Page:The Building News and Engineering Journal, Volume 22, 1872.djvu/167

 Fer. 23, 1872. THE BUILDING NEWS. 151 ee SS SE LEUCHARS CHURCH. se V B gave a description of this church in the Burtpre News, No. 887, for January 5 last, and an illustration of the exterior of the interesting building the following week. We now give an in- terior illustration, from a drawing kindly sent us by Mr. James Russell Walker. —— __—_——_— THE METROPOLITAN BUILDINGS AND MANAGEMENT BILL. ig would seem that this bill is again to be post- poned to another session of Parliamert, not- withstanding the announcement made at the Insti- tute of British Architects by Mr. Horace Jones on Monday evening, to the effect that a letter had been received by the Institute from the Metropolitan Board of Works, stating that copies of the bill would, at the earliest possible moment, be sent to the Institute for consideration. At the last meeting of the Metropolitan Board of Works, the Parlia- mentary Committee reported that, having regard to the numerous and important proceedings in Parlia- ment to which it will be necessary for the board to give its attention this year, and to the fact that the Metropolitan Buildings and Management Bill, owing to the many points to be considered in connection swith it, is not yet ready to be submitted to Parlia- ment, it is, in the opinion of the Committee, desir- able not to proceed with the bill in the present ses- sion. The report was adopted. ’ ——__@_"_——_- SCHOOL PLANS. YEE Sub-Committee of the Metropolitan School Board state in their report, which was pre- sented by Lord Lawrence on Wednesday last, that the best number for a class is thirty, and the number ought in no case to exceed forty. The schools (ex- cept the infant school) should be ranged or graded according to the Government standards. A junior mixed school ought to embrace standards one to three; senior schools to embrace the three higher standards. As far as possible in each school of only three standards, one teacher should be held respon- sible for the children in each standard, under the superintendence and general responsibility of the principal teacher of the school and assisted by a pupil teacher. ‘The teacher especially responsible for each section may be an assistant certificated teacher, an ex-pupil teacher, or a pupil teacher of not less than three years’ standing. In schools embracing all the standards, the same principle of special and perma- nent responsibility should be carried out as far as possible, but the same teacher may be specially re- sponsible, with the help of a pupil teacher, for two standards. When a section in any school belonging to one standard numbers sixty children it may be conveniently divided into two classes, for each of which a class-room should be provided, but so that the two class-rooms may be thrown into one for the use of the whole section collectively when required, care being taken that the partition between the two rooms be such as to exclude or sufficiently to deaden in each room the sound from the other. In graded schools the area of the class-rooms should be calculated at nine square feet per scholar. The total area for general school and class-rooms together should be on the scale of ten square feet per scholar. The gallery in the general school-room should be constructed for two-thirds of the whole number of scholars. In any group intended for fewer than 1,000 children the senior schools for boys and girls separately would be toosmall. Therefore, in groups intended for less than 1,000, the departments should be three only—infants’, boys’, and girls’. The majority of the Committee suggest that ina group of schools intended for 1,000 or more there should be four departments—namely, infants, junior mixed, senior boys, and senior girls, After illustrating the principle of division recommended, the committee suggest plans for the arrangement of infant schools, adding that the area of the general school-room and of the class-rooms together in infant schools should contain in all cases not less than nine sqnare feet per scholar. In all the graded schools of the Board, that is, in all besides the infants schools, there should be, for each separate school department, a general school-room, the area of which is calculated on the scale of four square feet for every scholar, and four class-rooms in two pairs, one pair for the sise of each section or standard, and each pair cap- able of being thrown into one room—the area of each class-room to be calculated on the scale of nine square feet for every scholar in the class, and the umber in each class to be 30, 35, or 40, according to the numerical unit adopted for the school depart- ment. SCHOOL PLANNING. Ww: give on another page the rules and regulations for school planning, as prepared and issued by the Committee of Council on Education, which will, no doubt, be found useful by many at the present time, when a large number of new schools are about to be erected. It is our intention to give a series of articles on school-building, accompanied by illustrations, in- cluding elevations and plans of schools, and we should esteem it a favour if any of our readers, who have paid attention to this branch of architecture, would send us plans of any schools they may have erected, accompanied by any information appertaining thereto. <> — — THE VOLUNTARY ARCHITECTURAL EXAMINATION. LY ROM our report of the proceedings at the meet- ing of the Institute on Monday last, it will be seen that there is some probability that the Exami- nation will not take place this year. It will be re- membered that Mr. T. H. Wyatt, the President of the Institute, in his opening address, hinted that it might possibly be desirable, unless it were found ne- cessary to have a Conference every year, to hold the Conference and the Examination in alternate years, so as to avoid clashing. As regards the Con- ference, we will not say whether it should be an- nual, although there are several questions of profes- sional practice which have long been waiting for an authoritative settlement—such a settlement, indeed, as can alone be arrived at by the Conference, con- stituted as it was last year, and thoroughly repre- sentative of the architects of Great Britain. Until those questions are settled, we think the time de- voted to the Section of Archeology and Art might well be devoted to their consideration. Butif itis found essential to have an annual Conference, why should the Examination suffer? There is reason to believe from the remarks made by Messrs. Watson and Phené Spiers—both gentlemen past-Presidents of the Architectural Association, and who may safely be presumed to know the wishes and re- quirements of the students and junior members of the profession—that if the Examination is not held this year it will greatly disappoint and dis- satisfy those who have been intending to go up. The Examination, originated with the very intention of benefiting the younger members of the profession, did not, for the first few years of its establishment, meet the anticipations of its promoters; it was felt that there was not sufficient inducement held out to students and assistants to become candidates. The concession made two years ago by the Institute in resolying to grant certificates to all who success- fully pass the Examiners, has had a beneficial in fluence; there was an increased number of candi- dates last year, and we have reason to believe that this year’s list of candidates would have contained a still greater number of names. Special arrange- ments have been made by the Architectural Asso- ciation to induce its members to offer themselves as “ Voluntary Examination Class” It was long a favourite when that body candidates, a having been formed. ery at the Institute, asked to do anything for improving the means of architectural education, that the young men of the profession were apathetic, and did not make the best of their opportunities. But now that the juniors of the profession are beginning to see the advantage of passing the Voluntary Examination, why should the Institute damp their ardour by arbitrarily refusing to hold the Examination this year, on the slight ground that “the rules are under revision”? And why need the Examination clash with the Confer- ence, even if it is found desirable that the latter should be held every year? Would it not be possible to hold either the Conference or the Examination a month earlier or later? We trust that the hopes of a large number of the junior members of the profession will not be dashed to the ground by the Institute unless there are more weighty reasons to be advanced for doing so. was ; OXFORD CATHEDRAL, XFORD CATHEDRAL, like most of the Cathedrals of the country, has recently been undergoing a thorough repair. We have more than once referred to the work as it has progressed. A correspondent of the Times gives the following additional information :— The whole of the interior has been cleaned and cleared, and the stone screens (of the reign of Charles I.) whieh separated the side chapels eastward of the transepts and destroyed the proportions of the columns, have been removed. All the mutila- tions of the columns have been repaired, and the monuments attached to them, which were of the most incongruous character, replaced in positions where they will not offend the eye. It is difficult to conceive anything more beautiful than the un- obstructed view which we now get of this part of the Cathedral. Many of your readers will recollect that the south transept formerly terminated in a dead wall, cutting off one of its bays, in front of which in late years was placed the organ, concealing its ugliness, and behind which, though really form- ing part of the Cathedral, was the verger’s house. This wall has now been removed and the south transept restored to its full proportions. As the Chapter-house immediately adjoins on the south there can, of course, be no complete window. But there is the tracery of the beading of one which has been re-glazed, and a vaulted chamber, with galleries over it, restored from the traces of an ancient work in the recovered bay. I do not know for what purpose this chamber is intended, but the effect of it from the inside is extremely good. But the great improvement is in the choir, if I may call that the choir which is really the whole church. This has been extended down to the last pier but one in the nave, and as you enter under the organ gallery at the west end there is nothing to intercept the view along the whole length of the church, and the mar- yellous vaulting of the choir proper comes out with a beauty it never had before. The east end has' been entirely restored, the former debased windows haying been remoyed, and a wheel window, with two Norman lights beneath, substituted in its place; following, as I am told, undoubted evidence of the original design. It has been found necessary, for the safety of the building, to remove the bells, and the ringing floor has been raised so as to bring a fine Norman arcade into view. It is intended, I believe, to remove it altogether, and to throw open the tower to the height of the lantern, which will have a very fine effect. The whole of the choir has been relaid with a beautiful design of costly marbles, with inlaid emblematical figures of Maltese workmanship, which struck me as being of extreme beauty, and I am informed that new stalls and woodwork are being prepared for the whole building. The cathedral never had any ancient glass except a few fragments of great richness. But a lady connected with the Cathedral has offered to defray the cost of the rose window and the four Roman lights below. A win- dow has already been filled in memory of the late lamented Mr. E. Denison, M.P., and others are in progress in memory of Mr. John Walter, jun., and Mr. F. Vyner; and the friends of the late Marquis of Lothian will be glad to hear that the present Marquis proposes to give a large window in memory of his distinguished brother. Outside, the vaulting of the cloisters has been completed round the three sides of the quadrangle, though their effect is much marred by the low plastered passage which leads southward to the new buildings, and which it is hoped may some day be raised; and the restoration of the stonework of the central spire and all over the building, which was so much decayed as to be almost dangerous, is being carried on as rapidly as possible. ————__ > Crass or Consrruction AND Practice, ARCHI- rEcTURAL AssocraTion.—The ninth meeting of this class for the present session will be held on Friday evening next, March 1st, when the subject will be “Poors and Roofs.” The following are the ques- tions:—1. Give sketches of single, double, and framed floors. How are they trimmed for fireplace openings? 2. In calculating the strength of floggs, what weight per foot super., is usually allewed for the different classes of buildings? Give the ealeula- tions for the timbers of a floor, 50ft. X 14ft., the weight being assumed at 24 ewt., per foot super. 3. Describe the methods of (so-called) fireproof floor- 4. How would you form the floor of a cellar below water level? 5. Comparethe weights and cost of tile and slate roofs. How are tile flats formed? 6. Describe tbe operation of slating, giving the terms used, and distinguishing the different varieties of slates. 7. How is corrugated iron used for roofs? 8. Give drawing showing the construction of a timber spirelet 30ft. high. ing in general use.