John Webb

This is a description of the architectural projects of John Webb, a pupil of Inigo Jones who was considered to be England's first trained, professional architect, in the context of contemporary theory, practice and expectations. The text considers Webb's speculations on the history of Stonehenge and his contribution to linguistic studies, being the first Englishman to write about the Chinese language. It discusses his attempt to demonstrate that the language of the ancient Chinese was the original language of mankind. The book is illustrated with photographs of Webb's surviving buildings, his own drawings and several newly-drawn annotated plans.