Who was Hugh May?
Hugh May, was an English architect in the period after the Restoration of King Charles II. Hugh May was the seventh son of John May of Rawmere, in Mid Lavant, West Sussex, by his wife, Elizabeth Hill, and was baptised on 2 October 1621.
Life and Work
May worked in the era which fell between the first introduction of Palladianism into England by Inigo Jones, and the full flowering of English Baroque under John Vanbrugh and Nicholas Hawksmoor.
Although May's only surviving works are Eltham Lodge, and the east front, stables and chapel at Cornbury House, his designs were influential.
By the 1660s May had raised his profile as an influential surveyor of the period and was appointed as Comptroller of the King's Works in 1668. Despite his brief role as Surveyor of the King's Works whilst Sir John Denham was ill in 1666, May was overlooked for the role in favour of his rival, Sir Christopher Wren.
In addition to Wren, May was one of the four surveyors appointed to rebuild London following the Great Fire of 1666. May's notable commissions included alterations to Eltham Lodge, London; Cornbury House, Oxforshire; and Moor Park, Hertfordshire.
May died at the age of 63, and was buried in the church at Mid Lavant.
Sources
Howard Colvin (1995). A Biographical Dictionary of British Architects, 1600–1840 (3rd ed.). Yale University Press.