect in the 19th century, who designed the Eastern, or Third,

New Town New is an adjective referring to something recently made, discovered, or created. New or NEW may refer to: Music * New, singer of K-pop group The Boyz Albums and EPs * ''New'' (album), by Paul McCartney, 2013 * ''New'' (EP), by Regurgitator, ...

and many of Edinburgh's neoclassical landmarks.

Life

Playfair was born on 15 July 1790 in

Russell Square Russell Square is a large garden square in Bloomsbury, in the London Borough of Camden, built predominantly by the firm of James Burton. It is near the University of London's main buildings and the British Museum. Almost exactly square, to the ...

London London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...

to Jessie Graham and James Playfair. His father was also an architect, and his uncles were the mathematician

John Playfair John Playfair FRSE, FRS (10 March 1748 – 20 July 1819) was a Church of Scotland minister, remembered as a scientist and mathematician, and a professor of natural philosophy at the University of Edinburgh. He is best known for his book ''Illu ...

and

William Playfair William Playfair (22 September 1759 – 11 February 1823), a Scottish engineer and political economist, served as a secret agent on behalf of Great Britain during its war with France. The founder of graphical methods of statistics, Playfai ...

, an economist and pioneer of

statistical graphics Statistical graphics, also known as statistical graphical techniques, are graphics used in the field of statistics for data visualization. Overview Whereas statistics and data analysis procedures generally yield their output in numeric or tabul ...

. After his father's death he was sent to Edinburgh be educated by his uncle John Playfair. He went on to study at the

University of Edinburgh The University of Edinburgh ( sco, University o Edinburgh, gd, Oilthigh Dhùn Èideann; abbreviated as ''Edin.'' in post-nominals) is a public research university based in Edinburgh, Scotland. Granted a royal charter by King James VI in 15 ...

, graduating in 1809. He was first articled to the architect William Stark and when Stark died in 1813, he went to London. In the 1830s Playfair is listed as living at 17 Great Stuart Street on the prestigious Moray Estate in Edinburgh's West End. This is not a building of his own design, but is by his rival

James Gillespie Graham James Gillespie Graham (11 June 1776 – 11 March 1855) was a Scottish architect, prominent in the early 19th century. Life Graham was born in Dunblane on 11 June 1776. He was the son of Malcolm Gillespie, a solicitor. He was christened as J ...

. Playfair joined the

Free Church A free church is a Christian denomination that is intrinsically separate from government (as opposed to a state church). A free church does not define government policy, and a free church does not accept church theology or policy definitions fr ...

following the

Disruption of 1843 The Disruption of 1843, also known as the Great Disruption, was a schism in 1843 in which 450 evangelical ministers broke away from the Church of Scotland to form the Free Church of Scotland. The main conflict was over whether the Church of S ...

, losing his right to burial in the parish churchyard. Playfair took

David Cousin David Cousin (19 May 1809 – 14 August 1878) was a Scottish architect, landscape architect and planner, closely associated with early cemetery design and many prominent buildings in Edinburgh. From 1841 to 1872 he operated as Edinburgh’s ...

under his wing and was responsible for the latter part of his training. Seal of St David 36

Freemasonry

Playfair was Initiated into Scottish Freemasonry in Lodge St David, No.36, (Edinburgh, Scotland) on 18 January 1815.

Death

Playfair died in Edinburgh on 19 March 1857, and is buried in the "Lord's Row" on the western wall of Edinburgh's

Dean Cemetery The Dean Cemetery is a historically important Victorian cemetery north of the Dean Village, west of Edinburgh city centre, in Scotland. It lies between Queensferry Road and the Water of Leith, bounded on its east side by Dean Path and on ...

, where he designed monuments for others, including

Lord Jeffrey Francis Jeffrey, Lord Jeffrey (23 October 1773 – 26 January 1850) was a Scottish judge and literary critic. Life He was born at 7 Charles Street near Potterow in south Edinburgh, the son of George Jeffrey, a clerk in the Court of Sessi ...

Major works

Two of his finest works are the neoclassical buildings of the

National Gallery of Scotland The Scottish National Gallery (formerly the National Gallery of Scotland) is the national art gallery of Scotland. It is located on The Mound in central Edinburgh, close to Princes Street. The building was designed in a neoclassical style by W ...

and the

Royal Scottish Academy The Royal Scottish Academy (RSA) is the country’s national academy of art. It promotes contemporary Scottish art. The Academy was founded in 1826 by eleven artists meeting in Edinburgh. Originally named the Scottish Academy, it became the ...

which are in the centre of

Edinburgh Edinburgh ( ; gd, Dùn Èideann ) is the capital city of Scotland and one of its 32 Council areas of Scotland, council areas. Historically part of the county of Midlothian (interchangeably Edinburghshire before 1921), it is located in Lothian ...

. The

Playfair Project The Scottish National Gallery (formerly the National Gallery of Scotland) is the national art gallery of Scotland. It is located on The Mound in central Edinburgh, close to Princes Street. The building was designed in a Neoclassical architecture ...

, completed in 2004, joined the two historic buildings with an underground link.

Timeline of major projects

Detail on Royal Scottish Academy on the Mound

* 1817 Appointed architect to complete design work on the

Old College, University of Edinburgh Old College is a late 18th-century to early 19th-century building of the University of Edinburgh, Scotland. It is located on South Bridge, and presently houses parts of the University's administration, the University of Edinburgh School of Law, ...

, on the basis of his proposals to complete the plans originated by

Robert Adam Robert Adam (3 July 17283 March 1792) was a British neoclassical architect, interior designer and furniture designer. He was the son of William Adam (1689–1748), Scotland's foremost architect of the time, and trained under him. With his o ...

. The building was completed around 1831. * 1818 Commissioned to design

Dollar Academy Dollar Academy, founded in 1818 by John McNabb, is an independent co-educational day and boarding school in Scotland. The open campus occupies a site in the centre of Dollar, Clackmannanshire, at the foot of the Ochil Hills. Overview As of 20 ...

: the original building which he created is now known as the Playfair Building * 1818

City Observatory The City Observatory was an astronomical observatory on Calton Hill in Edinburgh, Scotland. It is also known as the Calton Hill Observatory. The site is enclosed by a boundary wall with a monument to John Playfair, president of the Edinburg ...

Calton Hill Calton Hill () is a hill in central Edinburgh, Scotland, situated beyond the east end of Princes Street and included in the city's UNESCO World Heritage Site. Views of, and from, the hill are often used in photographs and paintings of the ci ...

* 1820 East New Town (Calton Hill), Edinburgh (including

Regent A regent (from Latin : ruling, governing) is a person appointed to govern a state '' pro tempore'' (Latin: 'for the time being') because the monarch is a minor, absent, incapacitated or unable to discharge the powers and duties of the monarchy ...

Carlton Carlton may refer to: People * Carlton (name), a list of those with the given name or surname * Carlton (singer), English soul singer Carlton McCarthy * Carlton, a pen name used by Joseph Caldwell (1773–1835), American educator, Presbyterian ...

and Royal Terraces), built between 1821 and 1860 * 1821–24 Royal Terrace, East New Town, Edinburgh only completed in 1860 * 1822 Commissioned by the Institution for the Encouragement of Fine Arts in Scotland. The building was opened in 1826 and is now the Royal Scottish Academy Building, Edinburgh * 1823 Royal Circus, New Town, Edinburgh * 1824 in collaboration with

Charles Robert Cockerell Charles Robert Cockerell (27 April 1788 – 17 September 1863) was an English architect, archaeologist, and writer. He studied architecture under Robert Smirke. He went on an extended Grand Tour lasting seven years, mainly spent in Greece. H ...

, designed an exact replica of the

Parthenon The Parthenon (; grc, Παρθενών, , ; ell, Παρθενώνας, , ) is a former temple on the Athenian Acropolis, Greece, that was dedicated to the goddess Athena during the fifth century BC. Its decorative sculptures are considere ...

which was to be built on top of

as the

National Monument A national monument is a monument constructed in order to commemorate something of importance to national heritage, such as a country's founding, independence, war, or the life and death of a historical figure. The term may also refer to a spec ...

, Edinburgh. Due to lack of investment it was never finished. * 1825 Regent and Carlton Terraces, East New Town, Edinburgh, completed in the 1830s * 1826

Monument, (he was William Henry's uncle), Calton Hill, Edinburgh * 1827 – 1828 St Stephen's Church, St Stephen's Place,

Silvermills Silvermills, once an ancient village, has been part of Edinburgh since 1809. The village is most likely to have taken its name from mills erected to smelt and refine silver ore which had been found at Hilderstone in Linlithgowshire in 1607 or, al ...

, Edinburgh * 1829

Drumbanagher House Drumbanagher House (also known as ''Drumbanagher Castle'' and ''Closes Castle''), near Poyntzpass, County Armagh, was a large country house in Northern Ireland designed for Maxwell Close by William Notman, working under William Playfair in 1829, ...

, Armagh (demolished);

London Road Gardens, Edinburgh London Road Gardens (formerly Royal Terrace Gardens) are one of the collection of New Town Gardens located close to the city centre of Edinburgh in the New Town, part of the UNESCO World Heritage Site inscribed in 1995. They occupy a long strip o ...

* 1830 – 1832 For the

Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh The Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh (RCSEd) is a professional organisation of surgeons. The College has seven active faculties, covering a broad spectrum of surgical, dental, and other medical practices. Its main campus is located on ...

, Surgeons' Hall, Nicolson Street, Edinburgh * 1831

Dugald Stewart Monument The Dugald Stewart Monument is a memorial to the Scottish philosopher Dugald Stewart (1753–1828). It is situated on Calton Hill overlooking the city of Edinburgh and was designed by Scottish architect William Henry Playfair. Background Duga ...

, Calton Hill, Edinburgh * circa 1837 renovations to

Floors Castle Floors Castle, in Roxburghshire, south-east Scotland, is the seat of the Duke of Roxburghe. Despite its name it is an estate house rather than a fortress. It was built in the 1720s by the architect William Adam for Duke John, possibly incorporat ...

, outskirts of

Kelso, Scottish Borders Kelso ( sco, Kelsae gd, Cealsaidh) is a market town in the Scottish Borders area of Scotland. Within the boundaries of the historic county of Roxburghshire, it lies where the rivers Tweed and Teviot have their confluence. The town has a pop ...

* 1846 – 1850 New College, Edinburgh * 30 August 1850 Prince Albert laid the foundation stone of the

, adjacent to The Royal Scottish Academy. * 1851

Donaldson's College Donaldson's School, in Linlithgow is Scotland's national residential and day school, providing education, therapy and care for pupils who are deaf or who have communication difficulties. History The School's foundation, 1851 Donaldson's School ...

, Edinburgh * 1859 National Gallery of Scotland opened to the public two years after Playfair's death.

Gallery of architectural work

File:Edinburgh Donaldson College dsc06377.jpg,

, Edinburgh 1851 File:Old College courtyard.jpg, Old College, Edinburgh University File:Old College.jpg, Old College, Edinburgh University File:Edinburgh City Observatory.jpg, City Observatory, Edinburgh File:Three buildings in Edinburgh by William Henry Playfair.jpg, Three Edinburgh buildings by Playfair File:Royal Scottish Academy, Princes Street Edinburgh.jpg, Royal Scottish Academy File:Royal Scottish Academy on the Mound, Edinburgh.jpg, Royal Scottish Academy frontage File:Sphinxes on the Royal Scottish Academy, Edinburgh.jpg, Sphinxes on the Royal Scottish Academy File:Regent Terrace Edinburgh3.JPG, Regent Terrace, Edinburgh File:John Playfair Monument.jpg, John Playfair Monument, Calton Hill, Edinburgh File:St Stephens Church Edinburgh.jpg, St. Stephen's Church Edinburgh File:Surgeons' Hall, Nicolson Street Edinburgh.jpg, Surgeons' Hall, Edinburgh File:Dugald Stewart Monument.jpg, Dugald Stewart Monument, Calton Hill, Edinburgh File:Floors Castle.jpg, Floors Castle, near Kelso File:New College, Mound - geograph.org.uk - 1367403.jpg, New College, Edinburgh File:National Gallery of Scotland, the Mound Edinburgh.jpg, National Gallery of Scotland, Edinburgh File:Dollar Academy - geograph.org.uk - 1564651.jpg, Dollar Academy, Clackmannanshire File:Brownlow House.jpg, Brownlow House, Lurgan, County Armagh, Northern Ireland

References

Sources

Parks & Gardens, UK

External links

Dictionary of Scottish ArchitectsDictionary of Scottish Architects- William Henry Playfair
{{DEFAULTSORT:Playfair, William Henry 1790 births 1857 deaths Scottish architects British neoclassical architects Greek Revival architects 19th-century Scottish people Fellows of the Royal Society of Edinburgh Burials at the Dean Cemetery Alumni of the University of Edinburgh