The Pilgrim Rabbit

Around and about St Mary’s Church Keeping you in touch July 2020 (Special issue)

We are continuing to produce our series of Special Issues of The Pilgrim Rabbit to maintain interest in the heritage of our beautiful church during the COVID-19 situation. These are being produced in digital form only at present, to reduce costs and enable us to produce them more frequently. Please forward this digital version on to anybody who might be interested. Anyone is able to opt in to receive future copies by emailing the church using the address on the back page. All past issues are also available on the website at https://stmarysbeverley.org/heritage/the-pilgrim-rabbit-newsletter/.

Introduction “Hand me a pencil”: Beverley framing Pugin’s life Roland Deller, Director of By Libby Burgess Development writes: As we view St Mary’s engulfed in scaffolding, it is interesting to look back on It fills me with great pride that St previous chapters of restoration in the church’s history. Mary’s roster of architects includes two giants of the profession from The nineteenth the 19th century: the prolific English century was, across Gothic revivalist, Sir George Gilbert the country, a hive Scott, and the hugely influential of activity in church pioneer of that movement, Augustus restoration terms: Pugin, who is the subject of this we only have to special edition ofThe Pilgrim Rabbit. look out across the I am indebted to Libby Burgess for Wolds to see the writing the feature article for us eighteen churches about this visionary genius – most rebuilt or restored famously known for his design of ‘Big by the Sykes family Ben’. It has been fascinating to learn – an achievement more about Pugin’s restoration of St unparalleled Mary’s and a joy to discover the part elsewhere in which our church and town played in Britain (and it is Sir shaping his life and work. Tatton Sykes, 5th baronet, of course, It was a short life, lived out during a who famously period of massive social change. quoted that St Pugin looked to medieval Mary’s was architecture to make sense of the ‘unequalled in broken world in which he lived, and England and almost so it is that many of us find in the without rival on the ancient beauty of St Mary’s some continent of peace and deeper meaning in our Europe’). own troubled times. Amongst Approaches to Pugin’s vast legacy is his restoration restoration 150 or of St Mary’s – which helped keep the 200 years ago were place standing for over 150 years. starkly different to We take great inspiration from his today: ‘old’ did not example as we work tirelessly to St Mary’s great West Window. Glass by Hardman, designed by necessarily mean save the building and thereby Pugin. Image © J. Hannan-Briggs from The Geograph. Creative ‘good’ – or even preserve Pugin’s legacy in Beverley. Commons licence CC BY-SA 2.0 ‘important’ or

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Malcolm Fairman. Malcolm

s opinions: it was a concern concern a was it opinions: s ’ Pugin

Stock Photo by by Photo Stock Alamy Image: there!

mother was from from was mother ’ Augustus age. early hankering after the past which fuelled fuelled which past the after hankering

of The Landmark Trust, so you can stay stay can you so Trust, Landmark The of

churches, shaping his ideals from an an from ideals his shaping churches,

tinted tinted - rose simple a not was It

designs. The property is now in the care care the in now is property The designs.

spent much of his childhood visiting visiting childhood his of much spent

from where he made many of his his of many made he where from

’ decoration. construct architecture, the young Augustus Augustus young the architecture,

home designed by Pugin for his family, family, his for Pugin by designed home

decorate construction but never never but construction decorate

medieval medieval on writer and man The Grange in Ramsgate, Kent. The The Kent. Ramsgate, in Grange The

it is alright to to alright is it ‘ claiming, purpose, a The son of an architectural draughts architectural an of son The -

that all decoration should be serving serving be should decoration all that

weeks. centuries): however, he felt strongly strongly felt he however, centuries):

his earliest years, and in his final final his in and years, earliest his

from broadly the 12 the broadly from 16 the to

th th

in in – life his to key was itself Beverley Gothic age age Gothic the of carvings (prevalent (prevalent

today, but also also but today, it know we as pointed windows, and intricate lattice lattice intricate and windows, pointed

s key to the building building the to key s ’ Mary St at work , the pointed arches, high high arches, pointed the , spaces light

his his is only not that fascinating is it tall, tall, the with infused utterly were

historically significant figure as Pugin, Pugin, as figure significant historically with religion and society. His tastes tastes His society. and religion with

With such a passionate, talented, and and talented, passionate, a such With reflected everything that was wrong wrong was that everything reflected

Rome, beauty for beauty for beauty Rome, s sake) sake) s ’

1836) Pugin, AWN (Contrasts,

(inspired by Ancient Greece and and Greece Ancient by (inspired

… buildings by mind the on architecture Classicist of trends

glory of God, and that more recent recent more that and God, of glory effects as these can only be produced produced be only can these as effects

Such Such … worship Christian of sublimity the to been had centuries earlier

church building and design from the the from design and building church place, and to make it feel the the feel it make to and place,

to fill the mind with veneration for the the for veneration with mind the fill to that achievement, human of pinnacle

medieval architecture was the the was architecture medieval the departed just, all alike conspired conspired alike all just, departed the

. He felt that that felt He . forbears medieval the altars, the venerable images of of images venerable the altars, the

styles and aspirations of his his of aspirations and styles the gleam of the tapers, the richness of of richness the tapers, the of gleam

time. He actively sought to recreate recreate to sought actively He time. windows the modulated light, the the light, modulated the windows

being being part of something stretching stretching something of part 1852) was, then, unusual in his his in unusual then, was, 1852) - (1812 and varied hues of the stained stained the of hues varied and

ancient Christianity, the idea of of idea the Christianity, ancient Augustus Welby Northmore Pugin Pugin Northmore Welby Augustus and the intricacy of the aisles; the rich rich the aisles; the of intricacy the and

that much of what mattered in in mattered what of much that and lost in the height of the vaulting vaulting the of height the in lost and

Presbyterian faith faith Presbyterian Pugin also felt felt also Pugin –

the eye is carried up up carried is eye the …. redemption 3.0 ND - NC - BY CC licence Commons

reaction to his mother his to reaction s austere austere s ’ Portrait Gallery, London. Creative Creative London. Gallery, Portrait the edifice is the emblem of human human of emblem the is edifice the

Image © National National © Image ”. onward “ meaning As a convert to to convert a As in in – Catholicism the very plan of of plan very the origin; its bespeaks

”, ”, avant en “ motto personal ’ Augustus

every portion of the sacred fabric fabric sacred the of portion every

present decay of Taste of decay present .) with with – martlet black a – family Pugin

observation in its full force? Here Here force? full its in observation

includes the armorial bearings of the the of bearings armorial the includes the present day: showing the the showing day: present the

without feeling this this feeling without Ages

on canvas, circa 1840. The portrait portrait The 1840. circa canvas, on centuries, and similar Buildings of of Buildings similar and centuries,

Ecclesiastical Edifices of the Middle Middle the of Edifices Ecclesiastical Augustus Pugin by unknown artist. Oil Oil artist. unknown by Pugin Augustus

of the fourteenth and fifteenth fifteenth and fourteenth the of

Who can regard those those regard can Who stupendous stupendous

Parallel between the noble edifices edifices noble the between Parallel

must strike every attentive observer attentive every strike must … …

Contrast; or, a a or, Contrast; all: it says title

wonderful superiority of the latter latter the of superiority wonderful

(Its full full (Its ’ principles. low and taste

those of the Middle Ages, the the Ages, Middle the of those

fronted manners, high high manners, fronted - stucco of Fair

Works of the present Century with with Century present the of Works

world of the Regency, that Vanity Vanity that Regency, the of world

On comparing the Architectural Architectural the comparing On

an attack on the the on attack an ‘ was Contrasts

biographer Rosemary Hill writes that that writes Hill Rosemary biographer it was, in essence, sacred: essence, in was, it

his first job (as a set designer). Pugin Pugin designer). set a (as job first his expression of a spiritual reality reality spiritual a of expression that that –

theatrical world where he had held held had he where world theatrical architecture was a a was architecture physical physical

dubious morals of those in the the in those of morals dubious saloon bar rant bar saloon he proclaimed that that proclaimed he ’)

(think Blackadder III), and the the and III), Blackadder (think the pulpit and the subtlety of a a of subtlety the and pulpit the

and decadence of Regency wealth wealth Regency of decadence and Steven Carver, Carver, Steven with the fervour of of fervour the with ‘

London, offset against the frivolity frivolity the against offset London, (argued, according to to according (argued, Contrasts

aware of the horrors of Dickensian Dickensian of horrors the of aware

workhouses of the 19 the of workhouses century. In In century.

th

, and Pugin was well well was Pugin and , Twist Oliver compared with the brutal brutal the with compared

was published only a year before before year a only published was monks looked after the poor, as as poor, the after looked monks

Contrasts book launching - career mourned the medieval days when when days medieval the mourned ideals.

day. His architectural thesis and and thesis architectural His day. conformism, and he he and conformism, - non and Victorian new with overwritten were

the growing industrial cities of the the of cities industrial growing the aside by the rise of evangelicalism evangelicalism of rise the by aside design and architecture medieval

and and injustices societal the for also , had been swept swept been had , centuries back of swathes so and – ’ valuable ‘

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external work had also included the the included also had work external Westminster burn in 1834, and when when and 1834, in burn Westminster

opening.

’ ’ Augustus Pugin. Welby Edward son Constable) watching the old Palace of of Palace old the watching Constable)

t even invited to the the to invited even t ’ wasn and £800,

were carried out a year later by his his by later year a out carried were included painters Turner and and Turner painters included

even mentioned, was paid only only paid was mentioned, even

the time of his death, and his designs designs his and death, his of time the stood in the crowds (which also also (which crowds the in stood

£25,0000, while Pugin was barely barely was Pugin while £25,0000,

external work was not completed by by completed not was work external . He had had He . Parliament of Houses the of

credit, and was paid almost almost paid was and credit,

thus allowed greater height. This This height. greater allowed thus secure his celebrity status: the design design the status: celebrity his secure

of Lords. However, Barry took all the the all took Barry However, Lords. of

which which – wall castle typical a of think rights have been the project to to project the been have rights

the whole decoration of the House House the of decoration whole the

– building a of load structural working on what should by by should what on working

previously required to bear the the bear to required previously By the late 1830s Pugin was was Pugin 1830s late the By

3.0 SA - BY CC licence Commons

the need for the thick walls walls thick the for need the

Photo by David Iliff from Wikimedia Commons. Creative Creative Commons. Wikimedia from Iliff David by Photo

realised.

the old Gothic style to reduce reduce to style Gothic old the

designed by Pugin. Pugin. by designed ’, Ben Big ‘ as known Tower, Elizabeth

would perhaps never have been been have never perhaps would

buttresses were heavily used in in used heavily were buttresses

of the Arts & Crafts movement, movement, Crafts & Arts the of

heart of his Gothic ideals: ideals: Gothic his of heart

Revival and is seen as the father father the as seen is and Revival

Cathedral. These went to the the to went These Cathedral.

who spearheaded the Gothic Gothic the spearheaded who

seen at a young age at Lincoln Lincoln at age young a at seen

ideas of Pugin, a troubled genius genius troubled a Pugin, of ideas

d d ’ he those like wall, south the

, the the , Beverley in meeting chance

to shore up up shore to buttresses flying

Without this this Without ’. diamond real

to the exterior. He designed designed He exterior. the to

a rough diamond, but a a but diamond, rough a ‘ as Pugin

out considerable work, mainly mainly work, considerable out

described by by described ’, builder s ’ Pugin ‘

Church of England, and carried carried and England, of Church

became widely known as as known widely became

his first engagements in the the in engagements first his

born builder builder born - Hull the churches:

until his death in 1852, one of of one 1852, in death his until

collaborated on a remarkable 36 36 remarkable a on collaborated

of church architect from 1844 1844 from architect church of

decade. In total Myers and Pugin Pugin and Myers total In decade.

he took on the role role the on took he s ’ Mary St

within the space of a single single a of space the within

At At ’). devotion ‘ shortly: replied

– Nottingham and Newcastle

their building, to which he he which to building, their

Reformation), Southwark, Southwark, Reformation),

to know how they should heat heat should they how know to

built in England since the the since England in built

once wrote to him demanding demanding him to wrote once

first Catholic cathedral to be be to cathedral Catholic first

the Minster (whose people people (whose Minster the

s, and the the and s, ’ Paul St s ’ Wren since

worked on several occasions at at occasions several on worked

cathedral to be built in England England in built be to cathedral

continued to feature. He He feature. to continued

Birmingham (the first first (the Birmingham –

but Beverley Beverley but – figure

four Catholic cathedrals for him him for cathedrals Catholic four

all over the country, a national national a country, the over all

designs, building no fewer than than fewer no building designs,

by this stage in great demand demand great in stage this by

s s ’ Pugin of majority the out

Pugin was clearly clearly was Pugin time, the at

indeed it was Myers who carried carried who Myers was it indeed

restrictions faced by Catholics Catholics by faced restrictions

And And ’ buildings. my all execute

Despite the the Despite prejudices and and prejudices

the very man I want, you shall shall you want, I man very the

Hill). You are are You ‘ declared, and Myers

hearth and home and hearth (Rosemary (Rosemary ’ Pugin threw his arms round round arms his threw Pugin

one that combined God with with God combined that one when they met again in 1838 1838 in again met they when

good life in the modern city city modern the in life good – s success in later life: life: later in success s ’ men both

all showing showing all a vision of the the of vision a ‘ relationship was to prove vital to to vital prove to was relationship

stained glass and vestments, vestments, and glass stained Beverley Minster, and this this and Minster, Beverley

garden seats, and sacred sacred and seats, garden apprentice stonemason at at stonemason apprentice

domestic tables, plates and and plates tables, domestic , , Myers George met Pugin

furnishings: modestly furnishings: priced priced - also in Beverley, nine years later, that that later, years nine Beverley, in also

the tiniest of interior details, and and details, interior of tiniest the his complete range of range complete his Gothic Gothic artistic young boy. Critically, it was was it Critically, boy. young artistic

with its Gothic spires and carving, to to carving, and spires Gothic its with at the Great Exhibition, Pugin showed showed Pugin Exhibition, Great the at were profoundly influential on the the on influential profoundly were

façade overlooking the Thames, Thames, the overlooking façade tiles, and items of furniture. In 1851 1851 In furniture. of items and tiles, he encountered encountered he buildings medieval

every element, from the famous famous the from element, every designed countless houses, churches, churches, houses, countless designed great great The Beverley. and Hull York,

win, but Pugin designed almost almost designed Pugin but win, addition to the grand cathedrals, he he cathedrals, grand the to addition (when Pugin was just six) covering covering six) just was Pugin (when

drawings. In the event, Barry did did Barry event, the In drawings. held doggedly true to his ideals his to true doggedly held . In In . significant trips further north in 1818 1818 in north further trips significant

engaged Pugin to help with the the with help to Pugin engaged success where he didn he where success t, but Pugin Pugin but t, ’ undertook the first of several several of first the undertook

the replacement building, he he building, replacement the but better businessmen found found businessmen better but visit; however, the family also also family the however, visit;

entered the competition to design design to competition the entered that those who were lesser architects architects lesser were who those that Lincoln Cathedral was an important important an was Cathedral Lincoln

the architect Sir Charles Barry Barry Charles Sir architect the A recurring theme of Pugin of theme recurring A s life was was life s ’ Lincolnshire stock and so naturally naturally so and stock Lincolnshire replacement of the turrets at the top drawing talent to assist his father in ‘frantic, dangerous overwork’. He of the west front: the original turrets producing books for the architect refused administrative assistance, found their way into various gardens John Nash. This brilliance enabled claiming that if he employed a clerk, around Beverley, such as the one still him to work at an extremely fast pace ‘I should kill him in a week.’ He visible today outside the Council in adulthood: in just two years 1838- poured his own money into his Offices on Champney Road. 40, for example, he built or designed projects, causing constant financial eighteen churches, two cathedrals, anxieties. He cared deeply, and Pugin seemed to work best with his three convents, two monasteries, core collaborators around him: aside worked obsessively (perhaps one of several schools, and half a dozen the reasons that steady, from Myers, another key figure was houses. His diaries from throughout the glass maker John Hardman, dependable, unhurryable Myers was his life record intense bursts of such a good foil). The arrival of the whose Birmingham firm became the working all day and all night, juggling greatest exponents of stained glass in railways during his lifetime an extraordinary number of projects (including, in 1846, in Beverley) the country, and continued operating at once: Rosemary Hill writes of his until 2008. It was Hardman who enabled him to cram even more had made the glass for the new work into his schedule. Houses of Parliament, and he Increasingly, though, Pugin was also implemented Pugin’s other troubled by both physical illness major design for St Mary’s, the and depression: he was always three windows on the west prone to self-doubt and despair, front. Commissioned in 1848 and had to take to his bed with and installed in 1850, the great intermittent eyesight problems, West Window shows (aptly, for a but in his last years he was church dedicated to St Mary) troubled with nightmares, Jesus crowning the Virgin Mary gruesome daytime visions, and and, above this, the archangel intense pain, and his grip on Gabriel visiting Mary. Around Interior of the House of Lords Chamber, designed reality started to slip. Interwoven them are depictions of the by Pugin. Image © Parliamentary Copyright. with this declining health was twelve apostles, sixteen Creative Commons Licence CC BY-NC-ND 2.0 work on the project for which he prophets and a number of is perhaps the most famous: the angels. addition to the Houses of Two smaller windows in the church Parliament of a clocktower were also designed by Pugin: one (currently also shrouded in above where the toilets are now scaffolding), generally known by the located (depicting three scenes from name of its largest bell, Big Ben. The the life of John the Baptist: Baptism, Houses of Parliament architect Barry Preaching in the Wilderness, and was a thankless task master on the Beheading), and one near the South Big Ben project, but Pugin also entrance (depicting three scenes worked himself into the ground. He from the life of Christ: Adoration, wrote to Hardman: ‘I have also told Transformation and Presentation). [Barry] there can be no steam These were both installed after his without heat and no heat without death (1852 and 1855 respectively– fuel & that I have no fuel to keep up the latter based only on sketched steam...’. His energy and sanity just designs). All three windows include about lasted through to the wonderful examples of gothic completion in 1852 of his iconic Big geometric tracery full of trefoils and Ben design: when the tower was quatrefoils; it is but a small leap from completed in 1859, its clock was the these to the art of William Morris largest and most accurate four- that followed. faced striking and chiming clock in the world. Pugin had been a precocious child: one school master remarked that ‘he Very shortly after finishing the would learn in twenty-four hours Pugin’s drawing for St Mary’s design, on Ash Wednesday 1852 what it took other boys weeks to weather vane. (P. Atterbury ed. Pugin boarded a train to London acquire’, and barely into double A.W.N. Pugin Master of Gothic with his son Edward, and by the Revival, 1995, p. 42.) figures he was using his notable time he arrived he was psychotic

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and unable to recognise those around to be the cause of his illness, but it is Mary’s between 1853 and 1856) is him. There followed a muddled few now thought that he had syphilis, now in the Priest Rooms. A days in which he was troubled and perhaps contracted in those early replacement sits to this day in the sometimes violent. Myers tried to years working in theatres, where the intended location, atop the south rouse him from his misery by asking disease was rife. Pugin died of a west pepperpot turret. From here, him about their ongoing work in stroke later that year, on September as it circles in the wind, it overlooks Beverley. In a rare lucid moment, 14th 1852, aged just forty. the town, in which are interwoven Pugin supposedly responded, ‘Hand so many critical moments of this me a pencil!’ – and made a sketch on The original weather vane (which was extraordinary man’s colourful life, the back of an envelope, the very erected by Pugin’s son Edward as he and in which we see the skill and wrapped up the renovations of St final design he ever made: Christian dedication of his work. that of our St Mary’s weather Three resources were vane. It is annotated in his particularly useful in writing hand with the words ‘St this article, which might be Mary’s Beverley March 1 my th of interest to those who 40 birthday and the English would like to know more nation.’ (It’s not clear exactly about Pugin: Rosemary what the ‘English nation’ Hill’s book God’s Architect: means here, but many of his Pugin and the building of writings from the preceding Romantic Britain; Steven weeks had been incoherent.) Carver’s articlePugin: The That evening he was admitted Mad Genius of the to an asylum. His (third and Gothic Revival on his blog last) wife Jane was not Ainsworth & Friends; and allowed to visit him for four the 2012 BBC documentary months, and his treatment God’s Own Architect, was, by modern standards, Letter from Edward Welby Pugin to Mr J. James, mason, presented by Richard cruel. For years, biographers instructing him to shore up, without delay, the ceiling of the Taylor, which is available on declared mercury poisoning south transept of St Mary's, dated 29 June 1853. Image © RIBA (The Royal Institute of British Architects). YouTube.

Introducing Andy Burrell Andy has been our Inspecting Architect reordering of the Royal Chapel of St since 2019. He is a member of the Peter ad Vincula - final resting place of Diocesan Advisory Committee for the the headless body of Beverley lad, St Care of Churches in the Diocese of John Fisher! Chichester, and a director of Carden & Godfrey, the London-based Like Pugin, Andy’s time at St Mary’s is architectural practice. Although he lives marked by the building being in need of Down South, Andy is a regular visitor to major repair, and we feel lucky to have Beverley, as he also looks after the such a level-headed colleague on the Minster. team. He is overseeing the project to restore the North Nave Clerestory and Other historic buildings which Andy currently planning the next phase of cares for include the Tower of London, works: the conservation of the South where he recently carried out a Nave Clerestory. Page 5

St Mary’s Church, North Bar Within, Beverley, HU17 8DL. Tel: 01482 869137