English Heritage has published an authoritative history of the Victorian architecture of the Sharpe, Paley and Austin firm, which practised from its offices in Lancaster from 1835 to the early 20th century. Written by academic and expert on Victorian architecture Geoff Brandwood, and six years in the making, the book reflects the author’s enthusiasm for his subject in the depth and detail of the work. Acknowledged as the greatest provincial architectural practice of its time, the firm undertook commissions for many public buildings such as the Royal Lancaster Infirmary, St Peter’s cathedral in Lancaster, Holker Hall, buildings for the Furness Railway Company, many shops, pubs and schools, as well as fine churches concentrated in Lancashire and what is now South Lakeland. St Mark’s Church Natland was the last major village church to be built before Austin’s death and is described by the author as “exemplifying the best of what the late Gothic Revivalists were striving to do – to build modern churches beautifully in the spirit of medieval architecture”. The author also quotes Pevsner’s admiration in the Buildings of England, Cumberland and Westmorland: St Mark’s is “as good as any of the churches by the best church architects of those years...” Fitting, therefore that the church features as a full page frontispiece, and that a signed copy has been donated to the church by the author. Click on
Virtual Lancaster website to see a full review of this work.
Rhian Peters
