Gilbert Blount was born at Mapledurham near Reading in 1819, the second son of Michael Joseph Blount, of an ancient recusant family.
He was educated at Downside before beginning professional training with Isambard Kingdom Brunel working as Superintendent on the construction of the Wapping to Rotherhithe Thames Tunnel. Blount decided that he did not want to spend his career as a civil engineer.
In 1842 he became apprenticed to the architect Anthony Salvin. By 1846 he had set up his own practice, becoming, inter alia, architect to Bishop Nicholas Wiseman. He worked on new Catholic churches throughout England; he was greatly influenced by Pugin.
