John Nash (architect)

John Nash (18 January 1752 – 13 May 1835) was an English architect responsible for much of the layout of Regency London. He was the most important architect of the period 1800 to 1835

John Nash
John Nash.jpg
Personal information
Name John Nash
Nationality English
Birth date (1752-01-18)18 January 1752
Birth place Lambeth
Date of death 13 May 1835
Place of death Isle of Wight
Work
Buildings Royal Pavilion
Buckingham Palace

Life

Nash was born in Lambeth. He studied architecture as an apprentice to Sir Robert Taylor for nine years.[1]

From 1810, Nash would take very few private commissions. He was a dedicated Whig and was a friend of Charles James Fox, who was Foreign Secretary in 1806. Perhaps through Fox, Nash came to the attention of the Prince Regent (later King George IV). For the rest of his career he would largely work for the Prince. His first major commissions in 1811 from the Prince was Regent Street and the development of an area then known as Marylebone Park.

With the Regent's backing Nash created a master plan for the area, put into action from 1818 onwards, which stretched from St James’s northwards and included Regent Street, Regent's Park and its neighbouring streets, terraces and crescents of elegant town houses and villas. Nash did not complete all the detailed designs himself; in some instances, completion was left in the hands of other architects. Nash was employed by the Prince to develop his Ocean Pavilion Palace in Brighton, originally designed by Henry Holland. By 1822 Nash had finished his work on the Ocean Pavilion, which was now transformed into the Royal Pavilion.

His works

Examples of his work include:

London

England & Wales

John Pattisons house. Newport iow

Ireland

  • Ballindoon House
  • Killymoon Castle, near Cookstown, County Tyrone
  • Shanbally Castle, near Clogheen, South Tipperary
  • Rockingham House, Boyle, County Roscommon
  • Lough Cutra Castle, County Galway

John Nash (architect) Media

References

  1. Tyack, Geoffrey (Ed) (2013) John Nash Architect of the Picturesque, English Heritage, p. 3. ISBN 978-1848-021020