202 THE BUILDING NEWS. Marcu 8, 1872.
plan of the Northleigh villa, which, he said, would
be visited by the Society next term, He then briefly
alluded to the Roman remains at Wheatley, which
had now been entirely destroyed; to the discoveries
at Bourton-on-the-Water ; S. Helen’s Church,
Abingdon ; Southleigh Church; and at the Cathedral
and §. Michael’s Church, Oxford. A Roman quern,
found in S. John’s-street, and a piece of Roman
pottery, foundin New Inn Hall-street, were exhibited.
Dr. Rolleston then gave an account of some Saxon
relics discovered in the neighbourhood of Oxford.
Mr. James Parker then made a few remarks on the
Garford Barrow, near Abingdon, lately opened, and
exhibited the objects found in it, among them being
a portion of an urn, which he considered to be
British, and he also thought that the Barrow had
been a British occupation about the second or third
century. Mr. Parker also pointed out the archeology
of the immediate district. Dr. Rolleston made a
few remarks on the subject, and expressed his
opinion that the urn was of Saxon manufacture.
Votes of thanks were given to Mr. Earwaker and
Mr. Parker, and the proceedings were brought to a
close.
——
Huilding Srtelliqeiee,
—
CHURCHES AND CHAPELS,
Guascow. — Duke-street United Presbyterian
Church was reopened for worship on the 3rd inst.
With the exception of the roof and the side and
back walls, the building has been wholly recon-
structed, and the edifice has been enlarged by bring-
ing the front wall forward nearly to the street. The
doorway of entrance elevation consists of a semi-
cireular arch, springing from coupled columns with
floriated capitals, imposed within a sort of tympanum
or pediment, the face and soffit of the arch being
richly carved. On each side is a three-light semi-
circular headed window, and at each extremity of the
facade is a door for exit. The upper story is com-
posed of an Ionic colonnade of ten columns, with semi-
eircular arches springing from their entablatures,
placed in impost between large masses of dead wall,
and having behind it a relieved screen pierced by
nine windows. Over this colonnade there are a few
feet of plain walling, and then the building is
crowned by an imposing entablature. The seats in
the area of the church have been arranged in con-
centric semicircles, radiated from the pulpit, which
stands on a spacious dais. Behind the pulpit is an
aleove containing stalls forthe choir. In front of
the pulpit is a marble font, the gift of Mrs.
Allan, of 31, Elderslie-street. The gallery is four
seats deep, with a passage behind. The decoration
has received special attention, every enrichment
having been designed (as it always should be) in form
and colour and drawn full size by the architect, Mr.
Hugh Barclay, of West Regent-street. The cost of
the alterations will be nearly £4,000.
Iraty.—Mr. Street has just started for Genoa, to
look at a church recently built after his designs in
the superb city. Oddly enough, says the Atheneum,
the same architect has occasion toextend his journey
in this direction as far as Rome, where he has to ex-
amine sites for two churches which are to be built
in the Italian capital after his designs, for American
and English Episcopalians respectively.
Luxciyan, Cornwaty.—Rosemelling Wesleyan
Chapel in this parish, recently reopened, has under-
gone thorough internal rearrangement, from the
designs and under the superintendence of Mr.
Silvanus Trevail, A. A., of Bodmin, Messrs. Phillipps
and Sons, Luxulyan, being the contractors. The
work throughout is chamfered, of pitch pine, sized
and varnished; the upper surface of the seats is
concave, and the backs are inclined, which renders
them very comfortable. A neat rostrum takes the
place of the former pulpit. The whole of the work
is proportionate and symmetrical.
Maprvey.—The fine old parish Church of Madeley,
Salop, supplies, as the work of restoration proceeds,
many interesting features to the antiquarian. A carv-
ing on the balustrade in front of the belfry, revealed
by the removal of the organ, tells in quaint English
characters that the “‘Loft or Bellfrey to Ringe
uppon,” &e., “was dunn at the onley charges of
John Melton, of Madeley.” Although it is dated
2635, many of the words are spelt according to the
orthography in Geoffrey Chaucer’s time, some three
centuries earlier. The carving is as fresh as on the
day it was executed, although mutilated and defaced
in some parts by the vandalism of modern times.
The new chancel with its stone carving is interesting.
BUILDINGS.
BLACKFRIARS-ROAD.—The works of the new
South Metropolitan Temperance Hall, Blackfriars-
road, will, we hear, shortly be commenced. The
building, which is to be erected on a site adjoining
the Surrey Theatre on the one hand and the new
Peabody dwellings on the other, will have its prin-
cipal frontage to the Blackfriars-road, and will con-
tain a large and a small hall, with several committee
rooms, besides two shops flanking the main entrance,
and premises in rear. The design for the building
has been prepared for the London and Provincial
Temperance Halls Company (Limited), by Mr. J. H.
Swan, architect, 52, Cannon-street, City.
Sourmwarn.—The Board of Guardians for the
parish of 8. Olave’s, Southwark, are about to erect
a new infirmary for the aged and infirm poor, upon
a similiar plan to that of the new infirmary in con-
nection with §. Luke’s Workhouse, City-road, with
the economy and efficiency of which infirmary
(erected from a design by Mr. H. Saxon Snell,
architect) the 8, Olave’s Guardians were very fayour-
ably impressed.
Tue Prorosep BurILpine For THE STATISTICAL
Socrery on THE THAMES EmMBANKMENT.—At last
Saturday’s meeting of the Metropolitan Board of
Works, the Works and General Purposes Committee,
with reference to a letter from the Statistical
Society of London, inquiring whether the Board
would lease to them the plot of ground lying be-
tween the Victoria Embankment and Cannon-row,
reported that, in the opinion of the Committee, it
was not desirable to let the ground in question at
the present time.
ag
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Recetvev.—T. P.—J. G. H.—Rev. R. C.—L. W. H.— A. R.S.—T. W.—J. 6.—C. H. T.—J. H.—An Old Sub- seriber.—S. & H.—W. H. & Co.—E. M.—G, F.—S. 8.— T. H. H.—S. & Co.—W. FE. A. A. E. W. JAmes.—Consult advertisements, p. 8. E. L. T.—Don't know his address. J. F.—Ask through “ Intercommunication.” A CLooKER-oON.—Thanks for suggestion, which will pro- bably be acted on. F. ©. DesHon.—Sketch to hand. description. E. Sewarv.—We will try. S. Howarp.—Sketch of Chorstan Church to hand. Thanks. It shall appear is an early number of the BuILDING NEWS. HADDINGTON.—Your competition plan came to hand too late. EnpEAVOUR.—Your plan is inadmissible, as you sent coloured drawings, and therefore did not comply with the conditions. S. VALENTINE.—Too late. Please send short Correspondence. —— BUILDING STONE AND HOW TO JUDGE IT. To the Editor of the Burrpinc News. Sm,—With your permission I wish to say a few words on building stone and how to judge it. What I shall say is for the workman to assist him in teaching himself; for to the workman must be left ultimately the selection of the stone, which to put inside and which out, which face of the cut stone to turn outside, where the best (having learned to judge) must go, and where an inferior sort (not absolutely bad) may go without much detriment, or none at all. Selection of stone is the only way, but it is a sure way, of getting stone to stand the weather ; but simply selecting at quarry will not do, for seldom or never is the stone in the same large block of uniform quality—often of several qualities, especially in odlitie and magnesian stone. Indeed, it otten happens that one face of a small ashlar will stand any weather, and the other not stand a winter. The selection lies at last with the workman—foreman and clerk of works may do much, but not all. It is, therefore, necessary to train the workman, but the teaching should be plain and practical, not above the comprehension of an ordi- nary person of common observation and under- standing, and not in the unpractical manner it is nearly always given—generally a lot of chemical analyses dressed up in high*sounding names which teach very little. The fact is that analysis is generally of no practical value, for chalk (when pure) and Carrara marble give an analysis of the same elements, and it is practically inapplicable. It does not point out to us what stone will stand the weather. I saw this week that a writer on granite confesses that no one knows why some is destroyed by weather and some not. However, I do not say analysis is use- less, far from it; only as a practical meansit is often so. The microscope is, if well handled, worth more than twenty analyses. As to stopping the destruc- tion of stone by soluble silica, I have no faith in the washes, for in the stone really requiring preserving the pores are generally so foul that the washes will not enter, or not adhere if they do. The best mode of preserving odlitic, &c., limestones and some sandstones—or rather of giving them a chance to preserve themselyes—is, to have the quarry moisture completely dried out before going into wall. I may be laughed at for this, but that will not change the fact ; but, as I never adopt or change—for change it is in this case—an opinion without reasons which appear to myself at least, I shall give my reasons, and then what I think the cause of the change in the stone. Stone nearly al- ways hardens by allowing the natural sap, as I call it, to dry out of it; water it as you will afterwards, it never returns to its original state. Ihave observed in old buildings stone that I should pronounce bad, but yet it has stood the weather well, though not so well as the better parts, while at the same time newly-quarried stone put in with quarry sap in goes at once, yet the original quality has been identical. This I ascribe to the fact that the means of transit were not so good as now, and therefore not so quick; time would therefore be allowed to perfectly desiccate ; besides, to help that on, for ease of moving the blocks would be sawn up smaller, and not in such huge pieces as now come on works. When dry before putting in wall, the stone is not so discoloured by lime in walls, and in this state resists vitrification, or saltpetring, better. This last is often very destructive to some stones, especially soft limestone. The cause of this hardening of the stone by desiccation I conceive to be the following: the cementing material, whether silica, carbonate of lime, or anything else, was, when filtering through the stone, in a state of solution. Now I think that it is most likely that some of the cement is yet held in solution by the natural moisture, and that the cement deposited is yet partially soluble, or contains water, or something else that prevents it setting or crystallising perfectly. The desiccating deposits the cement in solution, hardens the whole, and makes it perfectly insoluble. When set in wall before per- fectly dry, I conceive the lime water acts on the ce- ment injuriously, prevents the hardening, and indeed changes it so that it never will afterwards harden. In your paper a few weeks ago, a writer of a paper on stone in it (too learned by half) gives his readers the advice to pin their faith on no man, but to strike out a road for themselves: so say I to all who read this. If I be wrong, findout where I am so, and put me right. The method I shall advise, however, whatever the conclusions be, cannot be wrong, or Bacon’s “ Organum” is wrong. I advise all to collect facts and draw their own conclusions as I have done, for the whole right or wrong is my own, never having had the slightest hint from human being, alive or dead. I say the same for my knowledge of concrete, except one little thing of no importance which I took on authority, but now doubt. Again, I say to all, do not heed me too much, but all work for themselves. I should advise all, especially builders, to encourage their masons to prosecute the study, as it would be a great advantage to them, preventing, without ex- pense, the doing of many a bad job. A micro- scope, costing a few shillings, is the only tool re- quired, and the prosecution of the study pleasant. No expense in travelling on purpose to investigate is required—just seize on every opportunity pre- sented, and soon facts will accumulate. Pardon this. This letter getting rather long, I shall just give a few rules, or rather axioms, and then close, leaving what else I have to say for next letter :— 1. All good stones are regular in texture. 2. Every fracture ought to be clean.
