Scott, Sir George Gilbert

Scott, Sir George Gilbert, 1811–78, English architect. Prominent in the Gothic revival, he designed many public structures. He also directed a vast amount of Gothic restoration work, beginning with renovations of Ely Cathedral (1847) and including Westminster Abbey (where he worked upon the north front and the chapter house) and many other cathedrals and churches. His design for the Church of St. Nicholas, Hamburg, Germany, won first place in an 1844 competition. Among his other designs were the buildings (1860–70) for the British home and foreign office, the Albert Memorial, and St. Pancras Station, London. He was buried in Westminster Abbey.

His grandson, Sir Giles Gilbert Scott, 1880–1960, English architect, submitted designs in the competition for the proposed Liverpool Cathedral while still a pupil. They were accepted (1903), but because of the winner's young age G. F. Bodley was placed in partnership with him. After his associate's death (1907), Scott redesigned the cathedral, creating a monumental modern Gothic structure. Consecrated in 1924, it was completed in 1978. His many works, chiefly ecclesiastical, include buildings for Clare College, Cambridge; several Univ. of Oxford structures; a number of war memorials; the Battersea and Bankside power stations; and the Waterloo Bridge over the Thames River. He also designed Britain's iconic red telephone booths.

Giles's son Richard Gilbert Scott, 1923–2017, English architect, continued his father's work on the Liverpool Cathedral, and designed two striking Roman Catholic churches in Birmingham's suburbs, Our Lady Help of Christians at Tile Cross (1966–67) and the Church of St. Thomas More at Sheldon (1968–69).

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