Page:The Building News and Engineering Journal, Volume 22, 1872.djvu/156

 140 THE BUILDING NEWS. Fes. 16, 1872. ive, nut the tie-beams interfered with the view of the beautiful east window. A new substantial roof has, therefore, been substituted, having framed and moulded principals of pitch pine with carved and moulded ribs, the rafters of yellow deal with board- ing above perforated between with star pattern panels. It was found that the old roof of the nave was in a most insecure condition. It was decided that a new roof of the original pitch should be put on; this is carried out in a similar manner to that of the chancel, having wrought and framed principals and ribs, but with wrought tie-beams and tracery brackets below. Slates were here adopted for a covering. The aisle roofs have been boarded under- neath and divided into panels by moulded ribs. ‘The whole of the internal walls have been plastered, finished in rough stucco, and the masonry cleaned down. The whole of the works have been carried out by Mr. Robert Coe, builder, Standground, under the direction of Mr. Edward Browning, architect, of Stamford. Mr. Dickens was the mason employed ; and Mr. W. Hilliam, of Stamford, the carver. The total cost of the work is about £760. Surron Co.prre.p.—Measures are now being taken for the restoration and enlargement of the in- teresting church of Sutton Coldfield, plans for the purpose having been prepared by Mr. Thomason, architect, Birmingham. The church very much needs the proposed restoration. It consists of tower, nave, north and south aisles, and chancel, with two side chapels, built by Bishop Vesey. At present the tower (blocked off from the nave) is used as a vestry, heavy galleries disfigure the edifice, and the body of the church and the galleries are filled with high square pews, which ought to accommodate 790 persons ; but, from their awkardness of arrangement, they do not give sitting space for more than 450 per- sons. It is proposed to remodel the galleries, to add a second north aisle and vestry, to open the tower into the body of the church (so as to serve as an entrance and a baptistry), and to replace the pews throughout by open seats. In this way accommodation will be made for a total of about 1,000 worshippers. The cost of the intended improvements will be £2,500. Uriey.—On Monday, a new Independent Chapel was opened at Utley, near Keighley. The building is in the Decorated Gothic} style of architecture, built from designs prepared by Mr. George Smith, of Bradford and Keighley. The chapel will seat 400 people, and the school 250 scholars. The total outlay, including boundary walls, will be about £2,600. Worcester.—An important part of the work of restoring Worcester Cathedral has been completed— viz., the colouring of the roof of the choir, which has been finished under the superintendence of the Messrs. Hardman. The marble and coloured stone shows in its original beauty. The roof is painted with medallions of saints and angels on an azure ground, with golden stars and early foliated scroll- work, BUILDINGS. Bristot.—On Monday afternoon the memorial stone of a new Wesleyan School Chapel was laid at Bushy Park, Totterdown, near Bristol. The build- ing is being erected by Messrs. Church & Phillips, contractors, from designs by Messrs. Foster & Wood, architects. It will contain a large room, 54ft. by 26}ft., a class-room 16ft. square, and a small scullery. There will be accommodation for 240 persons. The cost of erection is £500. Bristot.—Last week the foundation-stone of the new parochial schools, to be erected adjoining S. Gabriel’s Church, Upper Easton, Bristol, was laid. The building will be of brick, and ef similar archi- tecture to the adjoining church, and will accommo- date altogether 400 children, at a cost of £1,260. Mr. Neale, of Bristol, is the architect. Messrs. R. Wilkins & Sons, builders, are the contractors. Lrverroor.—New schools in connection with S. Andrew’s Scotch Church, Liverpool, will be opened to-morrow. The schools will provide accommoda- tion for about 500 children, with suitable class- rooms, cloak-rooms, and Javatories. The large school-room will give sitting space for 400 persons, without the class-rooms that can be added to it when used for lectures or other public meetings. The large room, about 20ft. high, has a panelled ceiling, with perforations in the centre of each panel for ventilation, and is lighted by sun burners, having tubes to the open air to carry off the pro- ducts of combustion. S. Andrew’s Church is one of the older Liverpool churches, and being a good speci- men, for its day, of the architecture then in vogue— viz., a revival of the Grecian Ionic order, the archi- tect of the new buildings has designed them so as to be in keeping, as far as practicable, with the church to which they are united. By the introduction of round-headed doors and windows, with continuous architrayes, pilasters with simple Grecian capitals, a bold block cornice, and panelled balustrade, a general harmony of style has been produced, with- out an exact copyism of the details of the church, The contractors for the works were Messrs. Wishart and Irving, of Southport, The plans for the build- ings were selected in a limited competition, the architect being Mr. Henry H. Vale, F.R.I.B.A., of Central Chambers, Liverpool. MamenneAD.—The new (Roman) Catholic school building, at Maidenhead, is nearly completed. The large schoolroom, 31ft. in length by 17ft. in breadth, is capable of containing 64 children. On the left is a class-room, giving accommodation for 32 more, making a total accommodation for 96 children, allow- ing eight square feet of space for each child, Mr. C. G. Wray, of Cannon-street, London, is the architect. is TO CORRESPONDENTS. [We do not hold ourselves responsible for the opinions of our correspondents. The Editor respectfully requests that all communications should be drawn up as briefly as possible, as there are many claimants upon the space allotted to correspondence.] To Our READERS.—We shall feel obliged to any of our readers who will favour us with brief notes of works con- templated or in progress in the provinces, Letters relating to advertisements and the ordinary business of the Paper should be addressed to the EDITOR, $1, TAVISTOCK-STREET, COVENT-GARDEN, W.C. Advertisements for the current week must reach the office not later than 5 p.m. on Thursday. TO AMERICAN SUBSCRIBERS. In answer to numerous inquiries, the Publisher begs to state that subscribers in the United States can be supplied with the BumpINnG NEws, post free from this Office, for the sum of 17s. 4d. (4 dols. 16c., gold) per annum, payable in advance. => The remittance should, in all cases, be made by International Post-office Order. RecetvepD.—J. H.—Rey. T. C.—C. F. C.—H. R.—W. G.— A. W.—S. E. E. AMATEUR.—W orks on perspective have been suggested in back numbers. MERCHANT.—‘ The Building Trades’ Directory,” published by Kelly & Co StupENT.—There is no circulating library of architectural books in London. ASPHALTE ROADWAYS, &C.—W. Austin, C.E.—Next week. Correspondence. 2 ee MR. E. M. BARRY’S DESIGNS FOR THE NEW LAW COURTS. To the Editor of the Buirp1ne News. Srr,—In consequence of absence from town I have only just seen your number of Feb. 2, contain- ing extracts from a MS. reply by Mr. Street to some statements in my recent pamphlet. I reserve any detailed examination of this reply until I can see it in print, whieh I have as yet been unable to do, but as you have given what I think a very un- fair quotation of a portion of a letter of mine, I have to ask you to publish the whole passage referred to, as follows :— Mr. Barry ro rue Secrerary or THE TrifAsury, 267TH Fer., 1868. “Tt is further stated in the case (submitted to the Attorney-General) that Mr. Barry and Mr, Street insist on the terms of the award; and it is suggested that some other single competitor may have better claims than either of us. This statement erroneous, as far as I their joint employment under is altogether am concerned, for I have never insisted on my employment with Mr. Street. My view of the agreement made with the competitors is explained in my letter to the Earl of Derby, dated 20th January, 1868, and acknowledged by you. Jam willing, as I stated therein, to work with Mr. Street, if the Government consider that course the best for the public service, but I cannot, in justice to myself, limit my claims to our joint employment.” This letter was written when the legality of the award had been laid before the Attorney-General. Mr. Street urged his own views separately (I do not now know what he said), and I did the same. In doing so, Isimply reasserted the position which all who have read the whole correspondence know that Ihave taken from the first. in deference to the recommendation of the judges, to waive my special claims, and to consent to act jointly with Mr. Street, while maintaining, in justice to myself, that by the award of the judges, and the conditions of competition, my claims were made superior to those of any other single competitor, and no others ought to be preferred to me. had been suggested to the Attorney-General that some other single competitor might have claims superior to those of either Mr. Street or myself, it was absolutely necessary to urge the contrary in self- defence, but I was careful, at the same time, to I have been willing, As it repeat my willingness to act with Mr. Street, and referred, for a full statement of my views, to my letter of the 20th January, 1868, which was shown to Mr. Street, and received his approval before it was sent. He has, therefore, no reason to be “surprised,” and when I remember his anxiety at the time as to his own position, I must confess to some amusement at finding that he now regards his letter to Lord Derby urging the finality of the award from his own point of view as one in my favour! As to the final appointment, I can only repeat, in the plainest language, that Mr. Street accepted it without communication with me. I first learned it by reading the news in print, at a club, in the columns of the Builder. I then wrote to Mr, Street, who, in his reply to my letter, said it was true. Neither at that time, nor at any other, did he consult with me respecting it. I merely stated this cireum- stance in my pamphlet as a matter of history, and without comment or complaint, and I regret to be obliged to return to the subject. Finally, Mr. Street is reported by you to say that I persist in considering Messrs. Shaw and Pownall’s report as final and exhaustive. The very reverse is the fact. I contend that the award of the judges ought to have been final as regards myself, and I treat the disregard of it as Mr. Street said he should have done if our cases had been reversed—yviz., as a breach of faith. No mere personal rejoinders can alter the facts of the case, and even if Mr. Street's assertions were as correct as they are the contrary, two blacks would not make one white.—I am, &c., Bristol, Feb. 13. Epwarp M. Barry. CONCRETE AND MORTAR.—IV. Srr,—In my last I gave you my ideas on making concrete; I shall now briefly notice some methods I have seen which I totally condemn. The cement- ing materials in the cases I am about to mention, are either hydraulic lime or Portland cement, but mostly the latter. Many seem to have what one may call a concrete hydrophobia. They seem to be so afraid of oyer-watering the concrete that they launch into the other extreme and put in too little, or none in some cases, where the place it is put in is very wet. It is rammed generally to some tune, but often the courses are too thick to be rammed solid through, and at best it is only consolidating macadamising. Too much sand appears to me to be generally used, and the sand and cement (or -hy- draulic lime, as the case may be) is not mixed homo- geneously with gravel, as, indeed, it is almost impos-~ sible to be. But could this be done, the cement will never set as it ought to do, for the following reason : Cement requires a certain amount of water for its proper hydration, and what is more, it will have it, if it can get it, from somewhere. The outside gets it readily enough a few inches in, which hydrates and crystallises, rendering it then impervious to water, so that none reaches farther in directly ; but the cement must have it, so it takes it from that al- ready hydrated, which in its turn retakes somefrom the water or damp in contact, and thus it will go on continuously till all is hydrated, if ever it be, which is doubtful. Now it appears to me that this con- tinuous hydration and dehydration must be very injurious to the cement, and hinder its thorough setting. Besides, supposing the cement not ulti- mately injured after all being set, which it will be pretty long in doing, there will be no proper cohe- sion, the cement not sticking to gravel, &c. The fact is, as it appears to me, that sufficiency of water ought to be mixed with it to perfect the hydration without seeking for it externally ; this will be found sufficient to render it adhesive. The quantity really required for the hydration can be easily ascertained by trial. When the word cement is used, in most