Colen Campbell
Colen Campbell was born in Nairshire, Scotland, in 1676 and was a pioneering architect. Although he initially trained as a lawyer. The reason for his attention turning to architecture is not known.
Vitruvius Britannicus
His major published work Vitruvius Britannicus, produced between 1715 - 1725 and consisting of three volumes, became one of the most influential texts of eighteenth-century Neo-Palladianism, in a way this book established Neo-Palladianism as the dominant style of eighteenth-century British architecture. Basically, it was a catalogue of design, featuring work by prominent architects of the seventeenth century, for example Inigo Jones and Christopher Wren, as well as contemporary buildings. Campbell was heavily influenced by the architect James Smith, whom he described in Vitruvius Britannicus as "the most experienced architect" in Scotland.
After the publication of this work, Richard Boyle, the third Lord Burlington, employed Campbell. So, the Scottish architect replaced James Gibbs as the architect of Burlington House, now the Royal Academy in London. In 1718, he was appointed deputy to the Surveyor General of the Royal Board of Works.
Some of Campbell´s most important architectural commissions:
1. Wanstead House, Essex (1714-1720), designed for Sir Richard Child
2. Stourhead, Wiltshire (1720-1724), built for London-based banker Henry Hoare
3. Mereworth Castle, Kent (1720-1725), commissioned by the honorable John Farn
Campbell died in 1729.
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