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THE CIVIL ENGINEER AND ARCHITECTS JOURNAL. 



[March, 



ROYAL INSTITUTE OF BRITISH ARCHITECTS. 



Feb. 6. — William Tite, Esq., in the chair. 



Mr. Morris read a paper on Ripon Cathedral. 



Mr. Papworth read a paper explaining the method adopted by him in 1829 , 

 to confine the lateral walls, then inclining outward of Trinity church, on 

 Clapham-common. Upon a survey of the building, it was discovered that 

 the brick footings of the walls of the church and tower, were built upon a 

 continuous 4 in. yellow fir planking, containing much resinous matter, and 

 abounding with large knots. In the first instance the trenches were not dug 

 perfectly level, and the bottom course of brickwork was laid dry, thence 

 much of the trench was in winter, subject to wet. and at all times to some 

 moisture. In some parts, particularly the north west angle of the tower, 

 and west staircase, the timber was probably never dry : the nature of gravel, 

 (absorbing moisture freely J upon which the walls were built, of course admits 

 damp air, and the timber is proportionably subject to the decay common to 

 wood when so circumstanced. 



The footings were first examined from the vaults, when the timber beneath 

 the brickwork was found to be in such a pulpy state generally, excepting at 

 the knots and closely adjacent fibres, that the walls, both of church and 

 tower might really be said entirely to depend on the latter for support; with 

 the addition of the adhesion of the materials and the strength contributed by 

 occasional cross walls. The planking was very soon removed, and York 

 stone steps and proper underpinning substituted.' 



Although portions of the church walls, from the parapets down to the 

 plates receiving the gallery floors were leaning outwards, it was found that 

 all beneath was nearly upright ; of course this led to an examination of the 

 ceiling, in which, at about the middle, a wide crack appeared running from 

 the west towards the east end. On examining the roof, it appeared that the 

 fissure, and the overhanging of the walls was caused by the pressure outward 

 of the principal rafters, and chiefly on the south side of the church. This 

 pressure outward had disjoined the tie beams, which had been scarfed in 

 no very judicious manner in the middle, (the church being about 59 ft. wide) 

 the scarfing was merely bound together by slight iron bands, and thin iron 

 ties, depending on staples at their turned up ends and some spikes to restrain 

 the lateral thrust ; which force had almost wholly disengaged these contri- 

 vances, and amply accounted for the effects observed. The roof is of a mixed 

 character uniting the king-post and queen-post arrangement. The queens 

 were framed into the upper rafters, and those rafters, the tie beam and the 

 king-post united and made a roof independent of the other timbers ; the 

 usual straining beam between the heads of the queen posts being omitted. 

 The disarrangement of the timbers of the roof, by settlements common to 

 them, and the displacement caused by the thrust, made it proper to prepare 

 for the operation, of drawing the separated scarfed ends of the tie-beams 

 something closer ; it not being intended to give verv much further effect to 

 the power contemplated, because it might have produced injurv to the entire 

 roof, and to the upper part of the walls, the gutters and slating— at least it 

 was considered injudicious to risk so much probable damage. 



The object was only to prevent a greater separation of the tie beams at 

 their scarrings, to stop any further thrust to the walls ; and it appeared that, 

 by drawing the lower ends of the queen-posts nearer to each other, each 

 having a tendency to urge back its moiety of the tie beam towards the centre, 

 that much might be done, and at no great expense. It being found that the 

 queen-post mortices in the tie-beam were far from being filled by the tenons 

 of the queens, and that to draw them much out of the perpendicular, might 

 produce a further and serious disarrangement of the timbers above. To keep 

 the queens upright, and therefore nearly parallel to each other, the timbers 

 were bolted together through the head's of the queens, through the struts, 

 and through the middle of the king-post; and iron blockings, intended to 

 oppose any movement more than desirable, were carcfullv fitted and bolted 

 to the top of the tiebeam at the foot of each queen-post. ' The application of 

 iron rods having powerfully threaded screws and ample washers and nuts, 

 was of course a matter of easy accomplishment, and when put into operation, 

 there would evidently have been no difficulty in bringing the ends of the 

 timbers into close contact; but, as above stated, there was no wish to effect 

 much more than full security ; and they were only drawn together enough to 

 close in part, the fissure in the ceiling. As will be evident on reflection, this 

 operation of drawing together the posts might, without due care, have left 

 the tie beams without any check to their tendency to sag, and it was therefore 

 found proper, at the time the iron blockings were fixed on to the top of the 

 tie-beams, to saddle on them iron straps, bolted well through the tie-beams. 



The authorities of Clapham church, not doubting the stabilitv of the edi- 

 fice, directed, in October last, the execution of two additional' galleries for 

 about 150 children, when the consequent scaffolding afforded the opportunity 

 of a close examination, and it was very satisfactory to observe that the ope- 

 ration has been completely successful, and that no settlement, nor spreading 

 of the roof, nor further overhanging of the walls, has taken place. 



Feb. 20.— T. L. Donaldson, Esq., V. P., in the chair. 



Mr. Godwin read a paper on Church Building, which is given in another 

 part of the Journal for the present month. 



C. W. Wooley read a paper on the Valhalla, which we propose to give 

 next month, with engravings. 



LICHFIELD SOCIETY FOR THE ENCOURAGEMENT OF ECCLESI- 

 ASTICAL ARCHITECTURE. 



The first annual meeting of the members of this society was held on the 

 5th of January, at the Diocesan School Room, at Lichfield, and, was nume- 

 rously attended. The chair was taken by the Rev. Prebendary Greslev, 

 upon the motion of the Hon. and Very Rev. the Dean of Lichfield. The 

 report of the Proceedings of the committee for the past year was read by 

 Richard Greene, Esq., F.S.A.. Hon. Sec. ; and we are glad to perceive 

 thereby that, although in its infancy, and with but small present available 

 funds, the society is stimulating the desirable object of church restoration 

 upon correct principles, and is, in conjunction with sister societies, strenu- 

 ously resisting the gradual destruction of our venerable churches by time, 

 and that greater innovator, ignorance. We trust the day is arrived when 

 the beautiful remains of those fabrics raised by the piety and skill of our 

 forefathers, and venerated by us, will be rescued from the tender mercies of 

 agrarian churchwardens, and own the fostering care of better guardians. 



The report was followed by an address from the Chairman, in which he 

 set forth, in his usual plain and felicitous style, the leading characteristics of 

 Gothic architecture, from the earliest period to its abasement in the reign of 

 Elizabeth, and offered some strictures upon the cheap church building of 

 modern times. 



Thomas Johnson, Esq., followed the chairman, with some most excellent 

 practical remarks upon the care to be observed in effecting what are termed 

 restorations. He admitted the great utility and advantage to be derived 

 from the combined talent and enquiries of such societies ; but, as a practical 

 architect, he held out a warning to their members to remember the ancient 

 adage, " Xe sutor ultra erepidam." 



The proceedings were concluded by the honorary secretary, Richard 

 Greene, Esq., who read a paper upon the sculptures of Norman architecture, 

 in which he advanced the somewhat startling opinion that our earliest 

 Christian church embellishments are essentially pagan, and of idolatrous 

 origin. He supported the proposition with great ingenuity, and most inter- 

 esting facts, elucidating the paper throughout with numerous drawings. 



METROPOLITAN IMPROVEMENT SOCIETY. 



On Wednesday evening, 22nd ult., a meeting of the Metropolitan Society 

 was held. Mr. J. Ivatt Briscoe in the chair. The chairman congratulated 

 the meeting on the attainment of one of the principal objects of the society 

 — the appointment of a government commission to prepare a comprehensive 

 plan of metropolitan improvement. From a letter in the hands of the secre- 

 tary of Sir Robert Peel, it appeared that the new commission had com- 

 menced its labours by inquiring into the expediency of an ordnance survey 

 aud map of London upon the largest scale, and it was understood that the 

 commission was now engaged in considering the various plans proposed for 

 an embankment of the Thames. Mr. Martin, the painter, said, that for 

 fourteen years he had been engaged in promoting the two-fold object of 

 throwing open the banks of the Thames, and of converting the contents of 

 the sewers, now flowing into the river, to agricultural uses. — Mr. W. E. 

 Hickson observed, that some idea of the pecuniary value of the liquid manure, 

 now permitted to be lost, might be formed from the fact, that in Paris a 

 new contract had recently been signed, by which the contractor agreed to 

 give the city 22,000/. for the contents of the cesspools of Paris. Mr. Fowler 

 observed, that as numerous private interests would be affected by an em- 

 bankment of the Thames, it was very important to watch any proceedings re- 

 lating to this object, in order that the public interest should not be sacrificed. 

 Mr. W. Lindley was anxious that the new commission in considering any 

 plan for the embankment of the north side of the river, should inquire into 

 the practicability of connecting it with the Essex road by means of a new 

 and broad street running from Aldgate to the Thames, so as to form a prac- 

 ticable carriage thoroughfare from the west to the east of London, which now 

 could scarelv be said to exist. 



MODERN CHURCH ARCHITECTURE. 



A verv clever little periodical, The Eeclesiolorjist , published by the Cam- 

 bridge Camden Society, has already done much good in counteracting the 

 churchwarden barbarisms that have been too often committed in many of our 

 churches; it is also creating a taste among the clergy for Gothic architec- 

 ture, which will ultimately be of great service to the profession, and act as a 

 counteraction to the selection of inferior designs by " Building Committees." 

 The selection is frequently governed by favouritism, and much oftener by the 

 want of true taste in those who are appointed to select the designs out of 

 probably 50 or 60 that may be laid before them. We quite agree with the 

 following hint on modern church architecture, and consider that too much 

 attention and money is bestowed in highly finishing the stone work, carving, 

 and other ornaments, when frequently rough scabbled stone work will pro- 

 duce a more pleasing effect than the highly wrought stone, and be done at 

 one-half the expence, consequently it may be used less sparingly than it now 



