1S43.] 



THE CIVIL ENGINEER AND ARCHITECTS JOURNAL. 



231 



for the satisfactory completion of the church." A memorial was 

 presented to the Common Council from members of the Metropolis 

 Churches Fund, in February last, praying them to "grant permission 

 for the removal of the materials of the wall, and to convey to Her 

 Majesty's Commissioners, for building additional churches, the ground 

 en which the wall now stands." This the Common Council granted ; 

 so that the fate of the wall is decided, unless those gentlemen in 

 whose hands it is placed can be led to regard the subject in a fresh 

 point of view. Their object is unquestionably an excellent one: far 

 be it from me, even if I had the power, to throw the least impediment 

 in the way of it. The gentlemen who are interesting themselves in 

 effecting it are of undoubted character and worth, and I cannot help 

 concluding that the proposal to destroy the wall was made in the first 

 instance without serious consideration, and that now public opinion 

 has been strongly expressed on the subject, other means will be 

 taken to obtain sufficient ground for their purpose, or that the plan of 

 the proposed church will be altered so as to adapt it to the land al- 

 ready in their possession. 



The length of the wall is 48 feet, irrespective of a part of it 

 which forms the end of some adjoining premises: the height next 

 Trinity Square is from 20 to 25 feet, and the thickness, as nearly as 

 can be estimated, about 6 feet. In times less eminent for the preser- 

 vation of ancient monuments than the present day, it was coped with 

 brickwork, and strengthened at the northern angle, and is consequently 

 in a tolerably good state of repair. It is faced on both sides 

 with masonry in courses, (the interior being of rubble work,) and 

 shows occasional layers of Roman bricks. On the west side the 

 facing consists in parts of alternate courses of square and flat stones, 

 and the Roman bricks are few in number and very irregularlv placed, 

 so as to lead to the belief that it was reconstructed perhaps in the 

 Norman period. On the other side, however, some vaults which ad- 

 joined the wall having been destroyed and the ground cleared away, 

 a considerable portion is exposed to view — which is doubtless the 

 original Roman wall, probably not less than fifteen hundred years old, 

 yet still quite sound and perfect. The masonry is of broad squared 

 stones, systematically bonded ; and there are two or more continuous 

 double layers of Roman bricks, agreeing precisely with other rem- 

 nants of the original wall described by various writers. Dr. Wood- 

 ward, who examined part of the old wall in 1707, when some houses 

 were pulled down in Camomile Street, measured the bricks which 

 ■were in it very accurately, and found them 17-jSj in. long, ll-£j in. 

 broad, and l-£, in. in thickness. The bricks in the wall now in ques- 

 tion, measured without remembrance of Woodward's dimensions, I 

 noted as 17 in. long, and 14 in. thick. The double layer, including 

 the mortar between the bricks, measures altogether 4i in. From the 

 top of the lowermost layer, or that next the ground, to the layer above 

 it, the masonry measures 3 ft. 6 in. ; from the top of this up to the 

 next double layer, the masonry measures 2 ft. 7 in. 



Of the value of this interesting relic of antiquity, the desirable- 

 ness of preserving it as a portion of the past for the service of the 

 future, I would speak strongly. Monuments of this description be- 

 come historical evidences, nationally important, and are continually 

 found to be of the greatest service when tracing those changes in our 

 state and manners which time is constantly effecting. They are 

 links in a chain which connects the present with the past — awakeners 

 of sentiment, silent teachers — and have never been destroyed without 

 much after regret and condemnation. 



" Past and future are the wings. 

 On who?e support, harmoniously conjoined, 

 Moves She great spirit of human knowledge." 



The importance of the study of antiquity, notwithstanding some 

 few apparent proofs to the contrary, is now very universally admitted. 

 " It was at one time the custom, amongst the people generally, (as the 

 writer has elsewhere ventured to remark,) to reward the labours of the 

 antiquary with ridicule and contempt — to consider the investigation 

 of a ruined building, the preservation of a piece of pottery, or the 

 noting down of the manners and customs of past ages, as the mere 

 idlings of weak minds; and that he, who so employed himself, was 

 not merely unworthy of praise, but deserving of censure for misap- 

 plying time. The value of the works of this class of men, is now, 

 however, better understood, and therefore more duly appreciated. 

 Through the exertions of these "musty" antiquaries, the civilized 

 world is able (if we may so speak) to look back upon itself, and con- 

 template, in a great degree, its actual state, so far as regards the arts 

 which flourished, the sciences which were understood, and the conse- 

 quent position of the people, at various periods of its age ; and that, 

 too, not merely in the accounts of contemporary and succeeding 

 writers, but in the very results of these arts so practised — in the coins 

 used ; the dresses worn; the furniture employed in their houses; and 



the buildings raised for ecclesiastical, for warlike, or for domestic 

 purposes." 2 



The architecture of a people especially, offers important evidence, 

 in the absence of written records, towards the elucidation of their 

 history; perhaps we may say the most important — for it speaks 

 plainly of the state of society at each particular period, and hints at 

 the degree of knowledge possessed by individuals, or by the people 

 at large. As the comparative anatomist can from one boiie determine 

 the size, the shape, and the habits of an animal, which he has neither 

 seen nor heard of, so may we almost discover, from the ruined build- 

 ings of a people, their prevailing habits, their religion, their govern- 

 ment, and the state of civilization to which they had arrived. 



Not to digress, however, from the immediate subject of this com- 

 munication. The proposed demolition of the remaining portion of 

 London Wall affords another instance of the advantage that might 

 result from the establishment of a public board for the preservation 

 of our ancient monuments similar to the Comite Historique des Arts el 

 Monumem, of Paris, who when local requirements threatened the de- 

 struction of what in reality belongs to the whole nation, might inter- 

 pose their authority, and prevent the contemplated injury. In the 

 present case it is to be hoped that the Society of Antiquaries will 

 not fail as a body to use their influence for the protection of the wall. 

 At a recent meeting of the Royal Institute of Architects, the writer, 

 at the request of a large number of gentlemen, brought the matter 

 under their notice. The Marquis of Northampton, who was in the 

 chair, expressed a hope that the wall might be saved, and suggested 

 that the Council of the Institute should communicate with the Society 

 of Antiquaries, with a view to the presentation of a joint memorial 

 on the subject. The council of the Institute adopted the suggestion, 

 and it is to be hoped that such a representation will consequents be 

 made to the excellent gentlemen with whom the fate of the wall "now 

 rests, as to lead to its preservation whole and uninjured. Whether 

 so or not, the writer feels he has but performed a duty in raising his 

 feeble protest against the destruction of a most valuable and inter- 

 esting memorial of the early history of the city. 



George Godwin. 



ARCHITECTURAL DRAWINGS, ROYAL ACADEMY. 

 ( Concluded from page \%5.) 



By the same architect, are one or two other designs of great merit ; 

 No. 1168, "Forest Cottage, the shooting residence of the Marquis of 

 Breadalbane," answers perfectly both to its title and its purpose, 

 having a look of most comfortable homeliness, and an air of genuine 

 rustic picturesqueness in its ensemble, without any of that "make- 

 believe" and affectation which frequently cause "genteel cottages" to 

 appear strangely finical, and to remind us of the "tea garden." No. 

 1384, by the same, " Model of Wadhurst Castle, showing the altera- 

 tions now nearly completed," also shows what a hideous piece of ug- 

 liness the house was, as first erected, and how happily it has since 

 been metamorphosed, so as to be now a very pleasing and well com- 

 bined design, marked by a good deal of expression in its details; 

 whereas originally there was nothing whatever of the latter, while 

 taken as a whole, the house was a mere insulated lump, unvarying in 

 appearance, in whatever direction it may have been viewed. Such is 

 by no means the case now, there being a very great deal of perspec- 

 tive play — of movement, fore-shortening, contrast ; — a merit that 

 confers varied interest on a building, and which renders the design 

 we are speaking of, a very suitable subject for a moriel. Architec- 

 tural models, however, do not seem to be in much favour with the 

 Roval Academy, for instead of making suitable preparation for them, 

 it seems to treat them as little better than lumber, that may be hud- 

 dled together any how. Whether it ever turns away any things of 

 the kind, we know not, but we certainly have seen many that have 

 never been exhibited there, probably because it is pretty well known 

 to architects that they would be considered unwelcome guests. But 

 we must not say too much, or next year we shall have the Academy 

 provide accommodation for models, by fixing up a shelf for them, on 

 each of the rooms, at about a foot from the ceiling. 



We have already observed that there are this season fewer subjects 

 than usual which afford us any information as to public works or im- 

 provements actually in progress — with the exception of churches, 

 almshouses, and union workhouses. Two drawings, however, there 

 are which show us the additions now making to the buildings of two 

 of the inns of court; viz., No. 1252, "South-east view of the hall 



- " The Churches of London," vol. II. 



