 During the 1850s the celebrated designer John Gregory Crace (1809–89), who had worked closely with Augustus Pugin, was commissioned by Gibbs to make improvements to the London house at 16 Hyde Park Gardens, and also to refurbish Tyntesfield House, as it was now officially referred to.Norton was first invited to Tyntesfield on 21 August 1860, when Gibbs outlined his needs for further expansion to his country seat.The meeting went well and in March the following year, with fellow ecclesiastical architect Rohde Hawkins, introductions were made to the builders William Cubitt & Co. in London, and meetings held with senior partner George Plucknett.