Page:The Building News and Engineering Journal, Volume 22, 1872.djvu/423

 May 17, 1872. THE BUILDING NEWS. 401 ec THE COMPLETION OF S. PAUL'S CATHEDRAL. Eee week we called attention to the public efforts now being made for the completion of S. Paul’s, and now we have a word to say on who shall do it, or, at all events, who shall assist inthe work. Mr. Pen- rose is the architect to the Dean and Chapter of S. Paul’s, but in so great a work as that of decorating it, the Committee think that one mind is insufficient, and they have decided to elect a joint architect. Thismay not be very complimentary to Mr. Penrose. The next step was, who should be the joint architect, and, as a matter of course, opinions differed in the fitness of the man. The names of five architects were selected for consideration. The choice was finally reduced to two, and ultimately Mr. Wm. Burges was elected. Thereupon five members of the Committee— the Lord Mayor, Sir W. Tite, Mr. James Fergusson, Mr. C. C. Cavendish, and Mr. John Murray, send a letter to the Times, com- plaining of the decision, and giving their reasons. ‘These reasons were that the Com- mittee were nearly equally divided; that Mr. James Fergusson, who is justly entitled to great weight in such a decision, was absent from ill health, and that had he been present he would have voted against Mr. Burges, and that Mr. Burges was disqualified from the work because he had styled Sir Christopher Wren’s works ‘abominations,’ and that he had limited his study and practice to exclu- sively Medieval works. ‘This letter called up ier replies in the Times of Wednesday ast. The Very Rey. the Dean denies that the question was ever raised in committee whether the architect should be a ‘‘ Medizeval” ora “Classical” one. Mr. Burges was voted for by those who supported him, not because he had ‘‘Medizval” tastes, but because they believed him ‘to be a man of genius, vigour, and varied acquirements, who would treat S. Paul’s as a great Christian Cathedral, and not merely asa great architectural monument, a place for the display of magnificent decora- tion. On his own behalf, the Dean says :— As lIamreferred to asa Mediwvalist, perhaps I may be allowed to say that I should feel myself unworthy indeed of being in any way connected with S. Paul’s if I could be insensible to the grandeur and majesty of the noblest Italian church on this side of the Alps. It would seem to me as barbarous to introduce a Gothic spirit into its decoration as it would be to ornament it after the fashion of a con- cert room. A letter follows from Mr. Burges himself, in which he says:—‘‘ As an artist I quite appreciate the privilege of being consulted as to the completion of the Cathedral of London, and, whatever opinion I may hold respecting his details, I have never been so blind as to deny Sir Christopher Wren his just position as one of the greatest of our architects.” Two members of the Committee, Mr. W. Longman and Mr. Oldfield, say that, although they were both opposed to the selection of Mr. Burges, yet they loyally accept the un- questionable decision of the majority, and are fully convinced that Mr. Burges will be able entirely to justify the choice that has been made. Finally, Mr. G. G. Scott writes :— T am convinced that the Committee have made the best possible choice.. Mr. Burges has studied the decoration of the Classic as well as the Medieval schools, and has studied Greek art at Athens, as well as Roman architecture and its decoration at Rome. What, however, I wish to state is mainly this—that, so far as my own knowledge extends, those who supported Mr. Burges’ election did so with no view at all to “Medimvalism,” but with an exclusive view to the ecclesiastical element, irrespective of questions of architectural style. On the following day (yesterday) another long letter appears in the Times from ‘* A Large Subscriber,” who objects to Mr. Burges, not because he is a Medievalist, but because of his proposed mode of treating the Cathe- dral, as indicated in his report to the Com- mittee, dated July 27, 1871, in which he says:— Tn preparing a scheme for the iconography of a large building like the present, the first difficulty which presents itself is the selection of the style of architecture in which the decoration should be carried out. Setting aside the Mediwval style, S. Paul's Cathedral possesses capabilities which would permit the employment of the Byzantine style, the Cinque- Cento style, or the style of decoration prevalent at the time of the execution of the building. Which of these various phases of art will be chosen rests with your architect, but I hardly imagine he will select the Byzantine period. There remains, therefore, the choice between the Cinque-Cento style and that employed in the time of Sir Christopher Wren. It should be observed that the latter hardly presents featuces which would re- commend it for reproduction in the present day. Under these circumstances, therefore, I have com- posed my scheme upon the supposition that the Cinque-Cento style or one of its varieties will be employed. ‘‘ A Large Subscriber” ‘“ hopes never to see thisstyle of decoration and the Cinque-Cento introduced into our magnificent Cathedral.” So, once more we suppose we are to have “a battle of the styles,’ and letter after letter will, inall probability, appear in the Times, in which antagonistic principles will be adyo- cated and antagonistic tastes made manifest. Mr. Street will be allowed for a short time to sleep in peace, and go on with his Law Courts undisturbed by self-constituted critics. What should the Dean and Committee do under the circumstances? Why, repose confidence in the selected architect. Objection would be taken to any architect that might be named, and some of our ablest architects would provoke more opposition than Mr. Burges. No doubt the Dean and Committee fully con- sidered the question before they finally decided, and having done so, let them rest undisturbed intheir decision. If they permit their resolution to be shaken, they will most assuredly get into troubled waters. Possibly Mr. Burges may have said some strong things against Sir Christopher Wren and some of his works, and strong sayings, in one respect, are like hens—they come home to roost. Certainly Mr. Burges has strong Medieval tendencies, but he is far from an exclu- sively one-sided man. He possesses a quality of mind that should not be overlooked in such a matter. Though pronounced in his architectural bias and tastes, he is legitimately impressionable and teachable. Would it not be better for art critics, instead of endeavouring to overturn arrangements which have been come to after careful and conscientious con- sideration, and displacing architects who may have been appointed, to offer suggestions in a friendly spirit, for the better carrying out of architectural works? Would not Mr. Street, for instance, be ina better frame of mind to consider any suggested improvement which might be made in the Law Courts, if such pertinaceous, but ineffectual, efforts were not made to dispossess him? And we venture to say it will be the same with Mr. Burges. ‘Time, and temper, and energy might be more economically and advan- tageously expended in accepting accomplished facts, and building on them. We regard the appointment of Mr. Burges as joint archi- tect with Mr. Penrose for the completion of S. Paul’s Cathedral as an accomplished fact, and we shall, from time to time, freely offer him suggestions and as freely criticise his work. — ee ARCHITECTURE AT THE ROYAL ACADEMY. [SECOND NOTICE. ] F the architects who are members of the Academy, Mr. Smirke and Mr. Scott are not represented this year, but in addition to the Academicians whose drawings we have named, there remains Mr. E. M. Barry, who contributes four works. His best drawing is his Hospital for Sick Children, which is a large and rather heavy building, strongly marked with the peculiarities of the de- signer. Mr. Barry is fond of pilaster-like piers, marked with rustics, and pointed roofs, and small round-headed windows, and he combines these features, with which the public are familiar at Charing-cross and. Cannon- street, with a good deal of skill in the present design, which appears to be intended for exe- cution in red and white bricks. Mr. Barry also exhibits three mansions, all of them spoiled by an excessive prominence of the roofs. This defect is not relieved, inthe case of his Cobham Park, by any features which raise the design above a very commonplace level. The architectural features of Wyke- hurst are less pretentious, and the effect is better. This design includes a very good porch. Shobden, a mansion in the style of Francis I., is really good, and probably will look far better in execution than it does in this drawing. The style, one whichis eminently suited for use in English mansions, is that of Francis I.’s time, and is extremely well fol- lowed in this building, and the best parts of it are quite worthy of a place by the side of the other Academicians’ works, which is more than we can quite say of Mr. Barry’s other mansions. Sir Digby Wyatt is also unfortu- nate in his contributions ; and, considering his known skill with the pencil, it is to be re- gretted that the execution of his drawings is not more satisfactory. In his alterations and additions to the Indian Civil Engineering College, Cooper’s Hill, Sir Dighy was, of course, hampered by existing buildings, and we cannot accept this as a fair specimen of his skill ; though when an artist exhibits alterations he, to a certain extent, accepts the whole design, and must be fully prepared to find it dealt with as though itwere an entirely original work. His house for Lady Marion Alford, a building in red brick and terra cotta, French Renaissance in style, is covered with rich ornament, and its mansard roofs and dormers give it something of the air of a glorified specimen of Queen Anne’s style. In the drawing much of the decorative effect of the enrichment is lost, but a little examination will show that the building, while having a homelike effect, is rich and pleasing. Mr. Burges, whose contributions will be looked for with additional interest, owing to the storm of controversy which is raging about his name at this moment, sends three drawings. His chaucel of S. Mary’s Church, at Studely Royal, is by far the best specimen of coloured decoration exhibited, and is only approached in this respect by Mr. E. W. Godwin’s interior already referred to. We have hereawaggon-headed nave roof, decorated with a broad band of figure subjects, the spaces above and below that band being blue, with a small diapering of stars. Through the chancel arch we see an apse, with a kind of domical roof, wonderfully rich in treat- ment, while the way in which the decoration of the walls and that of the roof is blended is extremely satisfactory. The architecture shows more refinement and delicacy than is sometimes characteristic of Mr. Burges ; of his ordinary manner of design, apart from colour, perhaps a better example is his memorial church at Skelton, which is at once vigorous and unusual. A singularly low chancel, with a groined roof highly decorated, leaves a space above the chancel arch, which is occupied by an arcade and circular panels richly moulded, and forming frames to pieces of emblematic sculpture. ‘This is a singular, but alsoasingularly happy, design, the only thing objectionable in it being a trace of heaviness in the treatment. Mr. Burges also exhibits a house built at Cardiff, free and yet sober in its treatment, and including an arcaded porch and a stone arcaded verandah to relieve a severely simple mass. Will not these arcades look rather forbidding on a dull day in autumn or winter? ‘A somewhat pleasing example of colouring is exhibited by Messrs. Banks & Barry, who send the interior of their church at Dulwicl, as they propose to decorate it. The result will be very harmonious if fully carried out as shown here, but the scale of some of the de-