Page:The Building News and Engineering Journal, Volume 22, 1872.djvu/135

 UE oy ee es ; f Fes. 9, 1872. sidered, without reference to others. We have seen that the best preventative is a careful selection of each block before leaving the quarry ; but writing this on paper and carrying it into execution are very different matters. The increased cost which must necessarily be put upon the selected stone would to a great extent militate against the general pre- valence of the practice, although in a great national worx, such as the New Law Courts, this considera- tion need not and ought not to carry any weight. It is to be feared that the prevailing and notorious economic principles of those high in power will again assert themselves, much as we may protest against shams of any kind, and much as the esthetic taste of our friend Mr. Rew f may be shocked at the thought. In spite of F myself I begin to think whether after all
 * there is not something in sham stone, or let us call

it artificial stone, such as Mr. Ransome has produced Ay on the Thames Embankment. A few months of London life brings all the cream colour of which we hear so much, to a uniform dirty something; so colour need not be a consideration. While, as regards cost and durability, the verdict must be in favour of the artificial material; but remember, I do not commit myself on this point. I merely say that the consideration is forced upon one who atten- tively examines the subject. It was my intention originally to enter into the question of the best means of preventing or arresting decay, but the dis- cussion would, I think, be comparatively profitless, because after months of patient and careful study 4 the Commissioners sum up their report by express- ing the opinion that as yet no solution of the diffi- culty has been arrived at. They can only recom- mend a series of costly and elaborate tests and re- searches, in the hope that at length the something may be found. Let us trust it will, and that soon. Meanwhile by continuous, careful, and patient obser- vation, let us endeavour to contribute somewhat to the elucidation of the subject. S ————— ' METROPOLITAN IMPROVEMENTS, 1872. HE report of the Finance and Improvement Com- mittee of the City Commissioners of Sewers on the Metropolitan Improvements proposed by the Board of Works, and referred to by us last week and previously, has just been published. As regards the projected widening of the Edgware and Harrow-roads, the Committee agree with Mr. William Haywood, the Engineer to the City of London, in considering the improvement as by no means of pressing importance. They point out that the Board of Works desired to effect it in 1870, but the Vestry of Paddington refusing to contribute to the cost, no further action was taken. With the proposed removal of the church of S. Mary, Newington Butts, and the widening of High-street, Shoreditch they concur, but the contemplated im- provement at Wapping they deem of little import- ance to the metropolis, and only to be undertaken on the contribution by the! district board of a moiety of the cost. The Bethnal-green-road and Old- street improvements they disapprove as not re- quired by the present traffic, and also the new street from Goswell-street to Vernon-place, and the widen- ing of Wilderness-row. They consider desirable the widening of Liquorpond-street to Gray’s-inn-lane, and the connection of the first-named street with Wilderness-row, by a new street. They only par- ” tially approve of the minor improvements in connec- i tion with King’s-road, Theobald’s-road, and the im- mediately adjacent neighbourhood. Following the Engineer’s report, on which the above conclusions are founded, is an appendix, in which Mr. Haywood repeats the suggestions he made in 1866 and 1867, and of which we have be- fore expressed our approval, for the construction of a new bridge east of London Bridge, connected by lines of communication with the north-eastern and south-eastern districts; and for a new street through the City for the accommodation of the east and west traffic. Mr. Haywood points out that from 15,000 to 17,000 vehicles, and from 80,000 to 90,000 foot passengers pass daily over London Bridge, and that in consequence the line of ap- proaches thereto and therefrom is so encumbered with vehicles that it is impossible to pass through it at arate of more than four or five miles an hour. The only complete remedy for this is a new bridge at some point between the Tower and S. Kathe- rine’s Docks. A new approach should be formed leading to Whitechapel High-street, opposite Com- mercial-street, and on the south the approaches should extend at least to Bermondsey-street. Thus the whole line of thoroughfare from Shoreditch to the Elephant and Castle would be relieved, and in a lesser degree Lower Thames-street, Eastcheap, Fen- oa ‘ conventional THE BUILDING NEWS. | church-street, Leadenhall-street, and other eastern City thoroughfares. The only alternative is a widen- ing of London Bridge and the whole line of commu- nication therewith, north and south, and this, if it were possible to effect it, could only procrastinate the greater improvement. The other improvement recommended is the con- struction of a new line of street north of the Bank, starting at the eastern end of the Holborn Viaduct, and carried eastwards across King Edward-street, St. Martin’s-le-Grand ; across Noble-street, Wood-street, Aldermanbury, Basinghall-street, and Coleman-street to Moorgate-street, at a spot about 250 yards north of the Bank. Then passing Little Bell-alley and Sadler’s-place to the end of Blomfield-street, and then by way of London-wall and Wormwood-street to Bishopsgate-street, thence across Houndsditch and Middlesex-street to a junction with Whitechapel High-street opposite the Commercial-road, which would complete the communication between the Holborn Viaduct and the docks. a’ STAINED GLASS: ITS APPLICATION DOMESTIC ARCHITECTURE.* (Continued from page 97.) Bees where you must, on account of cost, use one or two patterns for the most part all over a window, or a series of windows, the introduction of a variety, however occasionally, would vastly enhance the in- terest of the glass. When you see that a window is diapered all over with two patterns you begin to lose all interest in it, and the surprise of a single variation is most welcome. ‘There is an advantage, observe, in making the variation scarce. If you re- peat it too often you only make it a third pattern, which you take in at once with the others, and it is not much better than the bald two-pattern arrange- ment. The interest of a window is further increased, if (in accordance with the principle I have already advocated in arranging the tints of the quarries) the different patterns are scattered accidentally, as it were, or arranged, rather, on a system that is suf- ficiently intricate not to be evident at the first glance. The next development of quarry work is where a running painted pattern twines through the leads, or seems to. A conventional foliated scroll of this description may repeat itself so frequently as not to necessitate the drawing of more than a very few quarries; but in proportion as you approach a natural type of foliage, very frequent repetition be- comes objectionable ; and when you come to the in- troduction of an occasional fly or moth, or butterfly, or anything that has life in it, they will not bear repetition at all. Just an insect, or in larger work a bird or something, enlivens foliage-work wonder- fully ; but to multiply it is to take the life out of it, and make-it as dead as heraldry. To this kind of thing there is scarcely any limit. Your scroll may be most elaborate in design, extending over many quarries, or a more natural growth may be thrown on to them, as if you had had before you a surface of glazed quarries, and had just sketched on them a spray of some flower or tree. You must, of course, consider it carefully with regard to the leads, but you must never let it appear as if they had been any trouble to you. ‘This, by-the-bye, is in exact opposition to that kind of quarry-work in which the leads seem only a part of the diaper design. The diaper arrangement suggests, perhaps, more fore- thought, but there is to me a certain charm in the freedom of the other scheme, and in the sketchy Japanese effects that can be got in that way. We have already arrived by degrees at something more elaborate than ordinary quarry-work. As a matter of expense, for instance, where there is so little re- petition, design becomes a serious item in cost; and where we are departing from the simplicity of com- mon quarry painting we may as well make some variation on the simple quarry glazing. Other forms than quarries may be introduced into a quarry light with advantage. Occasional or perhaps alter- nate quarries may contain a circle within their square; or certain quarries may be divided by inter- secting diagonal lines; or the horizontal bands, of which I have spoken more than once, need not be glazed quarry-fashion at all, butin a zigzag or some such pattern; or, lastly, the area of several quar- ries may be occupied by a medallion or other form, in harmony, of course, with the quarries, but other- wise independent of them. Itis in these medallions, panels, or whatever form they may assume, that the freest and the most elaborate and interesting work finds its fittest place. They may be filled with ornament, monograms, emblems, foliage, flowers, fruits, birds, animals, portraits, or TO January 26, 19 other heads, figure-subjects—in fact, by almost any- thing that can be well done; there’s nothing to restrict you but good taste. Ona judicious use of solid paint, half-tints, stain, picking out, and the other natural resources of glass painting, the richest and most varied effects may be produced even with- out the aid of coloured glass. I am dwelling parti- cularly upon quarry work because, although it is perfectly legitimate to quit the quarry notion altogether, and to design your window without any reference to it, I think the effect of such designs is rarely so good as of those based upon the quarry system. In the first place, they are seldom so thoroughly glassy, and then, again, you lose the valuable effect of scale which the quarries give. If expense be at all a consideration (and when is it . not?), that is a further argument in favour of the quarry-basis for your design. By departing from it you may perhaps manage to use larger pieces of glass, and so save something in cutting and glazing ; but you more than compensate for this saving by the waste of glass implied by the cutting of curved and rounded forms. Besides, designs require designing, that is, thought—that is, time—that is, money. Now, in ordinary inexpensive work, where your possible margin of profit is small, you simply cannot afford to spend very much time over it. Better, therefore, adopt the good groundwork of quarries (which is to your hand), and devote what time and thought you can afford to the painted design on the quarry ground. It seems almost superfluous to say that in elaborate windows, and even in simple quarry lights, there is scope for much more thought and meaning than we commonly find in the glass of the period. In the panels, in the borders, in the quarries, everywhere, there is opportunity for expression—if we have anything to say. Schemes for thoughtful decoration present themselves in plenty. One might take up history, poetry, or any of the arts or sciences that might be appropriate. The months and the seasons have been worried very nearly to death, but there’s life in them yet. The four phases of flower life—leaf, bud, bloom, and fruit—suggest effective decoration, or a flower and its legend, or a tree and the legends associated with it. We might do some- thing in allusion to the purpose of the room or build— ing in which the windows are to be placed. From plant form alone we might extract a great deal of simple symbolism. For a smoking-room the tobacco plant, of course, occurs to one, and for a breakfast- room the cocoa, tea, and coffee plants, all of which are most ornamental. For a dining-room there are the plants in use for distilling, brewing, and so on; the condiments and spices and many of the fruits and vegetables look as if they would really like to be converted into ornament. One might almost illus- trate the ménu of a dinner without falling into vulgarity. In a drawing-room we might make use of the choicer garden and hot-house plants, types of the culture of which itis the temple. A study would naturally indicate the particular branches of study for which it was used; and in decorating a library one might find refuge from the embarrassment of such a rich and suggestive field for illustration by confining oneself to the individual library in ques- tion. More definite ideas may be incorporated in & window in the form of bands inscribed with appro- priate quotations. Even in comparatively simple quarry-lights such horizontal bands of ‘literature ” (as it is technically termed), may well be inserted, and at once redeem the work from the insignificant. Before I go quite away from quarry work, I want to say a word or two on bad quarry work. For ex- ample, I cannot do better than refer you to the seven- teenth century, the period when they used to glaze up their swbjects in quarries, instead of, according to the forms of their figures, and would wantonly mar the most delicately-painted heads by thick black quarry lead lines right across the faces. I am thinking just now of certain Belgian examples that I have in my memory ; but it willbe better torefer to an example nearer at hand. Thereis one at South Kensington, Dutch, a quarry light signed ‘Johannes Jansen, 1615” (or 1638—I forget which.) It consists of a coat of arms enamelletl in colours, surrounded by an arabesque design inmonochrome. This design is most graceful. Regarded simply as ornament it is perfectly charming, and it is well painted too; but it has been painted so delicately and so lightly over the quarries that it has not a chance against the cruel lead lines. It would have been perfect as a panel, but scored over with great black lines it is just spoilt. Is it not wicked to murder good worklike that? If coarse joints are a necessity (and I think they are), in the name of all that is consistent let the orna- mentation be bold in proportion ; let it be such that the joints do not divert your attention from it to them- selves. When you admire the design but deplore the leads, you tacitly condemn the decoration that is
 * Paper read before the Architectural Association on
 * so little fitted to its place and purpose. Although