1843.] 



THE CIVIL ENGINEER AND ARCHITECTS JOURNAL. 



115 



urns, flames, figures in ill conceived and violent momentary action, 

 accurate models of periwigs and whiskers, the evanescent fashions of 

 a period of universal bad taste, form the staple — but why endeavour 

 to prove what nearly all seem to acknowledge ? A few weeks ago, 

 when the writer said at the Institute of Architects, iu reference to the 

 tasteless tombs and monuments with which our cathedrals and churches 

 have been gradually encumbered and overladen, "Like some frightful 

 fungus, they have spread insidiously over all parts of these struc- 

 tures, destroying alike their beauty, propriety, and stability. Our 

 metropolitan Abbey presents a lamentable example of the evil; and 

 it is to be hoped that the acknowledged good taste of those who now 

 govern there, will not merely prevent the increase of this abomina- 

 tion, but lead, as opportunities may from time to time offer them- 

 selves, to the removal of the excrescences now deforming that fine 

 building, and to a restoration of its harmonious proportions and ori- 

 ginal integrity ;" — the meeting at once recognized the existence of the 

 evil and reiterated the desire for an alteration. Again we venture 

 to re-urge it. The triforium might be made to contain many of the 

 monuments, as has been done at the Temple Church. Perhaps, too, 

 the Chapter House, which is about to be cleared of its present con- 

 tents, (dirty shelves and presses,) could receive some without injury 

 to itself, so as gradually to restore to our venerable Abbey its original 

 appearance. 



The present state of the ancient monuments is deplorable, and re- 

 quires immediate attention. Mr. E. Blore, the architect of the Dean 

 and Chapter, when before the Committee of the House of Commons 

 on national monuments, in 1841, said, that he considered these monu- 

 ments very sacred things, not to be touched without great care and 

 consideration, as more harm than good might be done in attempting 

 to improve their appearance. This is quite true, but there is never- 

 theless a limit to that forbearance, and this limit has been reached ; 

 for unquestionably, unless some steps be taken at once in several cases, 

 nothing will remain to guide the restorer hereafter, and an irretrieva- 

 ble loss will be sustained. We should be right glad to see a general 

 and perfect restoration commenced, a restoration which should in- 

 clude the removal of the ugly western towers put up by Wren, (who 

 knew little of Gothic architecture, and liked it less,) and the comple- 

 tion of the central tower or spire. Some partial repairs and altera- 

 tions are indeed contemplated, and the plans have been prepared : 

 let us most strenuously urge on the new Dean, Dr. Turton, if it may 

 be done without apparent impertinence, the importance of energy in 

 such a matter as this, and the necessity for the greatest vigilance, 

 in order to prevent not only the occurrence of fresh injuries, but 

 the perpetuation of those already committed. 



Amongst the earliest improvements to be made in the Abbey, is 

 the introduction of stained glass in the rose-window and twelve lower 

 openings of the south transept. The execution of this work, after 

 two competitions, was entrusted to Messrs. Ward and Nixon, and is 

 making rapid progress. The subjects for the twelve lower windows 

 are taken from the Old Testament, and may be described as, Noah's 

 sacrifice, Abraham and the angels, Jacob's dream, Joseph interpreting 

 Pharoah's dream, the finding of Moses, Moses before the burning 

 bush, Moses striking the rock, Moses with the tables of the law, Da- 

 vid anointed by Samuel, dedication of the temple by Solomon, Eli- 

 jah's sacrifice, and Josiah renewing the covenant ; the figures are the 

 size of life. The large rose-window, besides a variety of symbols, 

 scrolls, sentences, and arms, intended to form a rich piece of mosaic 

 work, conformable to the practice of the. old glass painters, will con- 

 tain thirty-two subjects illustrative of the life of Christ, wherein the 

 height of the figures will be about three feet. The impulse which 

 has lately been given to glass-painting in England is a pleasant sign, 

 and cannot be too strongly aided. So firm was the belief that English 

 artists in this department were inferior to foreigners, that the Chapter, 

 it is said, had nearly determined on sending to Germany for the work 

 in question ; luckily, however, one or two members of it were staunch 

 friends to English art, and succeeded in making the present arrange- 

 ment ; the result of which, it is to be hoped, will fully justify them 

 for so doing. 



We have not yet looked into the chapel of Henry VII, orbis mira~ 

 cvlum, as Leland calls it— one of the most beautiful specimens of the 

 last period of Gothic architecture which England or any other country 

 can boast. l From its roof, " pendent by subtle magic," to the floor, 

 the whole presents a rich lace-work of decoration. The lover of ar- 

 chitecture, after studying the perfect development of the pointed 

 style in the Minster itself, 2 with its acutely pointed arches, its lofty 

 attenuated columns, its infinite divisions, finds here the style which 

 succeeded it when the arch was becoming more horizontal, and when 

 a love of decoration threatened, as indeed did soon afterwards hap- 

 pen, to overwhelm good taste, and lead to the abandonment for a 

 time, of pointed architecture altogether. 



With respect to sculpture, Henry VII's chapel presents one of the 

 finest illustrations of early art, in England, in the series of figures 

 which fill the- countless recesses in the walls. It is said they were, 

 once three thousand in number, but this is perhaps doubtful. They 

 display admirable feeling for art, and will well repay attentive exa- 

 mination. The carving too, in the stalls here, is good, and leads us 

 to express regret that so little encouragement is now given to this 

 branch of art in England. There are a considerable number of ar- 

 tists employed in it at this time, but unfortunately — such is the do- 

 minion of fashion, (another word for caprice,) — it is chiefly, if not 

 wholly, in the imitation of old work, to be afterwards stained and 

 sold as such. The upholsterer is the arbiter elegant/arum, and the 

 result is, exactly what might be expected under such circumstances. 

 The remedy for this, and many like evils, is, to make artistical know- 

 ledge more general, and to induce the multitudes to talk and think ou 

 the subject. With an increased public — an extended circle of admi- 

 rers and employers — the powers of the artist will be more fully 

 called into play, and the more critical that public is, the more stre- 

 nuous will the efforts of the artist be to maintain himself superior to 

 his judges. 



George Godwin. 



MESSRS. W. FAIRBAIRN & CO.'S IMPROVED PATENT 

 RIVETING MACHINE. 



The annexed is a drawing of the Patent Riveting Machine as now 

 constructed by Mr. Fairbairn, of Manchester, drawn to a scale of 

 half an inch to the foot. It is widely different in construction from 

 the machine first made, embodying many improvements, and reme- 

 dying several defects to which the former was subject. 



The machine is worked in the following manner ; a strap or band 

 leading from the shafting of a steam engine passes round a pulley, 

 and causes the same to revolve, and with it a pinion fixed upon its 

 axis working into the large spur wheel ; upon the axis of the latter 

 is a cam which acts upon the knee joint of the jointed bars at the top, 

 and forces forward the moving slide C, and with it the die against the 

 head of the rivet, and the inner point of the rivet against a corres- 

 ponding die fixed upon the top of the stem A, the rivet being previ- 

 ously heated in the usual manner. 



The large stem A is now made of malleable iron, and having an 

 iron strap B B screwed round the base, it renders the whole perfectly 

 safe in the case of the dies coming in contact with a cold rivet, or 

 any other hard substance, during the process. Its construction also 

 allows the workmen to rivet angle iron along the edges, and to finish 

 the corners of boilers, tanks, and cisterns; and the stem being now 

 made four feet six inches high, it renders the machine more extensive 

 in its application, and allows of its riveting the fire-box of a locomo- 

 tive boiler, or any other work, within the given depth. In addition 

 to these advantages, it has a broad moving slide C, in which are three 

 dies corresponding with others on the top of the wrought-iron stem. 

 By using the centre die, every description of flat and circular work 

 can be riveted, and by selecting those on the sides it will rivet the 

 corners, and thus complete vessels of almost every shape. Another 

 advantage of this machine is its portable form, and the facility with 



1 Commenced 1503. 



2 Commenced A.D. 1220. 



