Born in Sydney, Chistopher Tadgell studied art history at the Courtauld Institute in London and subsequently taught architectural history for almost thirty years before devoting himself full time to writing and research, travelling worldwide to examine and photograph buildings from every tradition and period. He is a Trustee of the World Monuments Fund, a Fellow of the Society of Antiquities and a member of both the British and American Societies of Architectural History. His History of Architecture in India is the definitive one-volume account, whilst his publications on French architecture include the standard account in Baroque and Rococo Architecture and Decoration.