Benjamin Ferrey

Benjamin Ferrey was born in Christchurch, Hampshire, the son of a draper. He studied architecture with Augustus Pugin and became a close friend of his son, A W N Pugin, later writing biographies of both of them. He then joined the office of William Wilkins and in 1834 set up his own practice on Great Russell Street in Bloomsbury. He was an adherent of the Gothic Revival and one of the preferred architects of the Ecclesiological Society. He designed a large number of churches, country houses and public buildings, mainly in the South West of England, being responsible for much of the early development of Bournemouth. His obituary in the Building News described him as "rather a close adherent of precedent, than a bold originator". He was one of the original members of the Architectural Society and a fellow of the RIBA and the Society of Antiquaries. [RF]