John Nash

John Nash 1752-1835, English architect; pupil of Sir Robert Taylor. After enjoying an extensive practice in Wales, he began to work c.1792 in London. His capacities were greatest in town planning, and he is chiefly known for his boldly planned development of the Marylebone region of London. His scheme, as put into execution in 1818, comprehended Regent St., with its Quadrant, and Regent's Park, with its terraces and surrounding streets of formally designed town houses. Nash also designed the Haymarket theater and remodeled Buckingham Palace. He was one of the initiators of the neoclassic Regency style.

Bibliography: See studies by Sir John Summerson (2d ed. 1950) and T. Davis (new ed. 1968, repr. 1973).

Nash, John (1752–1835). Born in London, the son of a millwright, Nash was the most successful English architect of the early 19th cent. After a short apprenticeship, he enjoyed early success on his own account before money troubles forced him to retire to Wales, where he rapidly recovered financially, designing houses for the local gentry. His first public commission was Carmarthen county gaol. Returning to London, Nash quickly built up a large practice, at first in partnership with Humphry Repton, the landscape designer, then on his own, producing designs in an enormous range of styles. For most of his life he worked on grand projects for the prince regent, in particular on a most imaginative scheme for a garden city in the heart of London. Much of the work was completed by Nash's death, but now only Regent's Park remains as envisaged. Buildings as varied as All Souls', Langham Place, Marble Arch, and the Pavilion at Brighton point to Nash's imagination and eclecticism.

June Cochrane