(1812-1852)

Augustus Pugin was born in London, son of a French draughtsman, and trained in his father's studio making drawings of Gothic churches.   He worked for Charles Barry on the Houses of Parliament, being responsible for much of the decorations and sculpture.   He wrote widely and was important in the revival of Gothic architecture in England with books such as True Principles of Pointed or Christian Architecture (1841).    He also had a strong influence on John Ruskin and some of the early workers in the Arts and Crafts Movement. Apart from his work on the Houses of Parliament, he designed some hundred or so buildings, mainly churches, and his work includes several Roman Catholic cathedrals, including St Ostwald's in Liverpool, and the one in Birmingham (St Chad's).