1859.] on Modern Gothic Architecture, 49 



best on the whole, the old work with what you think its carelessness, or 

 the new with all its precision, and pointing, and " cleaning down ?" To 

 Lord Palnierston and the classical architecture gentlemen, no doubt, 

 this very carelessness (if they ever observed it) is one of the proofs of 

 barbarism of old Gothic, and perhaps they think that the men who rub 

 up stones and point the joints so nicely, and work such sharp edges 

 and exact curves, are a much higher and more intelligent order of 

 workmen than the old masons, who very likely could not read, but could 

 work better mouldings and ornaments out of their own heads than our 

 architects can design now, and never stopped to see whether they were 

 exactly alike, or were of any particular size ; as no man ever would who 

 is capable of judging by his brains, instead of his compasses, of the effect 

 he is producing. Hence too comes that curious fact which Mr. Ruskin 

 ascertained, that even now the workmen who are set to carve orna- 

 ments of their own design (the best symptom of real Gothic revival 

 that we have seen), not only do them much better and with more life, 

 character, and variety, but also much faster than those who merely copy 

 drawings or models. I was struck myself with the rapidity with which 

 lumps of stone on our buttresses and pinnacles at Doncaster were con- 

 verted into birds and beasts, and how the men who carved in this way 

 never added a stroke too much ; while the smoothers, and scrapers, and 

 copiers of classical models of ornaments never seem to think they have 

 done enough. 



I have described in the book before referred to how I accidentally 

 learnt that " finishing " is really spoiling, by finding a moulding lying 

 about which seemed to me exactly right, and like an old one, and being 

 told by the man whom I asked how it came to be so, that " it was not 

 finished." I have not time to dwell further on this point now, beyond 

 saying that with extreme difficulty and in spite of resistance which re- 

 quired a very strong hand to put it down, I succeeded in getting most 

 of the work at Doncaster left " unfinished ;" but in that respect also 

 there is just enough done in the usual way to enable anybody to 

 judge of the difference, for the joints of the nave pillars were pointed 

 up as usual, and present their white lines like a band of paint at every 

 joint, and the inside stone work was scraped ; whereas the great pillars 

 were not allowed to be touched after they were built, nor any of the 

 outside work or window tracery. At St. James's nothing of the kind 

 was allowed. I may observe however, that where the stone is 

 mottled, or has a natural variety of colour, it may baffle even the 

 modern builder, and look well in spite of him, as is fortunately the 

 case with the stone which was used for most of the inside of St. 

 George's Church, and has a singularly good effect both in the walls 

 and some of the arches. All this is equally true of woodwork, and 

 even of the glazing. Everywhere precision, and extreme regularity, 

 and smoothness, are fatal to Gothic effect, and are essentially dull 

 and feeble ; as indeed precision for its own sake, where there is 

 no object to be gained by it, generally is in other things besides 

 building. Of this however, the vast majority of architects seem 

 to be still profoundly ignorant or incredulous, though every cast 

 Vol. III. (No. 29) b 



