2024 is the bicentenary of the birth of George Edmund Street, the architect of the Royal Courts of Justice. The Victorian Society, in association with Street’s church of St James the Less, Pimlico, are hosting a series of talks, walks and visits to celebrate his work.

In this first event, Peter Howell, co-editor of the late Geoff Brandwood’s forthcoming book on Street, and Neil Jackson, author of several studies of Street’s architecture, will present, in an open discussion before a live audience, an introduction to this great architect’s work. The talk will also be broadcast simultaneously online.

Whether you know Street’s buildings well, or have only seen the Royal Courts of Justice as the backdrop to some headline feature on the television news, this exchange of ideas will show the extraordinary achievement of one of the nineteenth century’s hardest working architects.

Winner of the Royal Gold Medal for Architecture, President of the Royal Institute of British Architects and Professor of Architecture at the Royal Academy of Arts, Street died at the early age of 57, leaving behind a vast legacy of work ranging from buildings to books to ornamental metalwork, carving, stained glass and wall painting.

William Morris, Philip Webb and Norman Shaw all passed through his office and he worked frequently with Clayton & Bell (stained glass), Thomas Earp (carving), James Leaver (metalwork) and Antonio Salviati (mosaicwork). In December 1881, Street was buried in the nave of Westminster Abbey, alongside Sir Charles Barry and next to his old employer, Sir George Gilbert Scott, beneath a brass designed by George Frederick Bodley.

Attendees can either watch the talk online, at £6 a ticket, or a small number of people can attend the talk which is £20 a ticket.

Venue: The Victorian Society, 1 Priory Gardens, London, W4 1TT

All attendees will be sent a recording of the talk.

This event helps raise funds for The Victorian Society – the only charity dedicated to fighting for our Victorian and Edwardian heritage. Funds raised from events and memberships allow us to employ expert caseworkers to reply to thousands of planning applications a year in our role as a statutory consultee in the planning system.

We help tackle the climate emergency by campaigning for the sensitive reuse of historic buildings to generate much lower carbon emissions than demolition and rebuild. Join us today and safeguard our unique cultural heritage for future generations! For further information, click here.