Office of Works

Department of building and maintenance of the English royal household

The Office of Works was established in the English royal household in 1378 to oversee the building and maintenance of the royal castles and residences. In 1832 it became the Works Department forces 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; senior posts included Surveyor of the King's Works (1578–1782) and Comptroller of the King's Works (1423–1782). 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: Major-General Sir Benjamin Stephenson. He was assisted by three "Attached Architects": Sir John Soane, John Nash and Sir Robert Smirke. This arrangement ended in 1832 with the formation of the Works Department, when architect Henry Hake Seward was appointed Surveyor of Works and Buildings.^[1]

Surveyor of the King's Works

1578–1590 Thomas Blagrave
1594–1595 Robert Adams
1597–1604 William Spicer
1604–1606 David Cunninghame of Robertland
1606–1615 Simon Basil
1615–1643 Inigo Jones
1643–1653 Edward Carter
1653–1660 John Embree
1660–1669 Sir John Denham
1669–1718 Christopher Wren
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 Whitshed Keene

Comptroller of the King's Works

1423–1452 Robert Shiryngton^[2]
1456–1461 Peter Idley^[3]
1597–1606 Simon Basil
1606–1641 Thomas Baldwin
1641–1668 James Wethered
1668–1684 Hugh May
1689–1702 William Talman
1702–1726 John Vanbrugh
1726–1758 Thomas Ripley
1758–1769 Henry Flitcroft
1769–1782 William Chambers

Surveyor-General and Comptroller

1782–1796 William Chambers
1796–1813 James Wyatt

Deputy Surveyor

1718–1719 Colen Campbell (dismissed)
1719–1735 Westby Gill (promoted)
1735–1748 William Kent (died in post)
1748–1758 Henry Flitcroft (promoted)
1758–1780 Stephen Wright (died in post)
1780–1782 Robert Taylor

Surveyor of the King's Private Roads

1660–1690 Andrew Lawrence
1690–1715 Michael Studholme
1716–1731 William Watkins
1731–1737 Richard Arundell
1737–1756 Thomas Ripley
1756–1757 John Offley
1757–1760 Sir Henry Erskine, 5th Baronet
1760–1771 Hon. Edward Finch
1771–1772 Thomas Whateley
1772–1782 Hon. Henry Fane

Surveyor of Royal Gardens

1660–1670 Adrian May
1670–1684 Hugh May

Superintendent of all the King's Gardens

1689–1700 William Bentinck, 1st Earl of Portland
1700–1702 Richard Jones, 1st Earl of Ranelagh

Surveyor of Gardens and Waters

1715–1726 John Vanbrugh
1726–1737 Charles Dartiquenave
1738–1760 Thomas Hervey
1761–1763 George Onslow, 1st Earl of Onslow
1763–1763 Lord Charles Spencer
1763–1764 John Marshe Dickinson
1764–1769 Charles Cadogan, 1st Earl Cadogan
1770–1782 William Varey

Paymaster of the Works

1660–1668 Hugh May
1668–1686 Philip Packer
1686–1706 Thomas Lloyd
1706–1726 Charles Dartiquenave
1726–1738 Hugh Howard
1738–1741 John Harris
1741–1742 Sir Robert Brown, 1st Baronet
1742–1743 Sir Charles Gilmour, 2nd Baronet
1743–1755 Denzil Onslow
1755–1782 George Augustus Selwyn

Architect of the Works

1761–1769 Sir William Chambers
1761–1769 Robert Adam
1769–1777 Sir Robert Taylor
1769–1782 James Adam
1777–1780 Thomas Sandby
1780–1782 James Paine

Secretary to the Board of Works

1715–1718 Nicholas Hawksmoor
1718–1719 Benjamin Benson
1719–1726 John Hallam
1726–1736 Nicholas Hawksmoor
1736–1766 Isaac Ware
1766–1775 William Robinson
1775–1782 Kenton Couse

References

^ Roberts, Jane (1997). Royal Landscape: The Gardens and Parks of Windsor. Yale University Press. p. 515. ISBN 978-0-300-07079-8.
^ Raumolin-Brunberg, Helena; Nevalainen, Terttu. Sociolinguistics and Language History: Studies Based on the Corpus of Early English Correspondence. Rodopi. p. 114. ISBN 978-90-5183-982-1. ... [Robert Shiryngton] served as the controller of the King's works from 1423 to 1452.
^ "Lot 61 | Peter Idley, instructions to his son, in Middle English Verse with sections of Latin prose, manuscript on vellum". Artfact. 2006. Archived from the original on 2013-01-21. ...held office as Controller of the King's Works throughout the kingdom from 1456 until about 1461.

Sources

H. M. Colvin, A Biographical Dictionary of British Architects, 1600-1840 (1997) ISBN 0-300-07207-4
H. M. Colvin, The History of the King's Works, London: H.M.S.O. (1963–1982)
- ISBN 0-11-670571-X
- ISBN 0-11-670568-X (v.3,pt 1)
- ISBN 0-11-670832-8 (v.4,pt 2)
- ISBN 0-11-670571-X (v.5)
- ISBN 0-11-670286-9 (v.6)
- ISBN 0-11-671116-7 (Plans 5-7)