Background
He was born in Edinburgh, the son of architect Robert Burn, and educated at the Royal High School.
He was born in Edinburgh, the son of architect Robert Burn, and educated at the Royal High School.
Royal High School.
A talented architect, he received major commissions from the age of 20 until his death at 80, a remarkable 60 years of prominence. After training with the architect of the British Museum, Sir Robert Smirke, he returned to Edinburgh in 1812. Here he established a practice from the family builders" yard.
In 1827 (unusually for an architect) he was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society of Edinburgh, his proposer being James Skene.
He resigned in 1845 following his move to London. In the 1830s he was living and working at 131 George Street in the New Town.
Burn was a true master of many styles, but all are typified by well-proportioned simplicity externally and frequent stunning interiors. He died at 6 Stratton Street in Piccadilly, London and is buried in Kensal Green Cemetery just on the edge of the path to the north-west of the central buildings.
John Honeyman
David Bryce
John Lessels
George Meikle Kemp
Thomas Brown
James Campbell Walker
William Eden Nesfield
David MacGibbon.