Students who have taken certain of my courses will know that I have rather more than a passing interest in the 19th-century architect, designer, critic and theorist AWN Pugin. That’s why September 26th and 27th are very big days in my calendar.
Pugin is remembered for many things, but his profound impact as a house-designer is often overlooked. The house he designed for himself in Ramsgate, called the Grange, was a revolutionary application of his Gothic Revival theories and forms to domestic architecture. Its novel ‘pinwheel’ plan became one of the most influential ideas in the history of domestic architecture. I once had the privilege of staying at the Grange for several days. It was like living inside Pugin’s brain. For as long as my heart beats, it will beat a little faster at the memory of those days.
Bruce Elliott, of the History Department, has organized a two-day symposium called “The Origins of Domestic Gothic Architecture in Ottawa” that will explore how the legacy of Pugin and the Grange was felt in 19th-century Ottawa. There will be some wonderful talks – a keynote address by Timothy Brittain-Catlin, internationally renowned Pugin scholar and subject of my last blog; by David Jeanes, vice-president of Heritage Ottawa; and by Ian Badgley, archaeologist with the Heritage Program at the National Capital Commission. Possibly best of all, we’ll be going to see the Ottawa buildings that bring Pugin’s ideas to life: Old and New St. Mary’s Churches at Pinhey’s Point; Earnscliffe, the residence of the British High Commissioner; and several surviving ‘pinwheel’ houses in Ottawa – we’ll even have lunch in one of them!
This fabulous symposium is open to the public, but free to Carleton students, thanks to the generosity of John Osborne, Dean of FASS. Buses to and from the sites, as well as lunch both days, are part of the deal.
If you are interested in all or part of this event, contact Prof. Bruce Elliott at Bruce.Elliott@carleton.ca. Do it soon: the deadline for tour registration is September 17, and as there’s likely to be a lot of interest in this, it could easily fill up before then.
The Grange, with St. Augustine’s Church in the background, both by AWN Pugin
Your faithful blogger, hard at work in Pugin’s study in the Grange.