24 



THE CIVIL ENGINEER AND ARCHITECTS JOURNAL. 



[Januart, 



character. The tower and spire, however, rising together to the 

 height of 200 feet, and placed campanile fashion at the north-west 

 angle of the front, will be a very good and bold feature in the exterior. 

 Of Mr. Pugin's Catholic Church, near the Blind School, no further 

 mention is made, but we suppose that when completed, it will be 

 fully described, and at present it certainly promises well — for there is 

 much excellent detail in doors and windows, some of which will be 

 rather highly decorated, although the general material is only brick — 

 but homely as it is, even that is better than what has been not unaptly 

 called the "stone and starvation" style. 



The Wesleyans seem to be patronizing architecture ; their College 

 or "Theological Institution" at Richmond, is an extensive stone 

 structure in the Tudor style, and with some novelty in its design ; but 

 the wood-cut view of it does not show it to any great advantage, the 

 shadowed parts being indistinct and confused. Whether the execu- 

 tion be as satisfactory as the design, we pretend not to sav ; but as far 

 as the general character of its facade goes, it appears to be a building 

 that would not disgrace either of our universities. Mr. Cockerell's 

 Sun Assurance Office is spoken of, upon the whole, with commenda- 

 tion, yet not without some exceptions being made to it. The first 

 floor windows are objected to as being rather poor and trivial in 

 design, and as requiring further enrichment which might have been 

 so applied as to till up the plain spaces or panels between the rusti- 

 cated piers in which they are set. Had this been done, they would 

 certainly have been more important features in the composition, but 

 not at all more so than their situation requires; and they would at the 

 same time have given greater originality of character to the whole. 

 The ensemble, too, would have been more in keeping. The interior 

 of the new libraries at Cambridge — that is, of the north wing, the only 

 portion as yet finished — another work by the same architect, is also 

 described as being greatly better than the exterior, and the principal 

 room is said to be a very noble apartment. Another building at Cam- 

 bridge, and of which a tolerably full account is here given — which is 

 certainly not the case in Le Keux's Memorials of Cambridge, there 

 being there scarcely a syllable relative to it — is that for the new 

 county courts, by Messrs. Wyatt and Brandon. The facade consists of 

 an Italian Doric order in pilasters, comprising a lesser one of insulated 

 columns from which spring arches, after the manner of a Venetian 

 window. Of these the five centre ones are open so as to form a 

 recessed loggia or arcade, and produce a bold effect of light and 

 shade. The idea is borrowed from Palladio's Basilica at Vicenza, 

 but also exhibits, as is here remarked, a considerable degree of im- 

 provement upon the original ; though, to talk of improving upon any- 

 thing by Palladio, that may seem little less than treason to those who 

 hold his works to be the ne plus ultra of refined taste. Of the 

 "Brunswick Buildings" at Liverpool, some account was given in our 

 last volume, at page 278, therefore we need here say no more than 

 that the view in the Companion fully bears out the description of it, 

 and shows it to be an exceedingly handsome piece of architecture. 



Under the head of "Railways of Great Britain" we have a brief 

 record of the progress of railways since Nov. 1, 1841, by which it 

 appears that, from that time to the present, there is a total extent of 

 1761 miles more brought into operation. 



An Encyclopedia of Architecture, Historical, Theoretical, and Prac- 

 tical. By Joseph Gwilt. Illustrated by more than 1000 engrav- 

 ings on wood. In one thick volume, Svo, lOS'J pp. London, IS 12. 

 Longman & Co. 



As one of a series of similar works devoted to separate branches of 

 study, and which has been stamped by public favour, and as a useful 

 and economic compendium for the student, this Encyclopaedia will, no 

 doubt, prove a successful publication. Its contents, however, are so 

 multifarious, some of them bearing upon matters which are but very 

 remotely connected with architecture properly so termed, that it is to 

 this last department we must confine ourselves for the present. And 

 we begin by remarking that one great disadvantage attending works 

 of the kind is that, however satisfactorily they are executed, as 

 regards their main purpose, namely, the instructing those who have 

 yet to learn, they are apt to disappoint those who a're already familiar 

 with the subject treated of, and of course acquainted beforehand with 

 the substance of the information thus collected together. Allowance 

 must, therefore, be made for want of novelty, since the whole ground 

 must be gone over again, and novelty can be displayed only in the 

 writer's views and opinions, and in his corrections of or additions to 

 what has previously been said by others. We must, accordingly, 

 restrict our observations to the architectural portion of the work, but 

 to those opinions thrown out in it, which come immediately from Mr. 



Gwilt as their author; for it is these alone that can be made to serve 

 as characteristic specimens, in a mere notice like the present, of so 

 extensive a work. 



One thing which is clearly enough apparent is, that Mr. Gwilt has 

 not written ad. captandum, at least not as far as the profession are 

 concerned, for he expresses himself more than once by no means very 

 encouragingly in regard to the present state of the art in this country, 

 especially as compared with what it is in France. We do not quarrel 

 with him for uttering such opinion, unpleasant as it may be, provided 

 it be uttered insincerity; but it is to be regretted that, as he has 

 not scrupled to make so severe an allegation, he did not also allege 

 some of the grounds on which it is formed. Possibly he may mean, 

 not that there is greater architectural talent in France, but that greater 

 and more frequent opportunities are afforded it in that country than in 

 our own, where, according to him, it is rather checked than encou- 

 raged by the government; — which qualification would have softened 

 the asperity of the censure. Very far be it from us to object to the 

 expression of censure, for it is that which gives value to praise, and 

 which produces improvement by holding up faults for correction; still 

 we do not exactly approve of that species of it which deals in such 

 vague generalities that it is hardly possible to meet and combat it. 

 We own that too many opportunities are made mere jobs of in this 

 country — that interest and favouritism too frequently supersede merit, 

 and that false economy, which often turns out in the end to be very 

 expensive, sadly maims many of our public undertakings in architec- 

 ture ; but we are also of opinion that there is talent among us that 

 would fully vindicate our national reputation in art, were it but drawn 

 out, or rather permitted to display itself uncramped, or even with 

 some tolerable degree of freedom. When we look at what has been 

 done in various parts of the country within the last few years, we 

 perceive, upon the whole, improvement — certainly no falling off, and 

 with regard to ability in Gothic architecture, we stand very far su- 

 perior to any of our continental neighbours. 



We do not dissent, however, very much from Mr. Gwilt, when he 

 tells us that " the splendour of the government offices in this country, 

 seems to be in an inverse ratio from the renown of the department;" 

 in instance of which he refers us to the Admiralty and the " Treasury 

 jumble of buildings;" to which he might have added the Custom 

 House — a most miserable affair in point of architecture, and also the 

 Mint, which has no merit, certainly not that of character, to recom- 

 mend it. It is notorious that his opinion of the National Gallery is 

 the reverse of favourable, as is likewise that which he entertains of 

 the London University ; nor do we suppose that he thinks very highly 

 of either the Post-office, or the British Museum, for though he has 

 not expressly censured, neither has he expressly excepted them from 

 the rest. But it is rather, we trust, with reference to the past than 

 to the immediate present, that there is or henceforth will be room for 

 complaining of the indifference betrayed on the part of the govern- 

 ment and those in power, towards architecture and the other tine arts. 

 Something like a public voice in their behalf has lately made itself 

 heard amidst all the never-ceasing din and squabbling of politics, and 

 the daily palavering of the public press. The erection of such a 

 noble fabric as the new Houses of Parliament will at least wipe off 

 some of the reproach justly incurred by many other structures, national 

 in their purposes, though of the nation most unworthy; and it may 

 further be anticipated, that the schemes in contemplation for its in« 

 ternal embellishment, will give a powerful and lasting impulse to 

 other branches of art. We will not risk our credit by predictions 

 that may possibly be falsified by the event: fresco-painting may not 

 succeed here, as far as by success is meant the satisfying public ex- 

 pectation and public taste ; but it is a good augury, ad interim, that 

 any discussion on the subject of it should have been treated as matter 

 of public interest. 



There is no difficulty in interpreting Mr. Gwilt's " expressive si- 

 lence" in regard to Buckingham Palace, in the section devoted to that 

 class of buildings, more especially as he is exceedingly chary indeed 

 of any thing like praise towards another structure, which some have 

 thought they could not extol too magniloquently. " We regret," he 

 says, " that in this country we can offer no model of a palace for the 

 student. Windsor Castle, with all its beauties, which, however, con- 

 sist more in site and scenery than in the disposition of a palace, will 

 not assist us." Ungracious and captious as this opinion may appear 

 to many, it does not at all shock us. What we object to is, not the 

 opinion itself, but to the ipse dixit tone in which it is uttered, without 

 explanation on the part of the writer, so that we are at a loss to know 

 what it is he most objects to in it ; whether it be the plan and ar- 

 rangement chiefly, or the style and the design. 1 We almost suspect 



1 As neither Mr. Poynter nor Mr. Biittou lias attempted to enter into a 

 critical examination of the edifice as it came from Sir Jeffrey's hands— 



