Playfair, W. H. (William Henry), 1790-1857

William Henry Playfair (1789-1857) was born in Russell Square, London, in July 1789, the son of James Playfair, a London architect. He moved to Edinburgh in 1794, and trained as an architect under William Starke of Glasgow (d. 1813). He designed part of the Edinburgh new town in 1815, and the Royal and Regent Terraces in 1820, and worked on the buildings of the city university in 1817-1824. His other work in Edinburgh included the design for the Observatory, the Advocates' Library, the Royal Institution, the College of Surgeons, St Stephen's Church, the Free Church College, Donaldson's Hospital, and the National Gallery of Scotland. Playfair favoured the classical and Tudor styles for much of his work, which also included many country houses and mansions. He died in Edinburgh on 19 March 1857.

From the guide to the William Henry Playfair: Memoranda, 19th century, (Cambridge University Library, Department of Manuscripts and University Archives)

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