Welcome to Pugin's Places
Pugin Places is an online resource documenting Pugin’s architecture and designs, from entire buildings to single elements. The purpose of this project is to not only to provide a useful resource for his work but also to bring it to a wider audience and to give access to those without the ability to travel or see these places and elements in person.
My travels in search of the beautiful...
Galleries and bios of places recorded so far are in postcode order
below, or click on the map link to view them by location.
The Grange, Ramsgate
CT11 9NZ - St. Augustine's Rd, Kent​​
Pugin chose Ramsgate as his permanent residence after spending many happy times there visiting his aunt, Miss Welby, who lived near the port. Pugin also had a great passion for the sea and boats, which the seaside location of Ramsgate allowed him to indulge in; so much so he even purchased a lugger boat he named Caroline.
St Giles, Cheadle
ST10 1ED - 18 Charles Street, Staffordshire
​Located in the small town of Cheadle, Staffordshire, the first sight you will see of St Giles is its impressive 200-foot red sandstone steeple towering over the rooftops. Nothing in St Giles is left unadorned, with every surface, pier, archway and step painted, stencilled or laid with Minton tile.
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Alton Castle, Alton
ST10 4TT - Castle Hill Road, Staffordshire
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The rocky precipice at the north end of the village is the perfect location for a fortress; therefore, it is no surprise that there has been a castle on this site since the 12th century. The castle’s first incarnation, which now lies in ruin to the south, was built by the 16th Earl’s ancestor Bertram de Verdun.
St John, Alton
ST10 4AJ - Castle Hill Rd, Staffordshire
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St John’s Church was constructed between 1840 and 1842 as part of the Alton Castle and hospital complex of buildings created by Pugin for the 16th Earl of Shrewsbury. It was originally designed so that the nave could also serve as a schoolroom for the education of the less fortunate children of the village.
Churchyard, Cloister & Warden's Tower
ST10 4AJ - St John's Church, Castle Hill Rd, Staffordshire​​
Pugin greatly respected the dead and strongly believed in treating them with dignity and respect. The churchyard contains a number of memorials designed by Pugin, many belonging to the workers and stonemasons who were employed in the creation of the surrounding buildings.
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Elements
Various Locations
From the glittering High Altar of the Church of the Immaculate Conception to a monstrance from Linford Church, Norfolk, the beauty of Pugin’s designs can be found. These little gems are always a joy to discover, especially when they are not expected. So here is a collection of such elements that I have encountered on my travels.
If you are planning on visiting one of the sites mentioned, please make sure that you check the opening times before venturing out.
Over time, we will add as many places and elements to this resource as we can but we also very much encourage
you to send in your own submissions for us to include. To find out how to add an place to the site please contact us here.
When I subsequently visited Pugin’s ‘Little Gem’, St Giles Church in Cheadle, Staffordshire, my love of his work was solidified. St Giles’ richly decorated interiors gave me an insight into the splendors that would have once adorned the Towers and a real sense of Pugin’s thoughts, hopes, and dreams for the future of Gothic.
I first became familiar with the name Augustus Pugin through reading one of my now most treasured books, Alton Towers: A Gothic Wonderland, by Michael Fisher. Fascinated by the ruins, I wanted to learn all I could about them. With every page I become more enthralled by their history and the rich descriptions of how magnificent they had once been. Whilst there were many other architects and craftsmen involved in creating the Towers, it is undoubtedly Pugin’s passion and vision that left the biggest mark.
It is said that Pugin fitted one hundred years of work into his short life of forty years and, when I began to explore his legacy further, I could see how one could easily believe that to be true. Most famously known for his work on the interiors of the Palace of Westminster and its iconic Elizabeth tower, he was also the architect of over one hundred buildings, not only in the UK but also in Ireland and Australia.
Louie Young