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 By 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 1 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 2 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 3 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. 4 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. 5 1. A.W.N. Pugin. Source: © Artsor 6 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.