John Loughborough Pearson RA RIBA (1817-1897)

The Gothic architect J. L. Pearson was born in Brussels on the 5th of July 1817, the thirteenth son of William Pearson, a Watercolour painter and etcher, of Durham.  Articled at the age of fourteen to Ignatius Bonomi, he soon moved to London and worked under Hardwicke. 

He revived the gothic art of vaulting and developed a proficiency unrivalled in his generation. He was, however, by no means a Gothic purist and was also fond of Renaissance and had a sound knowledge of classic architecture.

From the erection of his first church of Ellerker, in Yorkshire, in 1843, to that of St Peters, Vauxhall, in 1864, his buildings are geometrical in layout and exhibit a rare understanding of historical precedent. Their elegance of proportion and refinement of detail mark them out as something more than mere copies of a bygone age.  Holy Trinity, Westminster (1848), and St Marys, Dalton Holme (1858), are good examples of this phase.

St Peters, Vauxhall (1864), his first groined church, was also the first of a series of buildings which brought Pearson to the forefront among his contemporaries. In these he applied the Early English style to modern needs with unrivalled success. St Augustine's, Kilburn (1871), St John's, Red Lion Square, London (1874), St Alban's, Birmingham (1880), St Michael's, Croydon (1880), our own church of St John's, Upper Norwood (1881), St Stephen's, Bournemouth (1889) and All Saints, Hove (1889) are characteristic examples of this mature phase of his work. However he is best known for Truro Cathedral (1880), where he argued for and successfully incorporated the south aisle of the ancient church into the new structure.

Pearson's innate conservativism fitted him for the restoration and enhancement of ancient buildings and Lincoln, Chichester, Peterborough, Bristol and Exeter Cathedrals, St Georges Chapel, Windsor, Westminster Hall and Westminster Abbey were among the cathedrals and other historic buildings to receive the Person touch. He re-faced the north transept of Westminster Abbey and also designed new organ cases.  By going beyond mere repair, he was repeatedly opposed in his work (most notably in the case of the west front of Peterborough Cathedral in 1896), but the results generally proved the soundness of his judgement.

He died on the 11th of December 1897, and was buried in the nave of Westminster Abbey, where his grave is marked by the motto Sustinuit et Abstinuit. He was elected A.R.A. in 1874, R.A. In 1880, was a fellow of the Society of Antiquaries, and a fellow and member of the Council of the Royal Institute of British Architects.

St Matthew the Apostle, Douglas, Isle of Man
Very late and not classic Pearson. The present incumbent, Canon Duncan Whitworth, is a former curate at St John’s.

Kirk Braddan, Braddan Bridge, Isle of Man
Originally built with a wooden spire, which no longer survives.

St John’s Red Lion Square, London 1874.
One of Pearson’s five great London Churches. Badly damaged in the Second World War and demolished. This link contains rare photographs.

St Stephen’s, Bournemouth 1889.
Rated alongside St Augustine's and St Agnes' as one of his finest according to “England’s 1000 best Churches”.

St Michael’s, West Croydon 1880.
Large, brick built apsidal church; now swallowed up by insensitive modern buildings.  A haven of peace in a very ugly part of town.

Truro Cathedral 1880.
Built in three stages over thirty years

St John’s Cathedral, Brisbane, Australia.
Designed by Pearson, but still uncompleted.

All Saints, Hove 1889.
One of the largest parish churches in England and not in Pearson’s usual style.

St Augustine's, Kilburn.
One of Pearson's masterpieces built in one of London's poorest areas in 1871.

St Peter's, Vauxhall.
Pearson's first attempt at full vaulting, a common feature in his later buildings.

St Agnes & St Pancras, Toxteth Park 1882.
Another masterpiece to rival his work in Kilburn.