John Dando Sedding

Born at Eton on April 13, 1838, John Dando Sedding trained under the major Gothic Revival architect George Edmund Street, then worked with his brother Edmund in Cornwall before building his own practice in Bristol and London. He became known especially for church architecture, restoration work, and a distinctive "crafted Gothic" approach that connected structural design with fine decorative detail.

His career placed him close to some of the key figures and ideas of the Arts and Crafts movement. Sedding worked next door to Morris & Co. in Oxford Street, designed not only buildings but also wallpapers, metalwork, embroidery, and church furnishings, and was a founding member of the Art Workers Guild. He was also an influential teacher: several later designers and craftsmen associated with Arts and Crafts passed through his office.

Among his best-known works are Holy Trinity, Sloane Street, in London and St Clement's at Boscombe. He also wrote about design, including work on gardens and handicraft, showing how strongly he believed that architecture should grow out of skilled making. He died suddenly on April 7, 1891, while engaged on church restoration work in Somerset.