Born in London in 1611, John Webb was fortunate to study under the brilliant Inigo Jones|.

From Jones he received a thorough education in the styles and techniques of classical architecture based on the work of Serlio, Palladio and Scamozzi.

It was also through Jones that he would meet his wife: Webb married Jones's niece, Anne. Through this connection, and as Jones's favoured pupil, he eventually inherited Jones's large collection of Palladio's drawings.|

During his early career, Webb assisted Jones as a draughtsman on projects, such as the Banqueting House at Whitehall and Wilton House|.

After Jones's death in 1652, Webb took on several significant commissions as an independent architect, evolving his mentor's style. These included:

• The Vyne, Hampshire (1654), for which Webb designed the first portico on an English country house.
• Chevening House, Kent (1655).
• Belvoir Castle, Leicestershire (1655-68)
• Greenwich Palace, The King Charles II Block (1664-1669)

After a successful career, Webb died in 1672. Despite a significant number of high-profile buildings, his reputation was soon overshadowed by his master's.

Nevertheless, Webb's contribution to English Palladianism |was great. Many of his buildings were attributed to Jones, and were later championed by the eighteenth-century Neo–Palladians|. Moreover, his drawings, now in the collections of the RIBA British Architectural Library, reveal his creative powers, his ambition and his ability to satisfy his patrons.