THE CIVIL ENGINEER AND ARCHITECT'S JOURNAL. 



[January, 



a scroll, the mullions of the windows disappeared, and the Gothic 

 panelling on the face of the building gave place to pilasters and en- 

 tablatures elaborately adorned with figures, fruit, and foliage, as may 

 be seen in numberless examples remaining in most of the towns. 2 The 

 Town Halls and Belfries form a striking feature in Belgium, and in 

 some cases are singularly beautiful. Amongst the privileges granted 

 to the towns when they first acquired communal rights, none seem to 

 have been deemed greater, or were more speedily acted upon, than 

 the right of building a belfry to call together the citizens, and a hall 

 as a general meeting place. 



The Hall at Louvain, which has afforded a subject to so many of our 

 artists, is now unquestionably one of the most perfect specimens of a 

 civic building raised by the medieval architects, which remains to us. 

 The whole of it, a pile of crocketted canopies, corbels sculptured into 

 numberless figures, windows, panelling, and elegant turrets, has been 

 restored in a very able manner. 



The Town Halls of Bruges, Audenaerde, Ghent, and Brussels, are 

 other examples of great interest. The spire of the latter, which is 

 remarkable for its lightness and elegance, is now being restored, and 

 I cannot avoid making this an opportunity to remark, that the desire 

 to restore the buildings left us by our fathers, which is, at this time, de- 

 veloping itself simultaneously in England, France.Germany and Belgium, 

 is no unimportant sign, and will serve hereafter to characterize the 

 19th century. Valuable as the result is, the feelings which prompt 

 to it, and of which it is but the evidence, are more important still. 



The west front of St. Gudule at Brussels, the cathedral at Antwerp, 

 and St. Bavon at Ghent, are amongst the principal buildings in 

 Belgium, which have been lately repaired. More important perhaps 

 than anv, however, are the restorations now going on at the cathedral 

 of Tournay, which is one of the most interesting structures in the 

 country, whether regarded per se as a specimen of the architectural 

 skill of two different periods of time, or as recalling by association 

 the events of many ages. 



Seen from a distance, with its forest of towers high above the sur- 

 rounding buildings, its effect is very striking; nor are the pleasant an- 

 ticipations so raised in any degree lessened by a close approach. In 

 form, it is a Latin cross, with five towers; namely, one on the east, 

 and one on the west side, at each end of the transept, and one at the 

 centre of the cross. The transept is terminated at each end by a 

 semi-circular absis, similar to many churches in Cologne and other 

 parts of Germany. The nave has an aile on each side, separated by 

 piers and small columns bearing semi-circular arches, which in 

 various parts approach the horse-shoe form. 3 Above these, is a 

 second range of piers and arches, of similar or greater height than 

 the first, forming the front of a large gallery, extending the width of 

 the ailes. 4 Over these, is a series of arches against the wall, spring- 

 ing from short piers. The clerestory and the vaulted ceiling were 

 the work of barbarous repairers, in 1777, and took the place of the 

 ancient wooden roof: they will shortly be restored to their original 

 appearance. B 



All the capitals of the lower columns in the nave are sculptured to 

 represent foliage, and are exceedingly sharp and clear. In earlier 

 times, they were all painted and gilt, and further decorated by 

 scripture mottoes around the abacus. Much of the stone-work is 

 rough and has been covered with stucco: the columns and other 

 parts that were exposed, are of Tournay stone polished. 



2 Lille, a French town, but close to the Belgic frontier, displays a great 

 number of houses of this character, of great richness, and in some cases, 

 much beauty. _ 



a The piers occupy a square of six feet on the plan, set diagonally. The 

 openings are 13 feet 6 inches wide, and about 11 feet 6 inches high to the 

 springing of the arch. There are nine such compartments on each side of 

 the nave. 



4 'i he galleries in ancient churches were used for the purpose of separating 

 the sexes, and even different ages of the same sex. This was perhaps ren- 

 dered necessary by the custom of saluting, which then obtained amongst the 

 '•faithful." 



5 During the whole of the 18th century continued injury was done to the 

 building, by injudicious endeavours to support the fabric ; many openings, 

 especially in the transept and the clerestory of the choir were bricked up ; 

 the capitals of the columns and other decorative portions were covered with 

 whitewash, and the frescoes which adorned the walls destroyed. 



The four great arches at the junction of the cross are pointed, and 

 have also been embellished by colour, much of which is still visible. 



The interior of the semi-circular absis, terminating the transept at 

 either end, is exceedingly beautiful, and produces a very striking effect. 

 The annexed sketch, (Fig. 1,) may serve to give some general idea 

 of its arrangement. At the bottom, a series of six lofty columns two 

 feet eight inches diameter, and about 24 feet high, built up of ten 

 courses of stone, and placed at a short distance from the wall of the 

 absis, support narrow semi-circular arches raised on legs. Over 

 these are two triforia and a clerestory, and the whole terminates in a 

 half dome with plain ribs converging to a point. 6 The capitals of 

 the columns consist of volutes and of leaves. The base of each 

 pillar has four sculptured leaves at the angles of the pedestal. 



Fig. 1. 



Originally the choir was about one-third the length of the building, 

 and terminated in an absis similar to those of the transept in form 

 and style. This portion of the building, however, was rebuilt, as i- 

 mentioned hereafter, and is now an exceedingly fine specimen of the 

 pointed style, resembling in some respects the choir of Cologne ca- 

 thedral, although executed much before that wonderful building. 



The present choir has an aile and a series of small chapels on 

 both sides, which continue round the east end. Lofty columns bearing 

 acutely pointed arches, separate the ailes from the choir. In each 

 spandril of these arches is a circular ornament in mosaic work, and 



6 These vaults aie formed of rubble work, under a wooden root, and an 

 less than two feet in thickness. 



