W. G. Footitt was an architectural draughtsman in the office of Charles Hodgson Fowler, architect to Durham, Lincoln and Rochester Cathedrals. His diary illuminates the professional practice and daily life of an individual immersed in the production and restoration of ecclesiastical architecture during the last years of the Gothic Revival. Significantly, it highlights the important contribution made by draughtsmen, whose names rarely appear in published histories of architecture. Their meticulous work, essential to the realisation of architectural visions, translated concepts into detailed plans and drawings, supporting the creative process and enabling craftspeople to execute designs with precision.
A talented artist with a passion for antiquities, Footitt produced many drawings to illustrate the publications of leading archaeologists in County Durham and Northumberland, thus playing a crucial role in bringing archaeological discoveries to a wider audience. He was also a keen observer of the world around him, travelling widely across Britain and recording holidays in Ireland and Switzerland. His first-hand impressions of social, cultural and technological change make the diary a vivid chronicle of modernity.