Architect Decimus Burton (1800-81) deserves to be better known. His contribution to architecture includes the Athenaeum Club in Waterloo Place, Palm House in Kew, Wellington Arch and the Colosseum in Regent’s Park. Not only did he leave us a collection of fine buildings and landscapes, his generous nature meant that he also left a collection of drawings, documents and architectural items to the RIBA and Victoria and Albert Museum, where all these items are available to the public.

In November 2012 Dr Irena Murray, Sir Bannister Fletcher Director of the British Architectural Library, gave a talk about the achievements of Decimus Burton, illustrated with original items from both institutions as part of the V&A + RIBA Architecture Partnership. The talk was recorded so you can glimpse some of the highlights of  Burton’s substantial body of work.

About Wilson Yau

I work for the British Architectural Library at the RIBA as part of a team to share news, images and information online about the activities of the Library and the fascinating items we have in our architectural collections – it contains over four million items, so there's plenty to see! If you’re curious about what we do at the Library and with the collections, or want to discover the latest about our education programmes, public events and exhibitions at the RIBA, please visit www.architecture.com

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