Basic Biographical Details

Name: Isaac Ware
Designation:  
Born: 1703 or 1704
Died: 6 January 1766
Bio Notes: Isaac Ware was born in London, the son of a shoemaker and baptised in St Martin’s Cripplegate on 6 March 1703 or 1704. On 1 August 1721 he was articled for seven years to Thomas Ripley, an official of the Royal Works. Ripley was probably responsible for obtaining for his pupil the posts of Clerk Iterant and Draughtsman there in 1728 and later Purveyor. He also held the post of Clerkship of the Works at Windsor Castle (1729-33) and moved to a similar post at Greenwich (1733-36). From 1733-66 he served as Secretary to the Board while retaining the posts of Purveyor and Clerk Iterant.

Ware was reputed to have started as a chimney-sweeps boy and to have been spotted in the street drawing the elevation of the Banqueting House by a gentleman, possibly Lord Burlington. Whoever his benefactor was he was given a good education and sent to Italy. On his return he formed connections with Lord Burlington’s circle and may have been patronised by Burlington himself.

In 1727 Ware subscribed to William Kent's ‘Designs of Inigo Jones’ (a volume sponsored by Burlington), in 1731 he published his own ‘Designs of Inigo Jones and Others’, which contained designs by Burlington. Ware's translation of Palladio's ‘Quattro libri dell'architettura’ (generally considered the best and most reliable English edition), published in 1738, was dedicated to Burlington, and acknowledged his assistance. In 1735 he published ‘The Plans, Elevations and Sections of Houghton in Norfolk’ (he may have worked on this while with Ripley) and a translation of Lorenzo Sirigatti's ‘La prattica di prospettiva’, (1756–7). At the same time Ware produced his most important work ‘The Complete Body of Architecture’. This was commissioned by the publishers Osborne & Shipton as a companion to similar treatises on Husbandry and Gardening. The ‘Complete Body’ contained a statement of Georgian architectural theory which balanced adherence to Palladio’s principles with the exercise of imagination and judgement.

Ware’s output as an architect was very limited. Apart from a few country houses, including one in Scotland, Amisfield, his major works were Lord Chesterfield’s town house in South Audley Street, London, 1748-49, Clifton Hill House in Bristol, 1746-50, (his most complete surviving building) and the former Town Hall in Oxford, 1751-52. He was also involved in speculative building in London.

Most of Ware’s designs were Palladian in character. However he also designed in a lavish rococo style – for example the interiors of Chesterfield House. As a prominent member of St Martin’s Academy he rubbed shoulders with rococo artists like Hogarth, Roubiliac and Francis Hayward. Ware looked beyond straightforward Palladian theory and this is supported by what he wrote in ‘The Complete Body’.

In 1742 Ware purchased an estate at Westbourne Green, Paddington and built himself a house (later occupied by S P Cockerell). In 1764 he sold the house to Sir William Yorke and moved to Frognall Hall, Hampstead, where he died on 6 January 1766.

Ware was married twice; with his first wife, Elizabeth, daughter of James Richards, master carver in the Office of Works, whom he married on 22 September 1729, he had a son, Walter James Ware. With his second wife, Mary Bolton (who predeceased him), he had two daughters, Mary and Charlotte.

Employment and Training

Employees or Pupils

The following individuals were employed or trained by this (click on an item to view details):
 NameDate fromDate toPositionNotes
Item 1 of 2Abraham Roumieu1748 Apprentice 
Item 2 of 2Charles Cameron1760s Apprentice 

Buildings and Designs

This was involved with the following buildings or structures from the date specified (click on an item to view details):
 Date startedBuilding nameTown, district or villageIslandCity or countyCountryNotes
Item 1 of 2c. 1754Carnsalloch HouseKirkmahoe DumfriesshireScotlandAttribution
Item 2 of 21756Amisfield  East LothianScotlandProvided designs

References

Bibliographic References

The following books contain references to this :
 Author(s)DateTitlePartPublisherNotes
Item 1 of 4Colvin, Howard2008A Biographical Dictionary of British Architects 1600-1840 London: YUP. 4th edition 
Item 2 of 4Harris, Eileen1990British Architectural Books and Writers 1556-1785   
Item 3 of 4New DNB New Dictionary of National Biography   
Item 4 of 4Wittkower, R1974Palladio and English Palladianism