Washington National Cathedral

Washington National Cathedral, formally the Cathedral Church of Saint Peter and Saint Paul, is one of the finest Gothic Revival buildings in the United States, and its story begins in a London drawing office. The original design was produced in 1907 by George Frederick Bodley, who in 1845 had become Sir George Gilbert Scott's very first pupil, living and working with him for several years. Scott's grounding in English Gothic shaped Bodley's whole career, and Washington is perhaps its grandest expression.

Bodley died in October 1907, only weeks after the foundation stone was laid. The work was carried forward by Henry Vaughan, his former apprentice, who had emigrated to America. Building continued for 83 years, and the cathedral was finally completed in 1990.

Bodley's link to the Scott family went beyond architecture. In 1874 he founded Watts & Co. with Thomas Garner and George Gilbert Scott junior. Their aim was to bring the same care to textiles, wallpapers and church furnishings that they gave to their buildings. Many of Bodley's designs are still woven and made into vestments by Watts today. The firm remains in the family: Elizabeth Scott (Hoare), Bodley's great-grand-niece and Scott junior's granddaughter, became its director in 1951.