The article “Great British Architects: Sir Gilbert Scott 1811-78,” published on Country Life, provides a historical account of the career of Sir George Gilbert Scott. It covers his earliest works and his love affair with Gothic architecture.

Finding his inspiration

George Gilbert Scott was born in 1811 at Gawcott in Buckinghamshire. Scott took an interest in Gothic architecture from a young age. He showed genuine love for medieval buildings. His earliest designs didn’t do him proud, though. He recorded in his posthumously published autobiography that he was later ashamed of his efforts.

As the article on Country Life points out, however, inspiration came in the form of Augustus Pugin’s writings. Pugin is a pioneer of the Gothic Revival style of architecture. Scott was inspired by his work and converted to an ecclesiological Gothic style.

Scott’s ecclesiological Gothic style

Scott believed that Gothic architecture was the best architecture. He loved the character and the timelessness it offered. This can be seen in most of his work. His earliest work in the style was Martyrs' Memorial on St Giles' and St Giles' Church. These established Scott as one of Britain’s leading Gothic Revival style architects.

Much of Scott’s work was in designing churches and cathedrals. These suited the medieval architecture he loved. Scott also disliked the ‘Queen Anne’ style in the 1870s and was openly outspoken about it. To him, Gothic was the purest style.

To find out more about Sir George Gilbert Scott’s work, we invite you to read the original article on Country Life.