Oratory window of 1882, attributed by Jennifer Winder-Baggot to Mary Ashlin, née Pugin (1843-1933) at St George's, Killiney, County Dublin.
Mary Ashlin was the architect A.W.N. Pugin's sixth child, his third daughter by his second wife, Louisa. That made her the youngest sister of Pugin's eldest son, Edward Pugin, who also became an architect. In 1867, Mary (familiarly known as Polly) married Edward's partner in his practice in Ireland, George Coppinger Ashlin, and after a long wait the Ashlins had one daughter, Miriam, born in 1877. Although the two-light East window of the oratory of St George's, the Arts and Crafts house designed by Ashlin and built in 1882, has been attributed to Mary herself, it seems more likely that she simply provided ideas or a preliminary drawing for it. Catriona Blaker of the Pugin Society suggests that the finished design may have been either by Edward Frampton (1845-1929), the skilled stained glass designer whose signature can be seen on stained glass in the library, or the firm of Earley and Powell, which had a strong Pugin connection, and was immensely popular in Ireland.
Be that as it may, the light on the left depicts Ashlin in the foreground of an Annunciation scene: the text reads "Ave gratia plena," Latin for the Angel Gabriel's words,"Hail, full of grace." The one on the right features his wife with their little daughter Miriam, then about five years old, in the foreground of a Nativity scene.
There is certainly evidence here of the deep religious sensibility of the Pugins, and their artistic taste. The window also shows a keen appreciation of the local scenery. It includes two views of the clifftop of Dublin Bay: in the background above the Virgin Mary can be glimpsed the historic Baily Lighthouse at Howth Head; to the left of Joseph in the nativity light is another structure overlooking the Irish Sea, possibly the Martello Tower at Sandycove.
Closer view of the Ashlin family as portrayed in the window.
Looking more closely at the lower part of the window, we see that Ashlin, as a prolific church architect, is shown kneeling on the tiled floor of (it seems) a chancel. Next to him, close to his knees, is the Masonic symbol of squares and compasses. In the adjacent manger scene, complete with adoring ox, his wife prays reverently with head bowed, while young Miriam, seemingly brought in to view the scene, looks instead slightly upwards, rather curiously, at the viewer.
As for the oratory's context, Peter Pearson describes the house itself as "something of a Victorian Gothic extravaganza, built in red brick with its steep and varied tiled roofs, conical tower, Gothic fireplaces and a small, panelled chapel. The walls were once decorated with William Morris wallpapers" (74). Catriona Blaker reports that the house is "totally delightful, with main stair rail just like that at the Grange [the Pugin's family home in Ramsgate, designed by Pugin, where Mary was brought up]." Ashlin was well established now, and this must have been far grander than the couple's first residence, over his office on St Stephen's Green in central Dublin (see O'Dwyer 61).
This very personal window reminds us of the lower panels of the window in Pugin's own oratory at the Grange, featuring Louisa and his children to date. It somehow makes up for Mary's absence from that window, for which she was born just a little too late.
Photographs by Catriona Blaker, who also helped considerably with the commentary; text by Jacqueline Banerjee. [You may use the images without prior permission for any scholarly or educational purpose as long as you (1) credit the photographer and (2) link your document to this URL in a web document or cite the Victorian Web in a print one.]
Bibliography
"Ashlin, George Coppinger." Dictionary of Irish Architects. Web. 22 June 2026.
Family Tree. Pugin Society. Web. 22 June 2026.>
O'Dwyer, F. "A Victorian Partnership - The Architecture of Pugin & Ashlin." 150 Years of Architecture in Ireland. Edited by J. Graby. Dublin: RIAI & Eblana Editions, 1989: 55-62.
Pearson, Peter. Between the Mountains and the Sea: Dun Laoghaire - Rathbone County. Dublin: O'Brien Press, 1998.
Winder-Baggot, Jennifer. "St. George’s, St. George’s Avenue, Killiney, County Dublin – section 482." Irish Historic Houses. Web. 22 June 2026. https://irishhistorichouses.com/2022/11/24/st-georges-st-georges-avenue-killiney-co-dublin/
Created 22 June 2026
Last modified 24 June 2026