Page:The Building News and Engineering Journal, Volume 22, 1872.djvu/537

 June 28, 1872. THE BUILDING NEWS. d15 THE BUILDING NEWS. = SSS LONDON, FRIDAY, JUNE 28, 1872. PROFESSIONAL TENDERNESS. T may be taken almost as an axiom that the architects of the present day are emi- nently thin-skinned. If an amateur with artistic and scholarly qualifications like Mr. Ruskin expresses an opinion at all condem- natory of this or that modern work, or of a past phase of art, the elder members of the profession rush together to find some Philis- tine to oppose him. So, too, if a professional man gives utterance to opinions which may be considered unfavourable, the favourable things he may have said are forgotten, and some Goliath is invited to shake his weaver’s beam, andto make every endeavour to frighten him from the field. It is well known how Mr. Garbett and Professor Kerr, amongst others, resented Mr. Ruskin’s criticisms. What could an amateur know about archi- tecture ? What dogmatism! what ignorance! what presumption! Even men like Mr. Burges were sometimes found to be wrath: professional teaching had been interfered with, anew prophet had arisen, and we were solemnly assured that such writing and such criticism would do inconceivable harm to the young men—the fledgelings who were to be our future architects. Mr. Ruskin ceased to apply his mind to architectural matters, and after the short lull which ensued, architects themselves took up the pen, and both in anonymous and signed articles, in general and specific charges, many weaknesses, shortcom- ings, and backslidings in art haye been ex- posed. For ourselves, we are free to confess that we have reaped no little profit and plea- sure from these charges. The discomfiture of pretension is always a delightful thing to con- template, and we have over and over again expressed our determination to prevent as far as in us lies the safety of incompetency under the shield of “respectability.” Professional critics are now disliked—we might almost say hated—with an energy equal to that once be- stowed on amateur critics. Sir M.D. Wyatt whitewashes Mr. Ruskin in one room, while _his elder brother sneers in another at those - who, haying formed opinions on art questions, are bold enough to utter what they think, and who, we know from their works, have as much right to be listened to as the President of the Institute or the Slade Professor. Meanwhile, where is architecture? We turn to the public Exhibitions, to the Royal Academy, and the International. We examine with anxiety the new buildings which are springing up by thousands around us; and we ask in all seriousness are there ten that give promise of a better architecture in the future? Are there twenty which show any worthy advance on what was done ten years ago? If the dignitaries of the profession had only shown the same anxiety for the development of art as they have for developing their business ; if they had had as much care for qnality as quantity of work, such criticisms as we have lately read would have been groundless, and | would have met with the ruin which sooner or later attends on weak foundations. But, unfortunately, there is no escape from the sad conclusion that architecture, generally speak- ing, is degenerating, and has degenerated even within the memory of the youngest practi- tioner. Isthere, we wouldask, asingle building of to-day founded on Classic, Italian, or Renaissance principles of design, which can compare with the works of the last genera- tion? Has Mr. Wyatt, or Professor Kerr, or Mr. T’Anson anything to show us like Sir Charles Barry’s works, or the late Mr. Cockerell’s designs? Have the architects of the Gothic party done any better for the encouragement they have met with? Do their later designs show a greater power of | composition and a greater grasp of beauty | to inspect and examine the waterworks of than heretofore? Is not the book of patterns as much resorted to as ever it was, with this difference, that, instead of English examples from Pugin, Bowman and Crowther, and Brandon, we have French from Johnson, Verdier and Cattois, and Viollet-le-Duc ? These are questions which would, no doubt, be very convenient to leave unasked ; but we have a duty higher than any personal con- siderations—a duty which is all the more incumbent on us to fulfil, watching as we do day by day the growth of indifference, the spread of superficiality, the want of anything like energetic life, and the increasing desire for taking things easy in matters artistic, cha- racteristic not merely of the leaders of the profession, but of the whole body down to the poorest assistant and the youngest pupil. As is natural to such a state of things, good drawing is becoming every day rarer. Art is turned into business, and young and old endeavour to escape from itas much as ambi- tion to get money permits. Spare time now is deyoted to anything rather than to the mistress we have elected to serve, and even the Association finds it hard to whip up its usual classes. Seeing this, is it possible to suppose that the elders in the profession have nothing to answer for? Weare imitative beings from the cradle, and yet look at what we have to follow! Men who are afraid of criticism, men who are prepared to give up their opinions and the lessons they have taught fora quarter of a century, rather than sacrifice the chance of a good commission ; men who we know never make a drawing, and who spoil their clerks’ designs only for the sake of satisfying their elastic consciences. ‘These are promi- nent members of the profession—these are our examples. No wonder that a profes- sional critic is regarded as cantankerous or spoken of as disagreeable. The sting cf his criticism, as the Times said of the Galway judgment, lies in its truth, and the thin-skinned professors no doubt feel the sting, but do not exactly perceive the truth. ‘The cure for this unwholesome sensitiveness, we believe, lies in criticism, plenty of it, deep, broad, and tech- nical, general, and specific. It is because architects have been so long exempt from hearing opinions of their works freely ex- pressed that they have become so tender about them. And yet what art is so public— what so justly open to praise or censure ? Pictures and busts one may avoid and yet live; but one cannot shut out building—it forces itself on us in the country, and hems us in in the town. ‘The newspapers and periodicals may be deluged with critiques of the first that no one need see ; but that which we are all bound to see is far too sacred for animadversion. Architecture must be in a deplorably bad condition when its professors must needs shrink from the caustic to the extent lately exhibited. We heartily sym- pathise with the nervous tenderness and shrinking sensitiveness. displayed, and as an earnest of our wish that they may soon grow more hardy, and that their works may follow them, we shall examine in detail a few modern buildings, extenuating nothing nor putting down aught in malice. It is quite possible we may tread on a few tender places, but we admit at once that we shall care nothing about that, for architects have no business to be afflicted with any such encum- brances. They hurt us with their works right and left. They take little heed of the annoyance their designs cause us, and we, in our turn, shall not stand measuring terms or seek for words to soften our opinions when they do not happen to coincide with the dulcet notes of plaintive professors. ————_—_—_—_ VISIT TO THE LEICESTER WATER- WORKS. T 10am. on Saturday last a large party met under the spacious roof of the Midland Railway that town. The majority of those present on the platform were composed of that particular class of members of the Institution of Civil Engineers known as ‘Students,” and they, as well as the remainder of the party, were invited to visit the above-mentioned works by the President, Mr. Hawksley, who is engineer to the Leicester Waterworks Company. It was under his superintendence that the whole of the works were designed and carried out, and there was, consequently, a singular pro- priety in selecting them on the present occa- sion. Several ladies started from London, but the greater portion of the fairer sex who participated in the trip were residents of Leicester or the neighbourhood. Among those present may be mentioned the following : —The President of the Institution of Civil Engineers (Mr. Hawksley) and Mrs. Hawksley, Mr. Vignoles, F.R.S., Past President; Mr. Abernethy, Mr. Bramwell and Mr. Bruce, Members of Council; Mr. T. H. Wyatt, P.R.L.B.A., Honorary Architect ; Mr. James Forrest, Secretary; Mr. Allport, Major Bolton, Sir John Duckworth, Bart., Mr. and Mrs. John Edward Ellis, Mr. Filliter, Mr. Gabrielli, Captain Douglas Galton, F.R.S.,. Mr. Wm. Gibson, Mr. John Gunson, Mr. Geo. Robert Hall, Mr. W. U. Heygate, M.P., and Mrs. Heygate, Dr. and Mrs. Letheby, Mr. Albert Pell, M.P., Dr. W. Pole, F.R.S., Mr. John S. Valentine, Mrs. and Miss Vignoles, Mr. George Baines and a lady, Mr. Billson and a lady, Mr. Charles Bowman, Mr. and Mrs. Clephan, Mr. and Miss Crow, Mr. Alfred Ellis and a lady, Mr. and Mrs. E. J. Ellis, Mr. and Mrs. W. H. Ellis, Major Knight and a lady, Mr. and Mrs. Smith, the Mayor of Leicester and Miss Stafford, Mr. and Miss Stretton, Mr., Mrs. and Miss Tebbutt, Mr. Viccars, Mr. and Mrs. J. H. Williams. A journey of two hours and a half brought the visitors to the town of Leicester. At the railway station a number of vehicles, exceed- ingly well horsed, were in readiness, in which the members of the party were soon speedily seated, and the whole cortege rattled through the streets of the town to the great admira- tion of the residents, if we are to judge from the crowded state of the thoroughfares, and the numerous faces at the windows. A pleasant drive of an hour, in spite of a little dust, the inevitable drawback to all country excursions, terminated at the destination, where not only the actual works themselves, but marquees, bands, banners, and other agreeable accessories proved to the visitors that their presence had not only been expected but desired. Mutual introductions having passed be- tween the metropolitan and rural contingents of the party, the majority of the male portion followed in the wake of the President, who proceeded to the reservoir, and commenced a clear running description of the whole of the engineering operations which had been carried out in supplying Leicester with a constant service of pure water. It will be interesting to place before our readers a succinct notice of the history of the waterworks, so that the general features which characterise them may be well understood. The manufacturing population of the town of Leicester has, by the last census, reached a total of 100,000 people. The waterworks by which the town is now supplied have been constructed on the constant service system, to meet the future requirements of 160,000 people in years of extreme droughts. They are made in two sections—the older one at Thornton, about nine miles west of the town, and the newer one at Bradgate Park, about seven miles north of the town. ‘They both depend upon rain-fall gathered into large impounding reser- voirs. ‘The former operates by gravitation, whilst the latter requires the aid of pumping machinery. It was to the latter and larger work that the visit was made. In the case of both works the water is filtered by the most Station to proceed to} improved method before it is permitted to Leicester. The object of their journey was | enter the main pipes by which it is conveyed