John Summerson
Sir John Newenham Summerson CH CBE (1904-1992) was one of the leading
British architectural historians of the 20th century. He wrote mainly about British architecture, especially that of the
Georgian era. His
Architecture in Britain: 1530-1830 (1st edition 1953; many subsequent editions) remained a standard work on the subject for students and general readers after his death.
The Classical Language of Architecture (1963) is an introduction to the stylistic elements of classical architecture and traces their use and variation in different eras. He also wrote many more specialised works including books about
Inigo Jones and Georgian
London. He was curator of
Sir John Soane's Museum from 1945-1984.
