William Wilkinson was born in Witney, Oxfordshire, England in 1819. His father was a builder in Witney and his elder brother, George Wilkinson (1814-1890) was also an architect.
Nothing has been traced about William Wilkinson's training as an architect. He appears to have gained practical experience with his father and as an auctioneer, land surveyor, estate agent, builder, and materials supplier. In 1856 he opened a practice at 2 St Giles in Oxford. In 1860 he relocated the practice to 5 Beaumont Street, Oxford where he remained until 1886. He was for many years architect to Oxfordshire County Constabulary. From 1881 he was in partnership with his nephew, Harry Wilkinson Moore (1850-1915).
During his long career as an architect Wilkinson designed a wide range of buildings, mainly in Oxfordshire, including churches, police buildings, private houses, hotels, clergy houses, industrial and commercial buildings and educational establishments. Many of these are documented in his two books English Country Houses: Forty-five Views and Plans of Recently Erected Mansions, etc. (1870), and English Country Houses: Sixty-one Views and Plans of Recently Erected Mansions, etc. (1875).
Towards the end of his life William Wilkinson took up residence at the Randolph Hotel in Oxford (one of his major projects, completed in 1864) where he died on 24 January 1901
The first building Wilkinson designed was Holy Trinity Church in Lew, Oxfordshire in 1841. Other works by him included village school, Hailey, near Witney, Oxfordshire (1848); the restoration of St Leonard's parish church, Eynsham, Oxfordshire (1856); a lodge and two chapels, Witney Cemetery, Oxfordshire (1857); police station, Watlington, Oxfordshire (1858-59); police station, Woodstock, Oxfordshire (1858-59); workhouse, Witney, Oxfordshire (1860); parsonage, Ramsden, Oxfordshire (1862); Hollybank, Wootton (1862–63); parsonage, Chadlington, Oxfordshire (1863); police station, Woodstock (1863); farmhouse, Whittlebury, Northamptonshire (1864); The Holt, Middleton Cheney, Northamptonshire (1864); 1 Norham Gardens, Norham Manor Estate, Oxford (1864); rectory, Duns Tew, Oxfordshire (1864); The Randolph Hotel, Oxford (1864); police station, Chipping Norton, Oxfordshire (1864-65); 60 Banbury Road, Oxford (1865–66); Bignell House, Chesterton, Oxfordshire (1866); 23 and 24 Cornhill, Banbury, Oxfordshire (1866); 11 Norham Gardens, Norham Manor Estate, Oxford (1866); Horton family mausoleum, All Saints' parish church, Middleton Cheney, Northamptonshire (1866-67); parsonage, Godington, Oxfordshire (1867); lodge, cottage and pheasantry, Astrop Park, Northamptonshire (1868); 13 Norham Gardens, Norham Manor Estate, Oxford (1868); restoration, almshouses, Witney (1868); parsonage, Upper Heyford, Oxfordshire (1869); police station, Burford, Oxfordshire (1869); School, Minster Lovell, Oxfordshire (1870-72); Brashfield House, Caversfield, Oxfordshire (1871–73); alterations and enlargement, rectory, Rousham, Oxfordshire (1873); Magistrates' room, Deddington Court House, Oxfordshire (1874); Shelswell Park, Shelswell, Oxfordshire (1875); Elementary School, Burford, Oxfordshire (1877-77); Grammar School, Thame, Oxfordshire (1877-79); Cowley Place, Oxford, (1877-78); presbytery, St Aloysius', Woodstock Road, Oxford (1877–78); smith shop and foundry, William Lucy's Eagle Ironworks, Jericho, Oxford (1879); north aisle, St Andrew's parish church, Headington, Oxford (1880); Salesian College, Crescent Road, Cowley, Oxfordshire (1880); and vicarage and institute, Combe, Oxfordshire, with Moore (1892-93).
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