Gibbs, James (1682-1754)

The Radcliffe Camera, Oxford. The building is part of Oxford University's Bodleian Library and was built by the Scottish architect James Gibbs in 1737-49. It is named after John Radcliffe, the 17th-century English physician whose patients included a succession of British monarchs.

Scottish neoclassical architect. He studied under the late-baroque architect Carlo Fontana (1638-1714) in Rome and was a close friend and follower of Christopher Wren. His buildings include St Mary-le-Strand, London (1714-17), St Martin-in-the-Fields, London (1722-26), and the circular Radcliffe Camera, Oxford (1737-49), which shows the influence of Italian Mannerism.