William Henry Playfair (1790-1857) was one of the greatest Scottish architects of the 19th Century.

Two of his finest works are the neo-classical buildings of the National Gallery of Scotland and the Royal Scottish Academy which are situated in the centre of Edinburgh, Scotland.

Timeline of major projects

• 1822 Commissioned by the Institution for the Encouragement of Fine Arts in Scotland. The building was opened in 1826
• 1824 In collaboration with Charles Robert Cockerell, designed an exact replica of the Parthenon which was to be built on top of Calton Hill, however due to lack of investment it was never finished.
• August 30 1850 Prince Albert laid the foundation stone of the National Gallery of Scotland.
• 1859 National Gallery of Scotland opened to the public two years after Playfair's death.