Watts & Co. was founded in 1874 in London by a triumvirate of famous Victorian architects, George Frederick Bodley (who designed Washington National Cathedral) Thomas Garner and George Gilbert Scott Jr. There never was a Mr. Watts – Bodley’s response to the question, “who’s Watts?” was “what’s in a name?” These architects were all linked professionally, and sometimes personally. Watts & Co. is still a family firm, run by descendants of Bodley and Scott.

All three architects were the leading lights of the Gothic Revival movement, responsible for deep scholarship and the restoration of buildings in England and further afield. Watts & Co. was established to provide the furnishings and vestments for these beautiful buildings, and the firm’s knowledge and expertise is unrivalled.

When the world tuned in to the Funeral of Her Majesty the Late Queen Elizabeth II, in both places the vestments and altar clothes were all designed by Watts & Co. in their inimitable style. On May 6^th next year, undoubtedly the Archbishop of Canterbury and all other dignitaries will be similarly appareled by the same workshop.

The new Manchester Set is a bespoke creation of Watts & Co. to the specifications of the Rector for use at the Georgetown Oratory. ‘Bespoke’ means there is nothing like it anywhere else in the world. It is a full High Mass set, consisting of Chasuble, Dalmatic and Tunicle for the Priest and Ministers at a Solemn High Mass together with a Cope and Humeral Veil. It is designed in the full Gothic pattern, of Oyster-colored ‘Bellini’ silk brocade – a 15^th Century silk pattern redrawn by A.W.N. Pugin in the 19^th Century, with decorative orphreys in blue ‘Coronation’ silk – a pattern woven by Watts for the Coronation of Her Majesty the late Queen Elizabeth II in 1953.

The Manchester Set was made possible by an extraordinarily generous private bequest to the Guild, for which the Rector is immensely grateful. It will adorn our worship for years to come and provide the very best for God at the Altar. It is always easier (and cheaper) to buy vestments off-the-rack in budget fabrics. But the difference is incalculable. What does it say of us that we are prepared to adorn our backs with the finest silks and linens, but the Lord is only worth nylon?

The Sacred Liturgy is replete with non-verbal language – God communicates Himself to us in every way imaginable to the senses. It follows that everything we do to the praise of God ought to be as much like Him as possible. That is to say, it must be beautiful. Seen this way, Beauty is not desirable extra, it is a fundamental imperative.