Christopher Wren, 1646-1723 (engraving)

Creator: Sir Godfrey Kneller (artist); Alexander Bannerman (engraver) Christopher Wren was born in Wiltshire, England in 1632. Wren became the Gresham Professor of Astronomy in London in 1657, and later he became the Savilian Professor of Astronomy at Oxford. In 1663, he was asked to design a new chapel for Pembroke College, Cambridge. This, his first foray into architecture, was quickly followed by more commissions. London's Great Fire of 1666 gave Wren a chance to present a scheme to rebuild the city. In 1669 Charles II appointed Wren Surveyor General of the King's Works. As Surveyor General he supervised all work on the royal palaces. In 1673 Wren resigned his Oxford professorship because of the work load. He was also knighted in 1673. Wren died in London in 1723.