Robert Adam (3 July 17283 March 1792) was a British neoclassical architect, interior designer and furniture designer. He was the son of William Adam (1689–1748), Scotland's foremost architect of the time, and trained under him. With his older brother

John John is a common English name and surname: * John (given name) * John (surname) John may also refer to: New Testament Works * Gospel of John, a title often shortened to John * First Epistle of John, often shortened to 1 John * Secon ...

, Robert took on the family business, which included lucrative work for the

Board of Ordnance The Board of Ordnance was a British government body. Established in the Tudor period, it had its headquarters in the Tower of London. Its primary responsibilities were 'to act as custodian of the lands, depots and forts required for the defence o ...

, after William's death. In 1754, he left for Rome, spending nearly five years on the continent studying architecture under Charles-Louis Clérisseau and Giovanni Battista Piranesi. On his return to Britain he established a practice in London, where he was joined by his younger brother James. Here he developed the " Adam Style", and his theory of "movement" in architecture, based on his studies of antiquity and became one of the most successful and fashionable architects in the country. Adam held the post of Architect of the King's Works from 1761 to 1769. Robert Adam was a leader of the first phase of the classical revival in England and Scotland from around 1760 until his death. He influenced the development of Western architecture, both in Europe and in

North America North America is a continent in the Northern Hemisphere and almost entirely within the Western Hemisphere. It is bordered to the north by the Arctic Ocean, to the east by the Atlantic Ocean, to the southeast by South America and th ...

. Adam designed interiors and fittings as well as houses. Much of his work consisted of remodelling existing houses, as well as contributions to Edinburgh's townscape and designing romantic pseudo-mediaeval country houses in Scotland. He served as the member of Parliament for Kinross-shire from 1768 to 1774.

Biography

Early life

Adam was born on 3 July 1728 at Gladney House in

Kirkcaldy Kirkcaldy ( ; sco, Kirkcaldy; gd, Cair Chaladain) is a town and former royal burgh in Fife, on the east coast of Scotland. It is about north of Edinburgh and south-southwest of Dundee. The town had a recorded population of 49,460 in 2011 ...

, Fife, the second son of Mary Robertson (1699–1761), the daughter of William Robertson of Gladney, and architect William Adam. As a child he was noted as having a "feeble constitution". From 1734 at the age of six Adam attended the Royal High School, Edinburgh where he learned

Latin Latin (, or , ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic languages, Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally a dialect spoken in the lower Tiber area (then known as Latium) around present-day Rome, but through ...

(from the second year lessons were conducted in Latin)Graham, p. 4 until he was 15, he was taught to read works by

Virgil Publius Vergilius Maro (; traditional dates 15 October 7021 September 19 BC), usually called Virgil or Vergil ( ) in English, was an ancient Roman poet of the Augustan period. He composed three of the most famous poems in Latin literature: th ...

Horace Quintus Horatius Flaccus (; 8 December 65 – 27 November 8 BC), known in the English-speaking world as Horace (), was the leading Roman lyric poet during the time of Augustus (also known as Octavian). The rhetorician Quintilian regarded his ' ...

Sallust Gaius Sallustius Crispus, usually anglicised as Sallust (; 86 – ), was a Roman historian and politician from an Italian plebeian family. Probably born at Amiternum in the country of the Sabines, Sallust became during the 50s BC a partisa ...

and parts of

Cicero Marcus Tullius Cicero ( ; ; 3 January 106 BC – 7 December 43 BC) was a Roman statesman, lawyer, scholar, philosopher, and academic skeptic, who tried to uphold optimate principles during the political crises that led to the esta ...

and in his final year

Livy Titus Livius (; 59 BC – AD 17), known in English as Livy ( ), was a Roman historian. He wrote a monumental history of Rome and the Roman people, titled , covering the period from the earliest legends of Rome before the traditional founding in ...

. In autumn 1743 he matriculated at the

University of Edinburgh The University of Edinburgh ( sco, University o Edinburgh, gd, Oilthigh Dhùn Èideann; abbreviated as ''Edin.'' in post-nominals) is a public research university based in Edinburgh, Scotland. Granted a royal charter by King James VI in 1 ...

,Graham, p. 26 and compulsory classes for all students were: the

Greek language Greek ( el, label= Modern Greek, Ελληνικά, Elliniká, ; grc, Ἑλληνική, Hellēnikḗ) is an independent branch of the Indo-European family of languages, native to Greece, Cyprus, southern Italy ( Calabria and Salento), souther ...

logic Logic is the study of correct reasoning. It includes both formal and informal logic. Formal logic is the science of deductively valid inferences or of logical truths. It is a formal science investigating how conclusions follow from prem ...

metaphysics Metaphysics is the branch of philosophy that studies the fundamental nature of reality, the first principles of being, identity and change, space and time, causality, necessity, and possibility. It includes questions about the nature of conscio ...

and

natural philosophy Natural philosophy or philosophy of nature (from Latin ''philosophia naturalis'') is the philosophical study of physics, that is, nature and the physical universe. It was dominant before the development of modern science. From the ancien ...

. Students could choose three elective subjects, Adam attended classes in mathematics, taught by Colin Maclaurin, and anatomy, taught by Alexander Monro ''primus''. His studies were interrupted by the arrival of

Bonnie Prince Charlie Bonnie, is a Scottish given name and is sometimes used as a descriptive reference, as in the Scottish folk song, My Bonnie Lies over the Ocean. It comes from the Scots language word "bonnie" (pretty, attractive), or the French bonne (good). That ...

and his Highlanders, who occupied Edinburgh during the

1745 Jacobite rising The Jacobite rising of 1745, also known as the Forty-five Rebellion or simply the '45 ( gd, Bliadhna Theàrlaich, , ), was an attempt by Charles Edward Stuart to regain the British throne for his father, James Francis Edward Stuart. It took pl ...

. At the end of the year, Robert fell seriously ill for some months, and it seems unlikely that he returned to university, having completed only two years of study. On his recovery from illness in 1746, he joined his elder brother John as apprentice to his father. He assisted William Adam on projects such as the building of Inveraray Castle and the continuing extensions of Hopetoun House. William's position as Master Mason to the

also began to generate much work, as the Highlands were fortified following the failed Jacobite revolt. Robert's early ambition was to be an artist rather than architect, and the style of his early sketches in the manner of

Salvator Rosa Salvator Rosa (1615 –1673) is best known today as an Italian Baroque painter, whose romanticized landscapes and history paintings, often set in dark and untamed nature, exerted considerable influence from the 17th century into the early 19t ...

are reflected in his earliest surviving architectural drawings, which show picturesque

gothic Gothic or Gothics may refer to: People and languages *Goths or Gothic people, the ethnonym of a group of East Germanic tribes **Gothic language, an extinct East Germanic language spoken by the Goths **Crimean Gothic, the Gothic language spoken b ...

follies.Fleming, p. 81 William Adam died in June 1748, and left Dowhill, a part of the Blair Adam estate which included Dowhill Castle, to Robert. From his father, Robert inherited an extensive library and extended it.

Architectural practice in Edinburgh

On William Adam's death, John Adam inherited both the family business and the position of Master Mason to the Board of Ordnance. He immediately took Robert into partnership, later to be joined by James Adam. The Adam Brothers' first major commission was the decoration of the grand

state apartments A state room in a large European mansion is usually one of a suite of very grand rooms which were designed for use when entertaining royalty. The term was most widely used in the 17th and 18th centuries. They were the most lavishly decorated in ...

on the first floor at Hopetoun House, followed by their first "new build" at Dumfries House. For the Board of Ordnance, the brothers were the main contractor at Fort George, a large modern fort near

Inverness Inverness (; from the gd, Inbhir Nis , meaning "Mouth of the River Ness"; sco, Innerness) is a city in the Scottish Highlands. It is the administrative centre for The Highland Council and is regarded as the capital of the Highlands. Histor ...

military engineer Military engineering is loosely defined as the art, science, and practice of designing and building military works and maintaining lines of military transport and military communications. Military engineers are also responsible for logistics ...

Colonel Skinner. Visits to this project, begun in 1750, would occupy the brothers every summer for the next 10 years, and, along with works at many other barracks and forts, provided Robert with a solid foundation in practical building. In the winter of 1749–1750, Adam travelled to London with his friend, the poet

John Home Rev John Home FRSE (13 September 1722 – 4 September 1808) was a Scottish minister, soldier and author. His play ''Douglas'' was a standard Scottish school text until the Second World War, but his work is now largely neglected. In 1783 he w ...

. He took the opportunity for architectural study, visiting Wilton, designed by

Inigo Jones Inigo Jones (; 15 July 1573 – 21 June 1652) was the first significant architect in England and Wales in the early modern period, and the first to employ Vitruvian rules of proportion and symmetry in his buildings. As the most notable archit ...

, and the Queens Hermitage in

Richmond Richmond most often refers to: * Richmond, Virginia, the capital of Virginia, United States * Richmond, London, a part of London * Richmond, North Yorkshire, a town in England * Richmond, British Columbia, a city in Canada * Richmond, Californi ...

by Roger Morris. His sketchbook of the trip also shows a continuing interest in gothic architecture. Among his friends at Edinburgh were the philosophers

Adam Ferguson Adam Ferguson, (Scottish Gaelic: ''Adhamh MacFhearghais''), also known as Ferguson of Raith (1 July N.S./20 June O.S. 1723 – 22 February 1816), was a Scottish philosopher and historian of the Scottish Enlightenment. Ferguson was sympathet ...

and

David Hume David Hume (; born David Home; 7 May 1711 NS (26 April 1711 OS) – 25 August 1776) Cranston, Maurice, and Thomas Edmund Jessop. 2020 999br>David Hume" '' Encyclopædia Britannica''. Retrieved 18 May 2020. was a Scottish Enlightenment ph ...

and the artist Paul Sandby whom he met in the Highlands. Other Edinburgh acquaintances included Gilbert Elliot, William Wilkie, John Home and Alexander Wedderburn.

Grand Tour

On 3 October 1754, Robert Adam in the company of his brother James (who went as far as Brussels) set off from Edinburgh for his

Grand Tour The Grand Tour was the principally 17th- to early 19th-century custom of a traditional trip through Europe, with Italy as a key destination, undertaken by upper-class young European men of sufficient means and rank (typically accompanied by a tut ...

, stopping for a few days in London, where they visited the Mansion House, London,

St Stephen Walbrook St Stephen Walbrook is a church in the City of London, part of the Church of England's Diocese of London. The present domed building was erected to the designs of Sir Christopher Wren following the destruction of its medieval predecessor in the ...

St Paul's Cathedral St Paul's Cathedral is an Anglicanism, Anglican cathedral in London and is the seat of the Bishop of London. The cathedral serves as the mother church of the Diocese of London. It is on Ludgate Hill at the highest point of the City of London ...

, Windsor, Berkshire, in the company of

Thomas Sandby Thomas Sandby (1721 – 25 June 1798) was an English draughtsman, watercolour artist, architect and teacher. In 1743 he was appointed private secretary to the Duke of Cumberland, who later appointed him Deputy Ranger of Windsor Great Park, wh ...

who showed them his landscaping at

Windsor Great Park Windsor Great Park is a Royal Park of , including a deer park, to the south of the town of Windsor on the border of Berkshire and Surrey in England. It is adjacent to the private Home Park, which is nearer the castle. The park was, for ma ...

and Virginia Water Lake. They sailed from

Dover Dover () is a town and major ferry port in Kent, South East England. It faces France across the Strait of Dover, the narrowest part of the English Channel at from Cap Gris Nez in France. It lies south-east of Canterbury and east of Maids ...

arriving in

Calais Calais ( , , traditionally , ) is a port city in the Pas-de-Calais department, of which it is a subprefecture. Although Calais is by far the largest city in Pas-de-Calais, the department's prefecture is its third-largest city of Arras. Th ...

on 28 October 1754. He joined

Charles Hope-Weir The Hon. Charles Hope-Weir (or Hope-Vere) (8 May 1710 – 30 December 1791) was a Scottish politician. Life Born The Hon. Charles Hope, he was the second son of Charles Hope, 1st Earl of Hopetoun and Lady Henrietta Johnstone, daughter of Willia ...

, brother of the Earl of Hopetoun in Brussels and together they travelled to Rome. Hope agreed to take Adam on the tour at the suggestion of his uncle, the Marquess of Annandale, who had undertaken the Grand Tour himself. While in Brussels the pair attended a Play and

Masquerade Masquerade or Masquerader may refer to: Events * Masquerade ball, a costumed dance event * Masquerade ceremony, a rite or cultural event in many parts of the world, especially the Caribbean and Africa * Masqueraders, the performers in the West ...

, as well as visiting churches and palaces in the city. Travelling on to

Tournai Tournai or Tournay ( ; ; nl, Doornik ; pcd, Tornai; wa, Tornè ; la, Tornacum) is a city and municipality of Wallonia located in the province of Hainaut, Belgium. It lies southwest of Brussels on the river Scheldt. Tournai is part of Eurome ...

, then

Lille Lille ( , ; nl, Rijsel ; pcd, Lile; vls, Rysel) is a city in the northern part of France, in French Flanders. On the river Deûle, near France's border with Belgium, it is the capital of the Hauts-de-France region, the prefecture of the No ...

, where they visited the Citadal designed by

Sébastien Le Prestre de Vauban Sébastien Le Prestre de Vauban, Seigneur de Vauban, later Marquis de Vauban (baptised 15 May 163330 March 1707), commonly referred to as ''Vauban'' (), was a French military engineer who worked under Louis XIV. He is generally considered the ...

. By 12 November 1754 Adam and Hope were in Paris where they took lodgings in Hotel de Notre Dame. Adam and Hope travelled on to Italy together, before falling out in Rome over travelling expenses and accommodation. Robert Adam stayed on in Rome until 1757, studying classical architecture and honing his drawing skills. His tutors included the French architect and artist Charles-Louis Clérisseau, and the Italian artist Giovanni Battista Piranesi. Here, he became acquainted with the work of the pioneering classical archaeologist and art historian, theorist Johann Joachim Winckelmann. On his return journey, Adam and Clerisseau spent time intensively studying the ruins of

Diocletian's Palace Diocletian's Palace ( hr, Dioklecijanova palača, ) is an ancient palace built for the Roman emperor Diocletian at the turn of the fourth century AD, which today forms about half the old town of Split, Croatia. While it is referred to as a "pala ...

at Spalatro in

Dalmatia Dalmatia (; hr, Dalmacija ; it, Dalmazia; see names in other languages) is one of the four historical regions of Croatia, alongside Croatia proper, Slavonia, and Istria. Dalmatia is a narrow belt of the east shore of the Adriatic Sea, str ...

(now known as Split, in modern

Croatia , image_flag = Flag of Croatia.svg , image_coat = Coat of arms of Croatia.svg , anthem = " Lijepa naša domovino"("Our Beautiful Homeland") , image_map = , map_caption = , capi ...

). These studies were later published as ''Ruins of the Palace of the Emperor Diocletian at Spalatro in Dalmatia'' in 1764.

Architectural practice in London

He returned to Britain in 1758 and set up in business in London with his brother James Adam. They focused on designing complete schemes for the decoration and furnishing of houses.

Palladian Palladian architecture is a European architectural style derived from the work of the Venetian architect Andrea Palladio (1508–1580). What is today recognised as Palladian architecture evolved from his concepts of symmetry, perspective and ...

design was popular, and Robert designed a number of country houses in this style, but he evolved a new, more flexible style incorporating elements of classical

Roman Roman or Romans most often refers to: * Rome, the capital city of Italy * Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD *Roman people, the people of ancient Rome *''Epistle to the Romans'', shortened to ''Romans'', a lett ...

design alongside influences from Greek,

Byzantine The Byzantine Empire, also referred to as the Eastern Roman Empire or Byzantium, was the continuation of the Roman Empire primarily in its eastern provinces during Late Antiquity and the Middle Ages, when its capital city was Constantinopl ...

and

Baroque The Baroque (, ; ) is a style of architecture, music, dance, painting, sculpture, poetry, and other arts that flourished in Europe from the early 17th century until the 1750s. In the territories of the Spanish and Portuguese empires including ...

styles. The Adam brothers' success can also be attributed to a desire to design everything down to the smallest detail, ensuring a sense of unity in their design. In Adam interiors, all the furnishings were custom designed to accord with the decoration of the room in a unified harmony. Often the carpets were woven to match the intricate patterns of the ceiling above, while every fitting including sconces, mirrors, and doorknobs also received a custom design emulating the motifs of the room. Adams' practice was not without mishap, however. In 1768 the Adam brothers purchased a 99-year lease for a marshy plot of land beside the Thames in

Westminster Westminster is an area of Central London, part of the wider City of Westminster. The area, which extends from the River Thames to Oxford Street, has many visitor attractions and historic landmarks, including the Palace of Westminster, B ...

, where they built a 24-house terrace development known as the Adelphi. The project was very ambitious and is the first instance where terraced houses were designed individually to give unified harmony to the whole development (previously terraced houses were built to one replicated design side-by-side, around a square). However, the project became a

white elephant A white elephant is a possession that its owner cannot dispose of, and whose cost, particularly that of maintenance, is out of proportion to its usefulness. In modern usage, it is a metaphor used to describe an object, construction project, sch ...

for Robert and his brothers, with uncertain financing and costs spiralling out of control. The houses were built on a huge artificial terrace resting on vaulted substructures on the level of the Thames, which Robert Adam was certain could be leased to the British government as warehouses. However, this interest failed to materialize, and the Adam brothers were left with huge debts and in 1772 had to lay off 3,000 workmen and cease building. Adam himself moved into one of the houses in the Adelphi, along with supportive friends like

David Garrick David Garrick (19 February 1717 – 20 January 1779) was an English actor, playwright, theatre manager and producer who influenced nearly all aspects of European theatrical practice throughout the 18th century, and was a pupil and friend of Sa ...

and Josiah Wedgewood, who opened a showroom for his ceramics in one of the houses. In 1774, a public lottery was held to raise funds for the brothers, which allowed them to avert bankruptcy.

Public life

Adam was elected a fellow of the Society for the Encouragement of Arts, Manufactures and Commerce in 1758 and of the Society of Antiquaries in 1761, the same year he was appointed Architect of the King's Works (jointly with Sir William Chambers). His younger brother James succeeded him in this post when he relinquished the role in 1768 to devote more time to his elected office as member of Parliament for Kinross-shire.

Architectural style

Adam rejected the

style, as introduced to England by

, and advocated by Lord Burlington, as "ponderous" and "disgustful".Glendinning and McKechnie, p. 106 However, he continued their tradition of drawing inspiration directly from

classical antiquity Classical antiquity (also the classical era, classical period or classical age) is the period of cultural history between the 8th century BC and the 5th century AD centred on the Mediterranean Sea, comprising the interlocking civilizations of ...

, during his four-year stay in Europe. Adam developed a new style of architectural decoration, one which was more archaeologically accurate than past Neoclassical styles, but nonetheless innovative and not bound only by ancient precedents. In ''Works in Architecture'', co-authored with his brother James, the brothers stated that Graeco-Roman examples should "serve as models which we should imitate, and as standards by which we ought to judge." The discoveries in

Herculaneum Herculaneum (; Neapolitan and it, Ercolano) was an ancient town, located in the modern-day ''comune'' of Ercolano, Campania, Italy. Herculaneum was buried under volcanic ash and pumice in the eruption of Mount Vesuvius in AD 79. Like the n ...

and

Pompeii Pompeii (, ) was an ancient city located in what is now the ''comune'' of Pompei near Naples in the Campania region of Italy. Pompeii, along with Herculaneum and many villas in the surrounding area (e.g. at Boscoreale, Stabiae), was burie ...

ongoing at the time provided ample material for Robert Adam to draw on for inspiration. The Adam brothers' principle of "movement" was largely Robert's conception, although the theory was first written down by James. "Movement" relied on dramatic contrasts and diversity of form, and drew on the

picturesque Picturesque is an aesthetic ideal introduced into English cultural debate in 1782 by William Gilpin in ''Observations on the River Wye, and Several Parts of South Wales, etc. Relative Chiefly to Picturesque Beauty; made in the Summer of the Year ...

aesthetic. The first volume of the Adam brother's ''Works'' (1773) cited Kedleston Hall, designed by Robert in 1761, as an outstanding example of movement in architecture. By contrasting room sizes and decorative schemes, Adam applied the concept of movement to his interiors also. His style of decoration, described by Pevsner as "Classical

Rococo Rococo (, also ), less commonly Roccoco or Late Baroque, is an exceptionally ornamental and theatrical style of architecture, art and decoration which combines asymmetry, scrolling curves, gilding, white and pastel colours, sculpted moulding, ...

", drew on Roman "

grotesque Since at least the 18th century (in French and German as well as English), grotesque has come to be used as a general adjective for the strange, mysterious, magnificent, fantastic, hideous, ugly, incongruous, unpleasant, or disgusting, and thus ...

stucco Stucco or render is a construction material made of aggregates, a binder, and water. Stucco is applied wet and hardens to a very dense solid. It is used as a decorative coating for walls and ceilings, exterior walls, and as a sculptural and a ...

decoration.

Influence

Bookcase, Robert Adam (1728-1792), 1776 -IMG 1604

Adam's work had influenced the direction of architecture and design across the western world. In England his collaboration with Thomas Chippendale resulted in some of the finest neoclassicist designs of the time, most notably in the

Harewood House Harewood House ( , ) is a country house in Harewood, West Yorkshire, England. Designed by architects John Carr and Robert Adam, it was built, between 1759 and 1771, for Edwin Lascelles, 1st Baron Harewood, a wealthy West Indian plantation ...

collection of Chippendale's work. In North America, the

Federal style Federal-style architecture is the name for the classicizing architecture built in the newly founded United States between 1780 and 1830, and particularly from 1785 to 1815, which was heavily based on the works of Andrea Palladio with several inn ...

owes much to neoclassicism as practised by Adam. In Europe, Adam notably influenced Charles Cameron, the Scotsman who designed Tsarskoye Selo and other Russian palaces for

Catherine the Great , en, Catherine Alexeievna Romanova, link=yes , house = , father = Christian August, Prince of Anhalt-Zerbst , mother = Joanna Elisabeth of Holstein-Gottorp , birth_date = , birth_name = Princess Sophie of Anha ...

. However, by the time of his death, Adam's neoclassicism was being superseded in Britain by a more severe, Greek phase of the classical revival, as practised by James "Athenian" Stuart. The Adam brothers employed several draughtsmen who would go on to establish themselves as architects, including George Richardson, and the Italian Joseph Bonomi, who Robert originally hired in Rome.

Written works

During their lifetime Robert and James Adam published two volumes of their designs, ''Works in Architecture of Robert and James Adam'' (in 1773–1778 and 1779; a third volume was published posthumously, in 1822).

Death and burial

Adam had long suffered from stomach and bowel problems,Graham, Roderick (2009) ''Arbiter of Elegance: A Biography of Robert Adam'', Birlinn, , pp. 328–329 probably caused by a peptic ulcer and irritable bowel syndrome. While at home – 11

Albemarle Street Albemarle Street is a street in Mayfair in central London, off Piccadilly. It has historic associations with Lord Byron, whose publisher John Murray was based here, and Oscar Wilde, a member of the Albemarle Club, where an insult he received ...

, London – on 1 March 1792, one of the ulcers burst, and on 3 March Adam died. The funeral was held on 10 March; he was buried in the south aisle of

Westminster Abbey Westminster Abbey, formally titled the Collegiate Church of Saint Peter at Westminster, is an historic, mainly Gothic church in the City of Westminster, London, England, just to the west of the Palace of Westminster. It is one of the United ...

. The

pall-bearer A pallbearer is one of several participants who help carry the casket at a funeral. They may wear white gloves in order to prevent damaging the casket and to show respect to the deceased person. Some traditions distinguish between the roles of ...

s were several of his clients: Henry Scott, 3rd Duke of Buccleuch;

George Coventry, 6th Earl of Coventry George William Coventry, 6th Earl of Coventry (26 April 1722 – 3 September 1809), styled Viscount Deerhurst from 1744 to 1751, was a British peer and Tory politician. Early life Coventry was the second but eldest surviving son of William Co ...

; James Maitland, 8th Earl of Lauderdale; David Murray, 2nd Earl of Mansfield; Lord Frederick Campbell and

Sir William Pulteney, 5th Baronet Sir William Pulteney, 5th Baronet (October 1729 – 30 May 1805), known as William Johnstone until 1767, was a Scottish advocate, landowner and politician who sat in the House of Commons between 1768 and 1805. He was reputedly the wealthiest ...

. Knowing he was dying, he drafted his will on 2 March 1792. Having never married, Adam left his estate to his sisters Elizabeth Adam and Margaret Adam. His

obituary An obituary ( obit for short) is an article about a recently deceased person. Newspapers often publish obituaries as news articles. Although obituaries tend to focus on positive aspects of the subject's life, this is not always the case. Ac ...

appeared in the March 1792 edition of ''

The Gentleman's Magazine ''The Gentleman's Magazine'' was a monthly magazine founded in London, England, by Edward Cave in January 1731. It ran uninterrupted for almost 200 years, until 1922. It was the first to use the term '' magazine'' (from the French ''magazine' ...

'':

It is somewhat remarkable that the Arts should be deprived at the same time of two of their greatest ornaments, Sir
Joshua Reynolds Sir Joshua Reynolds (16 July 1723 – 23 February 1792) was an English painter, specialising in portraits. John Russell said he was one of the major European painters of the 18th century. He promoted the "Grand Style" in painting which depend ...
and Mr Adam: and it is difficult to say which of them excelled most in his particular profession... Mr Adam produced a total change in the architecture of this country: and his fertile genius in elegant ornament was not confined to the decoration of buildings, but has been diffused to every branch of manufacture. His talents extend beyond the lie of his own profession: he displayed in his numerous drawings in landscape a luxuriance of composition, and an effect of light and shadow, which have scarcely been equalled...to the last period of his life, Mr Adam displayed an increasing vigour of genius and refinement of taste: for in the space of one year preceding his death, he designed eight great public works, besides twenty five private buildings, so various in their style, and so beautiful in their composition, that they have been allowed by the best judges, sufficient of themselves, to establish his fame unrivalled as an artist.

He left nearly 9,000 drawings, 8,856 of which (by both Robert and James Adam) were subsequently purchased in 1833 for £200 by the architect John Soane and are now at the Soane Museum in London.

List of architectural works

Public buildings

* Fort George, Scotland, the buildings within the fort were designed by William Adam, after his death his sons oversaw completion (1748–69) * The Argyll Arms, Inveraray (1750–56) * The Town House, Inveraray (1750–57) * Royal Exchange, Edinburgh, with his brother John Adam (1753–54) * Screen in front of the Old Admiralty,

Whitehall Whitehall is a road and area in the City of Westminster, Central London. The road forms the first part of the A3212 road from Trafalgar Square to Chelsea. It is the main thoroughfare running south from Trafalgar Square towards Parliament Sq ...

, London (1760) * Kedleston Hotel,

Quarndon Quarndon is a linear village in the south of the Amber Valley District of Derbyshire, England. It is spread along four minor upland roads, approximately 1 mile north of the Derby suburb of Allestree, two of which lead towards the city. Many ...

(1760) * Little Market Hall,

High Wycombe High Wycombe, often referred to as Wycombe ( ), is a market town in Buckinghamshire, England. Lying in the valley of the River Wye, Buckinghamshire, River Wye surrounded by the Chiltern Hills, it is west-northwest of Charing Cross in London, ...

, Buckinghamshire (1761) later altered * Riding School, Edinburgh (1763) demolished * Courts of Justice and Corn Market,

Hertford Hertford ( ) is the county town of Hertfordshire, England, and is also a civil parish in the East Hertfordshire district of the county. The parish had a population of 26,783 at the 2011 census. The town grew around a ford on the River Lea, n ...

, Hertfordshire, now Shire Hall (1768). Altered, but partially restored to original design. A joint project with James Adam. *

Pulteney Bridge Pulteney Bridge is a bridge over the River Avon in Bath, England. It was completed by 1774, and connected the city with the land of the Pulteney family which it wished to develop. Designed by Robert Adam in a Palladian style, it is highly unu ...

Bath Bath may refer to: * Bathing, immersion in a fluid ** Bathtub, a large open container for water, in which a person may wash their body ** Public bathing, a public place where people bathe * Thermae, ancient Roman public bathing facilities Plac ...

(1770) * County House,

Kinross Kinross (, gd, Ceann Rois) is a burgh in Perth and Kinross, Scotland, around south of Perth and around northwest of Edinburgh. It is the traditional county town of the historic county of Kinross-shire. History Kinross's origins are c ...

(1771) * Royal Society for the encouragement of Arts, Manufactures & Commerce (1772) * Register House, Edinburgh (1774–1789) * The Market Cross,

Bury St Edmunds Bury St Edmunds (), commonly referred to locally as Bury, is a historic market, cathedral town and civil parish in Suffolk, England.OS Explorer map 211: Bury St.Edmunds and Stowmarket Scale: 1:25 000. Publisher:Ordnance Survey – Southampton ...

, refaced and upper floor added (a theatre now art gallery) (1776) *

Theatre Royal, Drury Lane The Theatre Royal, Drury Lane, commonly known as Drury Lane, is a West End theatre and Grade I listed building in Covent Garden, London, England. The building faces Catherine Street (earlier named Bridges or Brydges Street) and backs onto Dr ...

, London, remodelled, (1775) demolished * Red Lion Inn,

Pontefract Pontefract is a historic market town in the Metropolitan Borough of Wakefield in West Yorkshire, England, east of Wakefield and south of Castleford. Historically part of the West Riding of Yorkshire, it is one of the towns in the City of Wak ...

(1776) * Drummonds Bank,

Charing Cross Charing Cross ( ) is a junction in Westminster, London, England, where six routes meet. Clockwise from north these are: the east side of Trafalgar Square leading to St Martin's Place and then Charing Cross Road; the Strand leading to the City ...

, London (1777–78) demolished *

Home House Home House is a Georgian town house at 20 Portman Square, London. James Wyatt was appointed to design it by Elizabeth, Countess of Home in 1776, but by 1777 he had been dismissed and replaced by Robert Adam. Elizabeth left the completed hous ...

, London (1777) * Old College, University of Edinburgh, (1788-onwards) completed to an amended design by

William Henry Playfair William Henry Playfair FRSE (15 July 1790 – 19 March 1857) was a prominent Scottish architect in the 19th century, who designed the Eastern, or Third, New Town and many of Edinburgh's neoclassical landmarks. Life Playfair was born on 15 ...

1831 * The Bridewell, Edinburgh, (1791) demolished * The Assembly Rooms, Glasgow (1791–94) demolished * Trades Hall, Glasgow, Scotland (1791–1792) (completed 1792–1802 by his brothers) * The Royal Infirmary, Glasgow (1791–94) rebuilt 1914 * Coutts Bank enclosed bridge, John Adam Street (1799) later demolished File:Edinburgh City Chambers.jpg, The

City Chambers, Edinburgh Edinburgh City Chambers in Edinburgh, Scotland, is the meeting place of the City of Edinburgh Council and its predecessors, Edinburgh Corporation and Edinburgh District Council. It is a Category A listed building. History The current building ...

File:AdamBrothersRecordsOfficeEdinburgh1775.jpg, Register House, Edinburgh File:Register House cross section.jpg, Register House, cross section, Edinburgh File:Register House, Edinburgh.jpg, Register House, Edinburgh File:Old College.JPG, Old College Edinburgh, Dome added later File:Bury St Edmunds - Market Cross.jpg, The Market Cross, Bury St Edmunds File:Drury lane facade 1775.png, Theatre Royal Drury Lane, London, rebuilt File:Edinburgh from Calton Hill 2.jpg, Edinburgh Bridewell in foreground, demolished File:Pulteney Bridge Bath.jpg, Pulteney Bridge, Bath File:Little Market House - geograph.org.uk - 1127978.jpg, Little Market Hall, High Wycombe File:McLennan Arch - geograph.org.uk - 277897.jpg, McLennan Arch, Glasgow, built from the remains of Glasgow Assembly Rooms File:The Kedleston Hotel and Restaurant - geograph.org.uk - 284906.jpg, Kedleston Hotel, Quarndon File:Coutts 20130414 170.jpg, Coutts Bank, John Adam Street, demolished and replaced with this building File:Register House rotunda (2892537345).jpg, Register House Edinburgh, interior of the dome

Churches

* Yester Chapel, Lothian, new west front in Gothic style (1753) *

Cumnock Cumnock ( Scottish Gaelic: ''Cumnag'') is a town and former civil parish located in East Ayrshire, Scotland. The town sits at the confluence of the Glaisnock Water and the Lugar Water. There are three neighbouring housing projects which lie ...

church, Ayrshire (1753–54) demolished * St. Mary Magdalene,

Croome Park Croome Court is a mid-18th-century Neo-Palladian mansion surrounded by extensive landscaped parkland at Croome D'Abitot, near Upton-upon-Severn in south Worcestershire, England. The mansion and park were designed by Lancelot "Capability" Brown f ...

, interior (1761–63) the church was designed by

Lancelot "Capability" Brown Lancelot Brown (born c. 1715–16, baptised 30 August 1716 – 6 February 1783), more commonly known as Capability Brown, was an English gardener and landscape architect, who remains the most famous figure in the history of the English lan ...

* St. Andrew's Church, Gunton Hall, Gunton, Norfolk (1769) * St Mary's, Mistley (1776) only the towers survive * St. George's Chapel, Edinburgh, (1792) demolished File:Mistley Church by Robert and James Adam. Published 1776.jpg, Mistley Church as built File:Mistley towers 700.jpg, Mistley Church as it survives File:St Andrew, Gunton, Norfolk - geograph.org.uk - 318535.jpg, St. Andrew's Church Gunton File:Yester Chapel.jpg, Yester Chapel, west front

Mausoleums

* William Adam Mausoleum,

Greyfriars Kirkyard Greyfriars Kirkyard is the graveyard surrounding Greyfriars Kirk in Edinburgh, Scotland. It is located at the southern edge of the Old Town, adjacent to George Heriot's School. Burials have been taking place since the late 16th century, and a num ...

(1753–55) *

Bowood House Bowood is a Grade I listed Georgian country house in Wiltshire, England, that has been owned for more than 250 years by the Fitzmaurice family. The house, with interiors by Robert Adam, stands in extensive grounds which include a garden designe ...

Mausoleum (1761–64) *

Mausoleum,

Old Calton Cemetery The Old Calton Burial Ground is a cemetery in Edinburgh, Scotland. It located at Calton Hill to the north-east of the city centre. The burial ground was opened in 1718, and is the resting place of several notable Scots, including philosopher ...

(1777–78) * Templetown Mausoleum,

Castle Upton Castle Upton is situated in the village of Templepatrick, in County Antrim, Northern Ireland. It is around north-west of Belfast. Originally the site of a 13th-century fortified priory of the Knights of St John, the present building was const ...

County Antrim County Antrim (named after the town of Antrim, ) is one of six counties of Northern Ireland and one of the thirty-two counties of Ireland. Adjoined to the north-east shore of Lough Neagh, the county covers an area of and has a population ...

Ireland (1789) for 2nd Lord Templetown. * Johnstone Family Mausoleum, Ochil Road graveyard, Alva, Clackmannanshire (1789–90) * Johnstone Family Mausoleum, Westerkirk graveyard, near Bentpath,

Dumfries and Galloway Dumfries and Galloway ( sco, Dumfries an Gallowa; gd, Dùn Phrìs is Gall-Ghaidhealaibh) is one of 32 unitary council areas of Scotland and is located in the western Southern Uplands. It covers the historic counties of Dumfriesshire, Kirkc ...

1790 File:Old Calton David Hume.jpg, David Hume Mausoleum File:The Templetown Mausoleum - geograph.org.uk - 78372.jpg, Templetown Mausoleum File:The Johnstone Mausoleum, Bentpath - geograph.org.uk - 208025.jpg, Johnstone Family Mausoleum, Bentpath

Urban domestic work

* Little Wallingford House,

, London, alterations (1761) demolished * Lansdowne House,

Berkeley Square Berkeley Square is a garden square in the West End of London. It is one of the best known of the many squares in London, located in Mayfair in the City of Westminster. It was laid out in the mid 18th century by the architect William Ke ...

, London (1762–67), partially demolished, the Dining Room is in the

Metropolitan Museum of Art The Metropolitan Museum of Art of New York City, colloquially "the Met", is the largest art museum in the Americas. Its permanent collection contains over two million works, divided among 17 curatorial departments. The main building at 1000 ...

and the Drawing Room is in

Philadelphia Museum of Art The Philadelphia Museum of Art (PMoA) is an art museum originally chartered in 1876 for the Centennial Exposition in Philadelphia. The main museum building was completed in 1928 on Fairmount, a hill located at the northwest end of the Benjamin ...

* 34

Pall Mall, London Pall Mall is a street in the St James's area of the City of Westminster, Central London. It connects St James's Street to Trafalgar Square and is a section of the regional A4 road. The street's name is derived from pall-mall, ...

(1765–66) demolished * Langford House, Mary Street, Dublin, Ireland. (1765) First recorded work in Ireland remodelling of house for Rt. Hon.

Hercules Langford Rowley Hercules Langford Rowley PC ( – 25 March 1794) was an Irish politician and landowner. Early life Rowley was born . He was the only son of Frances (née Upton) Rowley and Hercules Rowley, a Member of Parliament for County Londonderry from 170 ...

. Demolished 1931. * 16

Hanover Square, London Hanover Square is a green square in Mayfair, Westminster, south west of Oxford Circus where Oxford Street meets Regent Street. Six streets converge on the square which include Harewood Place with links to Oxford Street, Princes Street, Hanover ...

, alterations (1766–67) demolished * Deputy Ranger's lodge, Green Park, London (1768–71) demolished in the 19th century * The Adelphi development, London (1768–1775) mostly demolished 1930s, a ceiling & fireplace are in the

Victoria and Albert Museum The Victoria and Albert Museum (often abbreviated as the V&A) in London is the world's largest museum of applied arts, decorative arts and design, housing a permanent collection of over 2.27 million objects. It was founded in 1852 and nam ...

Chandos House Chandos House is a Grade I listed building at N° 2 Queen Anne Street, Marylebone, in central London. It was designed by Robert Adam, the most prominent architect in Georgian Britain, and built by William Adam and Company. It is seen as the fir ...

, London (1770–71) * 8 Queen Street, Edinburgh (1770–71) originally designed for Lord Chief Baron Ord, now housing the

Royal College of Physicians of Edinburgh The Royal College of Physicians of Edinburgh (RCPE) is a medical royal college in Scotland. It is one of three organisations that sets the specialty training standards for physicians in the United Kingdom. It was established by Royal charter ...

* Mansfield Street, London (1770–72) * Northumberland House, London, alterations (1770) demolished, parts of the Glass Drawing Room survive in the

* 20

St. James's Square St James's Square is the only square in the St James's district of the City of Westminster and is a garden square. It has predominantly Georgian and Neo-Georgian architecture. For its first two hundred or so years it was one of the three or fo ...

(1771–74) * 33 St. James's Square (1771–73) * Ashburnham House, Dover Street, London, alterations (1773) * Derby House, 26

Grosvenor Square Grosvenor Square is a large garden square in the Mayfair district of London. It is the centrepiece of the Mayfair property of the Duke of Westminster, and takes its name from the duke's surname "Grosvenor". It was developed for fashionable ...

(1773–74) demolished *

Portland Place Portland Place is a street in the Marylebone district of central London. Named after the Third Duke of Portland, the unusually wide street is home to BBC Broadcasting House, the Chinese and Polish embassies, the Royal Institute of British ...

, London (1773–94) (only a few houses survive) * 11 St. James's Square (1774–76) * Frederick's Place, London (1775–78) * Roxburghe House,

(1776–78) demolished *

, London (1777 – before 1784) * 31 (now 17) Hill Street, London alterations (1777–79) * Apsley House, London (1778) altered *

Cumberland House Cumberland House was a mansion on the south side of Pall Mall in London, England. It was built in the 1760s by Matthew Brettingham for Prince Edward, Duke of York and Albany and was originally called York House. The Duke of York died in 176 ...

, Pall Mall, London, alterations and interiors (1780–88) demolished * Marlborough House, Brighton (1786) * Fitzroy Square, London (1790–94) only the south and east sides were built *

Charlotte Square 300px, Robert Adam's palace-fronted north side Charlotte Square is a garden square in Edinburgh, Scotland, part of the New Town, designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The square is located at the west end of George Street and was in ...

(north side), Edinburgh (1791–94) * 169–185 High Street, Glasgow (1793) demolished * 1–3 Robert Street File:Charlotte Square - geograph.org.uk - 105918.jpg, North side, Charlotte Square, Edinburgh File:Bute House, Edinburgh, Scotland.jpg, Centre of North side, Charlotte Square, Edinburgh File:Chandos House.jpg, Chandos House London File:Home House 05.jpg, Music Room, Home House, London File:Home House 09.jpg, Drawing Room, Home House, London File:HomeHouseEtruscanRoom.jpg, Design for the Etruscan Room, Home House, London File:Home House 10.jpg, Detail of the Etruscan Room, Home House, London File:Home House 03.jpg, Staircase, Home House, London File:Home House 04.jpg, Staircase Dome, Home House, London File:Fitzroy Square S.jpg, South side, Fitzroy Square, London File:Fitzroy Square E.jpg, East side, Fitzroy Square, London File:Polish Embassy 47 Portland Place London.jpg, Surviving Adam Houses, Portland Place, London File:Adelphi 20130414 161.jpg, The Adelphi, London, largely demolished File:WLA vanda Robert Adam Ceiling roundel with octagon and Apollo and Horae.jpg, Robert Adam ceiling from the Adelphi, now in the V&A File:WLA vanda Model of Northumberland House.jpg, Model of the Glass Drawing Room Northumberland House, in the V&A File:WLA vanda glass drawing room Northumberland House.jpg, Panels from the Glass Drawing Room Northumberland House, in the V&A File:Derby Great withdrawing room Countess's Dressing room.jpg, Design for fireplaces in the withdrawing room and the Countess of Derby's dressing room, Derby House File:Derby House 2nd withdrawing room.jpg, Drawing Room, Derby House File:Dercy House drawing-room1777.jpg, Drawing Room, Derby House File:Derby House1777.jpg, Plan, Derby House File:AdamBrothersCountessofDerbysDressingroomEtruscanTaste1777.jpg, Ceiling, Countess of Derby's Dressing Room, Derby House File:Robert and James Adam. Details for Derby House in Grosvenor Square. Published 1777.jpg, Details for Derby House in Grosvenor Square, an example of the Adam Brothers' decorative designs File:RobertJamesAdamengravedJohnRobertsfacadeWatkinWilliamsWynnStJames1777.jpg, 20 St. James's Square, London, front facade File:20 St James's Square - elevation of the offices towards the back court 1777.jpg, 20 St. James's Square, London, rear facade File:Wynn House Dining Room ceiling 1777.jpg, Dining Room ceiling, 20 St. James's Square, London File:RobertJamesAdamengravedTMorrisMusicRoomCeilingWatkinWilliamsWynnStJames1775.jpg, Music Room ceiling, 20 St. James's Square, London File:20 St James's Square 2nd drawing room edited.jpg, Drawing Room ceiling, 20 St. James's Square, London File:Robert Adam fireplace, Round room, Strawberry Hill.jpg, Fireplace, Round room, Strawberry Hill House, Middlesex File:Robert Adam 20130414 154.jpg, 1-3 Robert Street File:Lansdowne House Philadelphia 01.JPG, Lansdowne House Drawing Room, now in Philadelphia Art Museum File:Dining room from Lansdowne House MET DT211259.jpg, Lansdown House dining room, now in the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York

Country houses with major work

* Dumfries House, Ayrshire (1754–1759) * Hatchlands Park, Surrey, interiors (1756) *

Douglas Castle Douglas Castle was a stronghold of the Douglas (later Douglas-Home) family from medieval times to the 20th century. The first castle, erected in the 13th century, was destroyed and replaced several times until the 18th century when a large man ...

, Lanarkshire (1757–1761) *

Paxton House Paxton House may refer to: ;in Scotland *Paxton House, Berwickshire Paxton House is a historic house at Paxton, Berwickshire, in the Scottish Borders, a few miles south-west of Berwick-upon-Tweed, overlooking the River Tweed. It is a country ...

, near

Berwick-upon-Tweed Berwick-upon-Tweed (), sometimes known as Berwick-on-Tweed or simply Berwick, is a town and civil parish in Northumberland, England, south of the Anglo-Scottish border, and the northernmost town in England. The 2011 United Kingdom census re ...

(1758) *

Shardeloes Shardeloes is a large 18th-century country house located one mile west of Amersham in Buckinghamshire, England (). A previous manor house on the site was demolished and the present building constructed between 1758 and 1766 for William Drake, Sr. ...

Amersham Amersham ( ) is a market town and civil parish within the unitary authority of Buckinghamshire, England, in the Chiltern Hills, northwest of central London, from Aylesbury and from High Wycombe. Amersham is part of the London commuter be ...

, Buckinghamshire (altered and completed the original design by Stiff Leadbetter) (1759–63) *

, West Yorkshire (1759–1771) * Kedleston Hall, near

Derby Derby ( ) is a city and unitary authority area in Derbyshire, England. It lies on the banks of the River Derwent in the south of Derbyshire, which is in the East Midlands Region. It was traditionally the county town of Derbyshire. Derby g ...

(1759–1765) * Mellerstain House, Kelso, Scottish Borders (1760–1768) * Ugbrooke, Devon * Osterley Park, west London (1761–1780) * Mersham le Hatch,

Mersham Mersham is a mostly agricultural large village and civil parish near Ashford in Kent, England. The population of the civil parish includes the area of Cheesman's Green now known as Finberry. History In the mid 19th century, John Marius Wilso ...

Ashford Ashford may refer to: Places Australia *Ashford, New South Wales *Ashford, South Australia *Electoral district of Ashford, South Australia Ireland *Ashford, County Wicklow *Ashford Castle, County Galway United Kingdom *Ashford, Kent, a town **B ...

, Kent (1762–1766) *

Syon House Syon House is the west London residence of the Duke of Northumberland. A Grade I listed building, it lies within the 200-acre (80 hectare) Syon Park, in the London Borough of Hounslow. The family's traditional central London residence h ...

interior,

Brentford Brentford is a suburban town in West London, England and part of the London Borough of Hounslow. It lies at the confluence of the River Brent and the Thames, west of Charing Cross. Its economy has diverse company headquarters buildings wh ...

(1762–1769) * Luton Hoo, Bedfordshire (1766–1770) later extensively reconstructed 1816 by Robert Smirke and other architects later * Nostell Priory (1766–80) *

Newby Hall Newby Hall is a country house beside the River Ure in the parish of Skelton-on-Ure in North Yorkshire, England. It is 3 miles south-east of Ripon and 6 miles south of Topcliffe Castle, by which the manor of Newby was originally held. A Grade I ...

, Newby

Boroughbridge Boroughbridge () is a town and civil parish in the Harrogate district of North Yorkshire, England. Historically part of the West Riding of Yorkshire, it is north-west of the county town of York. Until a bypass was built the town lay on t ...

, North Yorkshire (1767–76) * Kenwood House,

Hampstead Hampstead () is an area in London, which lies northwest of Charing Cross, and extends from the A5 road (Roman Watling Street) to Hampstead Heath, a large, hilly expanse of parkland. The area forms the northwest part of the London Borough o ...

, London (1768) * Saltram House,

Plymouth Plymouth () is a port city status in the United Kingdom, city and unitary authority in South West England. It is located on the south coast of Devon, approximately south-west of Exeter and south-west of London. It is bordered by Cornwall to ...

, Devon (1768–69) *

, near

Calne Calne () is a town and civil parish in Wiltshire, southwestern England,OS Explorer Map 156, Chippenham and Bradford-on-Avon Scale: 1:25 000.Publisher: Ordnance Survey A2 edition (2007). at the northwestern extremity of the North Wessex Downs ...

, Wiltshire, Diocletian wing, and other interiors (1770) * Wedderburn Castle,

Duns, Scottish Borders Duns is a town in the Scottish Borders, Scotland. It was the county town of the historic county of Berwickshire. History Early history Duns Law, the original site of the town of Duns, has the remains of an Iron Age hillfort at its summit. ...

, Berwickshire (1770–1778) * Culzean Castle, South Ayrshire (1772–1790) * Moreton Hall, Suffolk (1773–1776), building and interiors *

Stowe, Buckinghamshire Stowe is a civil parishes in England, civil parish and former village about northwest of Buckingham in the unitary authority area of Buckinghamshire, England. The parish includes the hamlet (UK place), hamlets of Boycott, Buckinghamshire, Boyco ...

(1774) * Moreton Hall, Bury St Edmund (1783) *

Brasted Place, Kent Brasted is a village and civil parish in the Sevenoaks District of Kent, England. Brasted lies on the A25 road, between Sundridge and Westerham; the road is named Westerham Road, High Street and Main Road as it passes through the village east t ...

() *

Pitfour Castle Pitfour Castle is an 18th-century country house situated on the southeast edge of the village of St Madoes in the Carse of Gowrie, Perthshire, Scotland. It is a Category A listed building. History A tower house was formerly sited slightly clo ...

, Tayside, attributed () *

Seton Castle Seton Castle is an 18th-century Georgian castle in East Lothian, Scotland. The castle was Robert Adam's final project in Scotland. History Seton Castle was built in the late 1700s on the site of Seton Palace, which was demolished in 1789. The ...

, East Lothian (1789) *

Newliston Newliston is a country house near Edinburgh, Scotland. It is located south-west of Kirkliston, and west of the city centre. The house, designed by Robert Adam in the late 18th century, is a category A listed building. The 18th-century gardens, ...

, Lothian (1789) * Dalquharran Castle, South Ayrshire (1789–1792); now a ruin *

Airthrey Castle Airthrey Castle is a historic building and estate which now forms part of the buildings and grounds of the University of Stirling in central Scotland. The 18th-century building with 19th-century additions occupies a beautiful setting in ...

, Stirlingshire (1790–1791) * Balbardie House,

Lothian Lothian (; sco, Lowden, Loudan, -en, -o(u)n; gd, Lodainn ) is a region of the Scottish Lowlands, lying between the southern shore of the Firth of Forth and the Lammermuir Hills and the Moorfoot Hills. The principal settlement is the Scott ...

(1792); demolished * Gosford House, near

Longniddry Longniddry ( sco, Langniddry, gd, Nuadh-Treabh Fada)
...

, East Lothian (1790–1800) File:Paxton House.jpg, Paxton House, Berwickshire File:Kedleston Hall 04.jpg, South front, Kedleston Hall File:Kedleston cross section.jpg, Cross section, Kedleston Hall File:Inside Kedleston.jpg, Kedleston Hall, Marble Hall File:Stowe House 04.jpg, South front, Stowe House, slightly modified in execution File:AdamBrothersHallatSyon1778.jpg, Cross section of Hall, Syon House, London File:Syon Plan.jpg, Plan, Syon House, London File:Syon House, Great Hall.jpg, Apse, Entrance Hall, Syon House File:Syon House 2.jpg, The Dining Room, Syon House File:Syon House 1.jpg, The Ante-Room, Syon House File:Syon House, Ante room, Gilded panels (2).jpg, The ceiling, Ante-Room, Syon House File:Syon House, Long Gallery.jpg, Long Gallery, Syon House File:Syon House, Long Gallery, Circular Closet.jpg, Closet off Long Gallery, Syon House File:Kenwood House.jpg, Kenwood House, London File:Kenwood House 088.jpg, Entrance portico, Kenwood House, London File:Kenwood-House-JBU 04.jpg, Kenwood House, Library File:RobertAdamLibraryKenwood1774 edited.jpg, Cross section of the library, Kenwood House, London File:Kenwood Library ceiling edited.jpg, The library ceiling, Kenwood House, London File:Nostell Priory 1.jpg, Nostell Priory, Yorkshire, Adam wing on right File:Culzean Castle - geograph.org.uk - 1437106.jpg, Culzean Castle, Ayrshire File:Culzean Castle - the seaward side - geograph.org.uk - 976649.jpg, Culzean Castle, Ayrshire File:Pitfour Castle.jpg, Pitfour Castle, Tayside File:The Saloon (7279934644).jpg, The Saloon, Saltram House File:Bowood House 3.jpg, Bowood House, Adam's Diocletian wing on left, the main block demolished in 1950s File:Orangery, Bowood House - geograph.org.uk - 1572435.jpg, Bowood House, Diocletian wing File:Wedderburn Castle.jpg, Wedderburn Castle,

Berwickshire Berwickshire ( gd, Siorrachd Bhearaig) is a historic county, registration county and lieutenancy area in south-eastern Scotland, on the English border. Berwickshire County Council existed from 1890 until 1975, when the area became part of th ...

File:Entrance Hall ceiling - Harewood House - West Yorkshire, England - DSC01582.jpg, The Entrance Hall Ceiling, Harewood House File:Harewood Castle 01.jpg, Harewood House, Yorkshire, altered by Sir

Charles Barry Sir Charles Barry (23 May 1795 – 12 May 1860) was a British architect, best known for his role in the rebuilding of the Palace of Westminster (also known as the Houses of Parliament) in London during the mid-19th century, but also respon ...

File:Harewood House The State Bedroom.jpg, Harewood House, State Bedroom File:State Bedroom ceiling - Harewood House - West Yorkshire, England - DSC01810.jpg, The Ceiling, State Bedroom, Harewood House File:Harewood House The Old Library.jpg, Harewood House, Old Library File:Music Room ceiling, with paintings by Angelica Kaufman - Harewood House - West Yorkshire, England - DSC02050.jpg, Harewood House, Music Room Ceiling File:Harewood House The Music Room.jpg, The Music Room, Harewood House File:Gallery ceiling by Robert Adam - Harewood House - West Yorkshire, England - DSC01960.jpg, Gallery ceiling, Harewood House File:Gallery - Harewood House - West Yorkshire, England - DSC01996.jpg, The Gallery, Harewood House File:Gallery fireplace, design by Robert Adam - Harewood House - West Yorkshire, England - DSC01966.jpg, Gallery fireplace, Harewood House File:Newliston House - geograph.org.uk - 1306052.jpg, Newliston House File:Dalquarran Castle - geograph.org.uk - 790426.jpg, Dalquarran Castle, Ayrshire File:Luton Hoo.jpg, Luton Hoo House, Bedfordshire, altered by Sir Robert Smirke and again in the late 19th century File:Mellerstain House - geograph.org.uk - 52335.jpg, Mellerstain House, Berwickshire File:Osterley Park 800.jpg, Osterley Park, London File:Osterley Park Interior.jpg, Main Staircase, Osterley Park, London File:Osterley Park House-11891497834.jpg, Entrance Hall, Osterley Park, London File:Drawing Room Ceiling, Osterley House.jpg, Osterley Park, Drawing Room Ceiling File:WP 004275.jpg, Portico Ceiling, Osterley Park

Garden buildings and follies

* Stables, Inveraray Castle, joint work with his brother John (1758–60) * North Lodge, Kedleston Hall (1759) * Circular and Octagon pavilion, La Trappe, Hammersmith (1760) for George Bubb Dodington (demolished) * Conservatory

(1760) * Rotunda

, attributed (1760) * Old Rectory, Kedleston Hall () * Entrance screen,

Moor Park, Hertfordshire Moor Park is a private residential estate in the Three Rivers District of Hertfordshire, England. Located approximately northwest of central London and adjacent to the Greater London boundary, it is a suburban residential development. History ...

(1763) * The Conservatory, Osterley Park (1763) * Bridge,

Audley End House Audley End House is a largely early 17th-century country house outside Saffron Walden, Essex, England. It is a prodigy house, known as one of the finest Jacobean houses in England. Audley End is now one-third of its original size, but is sti ...

, Essex () * Tea Pavilion, Moor Park, Hertfordshire () * Gatehouse

Kimbolton Castle Kimbolton Castle is a country house in Kimbolton, Cambridgeshire, England. It was the final home of King Henry VIII's first wife, Catherine of Aragon. Originally a medieval castle but converted into a stately palace, it was the family seat of t ...

() * Bridge, Kedleston Hall (1764) * Estate Village Lowther, Cumbria (1766) * Dunstall 'Castle' and Garden Alcove, Croome Park (1766) * Entrance arch, Croome Court (1767) * Entrance Screen, Cullen House,

Cullen, Moray Cullen ( gd, Inbhir Cuilinn) is a village and former royal burgh in Moray, Scotland, on the North Sea coast east of Elgin. The village had a population of 1,327 in 2001. United Kingdom Census 2001

(1767) * Bridge, Osterley Park (c. 1768) * Entrance screen,

(1769) * Fishing, Boat & Bath House, Kedleston Hall (1770–71) * Circular Temple, Audley End House, Essex (1771) * Lion Bridge,

Alnwick Alnwick ( ) is a market town in Northumberland, England, of which it is the traditional county town. The population at the 2011 Census was 8,116. The town is on the south bank of the River Aln, south of Berwick-upon-Tweed and the Scottish bor ...

(1773) * Stag Lodge, Saltram House, Devon () * The Stables, Featherstone entrance & Huntwick arch Nostell Priory (1776) * Wyke Green Lodges, Osterley, Middlesex (1777); remodelled * the Home Farm, Culzean Castle, Ayrshire (1777–79) * Brizlee Tower, Alnwick, Gothic tower (1777–81) * Oswald's Temple,

Auchincruive Auchincruive is a former country house and estate in South Ayrshire, Scotland. It is located east of Ayr, on the north bank of the River Ayr. Auchincruive House was built in the 18th century on the site of an earlier mansion. In 1927, the estate ...

, Ayrshire (1778) * 'Ruined' arch and viaduct, Culzean Castle (1780) * The semi-circular conservatory, Osterley Park (1780) * Tea House Bridge, Audley End House, Essex (1782) * The Stables, Culzean Castle () * Stables, Castle Upton, Templepatrick, Co. Antrim, Ireland. (1788–89). Important range of office buildings in castle style. * Montagu Bridge, Dalkeith Palace, Lothian (1792) * Loftus Hall, Fethard-on-sea, Co. Wexford, Ireland. Date unknown. Proposed gates. * Lion Gate and Lodge, Syon Park, London. Date unknown. File:Syon Gateway and porters' lodges 1769 edited.jpg, Screen, Syon House, London File:No-longer used entrance to Syon Park, Brentford - geograph.org.uk - 1123299.jpg, The Lion Gate, Syon Park, London File:Kimbolton Castle 03.jpg, Gatehouse, Kimbolton Castle File:Entrance gates Croome Court.jpg, Entrance Arch, Croome Park, Worcestershire File:Croome Landscape Park - geograph.org.uk - 42459.jpg, Garden Alcove, Croome Court, Worcestershire File:Rotunda Croome Park.jpg, Rotunda, Croome Park, Worcestershire File:Dunstall "Castle" - geograph.org.uk - 15460.jpg, Dunstall "Castle", Croome Court, Worcestershire File:Brizlee Tower - Alnwick - Northumberland - UK - 2006-03-04.jpg, Brizlee Tower, Alnwick File:2008-09-14 Osterley GardenHouse.jpg, The semi-circular conservatory, Osterley Park File:Nostell Priory Park2.jpg, Featherstone entrance, Nostell Priory, Yorkshire File:Oswald's Temple, Auchincruive - geograph.org.uk - 1149431.jpg, Oswald's Temple,

, Ayrshire File:Robert AdamFishing Room and Boat House at Kedleston Circa 1769.JPG, Kedleston Fishing, Bathing & Boat House File:Boathouse Bridge - geograph.org.uk - 1472741.jpg, Kedleston Bridge File:Entering The Culzean Visitor Centre - geograph.org.uk - 1229843.jpg, Former Home Farm, Culzean Castle File:Model Village, Lowther - geograph.org.uk - 59691.jpg, Lowther Castle Model Village File:Montagu Bridge, Dalkeith Country Park - geograph.org.uk - 1589872.jpg, Montagu Bridge, Dalkeith Palace File:The Lion Bridge - geograph.org.uk - 919287.jpg, The Lion Bridge, Alnwick File:Tea House Bridge - geograph.org.uk - 1442099.jpg, Tea House Bridge, Audley End File:Clock Tower, Upton Castle, Templepatrick - geograph.org.uk - 33750.jpg, Clock Tower, Stables, Castle Upton, Co. Meath File:Culzean Castle - clock tower courtyard - geograph.org.uk - 1560844.jpg, Stables, Culzean Castle, Ayrshire

Country houses with minor work

* Hopetoun House, West Lothian (interiors) (1750–54), the house was designed by William Adam * Ballochmyle House, Ayrshire () * Compton Verney House, added the wings and interiors (1760–63) *

, three interiors: the Library the fittings are in the

, Gallery and Tapestry Room this is now in the

, (1760–65) *

, redecoration of ground floor rooms (1763–65) * Goldsborough Hall, near

Knaresborough Knaresborough ( ) is a market and spa town and civil parish in the Borough of Harrogate, in North Yorkshire, England, on the River Nidd. It is east of Harrogate. History Knaresborough is mentioned in the Domesday Book of 1086 as ''Chenar ...

, North Yorkshire (1764–1765) * Alnwick Castle, Northumberland (interiors) (1766) destroyed when Anthony Salvin created the current state rooms * Woolton Hall, Woolton, Merseyside (1772), remodelled main façade and the interior * Headfort House,

County Meath County Meath (; gle, Contae na Mí or simply ) is a county in the Eastern and Midland Region of Ireland, within the province of Leinster. It is bordered by Dublin to the southeast, Louth to the northeast, Kildare to the south, Offaly to the ...

, Ireland. Internal work, including stairs and notably the Great Eating Room (1775) for Thomas Taylour, 1st. Earl Bective. *

Wormleybury Wormleybury is an 18th-century house surrounded by a landscaped park of 57 ha (140 acres) near Wormley in Broxbourne, Hertfordshire, England, a few miles north of Greater London. The house was rebuilt in the 1770s from an earlier house built i ...

, Hertfordshire, internal work including entrance hall & staircase (1777) * Downhill, near

Coleraine Coleraine ( ; from ga, Cúil Rathain , 'nook of the ferns'Flanaghan, Deirdre & Laurence; ''Irish Place Names'', page 194. Gill & Macmillan, 2002. ) is a town and civil parish near the mouth of the River Bann in County Londonderry, Northern ...

County Londonderry County Londonderry ( Ulster-Scots: ''Coontie Lunnonderrie''), also known as County Derry ( ga, Contae Dhoire), is one of the six counties of Northern Ireland, one of the thirty two counties of Ireland and one of the nine counties of Ulster. ...

, Ireland. (1780) Design for dining room. Not executed. House is now a crumbling ruin. *

Moccas Court Moccas Court is an 18th-century country house which sits in sloping grounds overlooking the River Wye north of the village of Moccas, Herefordshire, England. It is now a luxury guest house and function venue. The house was built in 1775–81 by t ...

, Moccas, Herefordshire, internal work including drawing room (1781) * Castle Upton, Templepartick, Co. Antrim, Ireland. Remodelling of house. (1782–83) for 1st. Lord Templetown. * Archerfield House, Lothian, internal work including library (1791) *

Summerhill House Summerhill House was a 100-roomed mansion in County Meath, Ireland which was the ancestral seat of the Viscounts Langford and the Barons Langford. Built in 1731, Summerhill House demonstrated the power and wealth the Langford Rowley family ha ...

, Co. Meath, Ireland. Date unknown. Proposed alterations. House now demolished. File:Summerhill House, Main front.jpg, Summerhill House, Main Front. File:Comptonverney.jpg, Compton Verney House, wings by Adam

Official appointments

References

Sources

* Adam, Robert (1764
''Ruins of the palace of the Emperor Diocletian at Spalatro in Dalmatia''
* Bolton, Arthur T. (1922, reprinted 1984) ''The Architecture of Robert & James Adam, 1785–1794'', 2 volumes * Curl, James Stevens (2006) ''Oxford Dictionary of Architecture and Landscape Architecture'' 2nd Edition. Oxford University Press. * Fleming, John (1962) ''Robert Adam and his Circle'' John Murray * Glendinning, Miles, and McKechnie, Aonghus, (2004) ''Scottish Architecture'', Thames and Hudson. * Graham, Roderick (2009) ''Arbiter of Elegance: A Biography of Robert Adam'' (Birlinn, ) * Harris, Eileen (1963) ''The Furniture of Robert Adam'' Alec Tiranti, London. . * Harris, Eileen (2001) ''The Genius of Robert Adam: His Interiors'' * Lees-Milne, James (1947) ''The Age of Adam'' *

Pevsner, Nikolaus Sir Nikolaus Bernhard Leon Pevsner (30 January 1902 – 18 August 1983) was a German-British art historian and architectural historian best known for his monumental 46-volume series of county-by-county guides, ''The Buildings of England'' (19 ...

(1951) ''An Outline of European Architecture'' 2nd Edition. Pelican * Roderick, Graham (2009) ''Arbiter of Elegance A Biography of Robert Adam''. Birlinn * * Stillman, Damie (1966) ''The Decorative Work of Robert Adam'' * Tait, A. A. (2004
"Adam, Robert (1728–1792)"
''

Oxford Dictionary of National Biography The ''Dictionary of National Biography'' (''DNB'') is a standard work of reference on notable figures from British history, published since 1885. The updated ''Oxford Dictionary of National Biography'' (''ODNB'') was published on 23 September ...

'', Oxford University Press * Yarwood, Doreen (1970) ''Robert Adam'' and (1973 paperback) * Belamarić, Joško – Šverko, Ana (eds.): Robert Adam and Diocletian's Palace in Split, Zagreb 2017,

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Adam, Robert 1728 births 1792 deaths People from Kirkcaldy People educated at the Royal High School, Edinburgh Alumni of the University of Edinburgh Independent members of the House of Commons of Great Britain Members of the Parliament of Great Britain for Scottish constituencies British MPs 1768–1774 Fellows of the Royal Society of Edinburgh Fellows of the Royal Society Fellows of the Society of Antiquaries of London People of the Scottish Enlightenment Politics of Perth and Kinross Scottish antiquarians 18th-century Scottish architects Scottish furniture designers Scottish interior designers British neoclassical architects Burials at Westminster Abbey Fellows of the Society of Antiquaries of Scotland