Page:The Building News and Engineering Journal, Volume 22, 1872.djvu/366

 344 THE BUILDING NEWS. Aprm 26, 1872. genious modern reformers who are about to supersede me with their “new style,” as they facetiously call it; but I know that if Englishmen would only do me justice, and study my general character and cir- cumstances of my birth and development, they would find in me the germ of a school of art which should amply satisfy all their wants, and would furnish them withthe needful material for a ‘ style” which would have the double advantage of suiting all the requirements of the age, and of being at the same time that which I was once proud to call my- self—viz., Engiish.—I am, Sir, vour faithful and undervalued servant, Ture Porstep STYLe. STONE AND ITS SELECTION. Sir,—In my last, I alluded generally that it is not the masons, as Mr. Weddle seems to think, who need educating; they work the stone provided for them, good or inferior, as the case may be; it is rather the public and those who direct them that need to be educated or informed as to which are good and durable stones, and which are not. Stone is now used in buildings more as a dressing or for ornamentation than for the stability of the structure. It is, therefore, lamentable to see it going to decay soon after—nay, in some cases before—the buildings are completed. This is the more to be regretted when we see it take place in a noble pile of buildings like the Houses of Parliament, erected at such great cost to the nation, and after a Royal Commission had scoured the country to find suitable stone; yet decay is rapidly going on, notwithstanding the many appliances tried to arrest its progress. We find a still more rapid decay going on if we examine the stone used only a few years ago at Guy's Hospital. Looking also at some of our more recent public buildings, although faced with Portland stone, we see they do not escape, as decay has fixed its ruth- less grasp thereon. “Cannot we remedy this in our future build- ings?” asks one. ‘There is no remedy,” says another ; ‘‘all stones are bad.” “ You had better use granite, which is imperishable,” says Mr. Travis. Well, I have no objection to the use of granite, but let it be well selected, or it will perish, but more of this hereafter. Others say, ‘ Build with artificial stones, properly prepared, or terra cotta, and you will have a building that will stand all weather, beside being much cheaper.” Is it so? do the artificial stones stand? Are they, or terra cotta, all things considered, the only desiderata? Ithink not. The artificial stones, in many instances, rapidly decay, and where they do not do so, they throw out an efflorescence looking much like the old black cement, and, if coloured to avoid this, they soon become blurred or fade, and after a short exposure to the weather, none would suppose them to be stone. Of terra cotta Jittle more need be said than that few like it after it has been on the building for a short time, and the lines are not at all good when compared with the lines or mouldings of the mason. Methinks I hear some one exclaiming: ‘‘ Come, come, Mr. Stone-merchant, out with it; you think “there is nothing like leather.” ‘There is nothing like stone,” and I reply, if you want a good building and an ornamental one, you must build with stone. Therefore, be careful how you choose and select it. Do not run away with the idea that because some stones have decayed and others are decaying that it is of no use to build with stone. It has been well said that there is an abundance of stone in this country of every variety and hue of colour, well adapted and suitable for building, all waiting to be used. All this I ean confirm. I have, in the course of my business, visited quarry after quarry, in county after county, in England, Scotland, Ireland, and ; Wales, and also in the Isle of Man. If any one will take the trouble (I might say plea- sure) to do this, he will find granites, limestones, oolites, and sandstones in abundance of every de- scription and colour, from a blood red to a pale roseate hue, from dark blue to a faint bluish tinge, greys, buffs, and browns, toned down to a pure | white, which, if well selected and properly worked, | indefinitely long period. On the other hand, he may go the same journey, and on every side (if he looks for them) he will find granites, limestones, oolites, and sandstones in every stage of decay; yet I affirm the public can, if they desire it, obtain good and durable stone in great abundance; but let them be | careful in their choice, select it themselves, and pay for its selection. Formerly, it was the practice to send men to the quarries to select stone; this has | not been so frequently done of late years. I coald | point to stone rejected in former days sold and used in these latter ones. | A word in conclusion to Mr. Travis and “Clerk of Works.” I quite agree with Mr. Travis that it is important to use correct terins when speaking of the durability of materials. I, therefore, think it a pity he did not consult some text book on geology before he said ‘granite is imperishable.” Such book would have told him that granite—the granite of geology—is composed of quartz, felspar, and mica; from the decomposition of felspar kaolin or China clay is obtained. ‘ I would recommend ‘“ Clerk of Works” to read my letter again, and he will find I did not sneer at clerks of works, or say that they are a body of pre- judiced, misguided men, or that a “ mason can tell the quality of a stone blindfolded as well as another workman can with the full use of his eyes ;” but I do say that in the test I named it was not, as he seems to suppose, the hardest stones that carried the greatest weight. In this respect the softest stone carried the least, but the next softest carried the greatest weight; of the other two stones, that which appeared to the eye, and also under the microscope strongest and best, did not prove so. I could show him blue sandstones, which, if tested by fracture, and examined through the microscope, would appear alike, but which in strength and wear are very different. I could also point out several large jobs, public and private, where no clerks of works were employed, and the jobs did not suffer by their absence, the builders being made responsible for the character of the work. If architects and clerks of works and their clients selected their builders as well as their materials, and reposed more confidence in them,better work would be obtained. I may add I have known parties who selected their clerk of works, made him responsible, giving him full charge of men and choice of ma- terial, and a good job was the result; the cost might be, and no doubt was, a little higher than if it had been put to public competition, but, at the same time, the works when finished were better by the outlay. Reserving other remarks till a further occasion, I am, &e., SamueL TrIckErr. Stone Merchant, Millwall, E. IMPROVED CHIMING APPARATUS. Sir,—Upon looking over the “ Bell Catalogue,” lately issued by Messrs. Warner, of London, [ was somewhat astonished to find on their fourth page (in juxtaposition with their machine for chiming on the next page) acopy of a block of my own, cut (from a drawing made by myself) by Mr. Brown, of Brompton, Feb., 1859—at my own cost—showing my contrivance for chiming any number of bells, as is there represented. The bell in my engraving is inscribed “ Bitton Chimes, 1821,” which I put to mark the date and the place where the hammers were first set up. This bell has been exchanged for a representation of a bell by Messrs. Warner! The letter-press too—* Plate VII.—The Author’s Contriv- ance ””—is altered, and instead is printed the names of some places where these gentlemen have set up the same, and below, in large type, is printed — No. 1. Warner's Improved Chiming Apparatus.” I looked for some mention of my name, but could find none with reference to this matter; but among the testi- monials is one from myself relating to the small ring of bells in the tower of this place, which had been most ably spliced and augmented by them, about ten years ago. On the cover is printed, ‘Any persons copying drawings herein contained will be prosecuted.” (Notwithstanding which any person is at liberty to copy mine.) I feel it due to myself, as a matter of justice, to request your publishing in your columns this state- ment of facts, that your readers who may have an opportunity of comparing the two engravings may see and form their own opinion of this transaction The block was cut to illustrate the second and now third editions of my ‘Remarks on Belfries and Ringers.” (It was also published in the ‘‘ Ecclesio- logist,” June, 1864.) Soon after my first using the block, I lent it to Messrs. Warner, and they ap- will defy the ravages of wind and weather for an | any alteration ; but after they had brought out their “Chiming Machine” at the Exhibition of 1862, which they thought more complete than my system, they declined to introduce both; but in July follow- ing Mr. Compton Warner writes to me that ‘we are about to fix your apparatus to the eight bells at S. Michael's, Paddington,” one of the places where they now say they fixed it as their own! These chiming hammers of mine have been set up in a great many towers, and attached to rings of bells from one to twelve; the work has been done by one Thomas Hooper, of Woodbury, an industrious hardworking tradesman, at a cost of £1 a bell, be- CS eS ee sides his travelling expenses; and he tells me that he gets a fair profit at that price. He has lately at- tached them to the twelve new bells at Worcester Cathedral, cast by Messrs. Taylor. Upon writing to Messrs. Warner for an explana- tion, they maintain that their illustration has been cut from a drawing by their own draughtsman, and is not copied from mine—that they feel aggrieved that of late my former good feelings towards them haye been alienated—that whenever I can do so, I recommend Thomas Hooper, of Woodbury, running away with the notion that all this is done to put capital into my own pocket!—that my supposed invention is not mine, for that H. Boswell, a very clever man whom I recommended to them, informs them that his father (a bell-hanger of Oxford, long since dead) put up the very same—also they com- plain that when they are negociating for a job, and any of the clergy consult me about their bells, I ad- vise them to ‘‘hold hard” in their dealings. I understand from the clergy of the places where Messrs. Warner have set up these chiming hammers that they charge from £2 to £3 a bell.—I am, &c., H. T. Evracomn. Rectory, Clyst S. George, Devon, April 22. HOUSE PLANNING COMPETITION. S1r,—Various criticisms of the designs of houses, which appear from time to time in the professional journals, are amongst the evidences of the increased importance which has of late been attached to house planning. It is a satisfactory indication of progress, and one which should be encouraged on every hand. But not only in house planning is increased attention and study required, for we have proofs frequently presented to us that in most, if not all, our impor- tant public building competitions preferences are given to superior internal arrangements over the most choice and magnificent architectural composi- tions. However much it may be regretted so far as external appearances are concerned, yet in other respects the gentlemen who make the selection are not altogether to blame, or entitled to the loud wail- ing of complaint which sometimes appear in print. The Law Courts designs indicated very clearly public feeling in regard to this matter, which the profession should ponder well. The prospective oc- cupants of the building, the lawyers (and they are the most concerned), poured forth the most profound contempt for the purely architectural phase of the question, being fully satisfied with the designs, * be- cause the arrangements were perfect,” and they were backed in those views by the House of Commons. It is, therefore, the place of those who set themselves up as leaders in the architectural profession to show that true xsthetic art-architecture is not only in no way antagonistic to the most diversified require- ments in every building, but, on the contrary, that the one is the forerunner of the other. It has been the boast of some that this is so; but unless our Gothic architects will not only insist on this in theory, but carry it out in their works, they really and truly build upon foregone, and often vague, ideas of beauty, having no firm foundation for success. Whatever style the coming generation may adopt or invent, the great underlying principle is sure to be this, that convenience, comfort, and beauty of interior arrange- ments will take precedence of all other considera- tions. What architect is there who has not found this to be the case in the present day? A draughty house or the omission of a convenient room is a sub- ject of everlasting complaint, but architectural taste and composition is altogether obliviated in compari- son to it. ‘To combine the whole so as to form per- fect arrangements with “a thing of beauty and a joy for ever,” is a problem which has been rarely solved, and hence architecture has not that status amongst the professions which it might otherwise have possessed. weet The house planning competition was instituted with the object of pressing forward this matter. That the plans are not the height of perfection is simply to confess that there is no royal road to success. Properly enough the referees abstained from exhaus- tive criticism of the designs, which renders it most desirable that the errors they possess should be clearly pointed out in some way. ‘There is no reason why these designs should be absolved from criticism, which others of less importance have had to endure. That design which was among the original causes of this competition was charged with the serious fault of aiming at architectural effect to the entire disregard and neglect of interior comfort. The charge cannot be repeated of the premiated plans published in last week’s Burtpinc News. In the mansion, so far as external appearance is concerned, the result is not equal to Mr. Lockwood's best efforts, nor has he put forth fully the talents which we know him to
 * on the part of Messrs. John Warner & Sons.
 * pended it to their then issue of catalogue without