William Burn (20 December 1789 – 15 February 1870) was a Scottish

architect An architect is a person who plans, designs and oversees the construction of buildings. To practice architecture means to provide services in connection with the design of buildings and the space within the site surrounding the buildings that h ...

. He received major commissions from the age of 20 until his death at 81. He built in many styles and was a pioneer of the

Scottish Baronial Scottish baronial or Scots baronial is an architectural style of 19th century Gothic Revival which revived the forms and ornaments of historical architecture of Scotland in the Late Middle Ages and the Early Modern Period. Reminiscent of Scot ...

Revival,often referred to as the golden age of Scottish architecture.

Life

Burn was born in Rose Street in

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 son of architect

Robert Burn Robert Burn may refer to: * Robert Burn (classicist) (1829–1904), English classical scholar and archaeologist * Robert Burn (naturalist) (born 1937), Australian naturalist and citizen scientist * Robert Scott Burn (1825–1901), Scottish engine ...

and his wife Janet Patterson. He was the fourth born and the eldest survivor of the 16 children born. William was educated at the

High School A secondary school describes an institution that provides secondary education and also usually includes the building where this takes place. Some secondary schools provide both '' lower secondary education'' (ages 11 to 14) and ''upper seconda ...

in Edinburgh's Old Town. He started training with Sir Robert Smirke in London in 1808. This is where worked on Lowther Castle with C.R. Cockerell, Henry Roberts, and Lewis Vulliamy. After training with the architect

Sir Robert Smirke Sir Robert Smirke (1 October 1780 – 18 April 1867) was an English architect, one of the leaders of Greek Revival architecture, though he also used other architectural styles. As architect to the Board of Works, he designed several major ...

, designer of the

British Museum The British Museum is a public museum dedicated to human history, art and culture located in the Bloomsbury area of London. Its permanent collection of eight million works is among the largest and most comprehensive in existence. It docum ...

, he returned to Edinburgh in 1812. Here he established a practice from the family builders' yard. His first independant commission was in Renfrewshire. In 1812 he designed the exchange assembly rooms for the Greenock. His father gave him the commission for a church in North Leith, this commission is what made his career and gave him a reputation. On August 3rd, 1815 Burn married Elizabeth MacVicar. They lost 2 out of 7 children. In 1816 Burn entered a competition to complete Robert Adam's University. He lost the competition to William Henry Playfair. This made him hate competitions and Playfair. After this is when he started designing country houses. These house have Burn a bigger career than another Scottish architect before him. In 1827 he was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society of Edinburgh, unusual for an architect, his proposer being

James Skene James Skene of Rubislaw (1775–1864) was a Scottish lawyer and amateur artist, best known as a friend of Sir Walter Scott. Life The second son of George Skene (1736–1776) of Rubislaw, Aberdeen and his wife Jane (Jean) Moir of Stoneywood, ...

. He resigned in 1845 following his move to London. In 1825, he took on a pupil,

David Bryce David Bryce FRSE FRIBA RSA (3 April 1803 – 7 May 1876) was a Scottish architect. Life Bryce was born at 5 South College Street in Edinburgh, the son of David Bryce (1763–1816) a grocer with a successful side interest in buildi ...

. In 1841 they went into partnership together. David ran the Scottish office and Burn ran the English office. By 1850 the Scottish office was much more profitable and the partnership ended. From 1844 he worked in

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 ...

, where he took on his nephew

John Macvicar Anderson John Macvicar Anderson (11 July 1835, Glasgow – 9 June 1915, London) was a Scottish architect. He was born in Glasgow in 1835, the son of John Anderson, merchant and the nephew of architect William Burn and his wife, Eliza Macvicar. He was ...

as a partner. In the 1830s he was living and working at 131 George Street in the New Town. He moved to London in 1844. He opened his practice on Stratton Street. Burn was a master of many styles, but all are typified by well-proportioned simplicity externally and frequent stunning interiors. He was a pioneer of the Scottish baronial Revival with

Helen's Tower Helen's Tower is a 19th-century folly and lookout tower near Bangor, County Down, Northern Ireland. It was built by the 5th Lord Dufferin and Claneboye and named for his mother, Helen. He intended it as a shrine for poems, first of all a poem b ...

(1848), Castlewellan Castle (1856), and

Balintore Castle Balintore Castle is a Victorian Category A listed building in Scotland. The castle occupies an elevated site in moorland above Balintore village, a few miles north of the Loch of Lintrathen, near Kirriemuir, Angus. A tower house named Balin ...

(1859).

Freemasonry

It has not been ascertained where Burn became a Freemason but he was the Grand Architect of the Grand Lodge of Scotland from 1827–44 when his pupil,

, was named as 'joint' Grand Architect. Both served the Grand Lodge of Antient Free and Accepted Masons of Scotland, in that joint capacity until 1849. Thereafter, David Bryce was Grand Architect in his own right until 1876.

Death

He died at 6 Stratton Street in Piccadilly, London, and is buried in

Kensal Green Cemetery Kensal Green Cemetery is a cemetery in the Kensal Green area of Queens Park in the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea in London, England. Inspired by Père Lachaise Cemetery in Paris, it was founded by the barrister George Frederick ...

just on the edge of the path to the north-west of the Anglican Chapel.

Trained under Burn

William Burn had many pupils: *

John Honeyman John Honeyman (1729August 18, 1822) was an American spy and British informant for George Washington, primarily responsible for spreading disinformation and gathering the intelligence crucial to Washington's victory in the Battle of Trenton. ...

John Lessels John Lessels (9 January 1809 – 12 November 1883) was a Scottish architect and artist, notably active in Edinburgh and also the Scottish Borders (he was responsible for numerous buildings and alteration projects in Berwickshire). Life He w ...

George Meikle Kemp George Meikle Kemp (25 May 1795—6 March 1844) was a self-taught Scottish architect who designed and built the Scott Monument in Edinburgh, Scotland. The poorly educated son of a shepherd, but showing talents in woodworking as a child, he was a ...

* Thomas Brown *

James Campbell Walker James Campbell Walker (11 April 1821 – 10 January 1888) was a Scottish architect in the 19th century, practising across the country and specialising in poorhouses and schools. His main claim to fame is in having designed Dunfermline Carnegie L ...

William Eden Nesfield William Eden Nesfield (2 April 1835 – 25 March 1888) was an English architect. Like his some-time partner, Richard Norman Shaw, he designed several houses in Britain in the revived 'Old English' and 'Queen Anne' styles during the 1860s and 1 ...

* David MacGibbon David Bryce went on to perfect the Scottish Baronial Revival style of architecture.

Works

Burn was a prolific architect and happy to turn his hand to a variety of styles. He designed churches, castles, public buildings,

country house An English country house is a large house or mansion in the English countryside. Such houses were often owned by individuals who also owned a town house. This allowed them to spend time in the country and in the city—hence, for these peopl ...

s (as many as 600), monuments and other structures, mainly in Scotland but also in England and Ireland. His works include among others:

Scotland

* Ardanaiseig House, near

Kilchrenan Kilchrenan ( gd, Cill Chrèanain) is a small village in the Argyll and Bute area of Scotland. Kilchrenan is located near to the end of the B845 road, about inland from Loch Awe. It forms part of the area of Avich and Kilchrenan Community Counci ...

, Argyll *

, Angus (1859) Scottish Baronial *

The Binns The House of the Binns, or simply the Binns, is a historic house in West Lothian, Scotland, the seat of the Dalyell family (pronounced ''dee el''). It dates from the early 17th century, and was the home of Tam Dalyell until his death in January ...

, remodelled for the Dalyell family (1811) Gothic *

Blairquhan Castle Blairquhan ( , sco, Blairwhan) is a Regency era castle near Maybole in South Ayrshire, Scotland. It was the historic home of the Hunter-Blair Baronets and remained in the family's possession until 2012, when it was sold to a Chinese company. ...

, South Ayrshire (1821) Gothic *

Blantyre Monument Blantyre Monument is a commemorative stone in Erskine, Renfrewshire. The monument is in the obelisk style. It is situated adjacent to the B815 road; in a field on the border with Bishopton. History The monument was built to commemorate the bra ...

, Erskine (1825) *

Camperdown House Camperdown may refer to: Places ;Australia * Camperdown, New South Wales, a suburb of Sydney * Camperdown, Victoria, a town in Western Victoria ;Canada * Camperdown Signal Station, operated 1797–1925, located on Portuguese Cove, Nova Scotia ;E ...

, Dundee (1820) Greek Revival *

Castle Menzies Castle Menzies in Scotland is the ancestral seat of the Clan Menzies and the Menzies Baronets. It is located a little to the west of the small village of Weem, near Aberfeldy in the Highlands of Perthshire, close to the former site of Weem ...

(1840) new wing *

Carstairs House Carstairs House, also known as Monteith House, is a country house south-west of Carstairs South Lanarkshire, Scotland. The house is protected as a category A listed building. History Carstairs House was designed by the Edinburgh architect Wil ...

, South Lanarkshire (1820–1823) Gothic * Corstorphine Old Parish Church (1828) – considered too radical and returned to its medieval orientation in 1905 *

Dornoch Cathedral Dornoch Cathedral is a former Roman Catholic cathedral and is currently a Church of Scotland parish church serving the small Sutherland town of Dornoch, in the Scottish Highlands. As a congregation of the Church of Scotland, which is Presbyteria ...

major reconstruction (1835–1837) * The Duke of Gordon's Monument, Elgin, Moray (1839) *

Dundas Castle Dundas Castle is a 15th-century castle, with substantial 19th-century additions by William Burn, in the Dalmeny parish of West Lothian, Scotland. The home of the Dundas family since the Middle Ages, it was sold in the late 19th century and is cur ...

, near Edinburgh (1818) Gothic * Dunira, Perthshire (1852) demolished * Dupplin Castle (1828) demolished *

The Edinburgh Academy The Edinburgh Academy is an independent day school in Edinburgh, Scotland, which was opened in 1824. The original building, on Henderson Row in the city's New Town, is now part of the Senior School. The Junior School is located on Arboretum Roa ...

(1824) * Gallanach House, near Oban, Argyll (1814) * Garscube House, Dunbartonshire (1827) *

Inverness Castle Inverness Castle ( gd, Caisteal Inbhir Nis) sits on a cliff overlooking the River Ness in Inverness, Scotland. A succession of castles have stood on this site since 1057, although the present structure dates from 1836. The present structure is ...

, Inverness (1836) Gothic *

John Watson's Institution The John Watson's Institution was a school established in Edinburgh, Scotland in 1762. The building was designed in the Greek Revival style in 1825 by architect William Burn. Following the closure of the school, the building was left vacated f ...

now the

Scottish National Gallery of Modern Art The Scottish National Gallery of Modern Art is part of the National Galleries of Scotland, which are based in Edinburgh, Scotland. The National Gallery of Modern Art houses the collection of modern and contemporary art dating from about 1900 to th ...

, Edinburgh (1825) Neoclassic * Keir Parish Church, Keirmill Village,

Dumfriesshire Dumfriesshire or the County of Dumfries or Shire of Dumfries (''Siorrachd Dhùn Phris'' in Gaelic) is a historic county and registration county in southern Scotland. The Dumfries lieutenancy area covers a similar area to the historic county. I ...

(1813) *

Lauriston Castle Lauriston Castle is a 16th-century tower house with 19th-century extensions overlooking the Firth of Forth, in Edinburgh, Scotland. It lies on Cramond Road South, between Cramond, Davidson's Mains, and Silverknowes. The substantial grounds, La ...

, Edinburgh, Scotland, (west range only) (1827) Jacobean * Lude House, Blair Atholl, Perth and Kinross (1837) * Murray Royal Lunatic Asylum, Perth (1827) *

North Leith Parish Church North Leith Parish Church is a congregation of the Church of Scotland, within the Presbytery of Edinburgh. It is serves part of Leith, formerly an independent burgh and since 1920 a part of the city of Edinburgh, Scotland. Building The current ...

, Madeira Street, Leith (1814) Neoclassical *

Church of St John the Evangelist, Edinburgh The Church of St John the Evangelist is a Scottish Episcopal church in the centre of Edinburgh, Scotland. It is sited at the west end of Princes Street at its junction with Lothian Road, and is protected as a category A listed building. Backg ...

(1818) Gothic * The

Melville Monument The Melville Monument is a large column in St Andrew Square, Edinburgh, Scotland, constructed between 1821 and 1827 as a memorial to Henry Dundas, 1st Viscount Melville. Dundas was a dominant figure in Scottish and British politics during much ...

in the centre of St Andrew Square,

(1820–3) (topped by a statue by Robert Forrest) * New Abbey Church,

Dunfermline Dunfermline (; sco, Dunfaurlin, gd, Dùn Phàrlain) is a city, parish and former Royal Burgh, in Fife, Scotland, on high ground from the northern shore of the Firth of Forth. The city currently has an estimated population of 58,508. Accord ...

, Fife (1821) *

Madras College Madras College, often referred to as Madras, is a Scottish comprehensive secondary school located in St Andrews, Fife. It educates over 1,400 pupils aged between 11 and 18 and was founded in 1833 by the Rev. Dr Andrew Bell. History Madras ...

, St Andrews (1832) Jacobean

England

* Adderstone Hall, near Lucker, Northumberland (1819) Georgian Grecian *

Cliveden Cliveden (pronounced ) is an English country house and estate in the care of the National Trust in Buckinghamshire, on the border with Berkshire. The Italianate mansion, also known as Cliveden House, crowns an outlying ridge of the Chiltern ...

, BuckinghamshireVictorian Cliveden: history of house and gardens
National Trust. Retrieved 2019-12-19. *

Harlaxton Manor Harlaxton is a village and civil parish in the South Kesteven district of Lincolnshire, England. It lies on the edge of the Vale of Belvoir and just off the A607, south-west from Grantham and north-east from Melton Mowbray. History A ...

, Grantham, Lincolnshire * Stoke Rochford Hall, Lincolnshire (1841–43). * Lynford Hall, Norfolk Jacobean * Montagu House, Whitehall, London, French Renaissance, demolished *

Prestwold Hall Prestwold Hall is a country house in Leicestershire, England, standing in of land in the parish of Prestwold. It is both a private home and a venue for weddings and events. History Prestwold Hall was, for many years, the seat of the Packe fami ...

, Loughborough, Leicestershire (1842) Classical *

Revesby Abbey Revesby Abbey was a Cistercian monastery near the village of Revesby in Lincolnshire, England. The abbey was founded in 1143 by William de Roumare, Earl of Lincoln, and the first monks came from Rievaulx Abbey. After the Dissolution of the Mo ...

, Lincolnshire (1845), Elizabethan-Jacobean * South Rauceby Hall, South Rauceby Lincolnshire (1842) * The Old Deanery, Lincoln, (1847) * Sandon Hall, Staffordshire, (1852), Jacobean

Ireland

Bangor Castle Bangor Castle is a country house situated in Castle Park in Bangor, County Down, Northern Ireland. The building, which is also referred to as Bangor Town Hall and is now used as the offices of Ards and North Down Borough Council, is a Grade A li ...

, County Down, Northern Ireland (1852) Elizabethan-Jacobean * Castlewellan Castle, County Down, Northern Ireland (1856) Scottish Baronial * Dartrey Castle, near Rockcorry in County Monaghan (1840s) Elizabethan-Jacobean, demolished *

, Clandeboye Estate near Bangor (1848) Scottish Baronial *

Muckross House Muckross House ( ga, Teach Mhucrois) is located on the small Muckross Peninsula between Muckross Lake and Lough Leane, two of the lakes of Killarney, from the town of Killarney in County Kerry, Ireland. In 1932 it was presented by Willia ...

, Killarney, County Kerry (1843) Tudor *Conservatory at Killruddery House (1852)
Irish Gardens
' by Olda FitzGerald, (1999) p. 170 ()

Gallery

File:Edinburgh Academy, Henderson Row - geograph.org.uk - 1405019.jpg,

Edinburgh Academy The Edinburgh Academy is an Independent school (United Kingdom), independent day school in Edinburgh, Scotland, which was opened in 1824. The original building, on Henderson Row in the city's New Town, Edinburgh, New Town, is now part of the Se ...

File:St Johns Princes Street Edinburgh.JPG, St Johns Princes Street Edinburgh File:Ceiling of St Johns, Princes Street, Edinburgh.JPG, Ceiling of St Johns, Princes Street, Edinburgh File:Melville Monument, Edinburgh.jpg, Melville Monument in St Andrew Square, Edinburgh File:WilliamBurnKensalGreen01.jpg, Burn's funerary monument, Kensal Green Cemetery, London File:Revesby Abbey, Lincolnshire (geograph 4661516).jpg, Revesby Abbey, Lincolnshire

References

External links

Gazetteer for Scotland- William Burn
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Burn, William 1789 births 1870 deaths Architects from Edinburgh People educated at the Royal High School, Edinburgh Burials at Kensal Green Cemetery Scottish baronial architecture