Born in Durham, Robson spent three years as an apprentice to John Dobson (q.v.) in Newcastle. He worked in London and Liverpool, and kept an office in Durham 1860-64. Robson was the architect, in 1887, of the extraordinary People's Palace (half Crystal Palace, half Alhambra) in the Mile End Road in East London.
He eventually became the chief architect to the London School Boards. His schools dot the metropolis (Sherlock Holmes comments approvingly on them in one story) and had a great impact on school building nationally.