1S47.J 



THE CIVIL ENGINEER AND ARCHITECTS JOURNAL. 



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THE NEW PALACE OF WESTMINSTER. 



THE HOUSE OF LORDS. 



With an Eitgracing, Plate X. 

 Architecture is pre-eminently a royal art — princes, pontiffs, and prelates 

 have paid more direct homage to it than to any other of the fine arts. In 

 the palmy days of Christian architecture — ere its decay was insulted by 

 the mongrel abortion which its call Classic — the spoils of conquerors, the 

 revenues of rich churches, the votive treasures of pilgrims, the dowries of 

 king's daughters, the gains of merchants and burghers, the tribute of pro- 

 vinces, were not considered contributions too munificent for the erection of 

 those stupendous edifices which adorned every town and cily of raedieeval 

 Europe. In our own country, from the time when the Saxon Ethelbert 

 founded the abbey of St. Augustine at Canterbury, till Henry the Seventh 

 reared the magnificent chapel at Westminster which bears his name, zeal, 

 wealth, and power had scarcely any other historical records but palaces, 

 colleges, and cathedrals. Architecture seems to have been a ruling and 

 pervading idea in the minds of the people of those times. The mailed 

 knight, returning from the wars, made it his chief care to adorn the abbey 

 adjacent to his castle — or, at least, to found a costly chantry in which 

 prayers might be made for him when departed. Rival monasteries strove 

 with all their energy to outvie each other in the magnitude and decoration 

 of their edifices; their brethren travelled far and wide to levy contribu- 

 tions ; and every art which zeal and experience could suggest, or supersti- 

 tion and credulity render available, was put in requisition. 



All this took place in days when competition designs and tenders for 

 building by contract were not yet invented. The common people shared 

 in the architectonic enthusiasm of their superiors. There were more pen- 

 nies than golden pieces among the ofTerings : and they who were too poor 

 to give even pence, freely bestowed their labour — felled trees, quarried 

 stone, dug earth, carried burdens, and considered no task too toilsome, so 

 that they might be gladdened by seeing their beautiful church rising, day 

 after day, before their eyes. It was a sorrowful sight when the work 

 stood still because of war or for lack of means. The pride taken in the 

 task by these men, who were the lowest and humblest that lived in what 

 have since been called the Dark Ages, is now so entirely out of date — so 

 utterly unlike any modern popular feeling — as to seem incomprehensible, 

 and almost improbable. To them the great fabric, as it gradually towered 

 above their cottages, and became the way-mark of the country round, was 

 the chief boast and glory of their native place : and if they might only see 

 with their own eyes the wondrous work at length accomplished, which 

 had slowly grown beneath their hands and the hands of their fathers, and, 

 perhaps, grandfathers before them, — then, indeed, their highest ambition 

 was accomplished. These poor men were very spendthrifts in their love 

 of the Beautiful. 



Much of this feeling doubtless was due to the prevaling influence of the 

 church and religious or superstitious motives. But even after making a 

 liberal allowance on this score, a great deal remains which is only ex- 

 plicable on the supposition of a general enthusiasm for noble architecture. 

 The religious bodies themselves had little to gain by the mere decoration 

 of their edifices : they, at least, must have been sincere in their masonic 

 zeal ; for had their churches been as hideous as meeting-houses in modern 

 manjufacluring towns, or as contemptible as genteel chapels of ease in 

 fashionable watering-places, their own condition would have remained 

 unaffected. They ministered in no way to their personal luxury or love of 

 ease in adorning buildings destined for no private or secular uses. Neither 

 could the laity have been animated by selfish motives alone ; — the hope of 

 absolution, indulgence and easy exemption from penance, could not have 

 sufficed alone. The unanimity of purpose throughout widely separated 

 countries, its continuance for centuries in succession, and its universality 

 among all grades and classes, sufficiently show that not external induce- 

 ments alone, but internal feelings also, must have been in operation. The 

 internal feelings which infiuenced these votaries of art were chiefly — a 

 strong love of home, an honest ambition for the honour of their birth-places, 

 and a fond desire to raise up something in their familiar haunts which 

 might draw the wayfarer and stranger out of their road, to marvel at 

 its exceeding beauty and excellence. 

 Accordingly, their architecture was of home-growth and contemporary 

 No. IIS.— Vol. X.— July, 1847. 



— it was essentially their own. These men were neither cosmopolitans 

 nor archaologists : they sought neither for exotic importations nor for 

 resuscitated antiquities — had no craving for things removed by either time 

 or distance— read too little to care for the one, travelled too little to attain 

 the other. 



It is a long while now since their beautiful architecture fell into decay, 

 and was succeeded by a strange fantastic style— the mingled production of 

 many ages and climates. This medley, as strange as was ever seen in an old 

 curiosity shop, which grew fashionable in England only after architecture 

 became the exclusive luxury of the rich, has been lauded in all the set 

 phrases of the dillettanti, from the reign of Queen Elizabeth to that of 

 Queen Victoria. It has, therefore, been a most happy chance for the Fine 

 Arts, that this confusion of antagonistic principles, exhibited during that 

 long period, in the public edifices of England, has at last been checked, 

 and that in offering designs for so vast and important an edifice iis ihe 

 New Palace of Westminster, the competing architects were restricted lo 

 two styles which, whatever their imperfections, possessed in a great decree 

 these essential elements of architectural truth — indigenous growth and the 

 subservience of decoration to construction. 



The style actually adopted by Mr. Barry — the Perpendicular— is, of the 

 two styles to which the designs were restricted, the one which most fully 

 satisfies the tests in question. It is not only Euglish, but exclusively English. 

 The change of architecture, after the Decorated period, took in this countiy 

 a form altogether different to that exhibited in the contemporary change of 

 foreign architecture ; so that it is all but absolutely true that the Perpendi- 

 cular style is uot to be found out of England. Again, the style was a faithful 

 one — it involved none of the absurdities arising from the incongruous com- 

 bination of arches and horizontal architraves. All encomium of the new 

 building, should therefore, as it seems to us, commence from this point— that 

 it developes on a grand scale, for the first time in modern public edifices, the 

 principle of architectural truth. Columns, arches, piers, and buttresses are 

 employed not merely to be looked at, but to contribute each its due share to 

 the support of the building. It is true that this principle has some excep- 

 tions. Large iron girders are employed in the construction ; and though all 

 attempts to apply modern mechanical skill to the legitimate purposes of art 

 tend to the benefit of art itself, yet it must be confessed that the consistent 

 adaptation to an ancient English style of mechanical appliances so entirely 

 unknown to our ancestors as were cast iron girders, involves considerable 

 difficulties. Among the few exceptions to our commendation of the con- 

 structive faithfulness of the architecture of the New Palace must be mentioned 

 certain arch-beads formed by single stones. These stones are to all intents 

 beams, and to cut them into the shape of arches is to deceive the eye by an 

 affectation of forms without purpose. 



The interior of the House of Lords corresponds well to the character of 

 the external architecture. We find the same rich profusion of elaborate de- 

 tails, the same multitude of rectangular panels, the same minute and careful 

 study of the decorations. The old architects deemed tbe composition of 

 their buildings the first point for consideration to which the elaboration of 

 minor parts was to be kept subordinate : but the visitor to the House of 

 Lords must not expect any of that massive, bold combination of simple parts 

 by which the older architects produced effect, even with restricted means. 

 Everything here is rich, graceful, and delicate. The severest of critics 

 could not discern one offence against good taste. But there are no towering 

 columns, dark vaulted roofs, piers that seem to have been reared by giants, 

 and broad deep masses of shadow, such as are found in the adjacent ancient 

 building. 



The drawing herewith shown is the first of a series, which we propose to 

 give illustrative of the new Houses. It is merely an outline, and must not 

 be considered as giving any adequate idea of the effect of decoration — for 

 every little panel there shown is filled up with carvings and other enrich, 

 ments, which we shall hereafter give in detail. A work so large as is the 

 House of Lords, so profusely and so minutely decorated, cannot be repre- 

 sented by any drawing which is less than the size of the original ; for there is 

 certainly not a square foot of surface, which has not been placed under the 

 hand of the decorator. Our engraving has, by the great kindness of Mr. 

 Barry, been made partly from our own admeasurements and partly from 

 drawings, and we shall endeavour to give a record of this valuable work, 

 which may be received as authentic. 



The House of Lords is a double cube of 45 feet, that is to say, 90 feet ia 

 length, and 45 feet in breadth and height. It may be considered as consist- 

 ing of three parts — the southern or throne end, tbe northern or bar end, 



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