Page:The Building News and Engineering Journal, Volume 22, 1872.djvu/96

 80 THE BUILDING NEWS. buildings on the low level; that to do so it would be necessary to take down the present buildings, and to excavate to a considerable extent, in order to provide a good foundation; that Carting-lane was too steep for conveying the materials away from the low level, and that he had a right of way to the Embankment, and ought to be allowed to pass through the omamental grounds of the Board of Works. Though it did not affect the case, it may, perhaps, be mentioned that the plaintiff had been awarded the sum of £8,800 as compensation for injuries to his property by the construction of the Embankment. he case came before the Court dn motion by the plaintiff, for an injunction to prevent the defendants from continuing his exclusion from the Embankment. In other words, he asked for an order which would enable him to haye a carriage road for the use of his horses and wheeled vehicles to and from his low evel property through the ornamental gardens; and this claim the defendants resisted—they contended that the most to which the plaintiff was entitled was a footway to the Embankment. At the con- clusion of the arguments on Friday last, Vice- Chancellor Sir J. Wickens, after going through the facts of the case, said the matter was in too doubtful a position—looking at the clauses of the Acts of Parliament—for him to grant what was in in effect asked for—yiz., a mandatory injunction ; and therefore he should direct the motion to stand over to the hearing of the cause. —_@—_____ STAINED GLASS. SILVERTON.—A memorial window has just been erected in the parish church of Silverton, by Mr. F. Drake, of the Cathedral-yard, Exeter. It is a large four-light perpendicular one, filled with two tiers of subjects—the upper four illustrative of Our Lord as the Teacher, and the lower four devoted to the life of 8. Mary, the patron saint of the church. BERKELEY.—It is proposed to place a stained window in Berkeley parish church, in memory of the late Dr. Edward Jenner, the discoverer of vaccina- tion, who was born at Berkeley, lived anddied there, and was buried in the chancel of the parish church. The subject of the window, which will cost £500, is to be * Christ Healing the Sick.” Tue Savoy CHareLt.—aA painted window by Olayton & Bell, in memory of Thomas, Mary, and Timothy Surr, which has been for some weeks in course of completion at the Chapel Royal, Savoy, has been opened. The window is situated on the north side of the church, and is divided into six compartments, the upper three representing the birth, and the lower one the baptism of Christ. —_+_— STATUES, MEMORIALS, &c. MEMORIAL TO THE LATE DucuEss or SuTHER- LAND.—A commencement is about to be made with the erection of a monument to the late Duchess of Sutherland. The monument has been designed by Mr. John Robinson, Whitehall-yard, London, and its execution has been entrusted to Mr. John Rhind, sculptor, Edinburgh. It is intended to be placed on a rising ground within the Policies of Dunrobin Castle, and the white freestone for its construction will be supplied from a quarry near Dornoch. The monument will rise to the height of 40 feet, and in its outline bear a sort of general resemblance to the monument erected at Dunkeld in memory of the late Duke of Athole. From a basement of three steps, covering a space 17 feet square, the structure rises as a square mass of masonry buttressed at each corner, relieved with horizoutal mouldings, and finished at the top with a cornice. Over this rise (one from each corner) four pillars with grouped shafts and carved capitals. Externally the pillars Support, on each of the four sides, a cusped arch, over which rises a crocketed gablet, terminating in an ornamental finial, and enclosing a triangular panel intended for the display of monograms and armorial bearings. Internally the pillars are connected by groined arches, forming a sort of canopy, under which, and within the pillars, is to be placed a bust of the late Duchess, executed by Noble. Henry BELtt.—A monument to Henry Bell, the pioneer of steam navigation in Europe, is about to be erected at Helensburgh, on the Clyde, a town with which he was in many ways intimately asso- ciated. The monument is to be a monolith obelisk _ of granite, and to cost from £400 to £500. A monu- ment to Bell was erected some years ago amidst the picuresque ruins of Dunglas Castle on the Clyde, m this case also a petty obelisk, but of freestone, and built! ————$ The Vestry of Bermondsey have decided to borrow £2,000 for the purpose of improying the parish. Messrs. Cox & Sons, 28 and 29, Southampton- street, Strand, London, have just. completed a con- tract for lighting Luxembourg Cathedral with gas. Massive standards, the bases ivon, and the upper parts in polished brass, with foliations introducing coloured crystal jewe re used for the nave, and a number of polished brass brackets of a design to correspond with the standards has also been supplied for various parts of the building, Our Office Table. IxstiruTion oF Surveyors.—At the ordinary general meeting, held on Monday, January 15th, a donation to the library of £2 2s. from Mr. F. W. Cardall was announced, and a vote of thanks was unanimously given to the donor. The adjourned discussion on Mr. Clutton’s paper, entitled “The Cost of Conversion of Forest and Wood Land into Cultivated Land,” and Mr. Grantham’s paper, entitled “Agricultural Pipe Drainage in Connection with Arterial Drainage and Outfalls,” was resumed, and, after a long debate, concluded. Mr. George Ridley, of the Tithe and Inclosure Commission Office, S. James’s-square, was balloted for and declared duly elected an Associate. The next meet- ing will be held on Monday evening, January 29th, when a paper will be read by Mr. E. J. Smith, entitled ‘‘Land.” The chair to be taken at eight o'clock. ConpDEMNATION OF A Great Frencu Hosprra. —The new and magnificent H6tel-Dieu, whose con- struction has already cost many millions of francs, and which would require in addition, for its comple- tion, at least five millions, and for the roofing and walls two millions, has been utterly con- demned by a commission of the hospital surgeons and physicians of Paris, after a thorough examination. After hearing the report of some of the most com- petent authorities, the Society of Hospital Physicians and Surgeons unanimously resolved that the Hotel- Dieu, by its construction, does not fulfil the condi- tions required by a hospital in the actual state of science and hygiene. Drs. Hérard and Hardy alone, while admitting the construction of the hospital to be detestable, would have been willing that the eight hundred beds should be reduced to four hundred, and the building utilised for diseases of the skin, eyes, etc., keeping away really sick people—a pro- position which was emphatically negatived. As a hospital, observes the British Medical Journal, this costly error of the Empire would be more murderous than a great battle. It may be utilised as a Hotel de Ville, in lieu of the building destroyed by the Communists. Tue GaAs Suprty iN tie Crry.—At a Court of Common Council, held at the Guildhall on Thurs- day week, the Lord Mayor presiding, Mr. Fricker complained of the quality of gas supplied to the city. THe never knew it so bad or so full of sulphur. Mr. Dresser Rogers, chairman of the Gas Committee, regretted that there was reason for this complaint. Since the amalgamation of the three gas companies in 1868 the consumers’ bills were much larger than before, although the price had been reduced from 4s. to ds. Nd.; and the quantity of sulphur had in- creased from 20 to 40 or 50 grains. He had that morning received a long statement from the referees to the effect that the sulphur question was receiving attention, and he hoped an improyement would be manifested. Mr. Bontems believed that there would be no remedy unless attention was called to the sub- ject in the House of Commons. Socrery ror THE ENCOURAGEMENT OF THE Fixe Anrs.—On Thursday evening, the 18th inst., the first conversazione of the session, in connection with this society, took place at the gallery of the Society of British Artists, in Suffolk-street, Pall Mall. It was numerously and fashionably attended. The fine collection of pictures now on view in the Suffolk-street Gallery proved a great attraction, and drew forth many expressions of admiration from the visitors. Selections of vocal and instrumental music from the works of Handel, Rossini, Mozart, Men- delssohn, and other composers were given during the evening, Madame Osborne Williams, Mr Percy Rivers, and Signor G. Adelmann being the vocalists ; while Mr. W. H. Holmes, Mr. Alfred Gilbert, and Signor Pezze performed on the piano and violoncello. During the intervals the company promenaded the various rooms and inspected the pictures, which in combination with the musical portion of the soiree whiled away a few hours most pleasantly. The com- pany dispersed at a late hour. Hererorp Pasrorat Srarr.—The clergy and laity of the diocese of Hereford intend presenting their bishop with a pastoral staff; and, having selected a design submitted by Messrs. Cox & Son, Southampton-street, Strand, London, some detailed account of the work in progress may prove interest- ing:—It is carved out of a piece of oak which recently formed part of one of the ancient pillars of the bishop’s residence at Hereford, which is well known to archwologists as being one of the most remarkable twelfth-century buildings now remaining in England. It will be surmounted by a crook of the usnal form, enclosing a carved figure of onr Lord seated as a King, holding an orb and cross in the = Jan, 26, 1872. left hand, the right hand erect in the act of blessing, the reverse displays the “Agnus Dei.” The cross is mounted in silyer, with crockets also in silye jewelled and embossed, and from the lower part of the crook there is a floriated bracket supporting an angel with displayed wings, carrying a silver shield bearing the arms of the diocese in enamel. The stem is enriched with a spiral carved pattern; it is divided’ by moulded bosses, carved and mounted with en- graved silver bands, having jewelled rosettes and. silver pierced collars, with pierced cresting and engraved foliation. The foot has a silver band with an inscription, and silver mountings richly engraved. The bands, crockets, anfl bosses are enriched with carbuncles in ornamental settings and cut in the ancient form, the general style of the work being that of the thirteenth century. The Commissioners of the International Exhibition for the present year have agreed to allot a space for the staff to be exhibited as a work of art, so that the general public will have an opportunity of seeing it at the exhibition building at South Kensington during the ensuing summer. This will be the ninth pastoral staff which has been presented to bishops of various dioceses in England within the last few years. Tue Fixe Anrs ar Liverroor.—The Fine Arts Committee of the Corporation of Liverpool have issued a special report upon their autumn ex- hibition of pictures, which, after giving detailed statistics which show that the exhibition at once achieved a success second only to that of the Royal Academy, proceeds to expose some current fallacies. respecting provincial exhibitions in general ; it urges artists to paint expressly for a town ‘exceeding most Continental capitals in the number of its popu- lation, and possessed of wealth more than in pro- portion to that population.” Great credit is due to. Messrs. Samuelson, Rathbone, and other members of the Corporation, who by their efforts to establish this autumnal exhibition have removed from Liver- pool the reproach of having had no public art exhi- bition during seven preceding years. Cuavcer’s Tome.—Chaucer’s tomb in Westmin- ster Abbey, which was put up to his memory by Nicholas Brigham in 1556, has, according to the Atheneum, been carefully examined lately by Mr. M. H. Bloxam. He is positive that the tomb is neither of Chaucer’s date, 1400, nor Brigham’s, but is late fifteenth-century work, say about 1480. Mr. Bloxam suggests that Brigham bought the tomb from among ‘alle the goodly stoneworke” in ““Powles Church” that was plucked down in 1552, or from the Grey Friars’ Church, Newgate-street, in September, 1547, when all its “grett stones and auteres” were ‘* pullyd up.” Mr. Bloxam has no doubt that the tomb ‘tis a second-hand monument.’ Tne RoyaL Acapemy.—The election of two Associates to fill the places of those who were ad- mitted into the rank of Academicians Elect in November last—vyiz., Mr. Dobson, the painter, and Mr. Lumb Stocks, the engraver, is to take place on Monday next. The candidates whose names have for a length of time been on the list of those who desire to belong to the Academy, and have put down +* their namesaccording to the custom adopted,number no less than 64 painters, 15 sculptors, and 13 architects. The Academy continues to consist of the;40 Academi- cians and 20 Associates, with three honorary retired Academicians—viz., Mr. G. T, Doo, engraver ; Mr. R. Westmacott, sculptor; Mr. F. R. Lee, landscape painter ; and the following honorary foreign Acade- micians:—MM, Louis Gallait, Jean Leon Gér6éme, Eugene FE. Viollet-le-Duc (architect), L. P. H. Dupont (engraver, J. L. Meissonier, C. J. B. E. Guillaume (sculptor). The forty Academicians now include four architects, three sculptors, thirty painters, and one engraver ; the “ Academicians Elect” being one painter and one engraver. The Associates consist of fourteen painters, three sculptors, and three engravers; there being no architect, and only one landscape painter. ACCIDENT AT THE Houses OF PARLIAMENT.— On Wednesday morning, at half-past five o'clock, the police on duty in the Central Hall of the New Palace of Westminster were alarmed by the fall of one of the largest pinnacles of the Central Tower. It weighed about two tons, and fortunately fell outside the mosaic ceiling of the Central Hall. Inits descent it smashed stonework and massive iron girders in portions of 5 or 6 ewt., and the ceiling of the electric telegraph office. The damage done is estimated at several hundred pounds. A New User ror INTERNATIONAL EXHIBITIONS.— The Times, in its report of the meeting of London tradesmen held on Monday to protest against the shop-keeping tendencies of the Exhibition Commis- missioners, imputes to them a design of a somewhat singular character. One of the resolutions adopted by the meeting is thus reported by the Times :—
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