Interested in an architecture of serious religious conviction, it was Pugin who led the Gothic Revival in Britain between about 1830 and the 1880s. From the age of six, he accompanied his parents to visit the old English cathedrals, studied their architecture, and made drawings of them. From this early age he developed an enthusiasm for medieval decor that eventually blossomed into a deeply held conviction in favor of Gothic architecture. Known for being a bit eccentric, Pugin designed his own clothes--with a nautical/sailing theme--and sometimes appeared dishevelled and dirty. When frustrated he swore like a sailor and, apparently, he was frequently frustrated, but he was known as a man of good humor and deep faith. Pugin's most admired work is the church of St. Giles in the Staffordshire town of Cheadle, which It is often the case that those with the greatest influence on others for good are virtually unknown. That is certainly the case for the revival of Gothic architecture in Britain. I just pre-ordered Rosemary Hill's, God's Architect: Pugin and the Building of Romantic Britain, and I almost cannot wait for it to arrive in late February. Augustus Welby Northmore Pugin (1812-1852) was one of Britain's most eccentric and greatest architects. He quite literally changed the face of Britain in the span of a short career as an architect and Hill's work of biography is reportedly outstanding.
has been described as "one of the most admired and visited of all the Victorian buildings." Charles Barry was among the visitors at the church's consecration in 1846, and Barry was the architect selected to design Britain's new Houses of Parliament and rebuild the Palace of Westminster. It is said of Pugin that without his influence and mastery of medieval design, the Houses of Parliament and Big Ben itself would look much different than they do today.








Today is the birthday of the illustrious 


