
1723 – Born in Göteborg, Sweden. British eclectic architect of the Georgian period who was one of the leading Palladian-style architects of his day.
1749 – He studied architecture, first in Paris with the influential architectural theorist Jacques-François Blondel and then in Rome.
1755 – Returned to England, he became architectural tutor to the prince of Wales, the future George III.
1757 – A voyage to Canton supplied the materials for his Designs of Chinese Buildings.
1759 – His books, notably A Treatise on Civil Architecture, had widespread influence.
1768 – He helped found the Royal Academy of Arts and was its first treasurer.
– Upon receiving the knighthood of the Polar Star from the king of Sweden, he was allowed by George III to assume the rank and title of an English knight.
1776 – His best-known works are Somerset House, London, now home of the Courtauld Institute Galleries; the casino at Marino, near Dublin; Duddingston House, Edinburgh; and the ornamental buildings, including the Pagoda, at Kew Gardens, Surrey (now in London).
1796 – Died on March 8th in London, England.