1846.] 



THE CIVIL ENGINEER AND ARCHITECrS JOURNAL. 



m 



degree better than Borromini. By this remark it is not to be understood 

 that the design we are speaking of is indebted to either of the two build- 

 ings just named for any of its features ; on the contrary, it difTers altoge- 

 ther from Barry's mode of composition, the middle window of the principal 

 floor being not only distinguished from the others, but distinguished in a 

 very eminent degree, for although the window opening is of the same size, 

 its decoration forms a larger and loftier central compartment. There is 

 some novelty also in introducing a bas-relief as a frieze between the prin- 

 cipal floor and the one over it, where figures of the kind would be more 

 distinctly seen than higher up.— We meet with subjects of street architec- 

 ture for projected metropolitan improvements in Nos. 1175 and 1185 by 

 W. J. Donthorn, and 1319 by AUom, the two former being designs for a 

 new street in a direct line from Buckingham Palace to Westminster Abbey, 

 and for a new Square adjoining the Abbey ; and the other for improving 

 the North bank of the Thames between London and Blackfriars Bridges. 

 This last is a very able drawing, but the architecture is rendered quite 

 iubordiuate, being treated as little more than background to the splendid and 

 animated river view, which, as picture, would have been just as good had 

 the present houses been represented. Perhaps it would be unfair to con- 

 eider the buildings here put in as intended to do more than convey a gene- 

 ral idea of the proposed line, fur they are made up of just the same sort of 

 showy fronts as are now in vogue for new trading streets. Were the sepa- 

 rate elevations drawn out as usual and left to speak for themselves as de- 

 signs, some of them, we fancy, would cut but a sorry figure. The same 

 remark may serve for Mr. Donthorn's jirojc'f .- as a street it would be a very 

 great improvement, but as street architecture no great improvement if any 

 upon the samples we have got. 



The transition from streets and the outsides of houses to the insides of 

 the latter is so natural that " Inturinrs" seem to claim our attention next, 

 almost as matter of course, but we must reserve our remarks upon them 

 and the remaining drawings, for a second notice. 



NEW METROPOLITAN CHURCHES. 



St. John's, Charlolle-street, Fitzroy square.— This church is now nearly 

 eompleted. The style adopted in the more conspicuous parts of the build- 

 ing is Norman, or rather the modern mongrel between Norman and Ro- 

 manesque. The west front exhibits two towers divided into stages ; of 

 these towers, that at the north-west angle is surmounted by a slate-covered 

 spire. The rest of the facade consists of a gable, containing a triplet of 

 round-headed windows, with a wheel-window above, and the west door 

 below them. The surface of the west front is broken by small arches 

 and columns of decoration, string courses, and a corbel-table. These 

 members and the dressings are of Bath stone, the rest is faced with Kent- 

 ish rag. As might be anticipated in a Loudon church built in the line of 

 a street and crammed in between the neighbouring houses, neither the in- 

 terior nor the exterior of this edifice has the slightest pretensions to the 

 spirit of Norman architecture, notwithstanding the imitation of some of 

 the forms peculiar to that style. The cumbrous massive grandeur pro- 

 duced by the colossal proportions of the Norman era are here missed al- 

 together. Instead of vast towers, walls of enormous thickness, and 

 columns no more than three or four diameters in height, we have all the 

 principal parts of a Norman cathedral comprised in the narrow space of a 

 street elevation. The pigmy dinieusions which the architect has conse- 

 quently been compelled to adopt, give the idea that the building is meant 

 rather as a sort of illustration or reduced model of a Norman church, than 

 as a real attempt to build such an edifice in all the amplitude of its di- 

 mensions. 



The church has neither transepts nor a central tower — almost universal 

 features of ancient Norman churches. The dimensions of the interior are 

 fully as diminutive as those of the exterior : the nave and aisles are 

 divided by pillars and arches with wretched mouldings ; the roofs are of 

 open wood-work ; the aisles are bisected by galleries, and the light is ob- 

 tained from couplefs of circular headed windows in the clerestory ; con- 

 sequently the north and south walls are blank, and the light is very un- 

 equally distributed. 



The back of the church (we regret to have to apply the word "back" 

 to a church, but the east end cannot in the present case be distinguished 

 bj a more honorable term,) is. in a mews-yard, and it is needless to say 



that the architecture here exactly accords with that of the neighbouring 

 slacles and coach-houses, being of the commonest brickwork. The de- 

 signer seems to have been content with making a show, such as it is, io 

 the main street. 



French Protestant Church, Holborn — The plan of this church, which 

 has recently been consecrated, is a rectangle. The eastern end is in 

 Bloomsbury-street, and the western in George street: the north and south 

 sides are in the course of being blocked up by houses. The eastern ele- 

 vation consists of a gable, without towers, and contains a large centre 

 window with two lateral windows ; underneath are doors, the entrance 

 being— not at the western — but the eastern end (for the sake of facility of 

 access, as the Ecdesiologist suggests, from " the more genteel street.") 

 The great east window has five lights ; but the floriation does not show 

 much invention, being simply a number of trefoils contained within a 

 pointed arch. The lateral windows in the same front are almost close to 

 the central window, and in their proportions display a ludicrous contrast 

 to it, being very narrow compared with their length, whereas the centre 

 window is disproportionately broad. The group possesses neither the in- 

 dividual beauty nor the family likeness which would remind the observer of 

 the three Graces. 



The west front displays two long windows with a triangular window 

 above, and beneath a string course, three lancets. This and the east sides 

 of the church are faced with rag; the north and south are plain brickwork 

 without any windows or mouldings. There has not been any absolute ne- 

 cessity for this nakedness, as on one side, a large open space of ground at 

 present intervenes between the church and the neighbouring houses, and 

 on the other side the architect himself has built a school abutting on the 

 church. The interior of the church has of course the advantage of north 

 and south walls perfectly blank. 



At the end of the same street is another church which has recently been 

 " done up." The style is one of which there are happily so few specimens 

 that it has not yet received a name ; we are therefore relieved from the ne- 

 cessity of a detailed criticism. We have only to notice, on account of (heir 

 profanity, some extremely otTensive ornaments with which the upper part 

 of the exterior walls are decorated. On three sides of the building, which 

 is bedizened in all the glories of plaster, in which it rivals most of the gin- 

 palaces in the neighbourhood, are stucco ornaments bearing respectively 

 the semblances of an equilateral triangle, a lamb bearing a flag, and a dove. 

 It is needless to state what is typified by these figures, which are repeated 

 several times in the order mentioned, so as to form a kind of frieze to three 

 sides of the building. We trust that the incumbent clergyman will use his 

 influence to get these profane and hideous symbols removed : as works of 

 art they are on a par with the plaster images sold at fairs as toys for 

 children. 



Catholic Church, Farm-street, Berkeley-square. — This church is a very 

 gratifying example of the rapid advances which have been made in the 

 science of mediaeval architecture during the last few years. While iu 

 Classic architecture the most barbarous periersions and absurdities — pedi- 

 ments surmounted by spires — columns supporting nothing — stilted bases — 

 shafts broken by dies, &:c., — are still tolerated, our national architecture is 

 cultivated with a purer and more philosophical taste, which is fast eman- 

 cipating it from the hideous deformities of the last age. IMr. Scoles' de- 

 sign for the Catholic church near Berkeley-square is a satisfactory proof 

 that our self-complacency is not without foundation. 



The situation of the building is by no means advantageous ; it is, indeed, 

 almost impossible to get a good view of the exterior. From one corner of 

 Grosvenor-square a glimpse may be obtained of the east gable, the beauti- 

 ful Decorated tracery of the great east window, and the bell-turret; and 

 another view from beside the ugly plastered church io Mount-street dis- 

 plays somewhat more of the new building. But still it is so hemmed in 

 among the houses, that it can scarcely anywhere be viewed as a whole. 

 The difticulties to be contended with in obtaining a suitable site may be 

 judged of by the fact that the west entrance is in a mews yard. The ar- 

 chitecture of this part of the building will not however be made inferior to 

 the rest because comparatively little seen : on the contrary, if there be 

 one thing more to be admired than another in the design, it is that it dis- 

 plays perfect faithfulness and uniformity, and betrays no anxiety for what 

 is coUoqually termed " showing off" 



The plan of the interior is nearly a rectangle (about 150 feet long) with 

 aisles extending about half the length of the church from the east-end. 

 Tliese aisles are separated from the chancel and nave by piers and arches. 

 There will be three altars — the high altar at the end of the chancel, and 

 one at the east-end of each aisle. The side altars will be dedicated to the 



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