Suzi Pendlebury has been appointed as Cathedral Architect for the iconic St George’s Cathedral in Southwark to oversee repairs and conservation.
As one of the country’s leading Conservation Architects, Suzi brings a wealth of experience to the role having been involved in many high-profile conservation and restoration projects, including at St Paul’s Cathedral, where she served in the office of the Surveyor.
Announcing the appointment, Canon Michael Branch, Dean of St George’s, said:
“We are delighted to have Suzi working on our wonderful building at St George’s Cathedral. Our Cathedral means a great deal to so many people and has been a fundamental part of South London for 175 years. It not only serves our beautiful and diverse community, it’s also the mother church of our Archdiocese.
“Having someone with Suzi’s immense knowledge and experience in repair, conservation and the work of the great Pugin will help us ensure the Cathedral continues to be a beautiful place to worship for many years to come.”
Suzi has a long affinity with the Archdiocese of Southwark, growing up in Kent where she developed a deep appreciation of St George’s original Architect, AWN Pugin’s work at St Augustine’s in Ramsgate. She went on to pursue her interest in Pugin and the great ecclesiastical architects of the nineteenth century.
St George’s Cathedral, designed by Pugin, was opened in 1848. Following the restoration of the Catholic Hierarchy by Pope Pius XI in 1850, in 1852 St. George’s officially became the Cathedral church of the new Diocese of Southwark.
Sadly, the Cathedral was gutted by fire after a direct hit from an incendiary bomb during the Blitz and only a small amount of the original Pugin interior survives. When the Cathedral was rebuilt after the War, it was in the elegant modern gothic style we see today, which remained wholly sympathetic to Pugin’s original concept.
St George’s is much loved by its diverse community and is proud to have the national shrine to Saint Oscar Romero, the inspirational Archbishop of San Salvador who was martyred because of his work fighting injustice in El Salvador.
Suzi, a director of the conservation practice Thomas Ford & Partners, is also the cathedral architect to the Catholic Cathedral of St John in Norwich, and Westminster Cathedral.
Commenting on her appointment, Suzi Pendlebury said:
“I am greatly looking forward to this new role at St George’s and to build upon the success of recent initiatives overseen by Jonathan Louth, including the two beautiful altars recently conserved and installed, which enrich and enhance the spiritual character of the Cathedral.
“While much of the great Pugin interior is lost, the Cathedral has shown there is scope to stay true to it, but in a new and meaningful way and I’m very much looking forward to continuing in that spirit. I am proud that I will contribute to the care of this special and unique Cathedral and vibrant parish.”
Suzi will be succeeding Jonathan Louth, who spent many years in the role. St George’s thanks him for his service, especially the recent installation of the St Oscar Romero shrine.
