[2] At the age of 16 he was articled to the architect Robert Smirke, and from 1809 he studied at the Royal Academy Schools where he won the silver and gold medals.
In 1818 he was awarded a scholarship from the academy, allowing him to study for four years on the continent where he spent most of the time in Italy.
His first commission was for work on Syston Park in Lincolnshire for Sir John Hayford Thorold.
[3] He also designed a variety of public buildings, including a grandstand at Wolverhampton Racecourse, the Lock Hospital in Paddington, new premises for The Law Society in London, and the re-fronting of the premises of the Royal Institution, also in London.
In addition to his work on Syston Park, he designed other country houses, including Boothby Hall, Lincolnshire.