Following the passage in 1829 of the Catholic Emancipation Act which virtually completed the fifty-year process of repealing the constraints on Roman Catholics rights, the Church had commenced a considerable building program. The Cathedral here, on the north side of St George's Road, is severely criticised as lacking architectural merit. The history of its construction and destruction has been the main cause of this failure. On 14/12/1839 August Welby Northmore Pugin (1812-52), a Catholic convert, was declared the winner of a competition for the design. Firstly, as Pugin wrote afterwards, 'St George's was spoilt by the very instructions laid down by the Committee that it was to hold 3,000 people on the floor at a limited price: in consequence, height, proportion, everything was sacrificed to meet these conditions.' Secondly, his design included a magnificent tower and spire as a feature of particular importance because of the effect of the committee's edict on the proportions of the body of the church. That was never built. Despite considerable financial problems the building work was completed in 1848. Then in the Second World War that structure was largely destroyed. The architect for this reconstruction was Romilly Craze who certainly based his proposals on Pugin's plans but produced a 20th century Gothic revival building. There was still the intention but not the achievement of a great tower and spire. His first plans of 1943 were considerably modified to those accepted in 1953 but the subsequent construction, the last major works were in 1977, omits and amends several features of those plans. Cherry and Pevsner's 'Buildings of England' volume covering this area notes 'After relishing the C 19 work, any medievalist will wince at the details of the C 20 rebuilding, with its effort to marry the desiccated traditions of Arts and Crafts free Gothic to Pugin's fragments. Yet the scale is noble...'

O/S Co-ords:3143.7934
Source(s):

The Buildings of England - London 2: South