A high quality early hand coloured aquatint of Christchurch, Hampshire, by Benjamin Ferrey. Named after his father he was a native of Christchurch born 1 April 1810 as the youngest son of the Mayor of the town. Educated at Wimborne Grammer School his parents soon noted his talent at drawing. They sent him to London as a pupil of Auguste Charles Pugin (1769-1832). In his early 20s he toured the Continent and then studied further under William Wilkins. He set up in practice as an architect in Great Russell Street, Bloomsbury, in 1834, in a house later demolished to make room for the British Museum. He became one of the earliest members of the Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA) and would be Vice-President twice and a Royal Gold Medallist in 1870. He was the Honorary Secretary to the Committee of Architects set up for the competition for the Houses of Parliament building.

Ferrey built up a very large practice and was the architect of numerous churches. He was described as an exceptionally fine draughtsman and invented a method of stamping plaster. He did some work in his native Christchurch and was even the author with Edward Wedlake Brayley, of Antiquities of the Priory Church of Christchurch, Hants, 1834. This superb aquatint of Castle Street was drawn by Ferrey and printed by the noted Charles Hullmandel (1789-1850). Hill, Rosemary ‘Benjamin Ferrey: Biographer and Architect’ published in volume 2 Number Two of ‘True Principles’ the Journal of the Pugin Society.