British Gothic Revival

Imagine a world full of chairs with pointed arches growing out of their backs, cabinets decorated with celestial beings and even simple Lloyd-style shelves that evoke the spans of medieval cathedrals. This was the British Gothic Revival furniture style, a movement that sought to recapture not only the form but also the spirit of the Gothic Age.

The Gothic Revival reached its zenith in the mid-19th century as a rebellion against what was seen as the soulless spirit of the age. Designers and architects such as Augustus Welby Pugin (1769–1832) longed for a return to a world where craftsmanship w...