author
Sir William Chambers
1723–1796
Best known for Somerset House and the famous pagoda at Kew, this 18th-century architect brought an unusually international outlook to British design. His travels in Asia and training in Europe helped shape a career that mixed classical order with fresh decorative ideas.
1 Audiobook
An Explanatory Discourse by Tan Chet-qua of Quang-chew-fu, Gent.
by Sir William Chambers
About the author
Born in Gothenburg in 1723 to Scottish parents, Sir William Chambers became one of the leading architects of Georgian Britain. Before fully turning to architecture, he worked for the Swedish East India Company and traveled widely, including voyages to China. He later studied architecture in Paris and Italy, experiences that gave his work a broad, cosmopolitan character.
Chambers built a major career in London and at court. He became architectural adviser to King George III, helped found the Royal Academy, and designed its first home at Somerset House. Among his best-known works are Somerset House itself, the Great Pagoda at Kew, and the Gold State Coach, all of which show his ability to combine grandeur with careful detail.
He was also an influential writer on architecture and design, helping to spread ideas about both classical building and Chinese-inspired ornament in Britain. Today he is remembered as a central figure in 18th-century architecture, admired for bringing together travel, scholarship, and practical design in a remarkably wide-ranging career.