Born in 1812 Pugin was a self-taught architect, artist and furniture designer who, almost by accident, fell into the occupation after finding he had a talent and dexterity to match that of his artist father.  His design style takes a great deal of impetus from a love of the theatre both its mechanics and its artistry (one project was working on the fitting out of the machinery at Drury Lane), and the love of the sea.

Whilst spending most of his early life based in and around London in 1833 he moved to Salisbury with his second wife – his life changed further in 1834 when he converted to Catholicism after being inspired to rethink his previous views after commencing a study of ancient church architecture.

Pugin combined many aspects of his love of theatre and the church when working on designs for the Reverend Henry Weedall, the president of St Mary’s College Oscott. The new chapel and college incorporated ‘standard’ Pugisms of effective medieval groinings in the apse, stained glass, and Gothic-inspired vestments. Because of his work here and in other church locations he inspired others to re-acquire an interest in all things Gothic and to turn their backs on industrial methods of production (thus being a early example of a proponent of the Arts & Crafts Movement. Pugin endeavoured to introduce the concept of a combined style so that the interiors, the stained glass windows, the paintings all reflected the exterior architectural design. This can be best seen, perhaps his most famous work, the ‘new’ Houses of Parliament in London which he worked on in the middle of the 19th century with a fellow architect (Sir Charles Barry).

Pugin died from overwork at only 40 in 1852.