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William Henry Playfair

For other people with the same name, see William Playfair (disambiguation).

William Henry Playfair FRSE (15 July 1790 – 19 March 1857) was a prominent Scottish architect in the 19th century who designed the Eastern, or Third, New Town and many of Edinburgh's neoclassical landmarks.[1]

William Henry Playfair
FRSE
Portrait of William Henry Playfair
Born(1790-05-15)15 May 1790
London, England
Died19 March 1857(1857-03-19) (aged 66)
Edinburgh, Scotland
NationalityScottish
Alma materUniversity of Edinburgh
OccupationArchitect
ParentJames Playfair
BuildingsNational Gallery of Scotland
Old College, University of Edinburgh
Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh
Royal Scottish Academy Building
Dollar Academy
Signature
Playfair's townhouse at 17 Great Stuart Street, Edinburgh
Playfair's grave in Dean Cemetery, Edinburgh
Statue of William Henry Playfair, Chambers Street, Edinburgh

Life

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Playfair was born on 15 July 1790 in Russell Square, London to Jessie Graham and James Playfair.[2][3] His father was also an architect, and his uncles were the mathematician John Playfair and William Playfair, an economist and pioneer of statistical graphics. After his father's death he was sent to Edinburgh to be educated by his uncle John Playfair. He went on to study at the University of Edinburgh, graduating in 1809.[2] 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.[4] This is not a building of his own design, but is by his rival James Gillespie Graham.[5]

Playfair joined the Free Church following the Disruption of 1843,[6] losing his right to burial in the parish churchyard.

Playfair took David Cousin under his wing and was responsible for the latter part of his training.

 
Seal of Lodge St David, No.36.

Freemasonry

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Playfair was Initiated into Scottish Freemasonry in Lodge St David, No.36, (Edinburgh, Scotland) on 18 January 1815.[7]

Death

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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, where he designed monuments for others, including Lord Jeffrey.

Major works

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Two of his finest works are the neoclassical buildings of the National Gallery of Scotland and the Royal Scottish Academy which are in the centre of Edinburgh. The Playfair Project, completed in 2004, joined the two historic buildings with an underground link. Many of his architectural drawings are held by the University of Edinburgh Heritage Collections. [8]

Timeline of major projects

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The unfinished National Monument, Edinburgh, begun in 1826
 
Fine detailing by Playfair on the Royal Scottish Academy
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  •  
    Donaldson's College, Edinburgh 1851
  •  
    Old College, Edinburgh University
  •  
    Old College, Edinburgh University
  •  
    City Observatory, Edinburgh
  •  
    Three Edinburgh buildings by Playfair
  •  
    Royal Scottish Academy
  •  
    Royal Scottish Academy frontage
  •  
    Sphinxes on the Royal Scottish Academy
  •  
    Regent Terrace, Edinburgh
  •  
    John Playfair Monument, Calton Hill, Edinburgh
  •  
    St. Stephen's Church Edinburgh
  •  
    Surgeons' Hall, Edinburgh
  •  
    Dugald Stewart Monument, Calton Hill, Edinburgh
  •  
    Floors Castle, near Kelso
  •  
    New College, Edinburgh
  •  
    National Gallery of Scotland, Edinburgh
  •  
    Dollar Academy, Clackmannanshire
  •  
    Brownlow House, Lurgan, County Armagh, Northern Ireland

References

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  1. ^ "William Henry Playfair". Dictionary of Scottish Architects. Retrieved 11 September 2023.
  2. ^ a b McKean, Charles (2004). "Playfair, William Henry (1790–1857), architect". Oxford Dictionary of National Biography (online ed.). Oxford University Press. doi:10.1093/ref:odnb/22371. (Subscription or UK public library membership required.)
  3. ^ Waterston, Charles D; Macmillan Shearer, A (July 2006). Former Fellows of the Royal Society of Edinburgh, Vol. II. Edinburgh: The Royal Society of Edinburgh. ISBN 978-0-902198-84-5.
  4. ^ "Edinburgh - Post Office annual directory -1832–1833". National Library of Scotland.
  5. ^ CEC: listed buildings in Edinburgh
  6. ^ Dictionary of Scottish Architects:David Cousin
  7. ^ Notes on the History of Lodge St. David, Edinburgh, No.36. A. A. MacKay. 1922. P.54.
  8. ^ "Architectural Drawings". images.is.ed.ac.uk. Retrieved 28 March 2023.
  9. ^ "Our History – Independent Day and Boarding School – Dollar Academy". dollaracademy.org.uk. Retrieved 8 September 2016.
  10. ^ Jaques and McKean (1 September 1994). West Lothian - An Illustrated Architectural Guide. Scotland: The Rutland Press. pp. 106–107. ISBN 978-1873190258.

Sources

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Further reading

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  • Gow, Ian (1984): William Henry Playfair in Scottish Pioneers of the Greek Revival, The Scottish Georgian Society, Edinburgh, pp 43–55
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Wikimedia Commons has media related to William Henry Playfair.

"Playfair, William Henry" . Dictionary of National Biography. 1885–1900.

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