William Burges was born in London, England on 2 December 1827. He began studying engineering at King's College, London in 1843, but left after a year to take up articles in the London office of Edward Blore (1787-1879), surveyor to Westminster Abbey. In 1849 he moved to the office of Matthew Digby Wyatt (1820-1877) as an 'Improver' and assisted Wyatt in preparations for the Great Exhibition in 1851, and in the production of two books by him - 'Metal work and its Artistic Design' (1852) and 'The Industrial Arts of the Nineteenth Century' 1853-54)
Between c.1851 and 1856 he was in an informal partnership with Henry Clutton (1819-1893), who, like Burges, was an enthusiast and a follower of Augustus Welby Northmore Pugin (1812-1852). During these years, Burges travelled extensively on the Continent.
In 1856 Burges ended his partnership with Clutton and established his own architectural practice in London at 15 Buckingham Street, The Strand. In 1863 he was given his first significant commission, St Fin Barre's Cathedral in Cork, Ireland. Two years later, in 1865, he met John Patrick Crichton-Stuart, 3rd Marquess of Bute. The encounter was to lead to Burgess's two most important commissions, the rebuilding of Cardiff Castle, begun in 1868, but not completed until several years after Burges's death; and the reconstruction of Castell Coch, near Cardiff, begun in 1875, but not completed until the early 1890s, ten years after Burges's death.
Other important architectural commissions undertaken by by Burges included the redecoration of the hall of Worcester College, Oxford (1873-79); the Skilbeck Warehouse at 46 Upper Thames Street, London (1866); Knightshayes Court at Bolham, Tiverton, Devon (begun in 1869 and completed by John Dibblee Crace after Burges was sacked from the project in 1874); Park House in Cardiff(1871-75); Church of Christ the Consoler in Skelton-on-Ure, Harrogate, Yorkshire (1870-75); St Mary's in Studley Royal Park, Fountains Abbey, Yorkshire (1870-78); and The Tower House, Burges's own house at 29 Melbury Road, Holland Park, London (1875-81).
In 1868 Horatio Walter Lonsdale (1844-1919) began working as Burges's assistant. They subsequently collaborated on numerous commissions and following Burges's death, he worked on a number of commissions for the Marquess of Bute.
In addition to his work as an architect, Burges designed jewellery, art metalwork, stained glass, and furniture. Many of his designs, particularly his painted furniture, anticipate the Arts & Crafts movement.
Between 1852 and 1880 he exhibited at the Royal Academy in London and in 1881 was elected an Associate of the Royal Academy (ARA). He died at his home in London on 20 April 1881.
See:
Wikipedia - List of Buildings by William Burges
British Listed Buildings - over 100 entries on William Burges
Historic England - over 120 entries on William Burges
Source of Images
The Architectural Designs of William Burges, edited by Richard Popplewell Pullan. London: [publisher not identified], 1883
The Architectural Designs of W. Burges, A.R.A. Details of Stonework, edited by Richard Popplewell Pullan. London : B.T. Batsford, 1887
Armstrong, Barrie and Armstrong, Wendy. The Arts and Crafts movement in Yorkshire: a handbook. Wetherby: Oblong Creative Ltd., 2013
Aslin, Elizabeth. 'E. W. Godwin, William Burges and the Japanese Taste.' Apollo vol. 76. 1962 pp. 779-84
Avery, Derek. Victorian and Edwardian Architecture. London: Chaucer Press, 2003
Briggs, R. A. 'The art of William Burges, ARA: an appreciation'. Royal Institute of British Architects Journal vol. 23, 9 February 1916 pp. 131-139
Crook, J. Mordaunt. 'Knightshayes, Devon: Burges vesus Crace'. National Trust Yearbook vol. 1, 1975-76 pp. 44-55
Crook, J. Mordaunt. 'Patron Extraordinary: John Marquess of Bute'. in Victorian South Wales - Architecture, Industry and Society. London: Victorian Society [Victorian Society Conference Report No. 7], 1969 [A digitized version is available through the Haithi Trust Digital Library]
Crook, J. Mordaunt. 'William Burges' in Macmillan Encyclopedia of Architects Volume 1. Edited by Adolf K. Plakzek. New York and London: Macmillan and Free Press, 1982 pp. 339-341
Crook, J. Mordaunt. William Burges and the High Victorian dream. London: Frances Lincoln, revised and enlarged edition, 2013
Crook, J. Mordaunt; Axon, Mary; and Glenn, Virginia. The Strange Genius of William Burges, "art-architect", 1827-1881. Cardiff, Wales: National Museum of Wales, 1982.
Floud, Peter. Castell Coch. London: HMSO, 1954 [Reconstruction of Castell Coch in Tongwynlais, Cardiff, Wales by William Burges in collaboration with the 3rd Marquess of Bute in the late 1870s]
Girouard, Mark. 'Cardiff Castle, Gloucestershire'. Country Life vol. 129, 6 April 1961 pp. 760-763 [First of a three-part article on renovations made with addition to Cardiff Castle by William Burges between 1867 and 1876]
Girouard, Mark. 'Cardiff Castle, Gloucestershire'. Country Life vol. 129, 13 April 1961 pp. 822-825 [Second of a three-part article on renovations made with addition to Cardiff Castle by William Burges between 1867 and 1876]
Girouard, Mark. 'Cardiff Castle, Gloucestershire'. Country Life vol. 129, 20 April 1961 pp. 886-889 [Third of a three-part article on renovations made with addition to Cardiff Castle by William Burges between 1867 and 1876]
Girouard, Mark. Castell Coch, Glamorgan'. Country Life vol. 131, 10 May 1962 pp. 1092-1095 [First part of a two-part article on the remodelling of Castell Coch by William Burges]
Girouard, Mark. Castell Coch, Glamorgan'. Country Life vol. 131, 17 May 1962 pp. 1174-1177 [Second part of a two-part article on the remodelling of Castell Coch by William Burges]
Girouard, Mark. The Victorian Country House. New Haven and London: Yale University Press, revised and enlarged edition, 1979
Godwin, E. W. 'The home of an English architect'. Art Journal June 1886 pp. 170-173 [Part one of a two part article on Number 9, Melbury Road, Kensington, the house designed for himself by William Burges in 1875-80]
Godwin, E. W. 'The home of an English architect'. Art Journal October 1886 pp. 301-305 [Part two of a two part article on Number 9, Melbury Road, Kensington, the house designed for himself by William Burges in 1875-80]
Gregg, Helen. The literary lens of William Burges: his work at Cardiff Castle and Castell Coch. M.A. thesis, University of Wales, Lampeter, 2002
Handley-Read, Charles. ‘Aladdin's Palace in Kensington: William Burges's tower house'. Country Life vol. 139, 17 March 1966 pp. 600-604
Handley-Read, Charles. 'Cork Cathedral'. Architectural Review vol. 107, 1967 pp. 422-430
Handley-Read, Charles. ‘Notes on William Burges's Painted Furniture’. The Burlington Magazine vol. 105, no. 728, November 1963 pp. 494, 496-507, 509
Handley-Read, Charles. ‘St. Fin Barre's Cathedral'. Architectural Review vol. 141, June 1967 pp. 422-430 [A discussion of William Burges's first major commission, St. Fin Barre's Cathedral in Cork, Ireland, 1865-79]
Handley-Read, Charles. ‘William Burges’ in Victorian Architecture, edited by Peter Ferriday. London: Janathan Cape, 1963 pp. 185-220
The House of William Burges, A.R.A. Edited by R.P. Pullan. London: B.T. Batsford, 1886
Howell, W. G. 'Castell Coch'. Architectural Review vol. 109, January 1951 pp. 39-46 [Discusses the restoration and remodelling of Castell Coch in Tongwynlais, Cardiff, Wales by William Burges in collaboration with the 3rd Marquess of Bute in the late 1870s]
Lawrence, David and Wilson, Ann. The Cathedral of St Fin Barre at Cork: William Burges in Ireland. Dublin: Four Courts Press, 2006
Marks, Percy L. 'William Burges'. Architectural Association Notes vol. 18, March 1903 pp. 31-33
Muthesius, Stefan. The High Victorian movement in architecture, 1850-1870. London: Routledge & K. Paul, 1972.
'Obituary'. American Architect & Building News vol. 9-10, 1881 pp. 36-37
'Obituary'. The British Architect 29 April 1881 pp. 213-215
'Obituary'. The Builder vol. 40, 30 April 1881 pp. 531-532, 534
'Obituary'. The Builder vol. 40, 7 May 1881 p. 581
'Obituary'. The Builder vol. 40, 21 May 1881 p. 648
'Obituary'. The Builder vol. 40, 25 June 1881 p. 811
'Obituary'. The Building News vol. 40, 29 April 1881 pp. 473-74, 480
'Obituary'. Royal Institute of British Architects Transactions 1881-82 pp. 17-30
Pullan, Richard Popplewell. 'Works of the late William Burges' Royal Institute of British Architects Journal 1881-82 pp. 183-195
Rotch, Arthur. 'William Burges'. American Architect and Building News vol. 9, 1981 pp. 236-237
Skipworth, Peyton. ‘Cardiff: William Burges at the National Museum of Wales, Cardiff’. The Burlington Magazine Vol. 123, No. 943, October 1981, pp. 625-627
Taylor, Nicholas and Symondson, Anthony. 'Burges and Morris at Bingley. Architectural Review vol. 144, July 1968 pp. 35-38
Thistlewood, Jevon. ‘An examination of William Burges’s great bookcase’ Journal of the Decorative Arts Society 1850 to the Present vol. 41, 2017 pp. 26-33
Towne Hufford , Sarah. ‘The 'St Bacchus' Sideboard: A New Piece of Furniture by William Burges’. The Burlington Magazine Vol. 128, No. 999 June 1986 pp. 404+407-413
Victorian Church Art. Londoin: H.M.S.O., 1971 [Catalogue of an exhibition at the Victoria & Albert Museum, November 1971-January 1972 pp.33-45]
‘William Burges’ [A tribute]. The Building News vol. 40, 20 May 1881 p.574
Williams, Matthew. William Burges. Andover, Hampshire: Jarrold Publishing, 2004
Winterbottom, Matthew, ‘Not acceptable to present taste: William Burges’s great bookcase’. Journal of the Decorative Arts Society 1850 to the Present vol. 41, 2017 pp. 14-25
Zelleke, Ghenete. ‘Telling Stories in the Gothic Vein: William Burges and the Art of Painted Furniture’. Art Institute of Chicago Museum Studies vol. 31, no. 1, 2005 pp. 20-28, 90-91