18/09/2026: The Life and Works of John Loughborough Pearson (1817-97) : A Talk by Patrick Newberry, MBE

John Loughborough Pearson, architect of Truro Cathedral, was a highly successful nineteenth-century architect, whose soaring Gothic Revival churches boldly embodied the spirit of the nineteenth-century revival of the Church of England.

In 1897 the Architectural Review noted that Pearson’s first London church, Holy Trinity, Bessborough Gardens, ‘attracted the admiration of such men as Sir Charles Barry, Augustus Welby Northmore Pugin and Sir George Gilbert Scott, the latter, indeed, pronouncing it to be the finest building of its kind that London could then boast of.’

Pearson went on to design many churches, two cathedrals, including Truro, and to become Surveyor to Westminster Abbey. His biographer, Anthony Quiney, described him as ‘this truly great Victorian architect.’ And yet Pearson has been neglected in modern times, not always recognised for the significant contribution that he made to Britain’s architectural history.

Dr Patrick Newberry MBE was appointed as a Chapter member (Trustee) of Truro Cathedral in 2025. He is a Commissioner of Historic England and holds a number of non-executive roles in the financial sector. Dr Newberry is Chairman of the Cornwall College Group, the Cornish Buildings Group and was a senior partner in PwC for most of his career. He is a member of the Diocesan Synod and of the East Wivelshire Deanery Synod. He lives in East Cornwall with his wife, enjoying lecturing and writing about architectural history and sailing his classic boat when time and the weather permit.

In this talk, Patrick Newberry will explore Pearson’s life and works and endeavour to restore his reputation as one of Britain’s most inspiring and capable Gothic Revival architects.