SCOTT, Sir Giles Gilbert (1880-1960), a true master of the modern Gothic style and winner of the legendary architectural competition for Liverpool Cathedral in 1903 when he was only 23 years of age. He was a member of the famous Scott family of architects from London, England, which included his grandfather George Gilbert Scott (1811-1878), and his father George G. Scott (1839-1897). His brother was Adrian Gilbert Scott (1883-1963) who would later prepare designs in Vancouver for St. James Anglican Church (1935-37), now considered an Art Deco masterpiece in Canada.
In 1950 Sir Giles G. Scott was commissioned by Trinity College at the University of Toronto to prepare a design for the major addition of a large chapel to be linked to the college buildings originally designed by Frank Darling (FRIBA) and built in 1923-25. Eschewing the modernist trends in European architecture in this post-war era, Scott prepared a masterpiece in the Perpendicular Gothic style, deftly inserted on a tight site, hemmed in by college buildings to the north and west. The interior is perhaps one of finest works of ecclesiastical architecture in Canada in the 20th C., a serene room awash in natural light which floods the space through an extensive array of stained glass windows that carefully screen out views of surrounding buildings and noisy streets. The organ loft and nave are renowned for their superb acoustics.
His work in Toronto was one of the last commissions of his career, and after is was completed it would be two years before he actually came to Canada in 1955 to examine his only completed work in this country (see interview and commentary in The Globe & Mail [Toronto], 28 Oct. 1955, 9, descrip.; The Varsity [Univ. of Toronto], 3 Nov. 1955, 1, with port.). He died in London on 8 February 1960 (obituary in The Times [London], 10 Feb. 1960, 13; obit. The Builder [London], Vol. 198, 19 Feb. 1960, 345; obit. R.I.B.A. Journal [London], lxvii, April 1960, 193-94, and 221-22; biog. and list of works in MacMillan Encyclopedia of Architects, 1982, vol. 4, p. 17)
ST. JOHN'S, NFLD., St. John's Anglican Cathedral, Church Hill Street, 1921-22. Sir Giles G. Scott came to Newfoundland to inspect the work completed by his grandfather, and he prepared a scheme for a tower in 1921 to finish off the cathedral, but this was never built. He also carried out new works inside the Cathedral, including a sandstone reredos screen, an eagle Lectern, a litany desk, and a Bishop's Throne, 1921-22 (Decks Awash [St. John's], Jan./Feb. 1983, 5)
TORONTO, ONT., Trinity College Chapel, Hoskin Avenue near Devonshire Place, on the campus of the University of Toronto, 1950-53 (Globe & Mail [Toronto], 23 Nov. 1950, 15, with port.; and 1 July 1953, 10, detailed descrip.; and 15 Sept. 1955, 5, illus. & descrip.; The Varsity [Univ. of Toronto], 14 Oct. 1954, illus. & descrip.; and 23 Nov. 1955, 5, descrip.; R.A.I.C. Journal, xxxiii, December 1956, 466-67, illus. & descrip.; Larry Richards, University of Toronto – The Campus Guide, 2019, 145-47, descrip.). The Archives at Trinity College hold several original drawings by Scott for the Chapel dated October 1950.