702 SPANISH CHESTNUT. TMar. 



SPANISH CHESTNUT.''' 



ALTHOUGH I have too long omitted to notice the references to 

 this wood, and to my published opinions about it, contained 

 in your report of the discussion on Mr, Hems' paper on the Old 

 Woodwork at Exeter, read before the Society of Architects in 

 December last (see p. 884), I trust the interest which the subject 

 possesses will justify my referring to it now. 



Mr. Hems, to whom I have been much indebted for his corre- 

 spondence with me on this subject, makes a mistake in saying that 

 I " had boldly asserted that no chestnut was ever used in England, 

 and that what was supposed to be chestnut was oak." What I 

 have asserted for many years is that in every single case in which 

 an old roof had been stated to be of chestnut, it turned out on 

 examination to be of oak. This I still say; but if any one can 

 bring forward an instance of its use in the construction of any old 

 building, I shall very gladly accept it as a new discovery in 

 archa3ology. 



Mr. Hems did indeed send me a piece of the screen of Eodmer- 

 sham Church, which I fully believe to be of Spanish chestnut, and 

 I published the fact at the time. It is, so far as I know, the only 

 instance of a piece of church fitting or other joiners' work in that 

 wood older than about 200 years ; but we may hope to find more of 

 it by intelligent search. Many of the old " marriage coffers " or 

 chests that are said to be of chestnut are of walnut, which is 

 commonly used in Italy for joiners' work where we might use oak. 



Mr. H. T. Bonner states in the same discussion that both oak 

 and chestnut were used in Eltham Palace and Westminster Hall. 

 An assertion of that sort made, I will venture to say, in the face of 

 the strongest possible evidence to the contrary, and without the 

 slightest foundation — so far as is publicly known — shows how 

 persistently an error comes to the surface again, however often it 

 may have been killed and buried. It would be easy for any one 

 who really found a piece of chestnut in an old roof to give to others 

 the same chance of examining it as he himself can have had, 

 though he might not be able to send a specimen. I have heaps of 

 specimens sent me from old roofs, every one of which is clearly oak. 

 Until I wrote my paper on this subject for the E.I.B.A. in 1878, 

 the museum at Kew Gardens contained a beautiful brown oak, 

 labelled " Spanish Chestnut." However, the curator of that depart- 

 ment actually attended at the Institute with the specimens, and 

 spoke, fully agreeing that it was labelled by mistake, and that no 

 chestnut in English media3val carpentry was known to exist. 

 '^'" Contributed to the Building News of February 5. 



