Sir Jeffrey Wyatville
b. Burton-on-Trent, 1766;
d. London, 1840.

Sir Jeffrey Wyatville, an adaptable and industrious English architect, best known for his remodelling of Windsor Castle. Wyatville was the second son of Joseph Wyatt, a Staffordshire mason and architect. He was apprenticed to his uncles - Samuel and James Wyatt - in London and subsequently set up his own practice. He also established a partnership with John Armstrong, a carpentry contractor, thus enabling him to act as a contractor and supplier on numerous projects. The bulk of Wyatville’s work consisted of improvements and additions to country houses; he built up an impressive list of aristocratic patrons. He was a competent classical architect - as demonstrated by his alterations and interiors for Chatsworth House - but also specialized in Neo-Gothic and Tudoresque mansions. His most notable work is his restoration and remodelling of Windsor Castle, commissioned by King George IV in 1824. He gave the building a picturesque silhouette by raising the Round Tower and designed a series of sumptuous interiors for the private apartments, which transformed the historic castle into a comfortable royal palace. His country house designs did not achieve the virtuosity of the best of his uncle’s work, but he was both versatile and industrious. He changed his name to Wyatville when he began work on Windsor Castle and was knighted for his endeavours in 1828.

Major buildings / works:
Chatsworth House, Derbyshire (additions and interiors), 1818-41.
Windsor Castle, Berks. (restoration and remodelling), 1824-40.

Bibliography:
Derek Linstrum, Sir Jeffrey Wyattalle: Architect to the King, Oxford, 1972.
John Martin Robinson, The Wyatts: An Architectural Dynasty, Oxford, 1979.