St Mary's Architect - A.W.N. Pugin

The selection of the architect, Augustus W.N. Pugin, to design St Mary's Church apparently caused much comment at that time. His recent literary work, where he had published five books on ecclesiastical architecture, was the main cause of his meteoric rise to fame as an architect. He became famous also for his exterior and interior designs, including all the furnishings for the new Houses of Parliament. He produced these in conjunction with Charles Barry, who was commissioned to build the new Houses of Parliament, and later was knighted for his work.

The majority of Pugin's work emanated from Catholic origins associated with the Earl of Shrewsbury and Oscott College. He was later appointed to the staff of the College as Professor of Ecclesiastical Architecture and Antiquities.

Pugin records in his diary that he arrived in Derby on 5 September 1837 and met for the first time the Rev. Thomas Sing. It is presumed they inspected the site at Bridge Gate and discussed the details of the proposed church. He revisited Derby on two other occasions before the final designs were delivered to Rev. Sing on 17 March 1838. His original designs included an elaborate North extension and a 100 foot spire on top of the tower but, because of financial restrictions, could not be included when the church was built.

The North/South axis of the church is unusual. Most churches, including St Alkmund's and others in the immediate vicinity at the time, were built on an East/West axis. The orientation of St Mary's was purely due to the constraints of the site itself, being too narrow to follow the traditional axis. In response to some of his critics on this issue, in his book 'The Present State of Ecclesiastical Architecture' written in 1843, Pugin explains that:

"The uncanonical position of the church was occasioned, not through any disrespect to the ancient tradition of Christendom - which I revere most highly - and not from any idea of introducing Roman peculiarities in England, but from unavoidable necessity, occasioned by the want of space from East to West. Had the church been properly placed even supposing the whole width of land been occupied, not only would the light of both eastern and western windows have been at the mercy of adjacent proprietors, but the edifice itself would have been too short for its required purposes. Every expedient, by placing the tower at the side, etc., was tried, but reluctantly and of necessity abandoned. The ground plans clearly show these difficulties and it will also be seen that the church was brought forward to admit the enlarging of the chancel and adding sacristies towards the altar end."

A volume of Pugin's plans and perspective views of St Mary's Church, consisting of six sheets including the frontispiece, five signed and dated 1837, in pen and grey ink, each 10 inches by 8.5 inches, was auctioned by Phillips of London and sold to an undisclosed American buyer in 1987.

The final design, modified due to financial restrictions, was for a Gothic church of the perpendicular style of architecture, and its proportions and decorative details produced a building of elegance and beauty. Pugin, like all true artists, possessed the gift of endowing his creations with a lofty dignity and sacredness. St Mary's Church epitomizes these qualities and with just cause it has been called 'Pugin's Masterpiece'.

Pugin chose for his builder George Myers of Hull, who had proved to be a skilled stonemason and an accomplished sculptor in both stone and wood. Much of the sculpture work in St Mary's came from his hands. A Mr Earl was the Clerk of Works who supervised a workforce of 60 men, stonemasons, bricklayers, carpenters and labourers.

The Derby Mercury newspaper reported on 4 July 1838 that "the festival of Her Majesty Queen Victoria's Coronation, so happily and generally celebrated throughout Great Britain, was also commemorated in this town by the ceremony of laying the first stone of the very elegant church about to be built in Bridge Gate."

Read more about Pugin at the Britain Express website.