Pugin After Dark Presents

Louie Young

Jan 27, 2025

2 min read

In December, Alton Community Events brought the village of Alton together to celebrate the festive season with their first ever Advent Calendar Extravaganza. Every day throughout December there was a festive event, activity or experience for the community to enjoy, and we were delighted to put on our own, kindly hosted by St Peter’s Church.

Louie discusses how the late Michael Fisher her inspired her love for Pugin by Lee D Munro
Louie Young by Lee D Munro
Pugin window display by Lee D Munro

There were, however, high winds on the day and with a mass power outage in the village, we thought Pugin after Dark might be in the literal dark, but fortunately the light returned and the event went ahead without a hitch.

For the first part of the event, Louie gave an insightful talk on Pugin's work at nearby Alton Towers, which included amusing anecdotes of Pugin's life and complex character. Louie also revealed how St Peters Church has two hidden Pugin gems in the form of the organ case and reredos of the north aisle, both of which were made from reclaimed Pugin designed oak panels taken from the banqueting hall at Alton Towers.

Pugin oak panneling by Louie Young
Alton Towers early history by Lee D Munro
Pugin oak pannelling by Louie Young

Attendees were then treated to a plethora of home baked treats (kindly baked by Alison) plus teas and coffee before the commencement of the second musical half. Alison and Bill, also known as The Bramleys entertained by playing seasonal music whilst guests took part in colouring in Pugin tiles for the Pugin Tile Project.

Bill Halsey by Lee D Munro
Alison's delightful bakes by Lee D Munro
Alison Hayhurst by Lee D Munro

It was a fantastic end to the first year of Pugin After Dark events and I would like to thank everyone who contributed and made this all possible, we couldn't have done it without you! We are currently making plans for further for events and talks therefore if you would like to be kept up to date on all things Pugin After Dark please use the Contact Us page here to join our mailing list.

You can also take part in the Pugin tile project from the comfort of your own home as each of the tile designs can be downloaded here, ready for you to colour in, along with details of how to submit them to the project.

To view the tiles submitted so far, learn more about the project please visit the Pugin Tile Project's page here.