Creating a Gothic Paradise: Pugin at the Antipodes

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Author: Brian Andrews

Number of Pages: 246

The definitive study of Augustus Pugins extraordinary architectural and design legacy in Australia.

Augustus Welby Northmore Pugin (18121852) was the uncompromising genius who defined the Gothic Revival in Britain, designing the interiors of the Houses of Parliament and passionately advocating for medieval Christian aesthetics. Yet, his only coherent collection of buildings and decorative arts outside the British Isles is found in the nascent Australian colonies of New South Wales and Tasmania.

In this meticulous volume, Brian Andrews charts the ambitious undertaking of transplanting Pugins severe, archaeologically correct Gothic vision to the far side of the world. Far from the opulence of his European patrons, Pugins Antipodean works were often conceived under severe cost constraints, inadvertently showcasing his design brilliance through purity of line and form.

Creating a Gothic Paradise is a comprehensive visual and historical record, documenting over 280 itemsfrom vestments, embroidered silk textiles, and original architectural drawings to carved stonework and metalwork. It reveals how Pugins disciples and patrons created a rigorous, beautiful, and enduring Gothic Paradise in the distant Antipodes.

An essential resource for scholars of the Gothic Revival and the history of Australian religious and architectural design.