A day-long event on 25 September 2026 will bring together conservators, historians and architects to examine the Victorian architect’s Gothic Revival work and the recent restoration of Dover Town Hall.
Dover’s Maison Dieu will host a full-day conference on Friday 25 September 2026 dedicated to Neo-Gothic architect William Burges (1827–1881) and his remarkable body of work at the building, better known to most as Dover Town Hall. Tickets are £30, and include refreshments and a buffet lunch. Doors open at 09:30 and the day runs through to 18:00, with over-18s only admitted.
The conference sits within the National Lottery Heritage Fund-backed Reawakening the Maison Dieu project — and the speaker list is rather good. Canterbury Cathedral, Canterbury Christ Church University, the Science Museum in London, Kent Archives and Dover Museum are all represented, alongside conservators and architects who’ve been getting their hands dirty on the restoration itself.
Six sessions across the day cover the reinstatement of Burges’s decorative scheme in the Connaught Hall and Mayor’s Parlour, stained-glass window conservation, historic furniture, Gothic animal symbolism, and the George and Dragon crozier. Building tours and practical demonstrations are also on the bill.
Dr Michelle Crowther from Canterbury Christ Church University will look at Burges’s wider Kent footprint — a sculptured diptych for St Augustine’s College in Canterbury, a stained-glass window at All Saints Church in Murston, work at Ightham Place. Quite a presence for one man.
There’s a community strand too. Local artists and groups, a storymat co-created with a special school, and a “Dover Time Machine” feature all sit alongside the specialist programme — a reminder that the restoration has drawn in residents, not just professionals.
Burges was a central figure in Victorian Gothic Revival, counted among contemporaries such as Augustus Pugin. His work at the Maison Dieu makes Dover’s town hall a notable example of that movement in the south-east.
Key information
- Date: Friday 25 September 2026, 09:30–18:00
- Venue: Maison Dieu (Dover Town Hall), Biggin Street, Dover, CT16 1DL
- Tickets: £30 (includes refreshments and buffet lunch), available via the Maison Dieu event page
- Age restriction: Over-18s only
William Burges conference to be held at Dover's Maison Dieu in September Quiz
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