Architectural Information

Two architects had an influence on the building and landscape of Llandeilo and their names are mentioned in the programme.

Sir George Gilbert Scott (1811-1878)

Sir George Gilbert Scott was responsible for renovating St Teilo’s Church in Llandeilo. But who was this man of great renown?

Scott was born in Buckinghamshire as the son of a clergyman and the Church was to remain an important part of his life as an architect as evidenced by his work in Llandeilo.

Scott’s early career was spent designing gaols and workhouses – he built forty workhouses in a period of ten years. He went on to study French Gothic Cathedrals and was greatly influenced by the work of Augustus Pugin who was blazing a trail for buildings in the gothic style.

Scott became known for designing, building and renovating churches, cathedrals and workhouses but perhaps his most famous building is the Midland red-brick construction, the 'Midland Grand Hotel' at London's St Pancras.

Victorian architecture was renowned for borrowing styles from previous eras and top of the list was the Gothic era. Scott went further by combining styles taken from Europe with the Gothic tradition to create a whole new style and this is clearly in evidence at the Midland Hotel at St Pancras Station, London.

Lancelot “Capability” Brown 1716 – 1783

Another architect mentioned in the programme is Capability Brown who was responsible for designing the parklands at Dinefwr. Perhaps this strange name rings a bell but who was Capability Brown?

Lancelot Brown was a landscape architect who worked throughout Britain on more than 170 gardens and parklands in the 18th century – many of which have remained to this day. He was given his strange name because he was known for saying to the estate owners for whom he worked “that their estates had great capability for landscape improvement” hence the name “Capability”.

In the 17th century the fashion had been for very formal intricate styles of gardens but there was a backlash against this style as landscapes returned to a more natural style. Brown’s garden style was the height of fashion but his designs were far from natural as they were precise according to his own grammatical rules likening various aspects of the design to a ‘comma’ or a ‘colon’ and only adding a ‘full stop’ when he was ready to progress to his next project.