Gothic Revival

In 1864, the prominent social thinker and philanthropist John Ruskin gave a series of lectures in which he announced that a society’s art and architecture directly reflects the morals and values of its people. He scorned the country’s worship of the “Goddess of Getting On”, declaring that materialism and commercialism had become the new religion and said that all recent architectural works – chimneys, railroads, warehouses and exchanges – had been built in homage to this “Britannia of the Market”.

It was in part due to his passion and fervour and others like him, such as Augustus Pugin who, together with Charles Barry, rebuilt the Houses of Parliament after they were burnt down in 1834, and George Gilbert Scott, who created the Grand Hotel in front of St Pancras station in central London, that the gothic revival took such a strong hold.

Gothic Revival was one of the most influential styles of the 19th century. Although it was mostly confined to public buildings, whose large scale lent itself to the style, it was also used for beautiful houses and domestic architecture. It is a style of soaring arches, pointed stained-glass windows and elaborate stone carving. Where the architect has really gone to town, it included gables and gargoyles, turrets and polychrome brickwork.