Hammond-Harwood House architect William Buckland was born on August 14, 1734, making this Friday his 292nd birthday.
Buckland spent his childhood in Oxford, England, and then apprenticed with his uncle James Buckland in London before he arrived in Virginia indentured to Thomson Mason, brother of George Mason. Buckland designed the interior and some exterior features of Gunston Hall, George Mason’s Home.
In 1759 Mason wrote Buckland a letter of recommendation following his completion of Gunston Hall, stating that he was “a complete Master of the Carpenter’s and Joiners Business both in Theory & Practice.” Buckland relocated to Richmond County, Virginia, where he worked on several buildings, including Mount Airy, the plantation house of John Tayloe II. In September 1771 Buckland accepted an offer from Edward Lloyd IV to complete an Annapolis townhouse begun by Samuel Chase a few years prior. Buckland then moved his family, workers, and slaves to Annapolis and finished the building known as the Chase-Lloyd House. Matthias Hammond, admiring Buckland’s work across the street from the land he owned, contracted the architect to design and build the beautiful Hammond-Harwood House in early 1774. Unfortunately, Buckland died of unknown causes on Maryland’s Eastern Shore in November 1774.
The Hammond-Harwood House is proud to have a copy of a Charles Willson Peale portrait of William Buckland by Winifred Gordon. The painting depicts Buckland with Hammond-Harwood House plans on the table, as well as his drafting tools. The original Peale painting is held by Yale University Art Gallery, a gift to them following a purchase in the 1924 auction of Hammond- Harwood House and its contents.
Come see the painting and Buckland’s original drafting tools and give Mr. Buckland birthday wishes!
Lucinda Dukes Edinberg
Hammond-Harwood House Curator
Winifred Gordon, (American, 1907-1996)
Oil on canvas
Hammond-Harwood House Collection. Gift of the artist, 1947. P12
