By C. H. Talbot 



19 



floor in the recess, and something of the same kind might be 

 managed, even in the case of windows that are not recessed. At 

 any rate, I can say that, whereas I have, in my own house, windows 

 of the sixteenth century whose sills have been cut down, I should 

 be pleased if I could have them restored, exactly as they were 

 originally. They have, however, been treated worse than the 

 Stockton examples, being four-light windows, whose transoms and 

 lighter mullions were removed in the last century, for the purpose 

 of converting them into sash windows. 



The moral of my discourse is this. Do not be afraid of restoring, 

 when restoration is necessary, but be very careful how you do it. 

 Restoration is but another name for the highest class of repair, and, 

 if you can repair an old building of any interest, that stands in 

 need of it, and do not do so, you are not doing your duty by that 

 building. Preserve all that you can preserve of old features, and, 

 when there is a doubt in the matter, stretch a point, if possible, in 

 favour of preservation. Gradual change, however, is inevitable. 

 It should not be revolutionary, and it should be intelligent. We 

 cannot all be architects, but we can, most of us, study the subject 

 to a certain extent, which would be an advantage, not only to 

 ourselves, but also to the architects and builders whom we may 

 employ. 



