Following his appointment to the Ecclesiastical Commissioners in 1851 Christian began a number of important and lengthy church restorations.
That at the old St Peter's Collegiate Church in Wolverhampton was begun in 1852 and involved the rebuilding of the chancel, completed in the Decorated Gothic style in 1865.
Most notable were his restorations of Southwell Minster in Nottinghamshire, begun in 1851, and Carlisle Cathedral in Cumbria (1853–70).
At Southwell the work went on for 37 years, repairing the walls and masonry and re-roofing the building and its famous Chapter House to the original steeper pitch.
The building of the impressive pyramidal spires on the western towers (1881) restored a lost feature to the church – the originals had been destroyed in a fire of 1711 and Christian's work replaced flat roofs of 1802.
In 1884 the church was created a cathedral for the new diocese of Nottinghamshire and Derbyshire and its first bishop George Ridding (1828–1904), previously headmaster of Winchester College installed there.
Following his appointment to the Ecclesiastical Commissioners in 1851 Christian began a number of important and lengthy church restorations. That at the old St Peter's Collegiate Church in Wolverhampton was begun in 1852 and involved the rebuilding of the chancel, completed in the Decorated Gothic style in 1865. Most notable were his restorations of Southwell Minster in Nottinghamshire, begun in 1851, and Carlisle Cathedral in Cumbria (1853–70). At Southwell the work went on for 37 years, repairing the walls and masonry and re-roofing the building and its famous Chapter House to the original steeper pitch. The building of the impressive pyramidal spires on the western towers (1881) restored a lost feature to the church – the originals had been destroyed in a fire of 1711 and Christian's work replaced flat roofs of 1802. In 1884 the church was created a cathedral for the new diocese of Nottinghamshire and Derbyshire and its first bishop George Ridding (1828–1904), previously headmaster of Winchester College installed there.
Ewan Christian