London [Burnstein], George (b Montreal, 1919; d Armonk, NY, 1985). Amer. baritone of Russo- Jewish parentage. Début in concert perf. of A. Coates's Gainsborough's Duchess, Hollywood Bowl 1941, under name Geo. Burnson. S. Francisco Opera 1943 (Monterone in Rigoletto). Member of Bel Canto Trio (with Frances Yeend, sop., and Mario Lanza, ten.), touring USA from 1947. Vienna Opera from 1949; NY Met 1951–66; Bayreuth début 1951; Glyndebourne 1950; La Scala 1952; Salzburg Fest. 1952. First Amer. to sing Boris Godunov at Bolshoy, Moscow, 1960. Sang Wotan in complete Ring, prod. Wieland Wagner, Cologne 1962–4. Mandryka in NY Met's first Arabella, 1955. Gave up opera through ill-health in 1966. Art. admin., Kennedy Center, Washington, 1968–71. Gen. dir. Music Center Opera Assoc., Los Angeles, 1971–7, Opera Soc. of Washington, DC, 1975–7. Début as stage director, Seattle 1973.

London, George (c.1640–1714). English garden-designer. He was in partnership with Henry Wise, with whom he edited The Compleat Gard'ner (1699) and The Retir'd Gard'ner (1706). As Master Gardener and Deputy Superintendent of the Royal Gardens, he carried out works at Kensington and Hampton Court Palaces, and also designed ostentatious gardens for aristo-cratic clients at Chatsworth, Derbys., Longleat, Wilts., Wimpole Hall, Cambs., and Staunton Harold, Leics. Although nearly all his work was subsequently obliterated, much of it was re-corded in views (e.g. Knyff & Kip's Britannia illustrata (1707) ). His garden at Melbourne Hall, Derbys. (1704–6), partially survives, and the Privy Garden at Hampton Court has been recreated.

Bibliography

Architectural History ( Journal of the Society of Architectural Historians of Great Britain), xxviii (1985), 40–70;
J. Harris (1982);
Jane Turner (1996)