Temple Moore's life and work were closely linked with the famous Gilbert Scott dynasty of architects.
Sir George Gilbert Scott (1811–1878) was one of the leading figures of the early Gothic Revival and the most prolific architect of his age. His works spanned the British Empire. In England alone he designed 800 buildings and restored hundreds more, including 18 of our 26 medieval cathedrals. He is best known today for the Midland Grand Hotel at St Pancras Station and the Albert Memorial in Kensington Gardens.
His eldest son, George Gilbert Scott junior (1839–1897), had a powerful influence over the later development of the Gothic Revival. His chief works include the Cathedral Church of St John the Baptist in Norwich and Dulwich College, London. Two of his finest buildings, All Hallows, Southwark, and St Agnes, Kennington, were destroyed by bombing in the Second World War. Temple Moore was apprenticed to this Gilbert Scott in 1875.
Even after he had set up in independent practice, Moore continued to work closely with his master. Scott suffered from increasingly poor mental health and alcholism in later life, and it was left to Moore to complete many of his commissions. Moore's own first commission in the North York Moors was to finish the work Gilbert Scott had started at St Mary Magdalene, East Moors, near Helmsley.
The connection between Temple Moore and the Gilbert Scotts continued with a third generation of the family. Two of George Gilbert Scott's sons were articled to Moore. Sir Giles Gilbert Scott (1880–1960) and Adrian Gilbert Scott (1882–1963) fused the Gothic tradition with modernism. Adrian is remembered for his work on the Holy Name Church in Manchester and St. Mary and Joseph Roman Catholic Church in East London. Giles designed some of Britain's most distinctive landmarks, including Liverpool Cathedral, Battersea power station, and the iconic red telephone box.