John Nash

John Nash (1752-1835) was the most successful and fashionable architect of his time. Architect, town-planner, landscape designer, bridge-builder, engineer and entrepreneur, Nash outlived his principal patron, George IV, by five years. After a disheartening start, when his first speculative buildings in Bloomsbury failed and left him bankrupt, Nash moved to Wales to rebuild his career, eventually returning to London in 1796. He had made a remarkable recovery and went on to become the most successful and fashionable architect of the period. His buildings reflect a variety of styles, including neo-classical, Tudor and Gothic, with a strong emphasis on the Picturesque. His Metropolitan Improvements - Regent's Park, Regent Street, Trafalgar Square - were the most comprehensive developments ever carried out in London, even until recent times.