1844.] 



THE CIVIL ENGINEER AND ARCHITECT'S JOURNAL. 



183 



than as we prefer a good Grecian design to a bad Gothic one ; but 

 that is chiefly matter of taste — certainly does not amount to a very 

 flagrant moral delinquency. 



However, we are quite ready to join the Camdenists, and that too 

 most cordially, in a crusade against Paganism; but then we do not 

 agree to their half measures, but insist upon 'going the wliole hog!' 

 if Paganism is really to be rooted out from the land, let us lay the axe 

 to the stem of the tree, and that right vigorously. Let not pagan 

 poets be any longer made the studies, and the corrupters of Christian 

 youth ; let us have no aspirants to episcopacy employing themselves 

 in editing Greek tragedies ; let us not hear Homer spoken of with as 

 much reverence as if the Iliad were a book of Holy Writ and Christian 

 doctrine. Let us purge not only our libraries, but also our galleries, 

 botb. public and private, of the rank paganism there hoarded up as 

 precious works of art. If art sanctities what is heathen and profane, 

 when it comes in such shape, it may also render us tolerant of such 

 comparatively innocent paganism as that of Greek and Roman columns 

 and entablatures ; — and now, to make use of a not very polite expres- 

 sion, we have flung the Ecclesiologisl " a bone to pick ;" but dare say 

 that it will consider it altogether beneath its notice; the most conve- 

 nient and prudent course which Tartutferie aud pharasaical hypocrisy 

 can take. After all, too, the Ecclesiologist is not even tolerably con- 

 sistent as far as it goes, for if its anger be stirred up against mere 

 literary articles, which according to its own account, are too dull to do 

 any mischief, it ought to empty the vials of its fiercest indignation upon 

 those monuments of architecture which, by their Paganism, (a mighty 

 pretty bug-bear word,) must so shock the pious feelings and the or- 

 thodoxy of Camdenists: — for instance, that flagrant example in Cam- 

 bridge itself, the Fitzwilliam Museum. With what sort of sincerity 

 the Camdenists, and their organ tlie Ecclesiologist, take the interests 

 of architecture to heart is sufficiently apparent from the studious sup- 

 pression of all mention of or reference to the beautiful little cemetery 

 chapel lately erected at Cambridge by Mr. Lamb. No doubt, they 

 would if they could abuse it, as they have done Mr. Blore's church at 

 Hoxton ; for it may, in their eyes, have a far greater defect than even 

 that of Paganism, namely, of heterodoxy, the building belonging to 

 Dissenters; and the Camdenists are wonderfully orthodox, and no less 

 wonderfully liberal, — quite pattern people, and amazingly consistent 

 to boot. Their orthodoxy extends even to their orthography, in 

 which they display a singular affection for, a silly affectation of the 

 now exploded k, in such words as Catholic, Gothic, &c., spelt by them 

 Catholic^', Gothic/t, which may be very proper, yet seems to us very 

 finicAal and very comicAal. 



ZZ 



ARCHITECTURAL DRAWINGS, ROYAL ACADEMY, 



Almost might we stereotype the remarks with which we have 

 hitherto opened our notices oi the architectural department of the 

 Academy's Annual Exhibitions. But it would seem that the corri- 

 genda are also incorrigibilia : in regard to them, there are not the 

 slightest symptoms of amendment; — not even of there being any de- 

 sire to effect improvement, notwithstanding that it is so obviously 

 needed. We must therefore, per force, conclude that the architects 

 belonging to the Academy are mere cyphers in it, without authority, 

 influence, or interest of any kind; and that their zealous endeavours 

 to abate the grievances and inconveniences complained of, and to 

 obtain for architecture more liberal treatment at the hands of the 

 Academy — so long at least as it continues to form any part of their 

 exhibitions, — have been quite unavailing. If we do not account for 

 matters this way, we are driven to a very ugly alternative — that of 

 supposing that those gentlemen who represent the interests of Archi- 

 tecture — their own jjrofession — ^at the Academy, leave it entirely to 

 shift for itself, well knowing that their own drawings are certain of 

 being hung to advantage. — To give them their due, however, they 

 are tolerably considerate, and do not monopolize a very great deal of 

 space. Only three drawings constitute the entire quota of those sent 

 in this year by the Academician Architects — namely Barry and Hard- 

 wick. As to the Architectural President, Professor Cockerell, instead 

 of doing the honours of his own department, he again keeps away 

 altogether, which may be very dignified, but is not particularly gra- 

 cious or encouraging on his part. — Like Sir John, he is ashamed to 

 march with the ragged rogues through Coventry ; so puts himself to 

 Coventry. 



Besides the Professor, there are many others whose names we this 

 year miss from the Catalogue, although hitherto they have generally 

 exhibited something each season. No wonder therefore if the average 

 merit of the present Exhibition is below, rather than at all above that < 



of some preceding ones ; especially as we do not find old acquaintances 

 supplied by new ones of any note or promise. 



We will break off from our general remarks — crusty ones? — and 

 turn at once to Barry's splendid pair of drawings Nos. 1186 and 1196, 

 the first a " View of the New Palace at Westminster, as it will appear 

 from Lambeth;" the other a view of it " as it mould appear from the 

 Surrey side of the river, near the foot of the new Hungerford Bridge, 

 in connexion with a suggested new Bridge at Westminster." As to 

 the " mill appear" promised for the first subject, that we somewhat 

 doubt, unless Mr. Barry be a second Joshua, and can prevail upon the 

 sun to tarry in the East and light up the river front of his edifice in 

 the same manner as is here shown. Neither will the building ever 

 display itself from Lambeth in the same manner as is represented in 

 the drawing, the station selected by the artist — and extremely well 

 selected it is in itself — being very much nearer. There must also, we 

 apprehend, be some mistake or miscalculation in regard to the point 

 from which the other view is taken, it being immediately close to the 

 " suggested" Bridge, showing the latter as it would be seen from upon 

 the river, therefore not near to Hungerford Bridge. This will proba- 

 bly be thought hypercriticism ; and such indeed it is in regard to the 

 drawings, for there artistical licenses of the kind in order to show the 

 subject to the greatest advantage, are allowable enough; but the case 

 becomes somewhat different when, as in this instance, it is above all 

 things important to calculate beforehand the precise effect of the 

 structure when completed, without any exaggeration or flattery. That 

 Mr. Barry himself professes to be very exact, is evident enough, else 

 he would hardly by particularizing the precise stations from which 

 they are taken, have led us to question the veracity of the drawings 

 in that respect. Be the mistake however either on his part or ours, there 

 can be no mistake as to the magnificence of the architectural ensemble 

 which Mr. Barry here displays to us. He has not at all reined in his 

 imagination, but it is not so certain that John Bull will not apply the 

 curb to it, for we now perceive to what prodigious extent the archi- 

 tect proposes to carry out his plans. According to what is here 

 shown, we find that all the houses on both sides of Bridge Street are to 

 be swept away ; and that the South side of that street will be formed 

 by another extensive range of buildings, similar in character to the 

 other elevations of the "Palace," and entirely enclosing behind it 

 Westminster Hall and New Palace Yard. Then are we to have ter- 

 races and shrubberies on the other side of the street, at least along 

 the river ; also other terraces, and a splendid pavilion or Water-gate, 

 extending from the south end of the River Front. Neither does Mr. 

 Barry stop short here, for there are now additional towers, and the 

 original Clock-Tower, is now prodigiously enlarged and converted 

 into a lofty upright mass, whose ensemble has more of the character 

 of Foreign than of English Gothic, aud which is withal somewhat 

 heavy in outline in its upper part, where there is a most enormous 

 clock-dial — not unlikely to obtain the name of the " Prince of Wales' 

 pocket watch." In comparison with what is now contemplated — at 

 least by the architect himself, the edifice will be expanded to about 

 double the extent of the original plan; therefore what with the pro- 

 digious increase that way; with fresco-painting and other closely de- 

 corations in the interior; with a vast deal of additional external de- 

 coration also ; and lastly with the suggested Bridge, — the sum total 

 will be truly startling. 



Without wishing any ill to the Palace of Westminster, we should 

 not like to see it entirely swallow up all disposable resources, when 

 some are much needed for other purposes. Mr. Barry's ideas are so 

 elastic, — he has such a superabundance of imagination and invention 

 that we wish he would out of charity's sake, bestow a little of it — 

 some of the mere crumbs and sweepings — upon Sir Robert Smirke, they 

 would surely be acceptable to an architectural Lazarus. It seems, 

 however, that Sir Robert will accept nothing, not even advice : al- 

 though he takes very coolly a pretty large stock of reproaches, and it 

 must be confessed that he does not take them without having fairly 

 earned them. After so much has been said about the Facade of the 

 British Museum, many persons may have supposed that there would 

 certainly be either some drawing or the model of it in the present ex- 

 hibition. So far from looking for any thing of the kind, we should 

 have been as much startled by it as if we had found the Museum itself 

 in Trafalgar Square. Were all others in the profession to take pat- 

 tern by Sir Robert Smirke, and we may almost add the "Professor" 

 himself, there would be ayiVMS to architectural exhibitions altogether. 

 As to Professors, they are rather shy of exhibiting; we get however 

 this year a subject from one of them, whose name is almost a stranger 

 in the Catalogue, and what is more, a subject which challenges direct 

 comparison with Barry; viz.. Professor Hosking's design for "Re- 

 modelling the superstructure of Westminster Bridge upon the present 

 piers," as shown by plans, constructional drawings, &c., in Nos. 1143 

 and 1 148. " The main object of the design," the Catalogue tells us, 



16* 



