Samuel Huggins (1811–1885) was an English architect and writer. Huggins' defence of

Classical architecture Classical architecture usually denotes architecture which is more or less consciously derived from the principles of Greek and Roman architecture of classical antiquity, or sometimes even more specifically, from the works of the Roman architect ...

and opposition to a proposed restoration of

Chester Cathedral Chester Cathedral is a Church of England cathedral and the mother church of the Diocese of Chester. It is located in the city of Chester, Cheshire, England. The cathedral, formerly the abbey church of a Benedictine monastery dedicated to ...

led to the formation of the

Society for the Protection of Ancient Buildings The Society for the Protection of Ancient Buildings (SPAB) (also known as Anti-Scrape) is an amenity society founded by William Morris, Philip Webb, and others in 1877 to oppose the destructive 'restoration' of ancient buildings occurring in ...

Biography

Samuel Huggins was brought up in Liverpool, but was born in

Deal A deal, or deals may refer to: Places United States * Deal, New Jersey, a borough * Deal, Pennsylvania, an unincorporated community * Deal Lake, New Jersey Elsewhere * Deal Island (Tasmania), Australia * Deal, Kent, a town in England * Deal, a ...

in Kent in 1811. His parents were called Samuel and Elizabeth. His younger brother,

William William is a masculine given name of Norman French origin.Hanks, Hardcastle and Hodges, ''Oxford Dictionary of First Names'', Oxford University Press, 2nd edition, , p. 276. It became very popular in the English language after the Norman conq ...

, was a noted painter born in Liverpool (he created a portrait of Samuel which is extant). Samuel Huggins 13557

Architect

Huggins was practising as an architect from 1846 and he wrote on architectural issues supporting the "classic" style. Within three years he had joined the

Liverpool Architectural Society Liverpool is a city and metropolitan borough in Merseyside, England. With a population of in 2019, it is the 10th largest English district by population and its metropolitan area is the fifth largest in the United Kingdom, with a popul ...

and he became its President from 1856 to 1858 – although at the time it was called ''The Liverpool Architectural and Archaeological Society''. In 1868, Samuel demonstrated his interest in preserving the character of Liverpool's finer buildings when he addressed the Society in opposition to a proposed restoration of

. His 1871 paper was titled ''On so-called restorations of our cathedral and abbey churches''. The following year the Dean was obliged to answer the criticism. Chester Cathedral's restoration created a great debate. The body of the building was based on a parish church which had not been maintained for several centuries. The new Dean, John Saul Howson had appointed Sir George Gilbert Scott to supervise the restoration. Scott proposed to make substantial changes to the building's design. Scott claimed to have archaeological evidence for his work, but it was less restoration and more like rebuilding. One of the larger changes was to shorten the south aisle and restyle it as an

apse In architecture, an apse (plural apses; from Latin 'arch, vault' from Ancient Greek 'arch'; sometimes written apsis, plural apsides) is a semicircular recess covered with a hemispherical vault or semi-dome, also known as an '' exedra''. ...

; but the changes proposed (and rejected) included the addition of a spire above the existing tower. The current building is acknowledged to be mainly the product of the

Victorian restoration The Victorian restoration was the widespread and extensive refurbishment and rebuilding of Church of England churches and cathedrals that took place in England and Wales during the 19th-century reign of Queen Victoria. It was not the same proce ...

Huggins' publications in "The Builder" in the 1850s are thought to have inspired other architects notably Alexander "Greek" Thomson to work in the classic style. His work was widely reported and drew attention in Melbourne. The support gathered by Huggins led to the formation of the

, a society founded by

William Morris William Morris (24 March 1834 – 3 October 1896) was a British textile designer, poet, artist, novelist, architectural conservationist, printer, translator and socialist activist associated with the British Arts and Crafts Movement. He ...

and

Philip Webb Philip Speakman Webb (12 January 1831 – 17 April 1915) was a British architect and designer sometimes called the Father of Arts and Crafts Architecture. His use of vernacular architecture demonstrated his commitment to "the art of commo ...

.Albert Nicholson, ‘Huggins, Samuel (1811–1885)’, rev. Valerie Scott, Oxford Dictionary of National Biography, Oxford University Press, 200
accessed 2 June 2010
/ref> Huggins lived with his brother from 1861 to 1865. They both died at Christleton. The brothers were buried in the same grave in

St James' Church, Christleton St James' Church is in the village of Christleton, Cheshire, England. The church is recorded in the National Heritage List for England as a designated Grade II* listed building. It is an active Anglican parish church in the diocese of Ch ...

, and the headstone of their grave is a Grade II

listed building In the United Kingdom, a listed building or listed structure is one that has been placed on one of the four statutory lists maintained by Historic England in England, Historic Environment Scotland in Scotland, in Wales, and the Northern I ...

Works include

*''Original Architectural Designs chiefly Memorial and Monumental'' *'' The Course and Current of Architecture, with a Chart of the History of Architecture'' (1863) *''‘On so-called restorations of our cathedral and abbey churches’' (1871) *''Catalogue of the Liverpool Free Public Library By Liverpool (England). Free Public Library'' (1872)Catalogue of the Liverpool Free Public Library By Liverpool (England). Free Public Library
Samuel Huggins, 1872

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Huggins, Samuel Architects from Liverpool 1811 births 1885 deaths 19th-century English architects