“Strawberry Hill forever: Two presenters with a distinctly Gothic side,” written by Rachel Cooke of New Statesman, reviews two television films aired on the BBC about Gothic Britain: ‘Dan Cruickshank and the Family That Built Gothic Britain’, and ‘The Art of Gothic: Britain’s Midnight Hour’.

Celebrating gothic style in Britain

The article is an opinion piece that investigates the purpose of the two films, which aired in 2014, and reviews their content. The relevance to the Scott dynasty comes from Cooke’s write up about ‘Dan Cruickshank and the Family That Built Gothic Britain’, which celebrates what is perhaps the greatest architectural dynasty of the 19th century. We are, of course, talking about the Scott dynasty.

The Scott Dynasty

The show covers three generations of the Scott family. Sir George Gilbert Scott (1811-1878), George Gilbert Scott Jr (1839-1897) and Sir Giles Gilbert Scott (1880-1960).

Cooke appears to have enjoyed learning about the history of the Scott family and the character of Sir Giles Gilbert Scott. The film wasn’t completely to her taste, due in large part because of its subject-heavy section about St Pancras Station, but the subject matter intrigued her enough to watch till the end and form a complete opinion. Cooke also enjoyed ‘The Art of Gothic: Britain’s Midnight Hour’, a separate TV show.

If you’re interested in the rise and success of the Scott dynasty, ‘Dan Cruickshank and the Family That Built Gothic Britain’ accurately charts the rise of three generations of the Scott family. You can read Cooke’s take on it on NewStatesman