Page:The Building News and Engineering Journal, Volume 22, 1872.djvu/384

 362 THE BUILDING NEWS. May 3, 1872. Gothic, and the third French Renaissance. All these appeared at the Royal Academy in past years, and were noticed at the time. We do not, however, recollect to have seen Mr. Truefitt’s additions to Aboyne Castle (3650) before. They are of an original and effective character, and are shown in an unusual-look- ing drawing, which can hardly fail to strike the eye, though there is not much to look at when the work is examined in detail. We cannot, however, bring this charge against the complicated and elaborate academic draw- ing by Mr. H. A. K. Gribble of a cathedral front (3653). This drawing is unfortunate inits colouring, which is spotty and glaring, but the draughtsmanship is throughout excellent, and shows a freedom and force that are rare. The design is to the last degree ambitious and impossible, but many of its individual features are very good, and there is promise in it of a possible fine future. ‘The same architect exhibits a comparatively weak drawing from Arundel (3652). We must not overlook an unpretending drawing of careful and satisfactory execution, by Messrs. Perry and Hanson, of an altar (3648) for a church at Bruges. The work is good of its kind, and approaches the French néo grec style, and the completed work will probably prove effective. Passing contributions by Messrs. Sorby, Howell, Hannah, Walter, Dale, Nichol, Anderson, Cooke, and Armstrong, we must pause for a moment at the Palladian design for Bolton Town Hall, of which Mr. Brydon exhibits a powerful perspective view (3646). This has much to recommend it as a fayour- able specimen of the class of building to which it belongs, and if it possesses a strong family likeness to such buildings as the Leeds Town Hall we are not sure that heavy com- plaints ought to be made on that score: such a thing has often happened in the case of public buildings—Gothic as well as Classic. Messrs. E. C. Robins and Roper exhibit the facade of their design for the Municipal Offices, Leicester, in a geometrical drawing, which is powerful, and in some respects suc- cessful, but isnot so much a drawing asa diagram. The design is represented (and, by- the-bye, the design would not have been what it is had Mr. Burges’s remarkable Law Courts’ design been never made and exhibited), it is true, but the representation gives little or no idea of what the facade would look like, and is consequently, in our opinion, fallacious. Mr. Dawson exhibits a portion of the London Orphan Asylum (3660) ; Mr. Chatfeild Clarke sends a drawing of City offices (3673); Mr. McCarty, Mr. Fogerty, Mr. Dyer, and Mr. Thomas are also exhibitors. Messrs. Haber- shon & Brock send a small drawing of a church at Hastings (3668), and Mr. H. Hall a care- ful study of Somerset House (5665) and a large frame of designs (3666) for small school buildings, not all of them in correct perspec- tive, and in other respects moderate in their claims to notice as architectural works. Mr. Morton Glover sends a simple mission chapel (3678), economical in build but far from being unpleasing. Mr. Burton exhibits a rather rough sketch (3679) of Eltham Palace, and Mr. Wyke Bayliss a finished but laboured sketch from Aix-la-Chapelle (36534). Last, but hardly least, of the drawings is an ambi- tious ideal composition by Mr. N. J. Hiscock, called ‘“‘ A Temple for the Muses” (3658) ; this is an ideal composition of Palladian Renaissance architecture, and enjoying all the advantages of exceptionally luxurious fram- ing, glazing, and mounting ; the design, how- ever, is not striking, and to our eye especially fails in that all-important feature—the sky line. The list closes with two cardboard models of churches by an amateur modeller, though an accomplished architect, Mr. Albert P. Howell; these models suffer from their colouring, which is wanting in breadth and truth, and the really picturesque features of a crowded though an interesting composition are in each case obscured and almost lost in consequence of this defect. Looked at as an amateur’s work the models are very sugges- tive of a cheap and simple mode of trying the actual effect in the solid of any ideas of archi- tectural composition which it may be wished to put to a test somewhat more reliable than mere perspective delineation. We have now completed our review of this collection, and though, as will have been seen, it includes architectural drawings by men of note, and is very well worth inspecting, we regard itas disappointing even compared with the display of last year. We fear the Exhibi- tion at the Royal Academy will not make up the deficiency, and that to a large extent the architecture of the year will go unrepresented. We do what we can in the illustrations of the Buitpine News to give the public the best views of the best buildings in progress, but we cannot help reminding architects that by neglecting to exhibit they neglect a publicity which will in no way interfere with the ad- vantage they may gain from having their works illustrated in our pages, and which may in many cases be advantageous to themselves personally as well as of benefit to their pro- fession. ene GENERAL SCOTT AND THE SEWAGE PROBLEM. ENERAL SCOTT has, according to a corres- pondent of the Leeds Mercury, made a very remarkable discovery, which is likely to solve the problem of what is to be done with the town sewage. His process is to be seen in actual working at Ealing. Near the end of the town a mixture of eight parts of lime and one part of clay is thrown into the sewer, and is allowed to run down with the sewage to a piece of land about half a mile from Ealing. The mixture here passes into along tank, and the solid matter having been deposited in the tank the water passes off almost clear and free from smell. The deposited sewage looks like mud. Itis taken from the tank to a drying place, not unlike those used in the Cornish china clay works. There it is dried by a flue, is then pugged in apugging-mill, and then passed through a brick machine. The bricks are finally placed in a kiln and calcined, and the result is a hydraulic cement equal to any Portland cement in the market, and saleable at a considerably lower price. By a little alteration in the precipitating ingredients, other cements may be obtained. It is clear that this mode of manufacture has great advantages over the ordinary mode. In the first place, a large portion of the material costs nothing, for local governing bodies are only too glad to get rid of it. But this is not the only advantage, It has been found that the sewage contains such a large quantity of hair, rags, straw, and other combustible substances, that it supplies to a large extent its own fuel, and coke and inferior coal may be used in the kiln. But cements are not the only produce which is obtained from the sewage. By treating it with lime a serviceable manure is obtained. General Seott and his brother, Mr. Thos. W. Scott, late of Plymouth, who is superintending the works, hope to do even more than this. It is well known that the most valuable fertiliser in manure (the ammonia) passes off in the water, and the question is if this can be extracted. As it would be worth £60 a ton, there is clearly room for, and inducement to, experi- ment. As regards the cement portion of the pro- cess there can be no question of its suecess. Two of the three Commissioners appointed to inquire into the pollution of rivers, Dr. Frankland, the chemist, and Mr. Morton, the well-known agriculturist (the third Commissioner, Sir Wm. Denison, is dead), have been to Ealing, and come back highly delighted. The process has been patented, and probably a company will be formed for the purpose of working it, either directly or (more likely) by granting the use of the patent on a royalty. —$$$_>—_—_— Liyerroot ARCHITECTURAL AND ARCH®OLOGI- cau Socrery.—On Wednesday evening the con- cluding meeting of the present session of this society was held, Mr. Henry H. Vale, F.R.1.B.A., the pre- sident, in the chair. The secretary stated that the number of members was about the same as at the beginning of the session, 130. The president said by exercising economy their fnnds were now in a flourishing state. Mr. T, D. Barry was elected pre- sident for the ensuing session. Mr. Barry gave a criticism upon the drawings of the students in the competition for the best design for three semi-de- ‘ached model cottages. The president then delivered the closing address of the session. Duilding Intelligence, —_@—_ CHURCHES AND CHAPELS. AriEerTon.—The memorial stone of a new Con- gregational Chapel was laid at Allerton, near Brad- ford, on Tuesday last. The chapel will seat about 1,000 people, and will be Italian in style. There will be a general vestry, minister's vestry, and all requisite accessories. The seating and pulpit will be of pitch pine. The builder's works have been let to various contractors, and the total cost, exclusive of land, will be about £6,400. Anstry.—Anstey Church, Hertfordshire, has just been reopened, after restoration. The old square high-backed pews have been removed, and their places supplied by open seats of stained deal, copied in design from some of the original seats found in the church. The unsightly west gallery, formerly oc- cupied by the choir, has been taken down, and accommodation provided for its occupants in the south transept. The curious old miserere seats in the chancel have been repaired, cleansed from paint. and colour, and refixed in their old position. Minton’s red, black, and encaustic tiles, mixed with some por- tions of Portland stone paving, are used for the chancel floor, which is laid to a pattern designed by the architect. All the other floors, excepting where the seats are placed, are laid with Peake’s red and black Staffordshire quarries. The curious old font (of which there is an engraving in Cussans’s “History of Hertfordshire ”) has been restored. The whole of the works have been carried out, at a cost of about £1,000, by Mr. Gibbons, builder, of Bunt- ingford, Mr. Butterfield being the architect. Bristou.—Next week the cap stone of the new spire of the Church of S. Mary Redcliff will be laid by the Mayor of Bristol. The work was com- menced about twelve months ago. The cost of erect- ing the spire, and performing the necessary work in connection with the tower, is about £7,000. From the summit of the tower to the top of the vane the spire will be nearly 170ft., while the tower itself is 110ft. above the churchyard. The spire is octagonal in shape, and the diameter at the base between 27ft. and 28ft. For the most part it is of Dundry stone —the cap, which measures 13ft. in girth and 2ft. in thickness, and the stone above it, whence springs the vane, 4ft. 3in. high and 2ft. in dameter, being of Portland stone. Within 6ft. Gin. of the top the stonework is solid; beneath this is an open shaft, the sides of which are pierced for decorative win- dows, to be filled in with louvres at the lower part, while there are eight trefoil apertures higher up. There will be finials over the windows and orna- mental bands between them. A wrought-iron rod 2in. in diameter goes through the solid masonry at the top, and about 14ft. above the stonework will be placed the vane. Mr. George Godwin is the ar- chitect. Cuestrer Diocesan Cuurcr Buttpre Socrery. —The annual meeting of this Society was held last week at Liverpool. The report stated that during the year grants had been made in aid of building or repairing churches as follows :—S. Andrews, South- port, £200; Childwall, £125 ; Birkdale, £140 ; Acton, £100; S. Thomas's, Chester, £150; Hartford, £180 ; Bebington, £55; Higher Sutton, £50; Over, £100; and Wettenhall, £50. Crimron.—The Church of All Saints’, Clifton, is satisfactorily progressing towards completion, and the decoration of the nave is shortly to be com- menced by Messrs. Hardman & Co. The stone carving is being executed by Mr. Earp, and the en- caustic pavement is to be laid down by Mr. Godwin, of Lugwardine. The length of the nave is 111ft. from the west end to the chancel arch wall, and its width 56ft. The height from the floor to the roof- plate is 43ft. 2in. ; and from the floor to the apex of the decorated roof, 63ft. 2in. Externally from the floor to the top of the gable coping the height is 81ft. 3in., and from the floor to the top cross S5ft. lin. Mr. G. E. Street is the architect, and Messrs. Davis & Son are the builders. Danespury.—The church of Daresbury has been restored by Messrs. Paley & Austin, of Lancaster, at a cost of £6,000. Messrs. Swindells & Little, of Manchester, were the contractors. The style of the original church was Late Perpendicular, with slight traces of an Early English structure. The new church is entirely of the Perpendicular style, and the old plan has been adhered to with the exception of a slight lengthening of the church and widening of the north aisle to about 6ft., the addition of a new vestry on the north-east side, and continuation of the wlerestory through to the east end. The interior consists of a nave, chancel, north and south aisles,