1840.1 



THE CIVIL ENGINEER AND ARCHITECT'S JOURNAL. 



217 



FINSBURY SAVINGS' BANK. 



Architect, Alfred Bartholomew. 



The sum allowed for the erection of this building was only £2850, 

 whifh, taking into consideration its size, is not 50 per cent, upon the 

 ratio of cost of any other of the savings' banks of the metropolis ; the 

 consequence is, that it is neither built externally of the materials, nor 

 finished internally in the style, which the architect of it desired : a 

 previous design was prepared by hira for a larger and superior build- 

 ing, to be finished externally with Portland stone, internally fitted up 

 in a handsome manner, and with the novelty of an entire fire-proof 

 construction, the particulars of which are to be found in Mr. Bartho- 

 lomew's "Specifications for Practical Architecture," just published. 

 The absolute tender for the difference between external stucco and 

 Portland stone (the frontage remaining the same), was less than 5 per 

 cent, upon the cost of the original design, and less than 7 per cent, 

 upon the reduced one ; and the fire-proof construction added only 

 about G per cent, to the cost. 



The frontage of the building extends 72 feet, and consists of a range 

 of seven large windows, for the admission of a great body of light to 

 the offices, between ten rusticated pilasters, 13 ft. G in. high, which 

 are diminished. They are surmounted by an entablature ; above is a 

 range of three Palladian windows (lighting a board-room), flanked by 

 long rustic quoins, and surmounted by a fascia and a bold cornice, 

 from the outer edge of which commences the slope of tiie roof, which 

 has a sunk or concealed gutter. At the sides of the pilastrade before 

 mentioned, are rusticated wings, containing the entrances, each G feet 

 wide, above which the building retires, so as to detach it from the 

 adjoining houses. All the fascias are made very broad, for the pur- 

 pose of receiving inscriptions to be visible at a considerable distance. 



The interior of the building, which is totally destitute of every 

 description of decoration, contains a public office 3U feet long, three 

 private offices, a strong-room, a depositors' waiting-hall 44 feet long, 

 two entrance halls, each 11 feet S inches by 20 feet, a board-room 30 

 feet by 14 feet, two staircases, and besides these thirteen domestic 

 apartments, most of which are concealed from view in order to avoid 

 as much as possible the meanness of many small external windows. 



All the proportions of this building have suffered from retrenchment, 

 and it is thus rendered in dimension, having regard to its business, 

 twice as large as any similar establishment. 



The external cornices and chimneys are not yet finished. 



The sum allowed for this building was so restricted, that the archi- 

 tect chose to be at some part of the expense of the external decora- 

 tions of it, rather than suffer it to undergo farther mutilation. 



No. 34.— Vol. III.- July, 1S40. 



ON THE PRESENT STATE OF THE ART OF GLASS PAINT- 

 ING IN ENGLAND AND FRANCE, AND ON THE NECES- 

 SITY FOR EFFORTS IN ITS FAVOUR. 



By George Godwin, Jun., F.R.S. & S.A.* 



The extraordinary degree of apathy universally manifested with 

 regard to the well-being and progress of an art, the admirable results of 

 which throughout a period of at least five or six hundred years are 

 scattered over the whole of Europe, is so much to be lamented, and 

 calls so loudlv for exertion on the part of those who feel its importance, 

 that I am induced to raise earnestly a feeble voice in its behalf. And 

 I do this without any fear of the imputation of vanity or self-confidence, 

 and with a strong hope that however weak the advocate, some good 

 may be effected by the effort. Many men with earnest wishes and 

 strong inward promptings, avoid speaking out simply through feelings 

 of their own want of importance and dread lest interference on their 

 part may be construed into presumption, or at the best be entirely dis- 

 regarded. This 1 am disposed to think is an evil and should be com- 

 batted, experience showing that a word uttered in due season, however 

 humble and weak the utterer, may, and often does, have effects which 

 could not possibly have been calculated upon : and further, that an 

 individual, however unimportant who with strong conviction iterates, 

 and reiterates the necessity of a certain step will be sure of finding a 

 response in the public mind, provided his statement be founded in 

 truth, and sooner or later will most probably effect his purpose. This 

 introduction is a little too pompous for the very brief remarks which 

 follow, but nevertheless perhaps, may not be deemed useless or im- 

 pertinent. 



To bring together and relate the circumstances attending the pro- 

 gress of the art of painting, and staining glass from the foundation of 

 Constantinople, where it attained a certain degree of excellence, and 

 whence, there seems reason to believe, it was brought to Rome, and 

 afterwards by our Norman, if not our Saxon, ancestors to England, 

 would be a pleasant task, but as all the facts are well known, the repe- 

 tition might prove tiresome. In the 14th and 15th centuries the art 

 reached great perfection in England, and ultimately became so popular 

 that stained glass was not merely used for ecclesiastical purposes, but 

 as an essential feature of decoration in domestic architecture. At the 

 Reformation the onward progress of glass painting was checked, and 

 many fine specimens cf it were destroyed as evidences and encouragers 

 of superstition. Further ravages were made in the reign of Charles I. 

 and during the continuance of the Commonwealth; indeed it seems 

 surprising, bent as the Puritans were upon its destruction, that so much 

 yet remains, 



" Innumerable of stains and splendid dyes. 

 As are the tiger-moths deep damask'd wings," 



to prove its power in exciting holy emotions ; " to add new lustre to 

 religious light," and a further charm to the many inherent beauties of 

 those numerous buildings in the pointed style of architecture scattered 

 over England, of which we have just right to be proud. 



Dallaway in the first edition of his " Observations on English Archi- 

 tecture,"!- gives a valuable list of the various professors of the art of 

 painting on glass, who practised in England from the period of the re- 

 storation of the reigning family up to the year 1805, when Francis 

 Egington died, — a man of celebrity in the exercise of the art, who had 

 been established near Birmingham. 



A little time previous to this date, Charles Muss came to London to 

 obtain emplovnient as a colourer of prints. He lodged at the house of 

 an individual who painted upon china for Messrs. Mortlock, and was 

 induced by accident, on the death of iiis landlord, to undertake the 

 completion of some work of this description which had been left un- 

 finished. Succeeding in this he became a china painter, and ultimately 

 a glass painter, and was employed in that capacity for many years by 

 Mr. Collins of the Strand. He afterwards executed a number of works 

 in his own name, — of which one of the finest that I know is a window 

 in the church of St. Mary at Redriff. Muss had a number of pupils, 

 some of whom are now practising: as for example Mr. Nixon and Mr. 

 Hoadley. Backler, who painted the window at St. George's church 

 in the Boroagh, was another of his scholars, as was also Mr. John 

 Martin — since so deservedly celebrated in another branch of art; a 

 man of whom it may be said, in a parenthesis, our age will boast here- 

 after.l A work in stained glass from his hands is, I believe, to be 



* The substance of this paper was read at the Royal Institute of British 

 Archiiecis, June I, 184U. 



T London, 1806. 



; '• It is only when we are skeleton? that we are boxed and ticketed, and 

 prized and shown. ' — W. S. Landor. 



2 G 



