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Article ARCHITECTURE AND ARCHÆOLOGY. ← Page 2 of 5 →
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Architecture And Archæology.
It is Avoll Avorthy of careful study , ancl gives a peculiar character and interest to the building . The woodcut in Viollefc le Due of tho beautiful pulpit iu the refectory of St . Martin des Champs is , I presume , familiar to all . We find a great variety of later examples , both in the interiors of churches and exterioi'ly in the cloisters and elsewhere , such as tho Avell-knoivn examples at Beaulieu , Magdalen
College , Oxford , and St . Lo , in Normandy . Thoro is one peculiarity about nearly all ancient pulpits Avhich , although belonging more strictly to the second parfc of tho subject , I ivill allude to HOAA * as forming parfc of their constructionit is that they nearly invariably haA * e what tho French call an o . hat-voix or voice reflector ( to avoid the obnoxious term of " sounding-board" ) . "Where parfc of the pulpit was
formed by a niche or recess , the roof of tho recess of course acted a ., one ; but , if attached to a wall or pier , some covering was ' almosfc always added . "For pulpits , " saysAlollefc leDuc , " erected in the open air or in churches , the necessity was soon felt of suspending a ceiling over the preacher , to prevent the voice from losing itself in space . " This is actually noiv done in the large churches in Italy , ndfch exceedingly
picturesque effect , by suspending a large cloth or aAvning by the four corners over the pulpit . I only mention these facts because there seems to be an unfounded prejudice now against sounding-boards altogether . This is probably owing to fche monstrous erections of the last century , which seem , by some suspension of the laws of nature , to be balancing themselves on one corner , and to be ready at a
moment ' s notice to shut down on the preacher like the lid of a trap . Although apparently of enormous weight , they are generally , in fact , made of thin wood , ancl comparatively light , and aro altogether shams and abominations ; but because they are bad in design , I see no reason why tho use of sounding-boards should be condemned altogether .
Those of you who heard our President ' s admirable paper on "Acoustics " last Monday , will have heard that they have a decidedly beneficial oftoot in many instances ; and I think that though in most cases it may be unnecessary where there is any reason to suppose it may serve a useful purpose , it would be much better for the architect to incorporate ifc with his design , and put ifc up afc once with the pulpit , than run
the risk of his work being disfigured hereafter by its addition . Ina church Avith which I am Avell acquainted , a fine building only lately finished , a sounding-board has been added to the pulpit within the last few months Avith exceedingly bad effect , cut-ting , as it does , into a beautifully carved capital ; but the acoustic improvement is so great- thafc we hai * c to overlook its ugliness . I do not know * Avhether the architect
of fche church was called upon to mar his own design in this instance , bufc I think it is a case ivhere a sounding-board originally designed by him as part of the pulpit might havo been made not an unpieasing feature . There is still another part of our services Avhich require notice , and that is the musical portion . The only point about it Avhieh I ivish fco enforce in this division of the subject is this . As an organ is IIOAV almost an invariable
appendage to a church , and is generally considered neccssaiy to the proper and decent celebration of our service , it should impart a distinctive character to that part of tho building ivhich is destined to receive it . I am aware that this is frequently attended to iu modern churches , and always I think with a satisfactory effect ; I coulcl name instances of churches ivhere such an arrangement has ahvays appeared
to me to give the chief interest and charm to the building . In small village churches where an harmonium takes the place of an organ , a recess in the thickness of the Avail may be contrived Avith very good effect afc a small cost , and ivith unmistakable fitness of purpose . I have thus briefly and imperfectly noticed some of tho points to Avhich wo should all give especial attention in order
to make our churches what they ought to bo—the architectural expression of the ritual of the Church of England . Let us noiv take a very cursory view of tho other branch of the subject , namely , the customs , Avants , and requirements of modern congregations , ancl the effect they ought to have on the architecture of our churches . To begin with , I think that ( arguing from the analog }* of former ages ) ive may lay down the principle that , respect for precedent and sentiments of association should not
pre-A'enfc us from discarding any peculiarity of construction or arrangement that is found distinctly inconvenient or unsuitable , and Avhich does not express an }* parfc of our ritual . As a simple illustration of this principle , AVO find thafc the questionable associations which must- still have clung to the heathern basilicas did' not prevent the early Christian congregations from transferring their religions services to them
from the baptisteries , ivhich are now belieA * ed to haA'e been the ori ginal ritual churches . This , of course , could only haA * e been done because the hall of the basilica , ivith its side aisles , ivas found to be much more convenient for the decent celebration of their services than the circular and octagonal baptisteries . In the same ivay , I think that in any point Avhere convenience is at- stake , we ought not to be too much
confined by the precedent of medieval architecture . IMeifcher our ritual nor our congregations are the same as those for Ailiich our ancient churches were built , and it is scarcely to be expected thafc if they ivere exactly suited to one they will be equally so to the other . T \ e have seen that afc the Reformation Gothic architecture had arrived at its last stage . King ' s College Chapelits last great effortcommenced a
, , century before , had been finished about tiventy years ; and there can be little doubt , that had it been possible for a new and true architecture to have spring up with the Reformation from the ashes of the old , we should have hacl churches as beautiful , but as different from fche medieval buildings as they in their turn were from the early Christian basilicas . Beyond the absolutely essential division of nave and
chancel , I do not wish to occupy your time by saying much about convenieces of plan . This is a question which must depend so much upon peculiarities of site and the number of the congregation , as well as other points , that it ivould form a long paper in itself . Those eccentric varieties in the form of theatres ancl lecture halls I need only allude to , as I
hope ive are all agreed that turning a church into a great auditorium is nofc only subversive of all proper ritual expression in arrangement , but renders it almost impossible to conduct the service in a decent and reverent manner . Afc this point , hoAvever , it will be as Avell to take some notice of the A-exatious question of galleries . AVe all know the numberless objections to them , and I suppose no one
would employ them by choice ; but where they become actually a necessity , which is often the case , they should certainly be located as parfc of the construction , and their presence should be expressed externally . Great care should of course be taken as to their height and the stoppings of the seats , so that they may neither overpower the church by being too high , nor oppress the occupants of the aisles by
being too low . A flat ceiling under the galleries will be found to bo much better for acoustic purposes , and more satisfactory to the eye than an inclined one . There is one position , however , for a gallery which is , in some churches , almost unobjectionable from its answering two good purposes —one , mentioned by our President last Monday , that of breaking up ancl dissipating the sounds from the east-end , andpreA'enting echo ; the other , that of clothing the
conspicuous bareness of tlie ivest Avail , ivhich m many churches , is far from agreeable . To return from this digression : let us start ivifcli the acknowledged necessity of a nave for the congregation , ancl a chancel ( not too deep ) for fche clergy and choir ; and let us take a modern congregation of say 1000 persons , ancl consider the Avants and requirements AVO have to meet . The
first thing to be noticed is thafc , according to received notions , the seats must be fixed ; aucl if Ave may judge from tho serious inconveniences AA-hieh attend the use of chairs where they have been tried , they are not likely to eome into general use , except as a temporary expedient . The next requirement is thafc all the congregation should have an uninterrupted view and hearing of the officiating minister . It may
nofc seem at first evident thafc an uninterrupted vieiv is necessary , but in point of fact nothing is so difficult or irksome as to keep up one ' s attention " to a speaker who is unseen . This applies , of course , chiefly to preaching . The next requirement , Avhether righ t or Avrong , is that no one should feel too eold or too hot , and fchafc there should lie no draughts in the church . Ifc may seem to many beneath tho dignity of this subject to notice so trivial a detail , but as a matter of fact it will be found to be considered a most
Note: This text has been automatically extracted via Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software.
Architecture And Archæology.
It is Avoll Avorthy of careful study , ancl gives a peculiar character and interest to the building . The woodcut in Viollefc le Due of tho beautiful pulpit iu the refectory of St . Martin des Champs is , I presume , familiar to all . We find a great variety of later examples , both in the interiors of churches and exterioi'ly in the cloisters and elsewhere , such as tho Avell-knoivn examples at Beaulieu , Magdalen
College , Oxford , and St . Lo , in Normandy . Thoro is one peculiarity about nearly all ancient pulpits Avhich , although belonging more strictly to the second parfc of tho subject , I ivill allude to HOAA * as forming parfc of their constructionit is that they nearly invariably haA * e what tho French call an o . hat-voix or voice reflector ( to avoid the obnoxious term of " sounding-board" ) . "Where parfc of the pulpit was
formed by a niche or recess , the roof of tho recess of course acted a ., one ; but , if attached to a wall or pier , some covering was ' almosfc always added . "For pulpits , " saysAlollefc leDuc , " erected in the open air or in churches , the necessity was soon felt of suspending a ceiling over the preacher , to prevent the voice from losing itself in space . " This is actually noiv done in the large churches in Italy , ndfch exceedingly
picturesque effect , by suspending a large cloth or aAvning by the four corners over the pulpit . I only mention these facts because there seems to be an unfounded prejudice now against sounding-boards altogether . This is probably owing to fche monstrous erections of the last century , which seem , by some suspension of the laws of nature , to be balancing themselves on one corner , and to be ready at a
moment ' s notice to shut down on the preacher like the lid of a trap . Although apparently of enormous weight , they are generally , in fact , made of thin wood , ancl comparatively light , and aro altogether shams and abominations ; but because they are bad in design , I see no reason why tho use of sounding-boards should be condemned altogether .
Those of you who heard our President ' s admirable paper on "Acoustics " last Monday , will have heard that they have a decidedly beneficial oftoot in many instances ; and I think that though in most cases it may be unnecessary where there is any reason to suppose it may serve a useful purpose , it would be much better for the architect to incorporate ifc with his design , and put ifc up afc once with the pulpit , than run
the risk of his work being disfigured hereafter by its addition . Ina church Avith which I am Avell acquainted , a fine building only lately finished , a sounding-board has been added to the pulpit within the last few months Avith exceedingly bad effect , cut-ting , as it does , into a beautifully carved capital ; but the acoustic improvement is so great- thafc we hai * c to overlook its ugliness . I do not know * Avhether the architect
of fche church was called upon to mar his own design in this instance , bufc I think it is a case ivhere a sounding-board originally designed by him as part of the pulpit might havo been made not an unpieasing feature . There is still another part of our services Avhich require notice , and that is the musical portion . The only point about it Avhieh I ivish fco enforce in this division of the subject is this . As an organ is IIOAV almost an invariable
appendage to a church , and is generally considered neccssaiy to the proper and decent celebration of our service , it should impart a distinctive character to that part of tho building ivhich is destined to receive it . I am aware that this is frequently attended to iu modern churches , and always I think with a satisfactory effect ; I coulcl name instances of churches ivhere such an arrangement has ahvays appeared
to me to give the chief interest and charm to the building . In small village churches where an harmonium takes the place of an organ , a recess in the thickness of the Avail may be contrived Avith very good effect afc a small cost , and ivith unmistakable fitness of purpose . I have thus briefly and imperfectly noticed some of tho points to Avhich wo should all give especial attention in order
to make our churches what they ought to bo—the architectural expression of the ritual of the Church of England . Let us noiv take a very cursory view of tho other branch of the subject , namely , the customs , Avants , and requirements of modern congregations , ancl the effect they ought to have on the architecture of our churches . To begin with , I think that ( arguing from the analog }* of former ages ) ive may lay down the principle that , respect for precedent and sentiments of association should not
pre-A'enfc us from discarding any peculiarity of construction or arrangement that is found distinctly inconvenient or unsuitable , and Avhich does not express an }* parfc of our ritual . As a simple illustration of this principle , AVO find thafc the questionable associations which must- still have clung to the heathern basilicas did' not prevent the early Christian congregations from transferring their religions services to them
from the baptisteries , ivhich are now belieA * ed to haA'e been the ori ginal ritual churches . This , of course , could only haA * e been done because the hall of the basilica , ivith its side aisles , ivas found to be much more convenient for the decent celebration of their services than the circular and octagonal baptisteries . In the same ivay , I think that in any point Avhere convenience is at- stake , we ought not to be too much
confined by the precedent of medieval architecture . IMeifcher our ritual nor our congregations are the same as those for Ailiich our ancient churches were built , and it is scarcely to be expected thafc if they ivere exactly suited to one they will be equally so to the other . T \ e have seen that afc the Reformation Gothic architecture had arrived at its last stage . King ' s College Chapelits last great effortcommenced a
, , century before , had been finished about tiventy years ; and there can be little doubt , that had it been possible for a new and true architecture to have spring up with the Reformation from the ashes of the old , we should have hacl churches as beautiful , but as different from fche medieval buildings as they in their turn were from the early Christian basilicas . Beyond the absolutely essential division of nave and
chancel , I do not wish to occupy your time by saying much about convenieces of plan . This is a question which must depend so much upon peculiarities of site and the number of the congregation , as well as other points , that it ivould form a long paper in itself . Those eccentric varieties in the form of theatres ancl lecture halls I need only allude to , as I
hope ive are all agreed that turning a church into a great auditorium is nofc only subversive of all proper ritual expression in arrangement , but renders it almost impossible to conduct the service in a decent and reverent manner . Afc this point , hoAvever , it will be as Avell to take some notice of the A-exatious question of galleries . AVe all know the numberless objections to them , and I suppose no one
would employ them by choice ; but where they become actually a necessity , which is often the case , they should certainly be located as parfc of the construction , and their presence should be expressed externally . Great care should of course be taken as to their height and the stoppings of the seats , so that they may neither overpower the church by being too high , nor oppress the occupants of the aisles by
being too low . A flat ceiling under the galleries will be found to bo much better for acoustic purposes , and more satisfactory to the eye than an inclined one . There is one position , however , for a gallery which is , in some churches , almost unobjectionable from its answering two good purposes —one , mentioned by our President last Monday , that of breaking up ancl dissipating the sounds from the east-end , andpreA'enting echo ; the other , that of clothing the
conspicuous bareness of tlie ivest Avail , ivhich m many churches , is far from agreeable . To return from this digression : let us start ivifcli the acknowledged necessity of a nave for the congregation , ancl a chancel ( not too deep ) for fche clergy and choir ; and let us take a modern congregation of say 1000 persons , ancl consider the Avants and requirements AVO have to meet . The
first thing to be noticed is thafc , according to received notions , the seats must be fixed ; aucl if Ave may judge from tho serious inconveniences AA-hieh attend the use of chairs where they have been tried , they are not likely to eome into general use , except as a temporary expedient . The next requirement is thafc all the congregation should have an uninterrupted view and hearing of the officiating minister . It may
nofc seem at first evident thafc an uninterrupted vieiv is necessary , but in point of fact nothing is so difficult or irksome as to keep up one ' s attention " to a speaker who is unseen . This applies , of course , chiefly to preaching . The next requirement , Avhether righ t or Avrong , is that no one should feel too eold or too hot , and fchafc there should lie no draughts in the church . Ifc may seem to many beneath tho dignity of this subject to notice so trivial a detail , but as a matter of fact it will be found to be considered a most