'Captain William Winde' (c.
1645-
1722) was an
English gentleman
architect, whose Royalist military career, resulting in fortifications and topographical surveys, and his later career, as designer or simply "conductor" of the works of country houses, has been epitomised by
Howard Colvin, who said that "Winde ranks with
Hooke,
May,
Pratt and
Talman as one of the principal English country-house architects of the late seventeenth century" (Colvin 1995, p 1066).
Time has not been kind to his productions. His work included:
★ Hampstead Marshall, (for
William Craven, 1st Earl of Craven), where he completed a house begun by Sir
Balthazar Gerbier, c. 1662-1688, from the dates on many surviving drawings.
Thomas Strong, mason; Edward Pierce, carpenter;
Edward Goudge, plasterer. Destroyed by fire 1718. Gate piers remain.
★ possibly
Cliveden House, Buckinghamshire (for
George Villiers, 2nd Duke of Buckingham) c.1676-8. Destroyed by fire 1795 and rebuilt.
★
Coombe Abbey, near
Coventry (for Earl Craven). Rebuilt centre block and north wing, c. 1682-88. North wing demolished.
★ Buckingham House (for
John Sheffield, 1st Duke of Buckingham), 1702-05. Completely embodied in
Buckingham Palace.
★ Powis House,
Lincoln's Inn Fields,
London (for First Marquess of Powis) 1682-89. (later
Newcastle House).
★
Belton House near Grantham, Lincolnshire, is attributed to him.
References
★
Howard Colvin, ''A Biographical Dictionary of British Architects, 1600-1840'' (3rd ed. 1995)