Pugin-Wexfords-Gothic-Revival-Catalyst-William-Conran.Pdf

Acknowledgments

I would like to thank my supervisor Paul Arnold for his guidance throughout the course of my dissertation. I would also like to thank Aidan Ryan, Maura Rossiter, Johnathon Crean, Fr Matt Glynn, Fr Odhran Furlong, Fr Brian Broaders, Fr John Paul Sheridan and Celestine Murphy for sharing their time, resources and knowledge with me during my study of A.W.N. Pugin. Lastly I would like to thank my family for their boundless support.

Pugin Wexford’s Gothic revival catalyst

William Conran

10355031

ARCT40610

MArch Dissertation

UCD 2015

Table of Contents

1. Introduction 1.1 Dissertation Intent 4

1.2 A.W.N. Pugin 5

2. Drawing Pugin to Wexford

2.1 Pugin and the Talbots 7

2.2 Ireland post Catholic emancipation 8

3. Pugin’s churches in Wexford

3.1 Church of the Assumption, Bree 11

3.2 Chapel of St. Peter’s College, Wexford 14

3.3 Church of St. James, Ramsgrange 18

3.4 Church of St. Michael the Archangel, Gorey 22

3.5 Church of St. Alphonsus, Barntown 28

3.6 Church of St. Mary, Tagoat 32

4. St. Aidan’s Cathedral, Enniscorthy 36

5. Wexford after Pugin 44

6. Conclusion 46

Bibliography 47

List of Figures

1. A.W.N. Pugin 6

2. Map of Pugin’s churches in County Wexford 10

3. Church of the Assumption exterior 12

4. Church of the Assumption sanctuary 12

5. Church of the Assumption narthex with original Minton tiles 13

6. Church of the Assumption nave from balcony 13

7. Church of the Assumption sanctuary mosaic 13

8. St. Peter’s Chapel altar, triptych and rose window 15

9. St. Peter’s Chapel exterior 16

10. St. Peter’s Chapel altar rose window from outside 16

11. St. Peter’s Chapel nave from balcony 17

12. St. Peter’s Chapel roof trusses 17

13. Church of St. James’ exterior 19

14. Church of St. James’ chancel ceiling 20

15. Church of St. James’ chancel triple lancet 20

16. Church of St. James’ nave 21

17. Church of St. Michael the Archangel west elevation 24

18. Church of St. Michael the Archangel Esmonde family coat of arms 24

19. Church of St. Michael the Archangel nave 25

20. Church of St. Michael the Archangel nave 25

21. Church of St. Michael the Archangel crossing ceiling 26

22. Church of St. Michael the Archangel nave looking west 26

23. Church of St. Michael the Archangel original Pugin panelling 27

24. Church of St. Michael the Archangel tower 27

25. Church of St. Alphonsus exterior 29

26. Church of St. Alphonsus nave 29

27. Church of St. Alphonsus stencilling 30

28. Church of St. Alphonsus eastern great window 30

29. Church of St. Alphonsus Pugin commemorative plaque 31

30. Church of St. Alphonsus restored tiling 31

31. Church of St. Mary’s exterior 33

32. Church of St. Mary’s west elevation 33

33. Church of St. Mary’s nave 34

34. Church of St. Mary’s nave 34

35. Church of St. Mary’s Pugin window by George Walsh 35

36. Church of St. Mary’s Pugin window by George Walsh close up 35

37. St. Aidan’s Cathedral exterior 38

38. St. Aidan’s Cathedral south elevation 39

39. St. Aidan’s Cathedral exterior stone work 39

40. St. Aidan’s Cathedral context 40

41. St. Aidan’s Cathedral spire 40

42. St. Aidan’s Cathedral nave 41

43. St. Aidan’s Cathedral southern great window 41

44. St. Aidan’s Cathedral northern great window 42

45. St. Aidan’s Cathedral stencilling 42

46. St. Aidan’s Cathedral crossing ceiling 43

47. St. Aidan’s Cathedral original Minton tiles (Cover Image) 43

48. Bellevue chapel by J.J. McCarthy 45

49. Pierce’s twin churches of Wexford town 45

1. Introduction 1.1 Dissertation Intent Augustus Welby Northmore Pugin may have only visited Wexford, and indeed Ireland, on a handful of occasions but his imprint is still evident in the landscape today. He was undoubtedly a genius in his own regard and the level of design output in his short life is unparalleled. For many he was the primary driving force of the 19th century Gothic revival in the British Isles. In Ireland the majority of his work is concentrated in the county of Wexford due to his connections with John Talbot, the 16th Earl of Shrewsbury, Waterford and Wexford. At the time there was a demand for church building in Wexford and Pugin sold himself as the answer. Pugin developed a Gothic style of architecture that had a profound influence on church building in Wexford. Over the course of this study the author became more accustomed to recognising aspects of Pugin’s designs. During the author’s travels around Wexford documenting Pugin’s work, it became apparent that his style was copied heavily by contemporaries and followers throughout the county. The majority of churches that were built in Wexford following Pugin’s input have in some way copied or adopted characteristics of his designs. This makes Wexford a veritable Pugin paradise. This dissertation aims to showcase Pugin’s Wexford churches and to explain how he changed the landscape of the county forever. This research is focuses within the context of County Wexford and excludes his other Irish work as the south east was the epicentre of Puginian Ireland. Within Wexford, the author focused primarily on Pugin’s six churches and the gem of all his buildings in Ireland, St. Aidan’s Cathedral in Enniscorthy. It is to be noted that Pugin was not alone in moulding Wexford to his Gothic ideals. He also had a wonderful local framework of masons and clergy who made possible many of the projects that will be covered in this dissertation. Most notable is another architect, Richard Pierce, who was a Wexford man and Pugin’s clerk of works for most of his Irish endeavours. Without Pierce’s ability to bring Pugin’s designs to a reality then ecclesiastical Wexford would look very different today. Pugin is a widely celebrated figure in 19th century architecture. He has had numerous biographers, most recently Phoebe Stanton and Rosemary Hill, and his British work has been covered extensively by the likes of Paul Atterbury and Clive Wainwright. Pugin’s Irish work is not as well documented. A handful of essays by Roderick O’Donnell discuss his work in the greater context of Ireland. This dissertation is to act as a concise study of Pugin’s Wexford churches. It will comment on the buildings’ current conditions with respect to how they were originally envisaged by Pugin. The aim is to convey the importance of these buildings and to show that they are a vital part of Wexford’s architectural heritage.

1.2 A.W.N. Pugin (1812-1852) A. W. N. Pugin was a designer with very few equals. His repertoire of work includes buildings, furniture, ceramics, wallpaper, jewellery, stage sets and other things. In a creative frenzy he drove himself to an early grave at 40. This was only after he designed over one hundred splendid buildings, wrote numerous books on architecture and designed an almost countless collection of interior decorations. Born in London, he was the son of a talented draftsman who emigrated from France. His father instilled in him an appreciation for Gothic designs and he inherited a boundless work ethic from his mother.1 As a boy he was immensely talented at drawing and in his youth he travelled with his father, sketching all manner of buildings.2 In a meeting with a Pugin enthusiast the author was shown a selection of drawings from this time with his father and the quality is remarkably advanced.3 It is clear that his ability could not have gone unnoticed and by the age of fifteen he had already designed furniture for Windsor castle.4

He is perhaps best known for his contributions in London with designs at Westminster and Big Ben but he was also a controversial figure in architecture and religion. He converted to Catholicism at the age of 235 and he was convinced that there was a connection between “religious truth and architectural truth” as discussed by David Watkin. 6 He saw Gothic architecture as the perfect vehicle for Christianity as opposed to the then common classical architecture which he viewed as a by-product of the reformation.7 He wrote in his book True Principles that “...If we view pointed (Gothic) architecture in its true light as Christian art, as the faith itself is perfect, so are the principles on which it is founded.8” With his publications he ignited the Gothic revival and became its greatest exponent.

1 Rosemary Hill, God’s Architect: Pugin and the Building of Romantic Britain (London: Allen Lane, 2007), 61. 2 Ibid, 60. 3 Aidan Ryan, interview by William Conran, January 8, 2016 4 Hill, God’s Architect, 74. 5 Barry O’Leary, “Richard Pierce: Architect and Acolyte of the Gothic revival,” in Studies in the Gothic Revival, UCD Studies in the History of Art, ed. Michael J. McCarthy and Karina O’Neill (Dublin: Four Courts Press, 2008), 161. 6 David Watkin, Morality and Architecture Revisited (London: John Murray, 2001), 21. 7 Augustus Welby Northmore Pugin, Contrasts, [2nd ed, London, Charles Dolman, 1841, The Victorian Library (London] : New York: Leicester University Press ; Humanities Press, 1969), 21. 8 Augustus Welby Northmore Pugin, The True Principles of Pointed or Christian Architecture (London, New York: Academy Editions Ltd, 1973), 9.

1. A.W.N. Pugin. Source: © Artsor

2. Drawing Pugin to Wexford 2.1 Pugin and the Talbots Talented as Pugin was there is no doubt that a great deal of his success is due to his close relationship to the 16th Earl of Shrewsbury, John Talbot. Lord Shrewsbury was a wealthy and powerful catholic landowner and was described as “…a rare example of riches and charity united.9” He became a friend of Pugin’s and opened many doors for the young architect after they had met in 1832.10 He became Pugin’s greatest patron in England and had no qualms when providing funding to make ambitious projects into a reality. He is also key in understanding how the ambitious British architect A.W.N. Pugin became the orchestrator for the Gothic revival in Wexford. In June 1814, Lord Shrewsbury married Maria, the daughter of Mr. William Talbot of Castle Talbot, Wexford. 11 Through this family connection, Pugin was introduced to John Hyacinth Talbot, an uncle of Maria’s. J.H. Talbot also had family ties to the Powers of Edermine who were famous distillers ,12 they became benefactors in later Puginian projects. This fortuitous connection projected Pugin into an elite group of wealthy Catholics in the British Isles and the stage was set for him to create a Gothic paradise in Wexford. Pugin’s ideals of an architectural reform in church building was favoured amongst the Catholics of the time because after so many years of religious repression they wanted to make a statement. They wanted the architecture of new Catholic churches and cathedrals to distance themselves from the classical style of their former repressors. The architects of this time, such as Pugin, looked to the medieval Gothic style to answer this request. Gothic architecture was a Christian invention that had long since fallen from favour. For Pugin reintroducing Gothic architecture was a heavenly cause and a religious necessity.13 He implored the Catholics of the time to reform and see the light. Lord Shrewsbury and J.H. Talbot heavily backed Pugin’s principles. The Talbots were key contributors to the Gothic revival and J.H. Talbot provided many commissions for Pugin in Wexford. Talbot family heraldry can be seen in the stained- glass windows of many churches around Wexford thus providing the family with the only recognition they sought from their contribution to Pugin’s Gothic revival.

9 Hill, God’s Architect, 218. 10 Benjamin Ferrey and E. Sheridan Purcell, Recollections of A.W.N. Pugin and His Father Augustus Pugin, 1st ed. reprinted (London: Scolar Press, 1978), 117. 11 Michael J. Fisher, ‘Gothic for Ever’: A.W.N. Pugin, Lord Shrewsbury, and the Rebuilding of Catholic England (Reading: Spire Books, 2012), 52. 12 ‘John Hyacinth Talbot’, Geni_family_tree, accessed December 18, 2015, http://www.geni.com/people/John-Talbot/6000000034708696124. 13 Pugin, Contrasts, 8.

2.2 Ireland post Catholic emancipation At the beginning of the 18th century, shortly after the introduction of the penal laws, Catholic mass was said secretly in private houses.14 It was not until 1745 that Roman Catholics were free to build and open modest chapels for worship.15 The chapels built in Ireland in the 18th century were typically simple buildings. They were derived from the vernacular tradition and took the form of single cell rectangular structures. Bell towers or any ornamentation was outlawed by penal legislation.16 They were spare structures erected for the impoverished Catholics to practice their religion quietly. In 1829 the act of the Catholic emancipation was passed in Ireland and Catholics had a wealth of rights restored to them. They could now vote and sit in parliament which was a role taken up by the Talbots and their associates.17 This new freedom opened the door for church building in Ireland and over the course of the next century over 3000 new churches would be erected throughout the country.18 This wave had added momentum in Wexford as almost half of the earlier Ferns diocese chapels had been destroyed during the suppression of the 1798 rebellion.19 Quickly following Catholic emancipation, the style of church building moved away from the simple barn style chapels to an elaborate form reminiscent of the medieval era. The Gothic revival had ignited. Gothic architecture was almost a nationalist style and as Rosemary Hill points out “...in Ireland, Catholicism and nationalism could be identified with one another as they could never be on mainland Europe.20” The Gothic revival quickly spread across the Irish Sea through ideas and publications by Pugin and his associates. In 1838 Pugin met Daniel O’Connell,21 who was dubbed the liberator after his role in Catholic emancipation. According to Barry O Leary in Studies in the Gothic revival, O’Connell convinced Pugin of the need for church building in Ireland22 and Pugin, who saw himself as the protagonist of the Gothic revival, had to answer the call.23

In the pre famine years the population of Ireland was about eight million, over three quarters of whom were Catholic. However the majority of these people were landless peasants. Yet still for Pugin, Ireland must have seemed a land of opportunity for his Christian vision as he did not have the same percentage of Catholics in England to imprint his ideals upon. The Catholic Church also seemed to have the ability to raise whatever money was needed from the

14 Galloway, Peter, The Cathedrals of Ireland (Belfast: Institute of Irish Studies, the Queen’s University of Belfast, 1992), xix. 15 Douglas Scott Richardson, Gothic Revival Architecture in Ireland, Outstanding Dissertations in the Fine Arts (New York ; London: Garland, 1983), 210. 16 Barry O’Leary, “Richard Pierce: Architect and Acolyte of the Gothic revival,” in Studies in the Gothic Revival, UCD Studies in the History of Art, ed. McCarthy and O’Neill, (Dublin: Four Courts Press, 2008), 159. 17 Hill, God’s Architect, 199. 18 Ignatius Murphy et al., eds., A History of Irish Catholicism /. Vol.5, 6, The Church since Emancipation. Catholic Education. Primary Education (Dublin: Gill and Macmillan, 1971). 19 Ibid. 20 Hill, God’s Architect, 217. 21 Roderick O’Donnell, “The Pugins in Ireland,” in A. W. N. Pugin: Master of Gothic Revival, ed. Paul Atterbury, 1st edition (New Haven: Yale University Press, 1995), 137. 22 Ibid. 23 Roderick O’Donnell, “Pugin as a Church Architect,” in Pugin: A Gothic Passion, eds. Paul Atterbury, Clive Wainwright, and Victoria and Albert Museum, (New Haven ; London: Yale University Press in association with the Victoria & Albert Museum, 1994), 65.

poverty stricken peasantry to erect places of worship.24 There seemed to be a hunger for church building all throughout the country at an almost unparalleled scale. However Pugin’s impression of Ireland was not a good one. He described the nation as “…the emerald isle of thieves and humbugs25” and he felt he was building churches for ignorant peasants. He did not particularly like or understand Ireland26 and it is no wonder that he needed a trusted clerk of works like Richard Pierce to carry out his vision. He especially did not see eye to eye with the clergy and he once wrote “I regret to say there seems little or no appreciation of ecclesiastical architecture among the clergy….I see no progress of ecclesiastical ideas in Ireland.27” Despite his lack of faith with the appreciation of his craft in Ireland, business boomed for Pugin in Wexford and his style was warmly received. Phoebe Stanton recounts how a journalist at the time described him as “…a restorer of the ancient ecclesiastical architecture…..as able with his pen classically and learnedly to unfold and defend, as he is with his pencil accurately to delineate.28” No doubt this publicity graciously aided in Pugin’s procurement of future commissions in Ireland. Prior to Pugin’s introduction to Ireland, Catholics were content to humbly call their places of worship chapels, and their edifices were similarly as humble. Pugin wanted to build soaring pointed buildings with ornamentation that enriched the structure. He wrote in his book True Principles that “In pure architecture the smallest detail should have a meaning or serve a purpose29” from this it is easy to see how his buildings, while excellently detailed and ornate, are bare and plain in ways. Plain had become a word of praise for Pugin.30 His detailing is all about richness of materials. He called a pointed stone church a “masterpiece of masonry31” and in Ireland he commonly used local stone much to his advantage as the masonic work of his Irish buildings are highly regarded. Pugin found everything he needed in Ireland to bring forth his Gothic vision. His work in Wexford created a new paradigm that every church architect of the era wanted to emulate. It has been conveyed to the author that many churches in Wexford have been mistakenly accredited to Pugin since his untimely death because his style was so readily copied throughout the county.32

24 Roderick O’Donnell, “The Pugins in Ireland,” in A. W. N. Pugin: Master of Gothic Revival, ed. Paul Atterbury, 1st edition (New Haven: Yale University Press, 1995), 139. 25 Margaret Belcher, The Collected Letters of A. W. N. Pugin 1851-1852 (Oxford University Press, 2015), 13. 26 Hill, God’s Architect, 271. 27 Ferrey and Purcell, Recollections of A.W.N. Pugin and His Father Augustus Pugin, 125. 28 Phoebe B. Stanton, Pugin, First Edition edition (London: Thames & Hudson Ltd, 1971), 56. 29 Pugin, The True Principles of Pointed or Christian Architecture, 1. 30 Hill, God’s Architect, 354. 31 Pugin, The True Principles of Pointed or Christian Architecture, 2. 32 Aidan Ryan, interview by William Conran, January 8, 2016

2. Map of Pugin’s churches in County Wexford

2016, Generated by author

Legend:

1. Chur ch of the Assumption, Bree 2. Chapel of St. Peter’s College, Wexford 3. Church of St. James, Ramsgrange 4. Church of St. Michael the Archangel, Gorey

5. Church of St. Alphonsus, Barntown 6. Church of St. Mary, Tagoat 7. St. Aidan’s Cathedral, Enniscorthy

3. Pugin’s churches in Wexford 3.1 Church of the Assumption, Bree (1837-1839) The Church of the Assumption in Bree was the first Pugin commission in Ireland and arguable his simplest project. St. Peter’s chapel was allegedly the first but the Ferns diocese records corrected this oversight.33 They state that J.H. Talbot obtained plans from Pugin in 1837 for a church to be built in “the hamlet of Bree.34” The church was completed in 1839. Straight away it was set apart from contemporary Irish churches due to its traditional barnlike nave that opened into a polygonal five sided chancel. This early church arrangement was formatted by Pugin at St. Mary’s Church in Uttoxeter.35 The nave consists of five double height bays and had an exposed roof truss supported by cut stone corbels. Unfortunately this timber truss system is now mostly covered and only the lower portion is visible. This is a tremendous shame as it not only cripples the space but clearly goes against Pugin’s mantra of a Catholic church having a full height nave.36 It was also a very early example of an open truss church roof which was a feature that would be kind to Pugin in future projects. The nave is well lit from five large lancet windows on each wall. They consist of a simple stained-glass diamond design. Above the entrance side of the church there is a single bellcote. In Pugin’s book True Principles he writes that “…the external and internal appearance of an edifice should be illustrative of, and in accordance with, the purpose for which it is destined.37” In the case of Bree church, this translates to meaning that the sanctuary should be the most intricate part of the church due to its sacred significance. This shows how in Pugin’s own mind the sanctuary is the focal point of a church edifice and demands the greatest attention. Bree is certainly an excellent example of this thinking as the chancel is unquestionably separate in design, function and intricacy to the rest of the church. The chancel is clearly distinguishable to the nave on the church exterior as they are both under separate roofs. Its interior is decorated with an elaborate mosaic of Puginian design. The three easternmost facets of the hexagonal chancel have lancet windows with complex stained-glass depictions. Bree church fitted Pugin’s minimum requirements of having a lofty well-lit nave and a traditional British catholic chancel designed as elaborately and as richly as the parish would allow.38 This church has undergone heavy renovations during the last century including the aforementioned truss covering. The National Inventory of architectural heritage describes these renovations as “overzealous.39” The floor of the nave, which was once a beautiful Minton tiled surface, is now unfortunately carpet covered. Mintons manufactured a wide range of Pugin designed enamelled tiles during his architectural career.40 Thankfully the original encaustic tiles remain in the western narthex. After viewing Pugin’s other work it is possible to envisage this churches exterior consisting of polychromatic stonework. Now however this

33 Barry O’Leary, “Richard Pierce: Architect and Acolyte of the Gothic revival,” in Studies in the Gothic Revival, UCD Studies in the History of Art, ed. McCarthy and O’Neill, (Dublin: Four Courts Press, 2008), 167. 34 Ibid. 35 Stanton, Pugin, 42. 36 Pugin, Contrasts, 3. 37 Pugin, The True Principles of Pointed or Christian Architecture, 42. 38 Stanton, Pugin, 42. 39 ‘Catholic Church of the Assumption or Catholic Chur, Bree, County Wexford: Buildings of Ireland: National Inventory of Architectural Heritage’, accessed 10 January 2016, http://www.buildingsofireland.ie/niah/search.jsp?type=record&county=WX®no=15703116. 40 Chris Blanchett, Mintons Tiles (Shepton Beauchamp, Somerset: Richard Dennis Publications Di, 2006).

is all covered by drab grit dashed roughcast with sandstone quoins in the corners. It is hardly recognizable as a Pugin design from the outside. In the building’s infancy there was a Puginian rose window on the western gable. This was tragically covered with rendered infill during the 1970s renovations.41 Bree church is in much need of restoration to the level of St. Aidan’s Cathedral. It is an important building in Wexford’s architectural heritage and must recapture its lost glory so it can proudly be seen as Pugin’s first commission in Ireland.

3. Church of the Assumption exterior 2015, Photo taken by author

4. Church of the Assumption sanctuary 2015, Photo taken by author

41 ‘Catholic Church of the Assumption or Catholic Chur, Bree, County Wexford’.

5. Church of the Assumption Narthex with original Minton tiles 2015, Photo taken by author

7. Church of the Assumption nave 6. Church of the Assumption from balcony sanctuary mosaic 2015, Photo taken by author 2015, Photo taken by author

3.2 Chapel of St. Peter’s College, Wexford (1839-1841) John Hyacinth Talbot orchestrated the commission for St. Peter’s College chapel.42 In the Catholic directory it is noted that “the plan was furnished by the celebrated Mr Pugin.43” The project originated as a bequest by Reverend Peter Devereux and it was the first time that Pugin and Richard Pierce worked together.44 This was the beginning of an unequalled partnership for the architecture of Wexford. There was no advertising of tenders for the project at the time which gives the impression that Reverend Devereux suggested Pierce as clerk of works due to the fact that they are both from the same parish in the south of Wexford.45 St. Peter’s college unionized Pugin and Pierce in more ways than one. Not only was Pierce the clerk of works for Pugin’s chapel, but Pierce himself was the Architect of the collegiate wing which adjoins the chapel at the south end. This building was previously attributed to Pugin but the discovery of a plan signed by Pierce closed this argument.46 According to Pugin’s diary, the foundation stone was laid on the 18th of June 1839 which also happened to be the man’s first visit to Ireland.47 The chapel was completed in 1841. St. Peter’s is an attached single cell chapel. This building, like Bree church, takes the form of a refined St. Mary’s Uttoxeter. The interior is a six bay double height space. The space is lit by twin lancet windows on the north and south walls. All the stained glass is original and attributed to John Hardman.48 Hardman produced most of Pugin’s stained-glass and ironmongery. The roof construction is with a well-engineered timber truss. The truss is semi- circular with perfect tangents to create the pitched roof. It is supported by cut stone corbelling. It is the only church in Wexford with a surviving triptych that was designed by Pugin. The original altar and much glass stencilling also survive. Above the triptych, on the eastern gable wall, you will find the highlight of the chapel, a large Hardman rose window. It is the most prominent feature on view with its elaborate tracery and its sheer size. The Earl of Shrewsbury’s heraldry features in the glass. The exterior has a cut granite double bellcote on the western apex of the church ridge. The chapel is attached to the school here and to the collegiate wing on the southern façade. The walls are constructed with locally quarried red sandstone rubble and a cut granite dressing.49 There are stepped buttresses at the bay intervals on the north and south walls and also on the eastern gable. There is little to no ornamentation on the exterior which gives the building a solid and strong quality. In the 2008 book, Studies in the Gothic revival, Barry O’Leary describes the chapel as “…an expression of solid mass.50” The delicate level of detailing on

42 Roderick O’Donnell, “Pugin as a Church Architect,” in Pugin: A Gothic Passion, eds. Paul Atterbury, Clive Wainwright, and Victoria and Albert Museum, (New Haven ; London: Yale University Press in association with the Victoria & Albert Museum, 1994), 71. 43 Roderick O’Donnell, “The Pugins in Ireland,” in A. W. N. Pugin: Master of Gothic Revival, ed. Paul Atterbury, 1st edition (New Haven: Yale University Press, 1995), 143. 44 Barry O’Leary, “Richard Pierce: Architect and Acolyte of the Gothic revival,” in Studies in the Gothic Revival, UCD Studies in the History of Art, ed. McCarthy and O’Neill, (Dublin: Four Courts Press, 2008), 163. 45 Ibid, 167. 46 Ibid, 163. 47 Roderick O’Donnell, “The Pugins in Ireland,” in A. W. N. Pugin: Master of Gothic Revival, ed. Paul Atterbury, 1st edition (New Haven: Yale University Press, 1995), 143. 48 ‘Saint Peter’s College, Summerhill Road, Wexford, County Wexford: Buildings of Ireland: National Inventory of Architectural Heritage’, accessed 10 January 2016, http://www.buildingsofireland.ie/niah/search.jsp?type=record&county=WX®no=15504014. 49 Ibid. 50 Barry O’Leary, “Richard Pierce: Architect and Acolyte of the Gothic revival,” in Studies in the Gothic Revival, UCD Studies in the History of Art, ed. McCarthy and O’Neill, (Dublin: Four Courts Press, 2008), 167.

the exterior has led to a greater emphasis on the eastern gable walls Rose window with a granite chamfered reveal. St. Peter’s chapel is within the grounds of a secondary school and the Ferns diocesan archive is on site. The chapel is very well maintained and is one of the best examples of a Pugin interior in the country because of the surviving altar arrangement. However in the 1950’s the seating format was rearranged to a collegiate style where the pews face the central aisle as opposed to facing the altar. The rood screen was also removed like in all churches post second Vatican council.51 The chapel today remains an architectural focal point in the town of Wexford and can be seen from the opposite side of the Slaney River which runs through the town. This is due to it being built on an elevated site.

8. St. Peter’s Chapel altar, triptych and rose window 2015, Photo taken by author

51 ‘Saint Peter’s College, Summerhill Road, Wexford, County Wexford’.

9. St. Peter’s Chapel exterior 2015, Photo taken by author

10. St. Peter’s Chapel altar rose window from outside 2015, Photo taken by author

11. St. Peter’s Chapel nave from balcony 2015, Photo taken by author

12. St. Peter’s Chapel roof trusses

2015, Photo taken by author

3.3 Church of St. James, Ramsgrange (1838-1843) St. James’ is a large church situated in the centre of Ramsgrange village. It is one of Pugin’s least known works. Over the years it has been questioned whether or not Pugin had a hand in the design or if a contemporary took inspiration from St. Peters College Chapel.52 This confusion is also due to the fact that Pugin never acknowledged this church as his work. However, this was nothing out of the ordinary as he also failed to acknowledge much of his early work in England.53 Nonetheless this buildings design is clearly too advanced to be by any Irish contemporaries of Pugin at the time of its construction. Both Dr Roderick O’Donnell, in his 1995 essay, The Pugin’s in Ireland, and Brian Andrews, in his work for the Pugin Foundation,54 have concluded with documentary evidence that Ramsgrange church was indeed one of Pugin’s designs. At the time of construction the parish priest was Fr George Murphy and in 1838 he obtained the drawings for the church in Ramsgrange. In the Catholic Directory it is noted that Fr Murphy was “…indebted (to J.H. Talbot, Pugin’s principle Irish benefactor) for the plan of the church of St. James’ at Ramsgrange.55” This clearly points to Pugin as the architect. The church construction began on the 25th of July 1838 and was completed in 1843.56 However the tower that is one of the main aspects of the external design was not completed until 1870.57 It must be a certainty that in Pugin’s original design a spire was intended to cap the tower. He wrote extensively that pointed architecture was Christian architecture and he envisioned that the British and Irish landscape would be dominated by tall church spires. In his own words in 1841 he writes that “A tower to be complete should be terminated by a spire: every tower during the finest periods of pointed architecture either was, or was intended, to be so finished; a spire is in fact an ornamental covering to a tower; a flat roof is contrary to every principle of the style, and it was not till the decline of the art that they were adopted. The vertical principle, emblematic of the resurrection, is a leading characteristic of Christian architecture, and this is nowhere so conspicuous or striking as in the majestic spires of the Middle Ages.58” Alas, possibly due to funding, a spire for Ramsgrange was never realized. Instead the tower is finished with a flat roof and an under-scale spike at each corner.

The design of the church interior has the typical language of the thirteenth-century. It is a large single cell space with a six bay double height nave and a single bay chancel which is slightly longer than the previous six. There is no external expression of the chancel. Each bay was separated by a wooden truss creating a ribbed arch structure supporting an open timber ceiling. There is a large lancet window in the centre of each bay which alongside the triple lancets of the chancel adequately light the large space. The chancel ceiling design is that of a barrel- vaulted ceiling with decorative plasterwork creating orthogonal coffers. Within the coffers lies beautiful coloured Puginian stencilling. The elaborate chancel sets Ramsgrange church apart from contemporary non Pugin churches.

The square plan tower is situated on the west of the building and is equipped with narrow lancets and an oculus above the belfry. Each external wall of the tower also has empty statue niches which to the authors knowledge is a unique detail in Pugin’s Wexford churches except

52 Stanton, Pugin, 37. 53 Roderick O’Donnell, “The Pugins in Ireland,” in A. W. N. Pugin: Master of Gothic Revival, ed. Paul Atterbury, 1st edition (New Haven: Yale University Press, 1995), 142. 54 Brian Andrews, "St. James Church, Ramsgrange, Ireland," Pugin foundation,(2012), 1. 55 Roderick O’Donnell, “The Pugins in Ireland,” in A. W. N. Pugin: Master of Gothic Revival, ed. Paul Atterbury, 1st edition (New Haven: Yale University Press, 1995), 141. 56 Brian Andrews, "St. James Church, Ramsgrange, Ireland," Pugin foundation,(2012), 7. 57 Ibid. 58 Augustus Welby Northmore Pugin, The Present State of Ecclesiastical Architecture in England (London C. Dolman, 1843), http://archive.org/details/presentstateofec00pugiuoft, 17-18.

for St. Aidan’s Cathedral. The Nave trusses have the same form as that of St. Peter’s roof in Wexford town. This is the only identical element between St. Peter’s and Ramsgrange yet the fact that there is an identical element suggests that Richard Pierce once again was Pugin’s clerk of works here in Ramsgrange. Although this is inherently obvious as the high quality of construction is characteristic of Pierce carrying out Pugin’s designs.

There are many other sophisticated details to St. James’ church that were outside the realms of any Irish architects capabilities at the time. These include the statue niche chamfers and the west door mouldings which have a wonderfully ornate nature that echoes thirteenth century Gothic churches.59 Pugin was the only architect practicing in Ireland at the time that had mastered the language of Gothic architecture well enough to employ such details.

A lot of the original character of the building was lost due to changes implemented by the Second Vatican Council in the 1960’s.60 The Minton tile floor is now a stagnant blue carpet and the exterior wall surfaces have been affected from severe damp problems in the past. Yet with knowledge of Pugin’s traits and his vast portfolio it becomes possible to piece together his vision for this large scale church and to imagine how it once might have been or should have been.

13. Church of St. James’ exterior 2015, Photo taken by author

59 Brian Andrews, "St. James Church, Ramsgrange, Ireland," Pugin foundation,(2012), 6. 60 ‘Saint James’s Catholic Church, Ramsgrange, County Wexford: Buildings of Ireland: National Inventory of Architectural Heritage’, accessed 21 January 2016, http://www.buildingsofireland.ie/niah/search.jsp?type=record&county=WX®no=15617002.

14. Church of St. James’ chancel ceiling 2015, Photo taken by author

15. Church of St. James’ chancel triple lancet 2015, Photo taken by author

16. Church of St. James’ nave 2015, Photo taken by author

3.4 Church of St. Michael the Archangel, Gorey (1839-1842) St. Michael’s church in Gorey is one of the earliest and grandest of Pugin’s churches in County Wexford and therefore in Ireland. It is very much a unique Pugin design as it strays from his preferred Gothic style into the realms of a 12th century Romanesque Norman building. The amalgamation of the Gothic and Norman style for this building was adopted after Pugin visited and studied the 12th century monastery at Dunbrody Abbey near New Ross in Wexford. 61 After his Dunbrody visit his wrote “If the clergy and gentry of Ireland possessed one spark of real national feeling, they would revive and restore those solemn piles of buildings.62” This visit inspired Pugin to design St. Michaels with a cruciform plan, his first with this format. In Phoebe Stanton’s 1971 book on Pugin she writes that “The Gorey church is large and sober, astonishing not only for its Norman style but for the way in which it does and does not resemble the work Pugin was doing in England.63” St. Michaels was a changing point in Pugin’s career which is seen through the designs that preceded and followed Gorey. Most notably the introduction of lean to aisles that feature in all of Pugin’s Wexford churches to follow Gorey but were never used before. Pugin was exceptionally proud of his design at Gorey as he included it as number 14 in the frontispiece of his publication An Apology for the revival of Christian architecture in England which he released in 1843.64 In this frontispiece St. Michaels is adorned with a typical Gothic spire. Sadly for Pugin, Gorey was to have a similar fate to that of Ramsgrange and his spire would once again not be realized. This frontispiece also eludes to another inspiration for St. Michaels, this is Pugin’s church at Dudley as the drawing of Gorey has the same front façade as its English counterpart. The transept and chancel are almost 30 meters across which arguably makes the horizontality of the church out of proportion compared to its height. However if Pugin’s intended spire had been constructed then this point would be irrelevant. The building has other Irish references such as the medieval round tower style tourelle on the north western transept corner and the battlements to crown the square planned apse. Pugin’s diary shows that he “…sent off drawings to Gorey65” in June 1839. From here Richard Pierce took over as clerk of works and construction began in August that year. Pugin visited the building in 1842 around the time of its completion. The commission was built for Canon Synott and was funded by the Sir Thomas Esmonde66 whose coat of arms can be seen above the main entrance on the western gable. This entrance typifies the Romanesque style and is very similar to the main entrance at Dudley. The churches external finishing shows expert masonry. A mix of colours were implemented with the use of Wicklow granite and locally quarried limestone.67 The detailing, although well crafted, is minimal. This accents the monumental quality of the composition. The power of the masonry asserts a dominance that the building craves for without its spire. The church interior consists of a two storey seven bay nave flanked on the north and south by single story lean to aisles. The nave and aisles are divided by simple arches supported by tall

61 Barry O’Leary, “Richard Pierce: Architect and Acolyte of the Gothic revival,” in Studies in the Gothic Revival, UCD Studies in the History of Art, ed. McCarthy and O’Neill, (Dublin: Four Courts Press, 2008), 167. 62 A. Welby Pugin, Apology for the Revival of Christian Architecture (Oxford, Oxford: Blackwell Publishers, 1969), 23. 63 Stanton, Pugin, 67. 64 Ibid. 65 Belcher, The Collected Letters of A. W. N. Pugin 1851-1852, 119. 66 Roderick O’Donnell, “The Pugins in Ireland,” in A. W. N. Pugin: Master of Gothic Revival, ed. Paul Atterbury, 1st edition (New Haven: Yale University Press, 1995), 144. 67 Ibid.

and beautifully sculpted granite columns. The clerestory of the nave is lit by opposing Romanesque windows on each wall. Matching windows light the aisles. The ceiling is supported by an open roof truss system resting on carved stone corbels. A halved version of this truss system supports the ceiling of both aisles. The western gable design features three equal Romanesque windows with a large rose window centred above. The transept gables contain twin windows below a well-proportioned rose window. In the south west corner of the chapel there is a small octagonal baptistery just off the aisle. The original font has been removed but the Puginian mosaic remains on the walls. The chancel is a hemispherical space with three slender Romanesque windows below a minimally ribbed dome. The square apse is articulated by a crossing tower with an arched perimeter on each side. The ceiling of the apse consists of a nine coffered grid and is lit by four Romanesque windows on each side. Although the central two windows of each side are blocked. The crossing of St. Michaels creates a powerful space as it blossoms outwards to all the majesty of the cruciform plan. Like all of Pugin’s Irish buildings, St. Michaels was subject to reordering after the second Vatican council.68 The rood screen, altar and reredos were removed at this time.69 Thankfully the general layout and structure remains intact in this church and portions of the original decoration survive. On the northern transept gable there is panelling from 1842 when the church was completed and the design of these panels have been copied throughout the church to preserve Pugin’s essence. The arches have been decorated with Puginian style stencilling to reinforce this. However judging by his other work of the time it is likely that much more stencilling was present during the buildings infancy. The Minton encaustic tiles no longer remain and the floor is totally carpeted save for the marble sanctuary floor. The church is in the heart of Gorey town. You are given a wonderful symmetrical view as you enter the grounds from the road and gaze along the path to the front door. In front of the building stands a tall granite cross that was intricately carved. You cannot help but notice the character of the building in front of you as you walk towards the door yet it is difficult not to feel dejection knowing how magnificent the building could have been if the intended spire capped the crossing tower. This is still a terrific example of Pugin’s work in Wexford and has so many points of interest, from its cruciform plan to its Romanesque windows and colourful stonework.

68 ‘Saint Michael’s Catholic Church or Catholic Church, Saint Michael’s Road, Gorey, County Wexford: Buildings of Ireland: National Inventory of Architectural Heritage’, accessed 21 January 2016, http://www.buildingsofireland.ie/niah/search.jsp?type=record&county=WX®no=15601096. 69 Ibid.

17. Church of St. Michael the Archangel west elevation 2015, Photo taken by author

18. Church of St. Michael the Archangel Esmonde family coat of arms

2015, Photo taken by author

19. Church of St. Michael the Archangel nave

2015, Photo taken by author

20. Church of St. Michael the Archangel nave 2015, Photo taken by author

21. Church of St. Michael the Archangel crossing ceiling 2015, Photo taken by author

22. Church of St. Michael the Archangel nave looking west 2015, Photo taken by author

23. Church of St. Michael the Archangel original Pugin panelling 2015, Photo taken by author

24. Church of St. Michael the Archangel tower 2015, Photo taken by author

3.5 Church of St. Alphonsus, Barntown (1844-1848) St. Alphonsus’ Barntown is an expression of the small village parish church, which was a favoured building type by Pugin. It is the first church of its kind in Ireland but is comparable to much of Pugin’s earlier work in England. The finished product of Barntown church can be considered a superior version of one of Pugin’s simplest designs, St. Augustus church at Solihull.70 This is of course due to the Pugin’s diligent clerk of works, Richard Pierce who with the help of expert stonemasons and craftsmen produced this ecclesiastical gem. Construction began in July 1844 when the foundation stone was laid.71 The first mass was celebrated in 1848 upon completion of the build. The total cost of construction was a mere £1,72372 which even in the 1840’s was a surprisingly low cost. The church has a simple form. It has a seven bay double height nave with single story lean to aisles. The nave and aisles were separated by a colonnade of nave arches supported by carved granite columns. There is no separation in form between the nave and the chancel. This is a reiteration of the medieval formula for the Long Stanton church.73 The roof is supported by a timber truss at the interval of each bay. The western gable is adorned with a double bellcote above the church entrance. Beneath the bellcote lies an ornate Hardman window. This was presented by J.H. Talbot to the parish.74 The eastern gable behind the high altar (which was moved closer to the front of the chancel after the second Vatican council75) has a wonderfully decorative window. This great east window is a great example of Gothic design in stone carried out with five perpendicular windows with tracery above. The stained glass of this detail is reminiscent of the fourteenth century grisaille window type.76 The interior church dimensions are 30 meters long, 13 meters wide (nave 7 meters and aisles 3 meters each) and the highest point of the interior is 14 meters. These proportions emulate the church at Long Stanton. The exterior is gently coloured with varying local mountain stones to give the church a “…singular appearance of dignity and grace.77” This church has been subject to many alterations since its initial completion. Much of the interior was stripped of original decoration during the 1940s when extensive renovations were carried out.78 The rood screen was removed and much of the church was re-floored. Thankfully however, restoration work was done in 1998-1999 to restore St. Alphonsus’ close to its original design.79 The author spoke to a local Pugin enthusiast about the restoration work and was informed that the plaster of the nave arches and walls were peeled away to reveal evidence of the original stencilling that could then be remastered.80 The tiling was also restored to a Puginian design by British Tilers Dunhill and Craven whose company grew from Minton’s,

70 Stanton, Pugin, 70. 71 N/A. The church of saint Alphonsus Barntown, Co. Wexford, (Dublin: The Richview Press, 1948), 45. 72 Ibid, 47. 73 Roderick O’Donnell, “The Pugins in Ireland,” in A. W. N. Pugin: Master of Gothic Revival, ed. Paul Atterbury, 1st edition (New Haven: Yale University Press, 1995), 145. 74 Ibid. 75 Maura Rossiter, interview by William Conran, January 7, 2016 76 N/A. The church of saint Alphonsus Barntown, Co. Wexford, (Dublin: The Richview Press, 1948), 32. 77 Ibid, 11. 78 ‘Catholic Church of the Blessed Virgin Mary and Sai, Barntown, County Wexford: Buildings of Ireland: National Inventory of Architectural Heritage’, accessed 12 January 2016, http://www.buildingsofireland.ie/niah/search.jsp?type=record&county=WX®no=15703738. 79 Ibid. 80 Maura Rossiter, interview by William Conran, January 7, 2016

Pugin’s original tile manufacturer.81 Due to these touches St. Alphonsus is one of the most beautifully detailed churches in Wexford and it is full of Pugin’s character.

25. Church of St. Alphonsus exterior 2015, Photo taken by author

26. Church of St. Alphonsus nave 2015, Photo taken by author

81 Ibid.

27. Church of St. Alphonsus stencilling 2015, Photo taken by author

28. Church of St. Alphonsus eastern great window 2015, Photo taken by author

29. Church of St. Alphonsus Pugin commemorative plaque 2015, Photo taken by author

30. Church of St. Alphonsus restored tiling 2015, Photo taken by author

3.6 Church of St. Marys, Tagoat (1843-1848) St. Mary’s Church Tagoat is regarded by many as the most important of Pugin’s parish churches in Ireland.82 It was one of Pugin’s latest constructions and an example of his best work on a small church. However it is hardly a surprise that St. Mary’s would be seen as a jewel in Pugin’s Irish crown due to the fact that his great Irish Patron, John Hyacinth Talbot, had commissioned him to design this church not only as his own parish church but as a memorial to his late wife.83 It is unclear as to when the construction of St. Mary’s began. Local tradition says working on the church commenced in 1839 but it is more widely believed to have begun in 1843 According to Pugin’s diary, in July 1839, J.H. Talbot informed him that “…Fr Rowe is to pay for the plans.84” Canon Rowe was the parish priest at the time of the buildings inception, however he died in 1846. There is a large memorial brass and marble slab in front of the altar in his honour. It was also noted in Pugin’s diary that the first Mass was celebrated on the 18th of June 1848.85 St. Mary’s is a large parish church whose scale is notably more akin to the work of Pugin’s Irish followers which could indicate a greater influence from Pierce, who would have built up quite a rapport with Pugin by this time. This Gothic church has a cruciform plan with excellent proportions. A bellcote was subsequently added after Pugin’s participation in the north east corner. It lies on a sparse lonely site surrounded by a graveyard that has grown steadily since St. Mary’s completion. Inside the church, the nave is flanked by aisles at either side and separated by colonnades of simple Gothic arches supported by five limestone pillars. The nave clerestory is delicately lit by small lancet windows above which you will find an elaborate open truss roof. The transept consists of a sanctuary and two side chapels. This is a traditional T plan layout associated with rural chapels of Ireland and partly related to the bema transept of early Eastern Christian churches.86 The transept is well lit by three tall and slender lancet windows on either side. There are smaller lancet windows in the clerestory of the transept to match those of the nave. The chancel Gabel wall has an elaborate four light Gothic window with tracery while the west gable has a triple lancet depicting the annunciation. The confident lighting of the church is very typical of Pugin’s hand. This Tagoat church contains more original Puginian features than any of his other numerous Irish churches. The sanctuary floor tiles where designed by Pugin and produced by his long time accomplice Henry Minton. The gable stain glass windows were by Hardman who also produced brass altar candlesticks for Pugin to present to the church when it was dedicated.87 The ornate original altar rails and pulpit remain intact however the original wooden altar is no more. The original stain glass windows that lit the side aisles were replaced and are now home to modern stain glass windows by Dublin artist George Walsh. Interestingly the first window on your left, once you enter the church, is an honorary piece dedicated to Pugin that depicts the man himself standing above a ruin. Above Pugin’s head lies his family emblem and he

82 Fr Matt Glynn, interview by William Conran, January 12, 2016 83 Patrick Comerford, ‘Patrick Comerford: Three More Pugin Gems in Co Wexford’, accessed 14 January 2016, http://www.patrickcomerford.com/2010/10/three-more-pugin-gems-in-co- wexford.html. 84 Roderick O’Donnell, “The Pugins in Ireland,” in A. W. N. Pugin: Master of Gothic Revival, ed. Paul Atterbury, 1st edition (New Haven: Yale University Press, 1995), 145. 85 Ibid. 86 Ibid. 87 Ibid.

holds a miniature church in his hands. At the bottom of the piece you will find a curious quote from Pugin stating that “There is nothing worth living for but Christian architecture and a boat.88” This is an interesting ode to the great architect and the only one of its kind.

31. Church of St. Mary’s exterior 2015, Photo taken by author

32. Church of St. Mary’s west elevation 2015, Photo taken by author

88 Elizabeth M. Knowles, The Oxford Dictionary of Quotations (Oxford University Press, 1999), 616.

33. Church of St. Mary’s nave 2015, Photo taken by author

34. Church of St. Mary’s nave 2015, Photo taken by author

35. Church of St. Mary’s Pugin window by George Walsh

2015, Photo taken by author

36. Church of St. Mary’s Pugin window by George Walsh close up 2015, Photo taken by author

4. St. Aidan’s Cathedral, Enniscorthy (1843-1850) St. Aidan’s Cathedral in Enniscorthy is commonly known as Pugin’s Irish masterpiece. He built two Cathedrals in Ireland, the other being St. Mary’s in Killarney. Killarney and Enniscorthy are both impressive structures but Pugin’s architectural intentions are far better preserved in Enniscorthy. His design here was to be loved and sought after throughout Wexford and indeed Ireland for years to come. Before St. Aidan’s was built, the site consisted of a much smaller thatched church that was built at the beginning of the 19th century.89 In March 1838, Bishop Keating of Ferns held a meeting where it was decreed that the Ferns diocese would erect a Cathedral in Enniscorthy. 90 John Hyacinth Talbot proposed Pugin for the job and Richard Pierce was once again secured as clerk of works. Construction began in 1843 and the first mass was held in the cathedral in 1846 despite it being unfinished.91 The cathedral was erected in multiple stages. The structure of the nave and transepts were constructed from July 1843 to June 1846 followed by the completion of the nave and aisles from 1846 to 1848. The crossing was capped in 1850. Pugin visited the site in 1843 and 1845.92 Sadly he did not live to see the tower and broach spire stand tall over the Enniscorthy landscape. That was not completed until 1873 at the second attempt. This was under the supervision of J.J. McCarthy93 as Richard Pierce had unfortunately passed away in 1854. This became the only Pugin spire in Wexford after designing them for Gorey and Ramsgrange previously. Pugin believed that the clergy and congregation should face east so he orientated his churches in this fashion. He wrote that “…Churches should be so placed that the faithful face east at prayer. Such has been the practice of the church from the earliest period…94” St. Aidan’s is unique in Pugin’s Wexford portfolio as the given site has a steep slope to the eastern side. The site was given, free of charge, to the people of Enniscorthy by the Earl of Portsmouth.95 This created the necessity for a north south orientated building. Aside from this stumble, the cathedral adheres to Pugin’s Gothic ideals. The main edifice takes the form of a ten bay cruciform Cathedral. It is comprising of a six bay double height nave with single story lean to aisles to the east and west. The aisles are externally buttressed in cut granite at the bay intervals. The exterior has a multitude of colours and was partially constructed using Ordovician stone rubble that was recycled from the ruined Franciscan friary which collapsed around the time of St. Aidan’s inception.96 It was then donated to the project. The walls are broken course dressed rubble with cut granite quoins and coping. The building exhibits excellent stone masonry with a subtle polychromatic palette. The tapered buttressing around its perimeter symbolizes strength and stability. At the crossing there is a magnificent two stage tower with a square plan that lofts into an octagonal broach

89 ‘Saint Aidan’s Catholic Cathedral, Cathedral Street, Main Street, Enniscorthy, County Wexford: Buildings of Ireland: National Inventory of Architectural Heritage’, accessed 22 January 2016, http://www.buildingsofireland.ie/niah/search.jsp?type=record&county=WX®no=15603011. 90 Barry O’Leary, “Richard Pierce: Architect and Acolyte of the Gothic revival,” in Studies in the Gothic Revival, UCD Studies in the History of Art, ed. McCarthy and O’Neill, (Dublin: Four Courts Press, 2008), 169. 91 ‘Saint Aidan’s Catholic Cathedral, Cathedral Street, Main Street, Enniscorthy, County Wexford’. 92 Roderick O’Donnell, “The Pugins in Ireland,” in A. W. N. Pugin: Master of Gothic Revival, ed. Paul Atterbury, 1st edition (New Haven: Yale University Press, 1995), 146. 93 ‘Saint Aidan’s Catholic Cathedral, Cathedral Street, Main Street, Enniscorthy, County Wexford’. 94 Pugin, The Present State of Ecclesiastical Architecture in England, 14. 95 Aidan Ryan, interview by William Conran, January 8, 2016 96 ‘Saint Aidan’s Catholic Cathedral, Cathedral Street, Main Street, Enniscorthy, County Wexford’.

spire. The spire is detailed with major and minor gabled lucarnes that interchange on every second spire face. The spire was constructed in the common method before modern scaffolding. It was built in sections on the ground and then accurately reassembled up to its peak.97 The spire was then topped with a gilded weather clock 67 meters above the ground. The cruciform plan is capped with a pitched roof and all of the apex ridges are terminated with beautifully carved granite crosses. The main entrance is on the nave’s southern gable and is recessed behind a lancet arch to reveal double doors elaborately moulded. Either side of this arch there is a statue niche and a powerful stepped buttress. Above the entrance is a commanding great window consisting of five lights that ascend into intricate tracery with a triple trefoil window within a circle. This window was formerly blocked by an organ on the inside. The lean to aisles respective southern walls also possess an entrance below a tracery window. This elevation is striking in appearance with its light granite dressing contrasting the blue rubble build up. The interior of St. Aidan’s is masterful. The building is 53 meters long, 15 meters wide and has a floor to ridge height of 22 meters.98 These slender proportions add to Pugin’s ideals about pointed architecture. He once said “…pointed architecture decorates the useful portions of buildings instead of concealing them.99” The well-proportioned height is inch perfect and exudes the quality only present with expert craftsmanship. This is as much to do with Pugin and Pierce’s original attention to detail as it is due to the level of care adhered to in the 1994 restoration. The nave is beautifully lit by twin clerestory windows in each bay. The exposed timber ceiling is supported by simple and elegant wooden trusses on stone corbels. The nave is flanked by the lean to aisles and separated from them by a colonnade of carved granite pillars which provide structure for tall lancet arches. The double height transepts are a single bay deep and the length, although also single bay, is longer than the length of the nave bays. There is an external turret on the south eastern transept corner. This turret has an octagonal plan to match the spire. Each transept gable has a great five light window with elaborate tracery similar to that of the great southern window. The sanctuary is double height and three bays in length. There is a sacristy to the west and a mortuary chapel to the east which was a later addition after Pugin’s involvement.100 The great north window consists of seven lights finishing with hexafoil tracery as fine as any in the world. Below this window there are amazing reredos comprising of nine niches hand carved from Caen sandstone.101 The whole interior is effectively bathed in natural light and the altar is subject to complex vistas from all angles. St. Aidan’s has a very urban surrounding and appears to be quite squat from certain views due to the compact site. It still very much remains a prominent and defining landmark in the Enniscorthy townscape due to its elevated position and imposing spire. Pugin has said that Irish churches should be “massive and solemn102” he achieved this at Enniscorthy and indeed throughout much of his work in Wexford. The second Vatican council was the cause of many internal changes to the cathedral but thankfully it was restored to its original decorative scheme under the direction of Bishop Brendan Comiskey in 1994.103 This restoration salvaged Minton tiling throughout the interior.

97 Aidan Ryan, interview by William Conran, January 8, 2016 98 N/A, St. Aidan’s Cathedral Enniscorthy (Enniscorthy: Hogan print, 1994). 99 Pugin, The True Principles of Pointed or Christian Architecture, 3. 100 N/A, St. Aidan’s Cathedral Enniscorthy (Enniscorthy: Hogan print, 1994). 101 ‘Saint Aidan’s Catholic Cathedral, Cathedral Street, Main Street, Enniscorthy, County Wexford’. 102 Stanton, Pugin, 117. 103 ‘Saint Aidan’s Catholic Cathedral, Cathedral Street, Main Street, Enniscorthy, County Wexford’.

It also included the return of the pulpit, bishop’s throne and Baptismal font to their original standings.104 Stencilling was reinstated to the arches as an exact reproduction to Pugin’s former design. The pattern varies depending on the arches dimensions. The extensive restoration cost £1,000,000 which heavily contrasts the initial build cost of £8,000.105 However the money seems of little importance to the local people who had raised the funds. It became clear as the author spoke with enthusiasts of Pugin, that members of St. Aidan’s parish, and indeed every member of the Ferns diocese, are very proud of their Puginian gem.

37. St. Aidan’s Cathedral exterior 2015, Photo taken by author

104 N/A, St. Aidan’s Cathedral Enniscorthy (Enniscorthy: Hogan print, 1994). 105 Ibid.

38. St. Aidan’s Cathedral south elevation 2015, Photo taken by author

39. St. Aidan’s Cathedral exterior stone work 2015, Photo taken by author

40. St. Aidan’s Cathedral context 2015, Photo taken by author

41. St. Aidan’s Cathedral spire 2015, Photo taken by author

42. St. Aidan’s Cathedral nave 2015, Photo taken by author

43. St. Aidan’s Cathedral southern great window 2015, Photo taken by author

44. St. Aidan’s Cathedral northern great window 2015, Photo taken by author

45. St. Aidan’s Cathedral stencilling 2015, Photo taken by author

46. St. Aidan’s Cathedral crossing ceiling 2015, Photo taken by author

47. St. Aidan’s Cathedral original Minton tiling (this photograph was adapted for the cover image) 2015, Photo taken by author

5. Wexford after Pugin By the late 1840s Pugin’s work was well known around Wexford. He was well- established and respected and he had found a builder in Richard Pierce who “…perfectly understands all the material manners & prices of the country and my drawings as well.106” Pugin called Pierce “…an invaluable man for Irish business107” and relied on him heavily to carry out his designs in Wexford. Pierce was of huge importance to Pugin and his understanding of the Englishman’s work advanced the Gothic revival in Wexford and the rest of Ireland. He had the utmost confidence in Pierce. He once wrote in a letter to J.H. Talbot …”I send… you the first plans for the church… at Enniscorthy… when I come over I will set out the tracery windows with Pierce as it is better I should do so with him than send them over. But there is nothing to hinder the foundations of the new church being commenced as Pierce will perfectly understand the plans.108” It has to be stressed how important Pierce was to Pugin’s buildings in Wexford for Pugin provided few drawings for these projects. He would use the knowledge of local craftsmen and Pierce’s expertise to deliver the final results, so much was his trust in the Wexford man. Barry O’Leary makes the point that in the initial phase of Pugin’s Irish career he would only participate if Pierce was his clerk of works. He uses an excerpt from this Pugin letter to J.H. Talbot in 1842 to reinforce his standing. “…This I am not able to bestow on buildings so far as Ireland. I could not undertake your church without a person whom I should approve being constantly on the spot……Mr Pierce of Wexford must be employed to see the work properly carried out and for which service he will agree to a proper remuneration with the parties.109” The promise of the Enniscorthy cathedral inspired Fr James Roche of Wexford town to erect two new churches in the Gothic style.110 The church of the Immaculate Conception and the church of the Assumption. Richard Pierce was commissioned for the task. Pierce’s finest designs are these twin churches of Wexford. They allowed him to express the full catalogue of his architectural talents. Yet they are regularly accredited to Pugin as their designs implement much of what Pierce learned in his years as Pugin’s clerk of works. By the time of Pugin’s death in 1852 his style and ideals had extended greatly and were adopted by many other architects. He now had Irish imitators in Pierce and of course the Irish Pugin, J.J. McCarthy. This title was bestowed on McCarthy and not Pierce as Pierce’s career was also cut short when he died in 1854 while McCarthy’s flourished for decades more.111 McCarthy became the Irish masthead for the Gothic revival after the death of Pugin and Pierce. He was heavily influenced by Pugin’s writings and he once noted that Pugin’s church designs were the “true style.112” McCarthy also took responsibility for the completion of much of Pierce’s work in Wexford after his death. McCarthy designed very much in a Puginian style and the accreditation of many Wexford churches have been argued as to whether they are Pugin’s or his imitators. Most notably is the small chapel at Bellevue in Wexford that was

106 Hill, God’s Architect, 271. 107 Ibid. 108 Roderick O’Donnell, “The Pugins in Ireland,” in A. W. N. Pugin: Master of Gothic Revival, ed. Paul Atterbury, 1st edition (New Haven: Yale University Press, 1995), 143. 109Barry O’Leary, “Richard Pierce: Architect and Acolyte of the Gothic revival,” in Studies in the Gothic Revival, UCD Studies in the History of Art, ed. McCarthy and O’Neill, (Dublin: Four Courts Press, 2008), 171. 110 Ibid, 174. 111 Roderick O’Donnell, “The Pugins in Ireland,” in A. W. N. Pugin: Master of Gothic Revival, ed. Paul Atterbury, 1st edition (New Haven: Yale University Press, 1995), 152. 112 Barry O’Leary, “Richard Pierce: Architect and Acolyte of the Gothic revival,” in Studies in the Gothic Revival, UCD Studies in the History of Art, ed. McCarthy and O’Neill, (Dublin: Four Courts Press, 2008), 172.

built as a private chapel for the Cliffe family. The project did not take place until after Pugin’s death but the resemblance to his designs is uncanny. It is accredited to McCarthy but he most likely relied on earlier Pugin plans for the design.113 The same can also be said for the chapel at Edermine house. A.W.N. Pugin’s son, Edward Welby Pugin, also built in Ireland in partnership with George Ashlin who married Edward’s sister.114 They continued church building in the Gothic style for many years as well as countless other architects. In Wexford the preferred church building style had undoubtedly become Gothic. Here at least, Pugin had won in his quest to convince Catholics to adopt Gothic architecture as the only conceivable choice for ecclesiastical buildings.

48. Bellevue chapel by J.J. McCarthy

2015, Photo taken by author

49. Pierce’s twin churches of Wexford town 2015, Photo taken by author

113 Hill, God’s Architect, 480. 114 ‘I. Partners’, The Pugin Society, accessed 22 January 2016, http://www.thepuginsociety.co.uk/i- partners.html.

6. Conclusion In God’s Architect, Rosemary Hill writes “…That he failed in his ideal of transforming England into a catholic, Gothic kingdom is hardly surprising. What is surprising is the extent to which he succeeded.115” While his vision stumbled over the minute Catholic populace of England, Ireland and in particular Wexford, was to be his great Gothic victory. Not even the great famine could slow the Puginian impetus. With impeccable timing and the aid of the Talbots, the Pugin style spread through Wexford rapidly and today as you traverse the rural county the most noticeable edifices in the landscape are the vertical spires of Gothic churches. This is a consequence of Pugin’s designs inspiring the diocese of Ferns and creating an architype that the clergy and parishioners were more than happy to adopt. Indeed Pugin had created an architectural legacy in Ireland that was felt in church building for decades. While much of Pugin’s work in Wexford can be viewed as a continuation from his earlier work in England, it is clear that his Irish churches are better examples of Architecture and can be seen as improvements or refinements of their British ancestors.116 There is a greater attention to materials and proportion which gives rise to an arsenal of dignified and powerful buildings that stand out within Pugin’s impressive portfolio. Sadly, Pugin’s churches have been tainted by the second Vatican council and in general they have lost much of their internal layout and furnishings. In certain instances great efforts have been made to restore his work to its original magnitude. The best Wexford examples of this would be the new stencilling and tiling of St. Alphonsus’ in Barntown and of course the extensive renovation of St. Aidan’s cathedral. St. Aidan’s once acted as the exemplar of church building in the Ferns diocese. Today it should act as an example for all Puginesque designs on how to be restored appropriately. The church of the Assumption in Bree is in desperate need for restoration as the elimination of the rose window and full height nave is almost blasphemy against the architect’s ideals. Augustus Welby Northmore Pugin is immortalized in stone and mortar in the South east of Ireland. In Wexford there is an appreciation for the infamous church architect that cannot be felt in any other part of the country save for within the walls of Maynooth seminary, which was Pugin’s largest project in Ireland. On the banks of the river Slaney he is revered and celebrated. There were many occasions during this study of his work that the author met individuals around the county who proudly claimed that their local church was a Pugin, sometimes false claiming as proving what is and isn’t a Pugin can be difficult after one hundred and fifty years. Nevertheless what is his work is impressive and deserves preservation. His Gothic style paved the way for future church building and is an integral part of Wexford’s architectural heritage. Pugin was without a doubt the catalyst for the Gothic revival in Wexford.

115 Hill, God’s Architect, 2. 116 Stanton, Pugin, 70.

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