John Papworth

John Papworth (1750–1799) was a plasterer and stuccoist working in London in the late 18th century.

Biography Papworth was of Italian origin, and was apprenticed to the celebrated stuccoist John Rose, later starting his own business.

Papworth was master plasterer at St James's Palace and at Kensington Palace starting in 1780. He did the plasterwork in the Royal Academy Room at Somerset House, and the ornate ceilings in the chapel at Greenwich Hospital, London, when it was rebuilt in the 1780s by the architect James "Athenian" Stuart, after it had been destroyed by fire. In Scotland in 1781, he was employed by the architect Robert Milne on Inveraray Castle, Argyllshire; he submitted an invoice for £150 0s 6d for "Plaster work in casts, models and moulds, for ornamented ceilings and walls of hall and the dining room". By the late 1790s Papworth had premises at 86 Great Portland Street, London; which he shared with his son John Buonarotti Papworth, who was then beginning a career in architecture. At this time Chambers' offices were on nearby Norton Street. His eldest son, Thomas, carried on the business after his death, and his second son, John Buonarotti Papworth also continued the family tradition, being described as "one of the most versatile architects and decorative artists of the period". His third son, George, was likewise an architect, active mainly in Ireland. Papworth's descendants included many eminent architects like John Woody Papworth and writers on artistic themes.