First Commissioner of Works
The First Commissioner of Works and Public Buildings was a position within the government of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland. It took over some of the functions of the First Commissioner of Woods and Forests in 1851 when the portfolio of Crown holdings was divided into the public and the commercial. The position was frequently of cabinet level. The office was renamed Minister of Works and Buildings and First Commissioner of Works in 1940, Minister of Works and Planning in 1942, Minister of Works in 1943 and finally Minister of Public Buildings and Works in 1962. On 15 October 1970 the Ministry was amalgamated in the Department of the Environment.
First Commissioners of Works, 1851–1940
| Name | Entered office | Left office |
|---|---|---|
| Lord Seymour | 1 August 1851 | 21 February 1852 |
| Lord John Manners | 4 March 1852 | 17 December 1852 |
| Sir William Molesworth, Bt | 5 January 1853 | 21 July 1855 |
| Sir Benjamin Hall, Bt | 21 July 1855 | 21 February 1858 |
| Lord John Manners | 26 February 1858 | 11 June 1859 |
| Henry FitzRoy | 18 June 1859 | 9 February 1860 |
| Hon. William Cowper | 9 February 1860 | 26 June 1866 |
| Lord John Manners | 6 July 1866 | 1 December 1868 |
| Austen Henry Layard | 9 December 1868 | 26 October 1869 |
| Acton Smee Ayrton | 26 October 1869 | 11 August 1873 |
| William Patrick Adam | 11 August 1873 | 17 February 1874 |
| Lord Henry Lennox | 21 March 1874 | 14 August 1876 |
| Gerard Noel | 14 August 1876 | 21 April 1880 |
| William Patrick Adam | 3 May 1880 | 1880 |
| George Shaw-Lefevre | 29 November 1881 | 13 February 1885 |
| The Earl of Rosebery | 13 February 1885 | 9 June 1885 |
| Hon. David Plunket | 24 June 1885 | 28 January 1886 |
| The Earl of Morley | 17 February 1886 | 16 April 1886 |
| The Earl of Elgin | 16 April 1886 | 20 July 1886 |
| Hon. David Plunket | 5 August 1886 | 11 August 1892 |
| George Shaw-Lefevre | 18 August 1892 | 10 March 1894 |
| Herbert Gladstone | 10 March 1894 | 21 June 1895 |
| Aretas Akers-Douglas | 4 July 1895 | 8 August 1902 |
| The Lord Windsor | 8 August 1902 | 4 December 1905 |
| Lewis Vernon Harcourt | 10 December 1905 | 3 November 1910 |
| The Earl Beauchamp | 3 November 1910 | 6 August 1914 |
| The Lord Emmott | 6 August 1914 | 25 May 1915 |
| Lewis Vernon Harcourt | 25 May 1915 | 10 December 1916 |
| Sir Alfred Mond, Bt | 10 December 1916 | 1 April 1921 |
| The Earl of Crawford | 1 April 1921 | 19 October 1922 |
| Sir John Baird, Bt | 31 October 1922 | 22 January 1924 |
| Fred Jowett | 22 January 1924 | 3 November 1924 |
| The Viscount Peel | 10 November 1924 | 18 October 1928 |
| The Marquess of Londonderry | 18 October 1928 | 4 June 1929 |
| George Lansbury | 7 June 1929 | 24 August 1931 |
| The Marquess of Londonderry | 25 August 1931 | 5 November 1931 |
| Hon. William Ormsby-Gore | 5 November 1931 | 16 June 1936 |
| The Earl Stanhope | 16 June 1936 | 27 May 1937 |
| Sir Philip Sassoon, Bt | 27 May 1937 | 7 June 1939 |
| Herwald Ramsbotham | 7 June 1939 | 3 April 1940 |
| The Earl De La Warr | 3 April 1940 | 18 May 1940 |
| The Lord Tryon | 18 May 1940 | 3 October 1940 |
Minister of Works & Buildings and First Commissioner of Works, 1940–1942
| Name | Entered office | Left office |
|---|---|---|
| Sir John Reith (Baron Reith from 21 October 1940) |
3 October 1940 | 11 February 1942 |
Minister of Works and Planning, 1942–1943
| Name | Entered office | Left office |
|---|---|---|
| The Lord Reith | 11 February 1942 | 22 February 1942 |
| The Lord Portal | 22 February 1942 | February 1943 |
Minister of Works, 1943–1962
| Name | Entered office | Left office |
|---|---|---|
| The Lord Portal | February 1943 | 21 November 1944 |
| Duncan Sandys | 21 November 1944 | 26 July 1945 |
| George Tomlinson | 4 August 1945 | 10 February 1947 |
| Charles Key | 10 February 1947 | 28 February 1950 |
| Richard Stokes | 28 February 1950 | 26 April 1951 |
| George Brown | 26 April 1951 | 26 October 1951 |
| David Eccles | 1 November 1951 | 18 October 1954 |
| Nigel Birch | 18 October 1954 | 20 December 1955 |
| Patrick Buchan-Hepburn | 20 December 1955 | 16 January 1957 |
| Hugh Molson | 16 January 1957 | 22 October 1959 |
| Lord John Hope | 22 October 1959 | 16 July 1962 |
Minister of Public Buildings and Works, 1962–1970
| Name | Entered office | Left office |
|---|---|---|
| Geoffrey Rippon | 16 July 1962 | 10 October 1964 |
| Charles Pannell | 19 October 1964 | 6 April 1966 |
| Reginald Prentice | 6 April 1966 | 29 August 1967 |
| Bob Mellish | 29 August 1967 | 30 April 1969 |
| Hon. John Silkin | 30 April 1969 | 19 June 1970 |
| Julian Amery | 23 June 1970 | 15 October 1970 |