1845.] 



THE CIVIL ENGINEER AND ARCHITECFS JOURNAL. 



209 



RESTORATION OF ST. SAVIOUR'S CHURCH, YORK. 

 ClFilh an Engraving, Plate Xl.J 



TTie ruinous condition of this church having excited very serious appre- 

 hensions, a subscription was raised in 1843 under the patronage of the Arch- 

 bishop of York, for the restoration of the decayed portions of the edifice. 

 The work was assigned to Mr. Sharp, architect, who generously offered to 

 •uperiatend the restoration gratuitously. The church now affords accom- 

 modation for 1000 persons, of whom 423 have seats in the galleries. The 

 report of the subscription committee expresses a regret that the funds raised 

 did not suffice for the restoration of the tower and east wall of the chancel. 

 A well-deserved compliment is also paid to Mr. Sharp for his liberal exer- 

 tions, and the ability with which be has drawn up the report, which appears 

 below. 



The plan and section of the church here given are taken from drawings 



•(»t by Mr. Sharp. We avail ourselves of his permission to print those por- 

 tions of the letter sent with the drav>ings, which are of a public nature. 



"Sir — Having received much gratification from able papers in your later 

 numbers on Church Architecture, I am tempted to send you a " slip" of 

 some observations I had occasion to offer to the Restoration Committee of 

 one of our old churches in York, not so much from the importance of the 

 work done, as that the opinions contained in the notes seem to harmonize 

 with those of your talented correspondents .... 



My only object in these communications is to answer the call that has 

 been several times made on architects to supply notices of their works, and 

 if I may be allowed to do so, to hint that letterpress of late usurps the place 

 which we should all like to see filled with drawings. 



After forty years study and practice of the profession of architecture, 

 praise and censure are alike indifferent to me. 



I send at the same time a carefully reduced plan and section of St. Sa- 

 Tiour's church, the one side showing the former condition, and the other the 

 present state. I am. Sir, with great respect. 



Your obedient humble servant, 



Richard Het Sharp, Architect." 



The total receipts and disbursements for the restoration amounted to 

 £1300. At a meeting of subscribers recently held, it was agreed that a 

 tomraittee should be formed for considering the best method of presenting 

 * testimonial to Mr. Sharp, in acknowledgment of his services. 

 The Architect's Report. 



It woold appear that the edifice lately restored was erected about the year 

 1420, at a time when the perpendicular style of Gothic architecture had su- 

 perseded the decorated or flowery style. Traces, however, of this last re- 

 mained in a beautiful four-light window, at the east end of the north aisle, 

 which retained its painted glass. This circumstance prompted the retention 

 of the flowery or undulatory style of tracery in the present eastern windows. 

 Whatever merits the perpendicular style had over the earlier one, it is un- 

 questionable that it was inferior in the adornment of the windows. A much 

 earlier edifice, probably of the twelfth century, existed on the spot, the ma- 

 terials of which, including several gravestones, had been very unceremoniously 

 employed in the walls of the later building. It is not unreasonable to sup- 

 pose that the extreme badness of the foundation (the church is styled St. 

 Saviour's in the Marsh) caused the premature ruin of the earlier building. 

 Kven in the later one, the south-west angle had sunk very considerably. On 

 digging down to obtain a more secure foundation, the cause of the failure 

 vits plain enough. After passing through what appeared to be Soman rub- 



bish, at the depth of 14 feet below the floor of the church, several ruda 

 coffins were found, which mny not unreasonably be referred to a British ara • 

 they were made of slabs of oak, 2J inches thick, fastened by wooden pins or 

 dowells, and contained skeletons in a very perfect state, but perfectly black 

 from the infiltration of water from the bog in which they were laid. One of 

 these cofiins was directly across the angular buttress, so that there is no 

 wonder that it should have sunk. The coffins were too much decayed to 

 admit of removal, and the bones were laid in some of the vaults which the 

 excavation had laid open. The usual methods of rubble foundation, now 

 called concrete, were r.-sorted to, and the corner is now perhaps more secure 

 than the rest of the fabric. The eastern end of the church, as far as the 

 chancel extended, had declined about eight inches, and it became a matter 

 of urgent consideration with the architect, whether to take up the whole of 

 this wall, and to refound it in the same manner; but as the settlement wa» 

 of ancient occurrence, and did not appear to have increased of late, it was 

 thought that the old foundation might be trusted to, and the more so as the 

 new weight to be borne would not materially exceed the old one, which had 

 been supported for so long a time without increase. The event has justified 

 the opinion of the architect, as no settlement has become visible. As a mea- 

 sure of precaution, however, this half of the south wall was bound together br 

 an iron tie-bar, ending in a stout anchor, which may be seen at the east end". 

 A similar one is placed in the north wall, but the anchor is concealed within 

 the buttress. These bars are connected with the large stones forming the 

 window Sills in what is thought to be a novel manner. What may be termed 

 double lewises are inserted into the middle joints of the stone sills, and run 

 with lead so as to connect them firmly together, the chain bars before men- 

 tioned are then scured by single or ordinary lewises. In this manner a 

 powerful and permanent bond or connection is obtained. This detail is en- 

 tered into, as the method may be useful in similar cases, or in new works. 



A satisiactory foundation having been obtained, the main walls were car. 

 ried up in a solid manner, and the windows inserted. This part of the work, 

 and one of the most important, is executed in a very satisfactory manner, and 

 is highly creditable to the contractor. The settlement before mentioned had 

 extended to the arcades separating the aisles, which, when the plasteiing 

 was removed, exposed cracks of an alarming character. Relying on the fore, 

 going considerations, it was thought sufficient to wedge them up with solid 

 oak, we believe from the Minster, and the result has been equally satisfac. 

 tory. The paramount consideration of economy doubtless pressed on the 

 architect's mind throughout all the operations. The next main point wai 

 the roof. It appears probable that the church had originally three roofs as 

 at present, but at the time of important repairs, in the time of Charles 1st, 

 the roof, whatever may have been its pristine form, was reduced to an uni. 

 form plane from the ridge to the eaves. In order to obtain this plane sur. 

 face, the depth or thickness of the limbers was from 18 inches to 2 feetabout 

 half way up, the outer roof being separated from the lower and original one. 

 The existence of several churches in York, All Saints, North-street, St. Samp. 

 son, and others, corroborates the notion of the triplicate roof. Indeed, so 

 long as side galleries are demanded of the architect, this is perhaps the best 

 form that can be given to a church, as it affords the requisite height to the 

 side walls. It is to be hoped, however, that these abominable contrivances 

 will either be abandoned, or that the Gothic stjle of building with which 

 they are whol'y irreconcileable, will be relinquished for the churches of 

 Queen Anne, with which they are in perfect harmony. 



Sufficient sound oak timber was obtained to frame the new roofs in a sub. 

 stantial manner; the old tiles were re-employed as more in character than 

 slating, and as in lapse of time the defective tiles have perished, the remain, 

 der, although not very sightly, promise to endure for a very considerable 

 period. An opportunity offered of procuring some excellent slates from the 

 Minster, which were used in the inside roofs. 



The main constructive points being obtained, the roof was lined with thin 

 wood, the ribs intended to strengthen the roof added to the beams, which 

 the safety of the church did not allow us to remove, and some ornamental 

 work added. 



In uncovering the old pews, which had been suffered to remain all this 

 while, by reason of the uncertainty of obtaining the funds necessary for the 

 repewing, a discovery of the original pews was made, and to the great gratifi- 

 cation of the architect they were found to be almost identical with his de- 

 sign for the new ones, and for which the contract was made. It is not pre- 

 tended that these fittings were the furniture of the church of 1400, or 1 120. 

 No doubt that edifice was prepared for the Roman Catholic seiviee in a very 

 different manner. Screens, oi parcloses, doubtless then separated nearly oae 

 half the church from the people. The altar of the Saviour would occupy the 

 eastern end of the nave, that of the Virgin Mary the end of the north, an 

 of St. John Baptist of the south aisle. Near the second pillar Iruin the east 

 end screens, or reredos, would be placed across the aisles, against which 

 stood altars belonging to the chantries, founded in the ehurch by individuals. 

 A piscina still remaining in the south walls confirms this opinion. Another, 

 much defaced, existed in the north wall, and there were traces of others near 

 the eastern walls. The particulars of these chantries are adiled below, but 

 the business of the architect is not with them. The seven chantry priests 

 presided over by the rector, would form a choir sufficiently numerous to oc- 

 cupy the middle chancel, and it would be for their use that the stalls, of 

 which two have been preserved, were doubtless provided. Each of the»« 

 priests had an equal endowment with the rector, and if these emoluments, 

 properly reformed, had been continued to the church throughout the land, 

 bow different might the present state of things have been. 



27 



