Dictionary of National Biography, 1885-1900/Robinson, William (1720?-1775)

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ROBINSON, WILLIAM (1720?–1775), architect, eldest son of William Robinson of St. Giles's, Durham, was born about 1720 at Kepyer, near Durham, came to London, and was on 30 June 1746 appointed clerk of the works to Greenwich Hospital, where he superintended in 1763 the building of the infirmary, designed by James Stuart (1713–1788) [q. v.] Between 1750 and 1775 he assisted Walpole in executing the latter's plans for Strawberry Hill. Simultaneously he was clerk of the works at St. James's, Whitehall, and Westminster, and surveyor to the London board of customs, for whom he designed, between 1770 and 1775, the excise office in Old Broad Street. In 1776 he was secretary to the board of works, an office which he retained until his death. He made a design for rebuilding the Savoy, but this was superseded, on his death, by Sir William Chambers's plan for Somerset House. He died of gout at his residence in Scotland Yard on 10 Oct. 1775, and was buried in the chapel at Greenwich Hospital. His brother Thomas (1727–1810) was master gardener to George III at Kensington, while another brother Robert was an architect in Edinburgh.

A contemporary William Robinson (d. 1768), architect and surveyor of Hackney, was author of two small technical treatises: ‘Proportional Architecture, or the Five Orders regulated by Equal Parts, after so concise a method that renders it useful to all Artists, and Easy to every Capacity’ (with plates, London, 1733, 8vo; 2nd edit. 1736); and ‘The Gentleman and Builder's Director’ (London [1775], 8vo), including directions for fireproof buildings and non-smoking chimneys. The writer is probably to be identified with the W. Robinson, surveyor to the trustees of the Gresham estate committee (appointed in August 1767 to superintend the expenditure of 10,000l. voted by the House of Commons for repairing the Royal Exchange). His death was reported to the committee on 13 Jan. 1768.

[Notes and Queries, 2nd ser. vi. 326, ix. 272; Papworth's Dict. of Architecture; Chambers's Civil Architecture, ed. Gwilt, vol. xlv.; Faulkner's Kensington, 1820, p. 214; Brit. Mus. Cat.]