Page:The Building News and Engineering Journal, Volume 22, 1872.djvu/218

 202 THE BUILDING NEWS. Marcu 8, 1872. plan of the Northleigh villa, which, he said, would be visited by the Society next term, He then briefly alluded to the Roman remains at Wheatley, which had now been entirely destroyed; to the discoveries at Bourton-on-the-Water ; S. Helen’s Church, Abingdon ; Southleigh Church; and at the Cathedral and §. Michael’s Church, Oxford. A Roman quern, found in S. John’s-street, and a piece of Roman pottery, foundin New Inn Hall-street, were exhibited. Dr. Rolleston then gave an account of some Saxon relics discovered in the neighbourhood of Oxford. Mr. James Parker then made a few remarks on the Garford Barrow, near Abingdon, lately opened, and exhibited the objects found in it, among them being a portion of an urn, which he considered to be British, and he also thought that the Barrow had been a British occupation about the second or third century. Mr. Parker also pointed out the archeology of the immediate district. Dr. Rolleston made a few remarks on the subject, and expressed his opinion that the urn was of Saxon manufacture. Votes of thanks were given to Mr. Earwaker and Mr. Parker, and the proceedings were brought to a close. —— Huilding Srtelliqeiee, — CHURCHES AND CHAPELS, Guascow. — Duke-street United Presbyterian Church was reopened for worship on the 3rd inst. With the exception of the roof and the side and back walls, the building has been wholly recon- structed, and the edifice has been enlarged by bring- ing the front wall forward nearly to the street. The doorway of entrance elevation consists of a semi- cireular arch, springing from coupled columns with floriated capitals, imposed within a sort of tympanum or pediment, the face and soffit of the arch being richly carved. On each side is a three-light semi- circular headed window, and at each extremity of the facade is a door for exit. The upper story is com- posed of an Ionic colonnade of ten columns, with semi- eircular arches springing from their entablatures, placed in impost between large masses of dead wall, and having behind it a relieved screen pierced by nine windows. Over this colonnade there are a few feet of plain walling, and then the building is crowned by an imposing entablature. The seats in the area of the church have been arranged in con- centric semicircles, radiated from the pulpit, which stands on a spacious dais. Behind the pulpit is an aleove containing stalls forthe choir. In front of the pulpit is a marble font, the gift of Mrs. Allan, of 31, Elderslie-street. The gallery is four seats deep, with a passage behind. The decoration has received special attention, every enrichment having been designed (as it always should be) in form and colour and drawn full size by the architect, Mr. Hugh Barclay, of West Regent-street. The cost of the alterations will be nearly £4,000. Iraty.—Mr. Street has just started for Genoa, to look at a church recently built after his designs in the superb city. Oddly enough, says the Atheneum, the same architect has occasion toextend his journey in this direction as far as Rome, where he has to ex- amine sites for two churches which are to be built in the Italian capital after his designs, for American and English Episcopalians respectively. Luxciyan, Cornwaty.—Rosemelling Wesleyan Chapel in this parish, recently reopened, has under- gone thorough internal rearrangement, from the designs and under the superintendence of Mr. Silvanus Trevail, A. A., of Bodmin, Messrs. Phillipps and Sons, Luxulyan, being the contractors. The work throughout is chamfered, of pitch pine, sized and varnished; the upper surface of the seats is concave, and the backs are inclined, which renders them very comfortable. A neat rostrum takes the place of the former pulpit. The whole of the work is proportionate and symmetrical. Maprvey.—The fine old parish Church of Madeley, Salop, supplies, as the work of restoration proceeds, many interesting features to the antiquarian. A carv- ing on the balustrade in front of the belfry, revealed by the removal of the organ, tells in quaint English characters that the “‘Loft or Bellfrey to Ringe uppon,” &e., “was dunn at the onley charges of John Melton, of Madeley.” Although it is dated 2635, many of the words are spelt according to the orthography in Geoffrey Chaucer’s time, some three centuries earlier. The carving is as fresh as on the day it was executed, although mutilated and defaced in some parts by the vandalism of modern times. The new chancel with its stone carving is interesting. BUILDINGS. BLACKFRIARS-ROAD.—The works of the new South Metropolitan Temperance Hall, Blackfriars- road, will, we hear, shortly be commenced. The building, which is to be erected on a site adjoining the Surrey Theatre on the one hand and the new Peabody dwellings on the other, will have its prin- cipal frontage to the Blackfriars-road, and will con- tain a large and a small hall, with several committee rooms, besides two shops flanking the main entrance, and premises in rear. The design for the building has been prepared for the London and Provincial Temperance Halls Company (Limited), by Mr. J. H. Swan, architect, 52, Cannon-street, City. Sourmwarn.—The Board of Guardians for the parish of 8. Olave’s, Southwark, are about to erect a new infirmary for the aged and infirm poor, upon a similiar plan to that of the new infirmary in con- nection with §. Luke’s Workhouse, City-road, with the economy and efficiency of which infirmary (erected from a design by Mr. H. Saxon Snell, architect) the 8, Olave’s Guardians were very fayour- ably impressed. Tue Prorosep BurILpine For THE STATISTICAL Socrery on THE THAMES EmMBANKMENT.—At last Saturday’s meeting of the Metropolitan Board of Works, the Works and General Purposes Committee, with reference to a letter from the Statistical Society of London, inquiring whether the Board would lease to them the plot of ground lying be- tween the Victoria Embankment and Cannon-row, reported that, in the opinion of the Committee, it was not desirable to let the ground in question at the present time. ag 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, 31, TAVISTOCK-STREET, COVENT-GARDEN, W.O. 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 BUILDING 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. Recetvev.—T. P.—J. G. H.—Rev. R. C.—L. W. H.— A. R.S.—T. W.—J. 6.—C. H. T.—J. H.—An Old Sub- seriber.—S. & H.—W. H. & Co.—E. M.—G, F.—S. 8.— T. H. H.—S. & Co.—W. FE. A. A. E. W. JAmes.—Consult advertisements, p. 8. E. L. T.—Don't know his address. J. F.—Ask through “ Intercommunication.” A CLooKER-oON.—Thanks for suggestion, which will pro- bably be acted on. F. ©. DesHon.—Sketch to hand. description. E. Sewarv.—We will try. S. Howarp.—Sketch of Chorstan Church to hand. Thanks. It shall appear is an early number of the BuILDING NEWS. HADDINGTON.—Your competition plan came to hand too late. EnpEAVOUR.—Your plan is inadmissible, as you sent coloured drawings, and therefore did not comply with the conditions. S. VALENTINE.—Too late. Please send short Correspondence. —— BUILDING STONE AND HOW TO JUDGE IT. To the Editor of the Burrpinc News. Sm,—With your permission I wish to say a few words on building stone and how to judge it. What I shall say is for the workman to assist him in teaching himself; for to the workman must be left ultimately the selection of the stone, which to put inside and which out, which face of the cut stone to turn outside, where the best (having learned to judge) must go, and where an inferior sort (not absolutely bad) may go without much detriment, or none at all. Selection of stone is the only way, but it is a sure way, of getting stone to stand the weather ; but simply selecting at quarry will not do, for seldom or never is the stone in the same large block of uniform quality—often of several qualities, especially in odlitie and magnesian stone. Indeed, it otten happens that one face of a small ashlar will stand any weather, and the other not stand a winter. The selection lies at last with the workman—foreman and clerk of works may do much, but not all. It is, therefore, necessary to train the workman, but the teaching should be plain and practical, not above the comprehension of an ordi- nary person of common observation and under- standing, and not in the unpractical manner it is nearly always given—generally a lot of chemical analyses dressed up in high*sounding names which teach very little. The fact is that analysis is generally of no practical value, for chalk (when pure) and Carrara marble give an analysis of the same elements, and it is practically inapplicable. It does not point out to us what stone will stand the weather. I saw this week that a writer on granite confesses that no one knows why some is destroyed by weather and some not. However, I do not say analysis is use- less, far from it; only as a practical meansit is often so. The microscope is, if well handled, worth more than twenty analyses. As to stopping the destruc- tion of stone by soluble silica, I have no faith in the washes, for in the stone really requiring preserving the pores are generally so foul that the washes will not enter, or not adhere if they do. The best mode of preserving odlitic, &c., limestones and some sandstones—or rather of giving them a chance to preserve themselyes—is, to have the quarry moisture completely dried out before going into wall. I may be laughed at for this, but that will not change the fact ; but, as I never adopt or change—for change it is in this case—an opinion without reasons which appear to myself at least, I shall give my reasons, and then what I think the cause of the change in the stone. Stone nearly al- ways hardens by allowing the natural sap, as I call it, to dry out of it; water it as you will afterwards, it never returns to its original state. Ihave observed in old buildings stone that I should pronounce bad, but yet it has stood the weather well, though not so well as the better parts, while at the same time newly-quarried stone put in with quarry sap in goes at once, yet the original quality has been identical. This I ascribe to the fact that the means of transit were not so good as now, and therefore not so quick; time would therefore be allowed to perfectly desiccate ; besides, to help that on, for ease of moving the blocks would be sawn up smaller, and not in such huge pieces as now come on works. When dry before putting in wall, the stone is not so discoloured by lime in walls, and in this state resists vitrification, or saltpetring, better. This last is often very destructive to some stones, especially soft limestone. The cause of this hardening of the stone by desiccation I conceive to be the following: the cementing material, whether silica, carbonate of lime, or anything else, was, when filtering through the stone, in a state of solution. Now I think that it is most likely that some of the cement is yet held in solution by the natural moisture, and that the cement deposited is yet partially soluble, or contains water, or something else that prevents it setting or crystallising perfectly. The desiccating deposits the cement in solution, hardens the whole, and makes it perfectly insoluble. When set in wall before per- fectly dry, I conceive the lime water acts on the ce- ment injuriously, prevents the hardening, and indeed changes it so that it never will afterwards harden. In your paper a few weeks ago, a writer of a paper on stone in it (too learned by half) gives his readers the advice to pin their faith on no man, but to strike out a road for themselves: so say I to all who read this. If I be wrong, findout where I am so, and put me right. The method I shall advise, however, whatever the conclusions be, cannot be wrong, or Bacon’s “ Organum” is wrong. I advise all to collect facts and draw their own conclusions as I have done, for the whole right or wrong is my own, never having had the slightest hint from human being, alive or dead. I say the same for my knowledge of concrete, except one little thing of no importance which I took on authority, but now doubt. Again, I say to all, do not heed me too much, but all work for themselves. I should advise all, especially builders, to encourage their masons to prosecute the study, as it would be a great advantage to them, preventing, without ex- pense, the doing of many a bad job. A micro- scope, costing a few shillings, is the only tool re- quired, and the prosecution of the study pleasant. No expense in travelling on purpose to investigate is required—just seize on every opportunity pre- sented, and soon facts will accumulate. Pardon this. This letter getting rather long, I shall just give a few rules, or rather axioms, and then close, leaving what else I have to say for next letter :— 1. All good stones are regular in texture. 2. Every fracture ought to be clean.