Robert Adam and Networks for Building in Eighteenth-Century Britain

This doctoral thesis examines the work of the Scottish architects Robert Adam (1728-92) and James Adam (1732-94). Traditional interpretations tended to focus on style and biography, exploring the Adam brothers’ creative autonomy as designers. Signalling a departure from this architect-centred approach, recent scholarship has contested the authority of architects and investigated the complex collaborative dynamics of building work. Engaging with current debates in the field, this thesis prioritises the Adam brothers’ activities as surveyors, contractors and project-managers. It reframes their practice from a more logistical and economic perspective, examining their supervisory duties and subcontracting networks. Along a series of project milestones – estimating, contracting, measuring and payment – it tracks the Adam brothers’ shifting involvement as work progressed.

The management of large-scale building works demanded a sound grasp of materials, costs and production processes, combined with effective methods of long-distance communication and distribution. By mapping out networks of building activity, this thesis identifies the distinct challenges of supervising from a remove, and the complexities associated with the interpretation of designs and correspondence. To monitor progress and incentivise high standards, quality controls were performed at various stages by subcontractors, measurers and the clerk of works. Their respective contributions are analysed throughout this thesis, alongside key interventions by the Adam brothers and their clients.

Rather than depicting craftspeople as passive instruments executing the architect’s vision, this thesis compares diverse organisational structures and business practices across the Adam brothers’ network. Looking beyond the conventional narrative of Robert Adam’s total control, it uncovers more complex patterns of interdependency and offers a revised interpretation of authority, influence and expertise.