Architects and designers Alexander ‘Greek’ Thomson (1817-1875) and Owen ‘Alhambra’ Jones (1809-1874) were almost direct contemporaries, known for their innovative adaptations of the styles of ancient foreign cultures, creating uniquely dramatic, colourful buildings. Both were idealistic historians of design who published ideas about the importance of developing their own architectural language using modern materials. Dr Ailsa Boyd examines their parallel inspiration, designs and architecture, their influence upon each other and on the Victorian age.

Dr Ailsa Boyd is an independent writer and lecturer in 19th-century art, design and literature, with a particular interest in the decoration of the homes we live in and imagined spaces. Her academic publications and research include: Beatrix Whistler, manuals of household taste, Henry James’s home in Rye, Edith Wharton’s interior design, Aestheticism, and Turkish Baths. She is currently writing a monograph on the little-known Glasgow architect Robert Duncan (1837-1928).