 Colling was a master draughtsman and later provided foliage designs for the interior decoration of Christian's National Portrait Gallery.Christian gained some recognition from these achievements, particularly from supporters of the Gothic Revival in architecture, and he went on to win the competition for the restoration of St. Mary's Church, Scarborough in 1847 which he called 'the cornerstone of success'.That year Christian was appointed Consulting Architect to the Lichfield Diocesan Church Building Society and also became a consulting architect to the Incorporated Church Building Society, a body established in 1818 for funding the building and restoration of churches throughout the country.