diff --git a/cmake/FindMako.cmake b/cmake/FindMako.cmake
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000000000000000000000000000000000..c2a85da7845bfe8b5bf6272e0dbc83413bf633cc
--- /dev/null
+++ b/cmake/FindMako.cmake
@@ -0,0 +1,84 @@
+# First check for python executable
+if(NOT PYTHON_EXECUTABLE)
+  find_program(PYTHON_EXECUTABLE python)
+  if(NOT PYTHON_EXECUTABLE)
+    message(FATAL_ERROR "Please check for python before searching for mako")
+  endif()
+endif()
+# If mako was installed by this process previously, check that it is still there
+if(MAKO_EXTERNAL_INSTALL)
+  execute_process(
+    COMMAND ${PYTHON_EXECUTABLE} "-c \"import mako\""
+    WORKING_DIRECTORY ${PROJECT_BINARY_DIR}/external/python
+    ERROR_VARIABLE DUMMY
+    OUTPUT_VARIABLE DUMMY
+    RESULT_VARIABLE MAKO_STILL_THERE
+  )
+  if(MAKO_STILL_THERE)
+    return()
+  endif()
+endif()
+# If mako is not found ...
+if(NOT FOUND_MAKO)
+  # Then look for it by importing it
+  execute_process(
+    COMMAND ${PYTHON_EXECUTABLE} -c "import mako"
+    ERROR_VARIABLE DUMMY
+    OUTPUT_VARIABLE DUMMY
+    RESULT_VARIABLE FOUND_MAKO
+  )
+  if(FOUND_MAKO EQUAL 0)
+    message(STATUS "[Mako] Found")
+    set(FOUND_MAKO TRUE CACHE INTERNAL "Found mako python package")
+    set(MAKO_EXTERNAL_INSTALL FALSE CACHE INTERNAL "Manual install of mako")
+    return()
+  endif()
+else()
+  # If mako already found then continue
+  # We have checked that it was still there, if we installed it
+  return()
+endif()
+
+message(STATUS "[Mako] Not found")
+# Now try and install mako using pip
+if(NOT PIP_EXECUTABLE)
+  find_program(PIP_EXECUTABLE pip)
+endif()
+if(NOT PIP_EXECUTABLE)
+  message(FATAL_ERROR "cannot install package without pip")
+else()
+  message(STATUS "[pip] found: ${PIP_EXECUTABLE}")
+endif()
+# We install it in the build directory
+execute_process(
+  COMMAND ${PIP_EXECUTABLE} install mako
+           --install-option=--install-purelib=${PROJECT_BINARY_DIR}/external/python
+           --install-option=--install-scripts=${PROJECT_BINARY_DIR}/external/python
+           --install-option=--prefix=${PROJECT_BINARY_DIR}/external/python
+  OUTPUT_VARIABLE PIP_OUTPUT
+  ERROR_VARIABLE PIP_ERROR
+  RESULT_VARIABLE PIP_INSTALLATION_WORKED
+)
+if(NOT PIP_INSTALLATION_WORKED EQUAL 0)
+  message(STATUS "${PIP_OUTPUT}")
+  message(STATUS "${PIP_ERROR}")
+  message(FATAL_ERROR "Could not install mako. Please see error message above")
+else()
+  message(STATUS "[Mako] installed in ${PROJECT_BINARY_DIR}/external/python")
+endif()
+
+execute_process(
+  COMMAND ${PYTHON_EXECUTABLE} -c "import mako"
+  WORKING_DIRECTORY ${PROJECT_BINARY_DIR}/external/python
+  ERROR_VARIABLE DUMMY
+  OUTPUT_VARIABLE DUMMY
+  RESULT_VARIABLE FOUND_MAKO
+)
+if(FOUND_MAKO EQUAL 0)
+  message(STATUS "[Mako] now available in build directory")
+  set(FOUND_MAKO TRUE CACHE INTERNAL "Found mako python package")
+  set(MAKO_EXTERNAL_INSTALL TRUE CACHE INTERNAL "Manual install of mako")
+  return()
+else()
+  message(FATAL_ERROR "Could not install mako")
+endif()