June 28, 1872. THE BUILDING NEWS. d15
THE BUILDING NEWS. = SSS LONDON, FRIDAY, JUNE 28, 1872.
PROFESSIONAL TENDERNESS.
T may be taken almost as an axiom that
the architects of the present day are emi-
nently thin-skinned. If an amateur with
artistic and scholarly qualifications like Mr.
Ruskin expresses an opinion at all condem-
natory of this or that modern work, or of a
past phase of art, the elder members of the
profession rush together to find some Philis-
tine to oppose him. So, too, if a professional
man gives utterance to opinions which may
be considered unfavourable, the favourable
things he may have said are forgotten, and
some Goliath is invited to shake his weaver’s
beam, andto make every endeavour to frighten
him from the field. It is well known how
Mr. Garbett and Professor Kerr, amongst
others, resented Mr. Ruskin’s criticisms.
What could an amateur know about archi-
tecture ? What dogmatism! what ignorance!
what presumption! Even men like Mr.
Burges were sometimes found to be wrath:
professional teaching had been interfered
with, anew prophet had arisen, and we were
solemnly assured that such writing and such
criticism would do inconceivable harm to the
young men—the fledgelings who were to be
our future architects. Mr. Ruskin ceased to
apply his mind to architectural matters, and
after the short lull which ensued, architects
themselves took up the pen, and both in
anonymous and signed articles, in general and
specific charges, many weaknesses, shortcom-
ings, and backslidings in art haye been ex-
posed. For ourselves, we are free to confess
that we have reaped no little profit and plea-
sure from these charges. The discomfiture of
pretension is always a delightful thing to con-
template, and we have over and over again
expressed our determination to prevent as far
as in us lies the safety of incompetency under
the shield of “respectability.” Professional
critics are now disliked—we might almost say
hated—with an energy equal to that once be-
stowed on amateur critics. Sir M.D. Wyatt
whitewashes Mr. Ruskin in one room, while
_his elder brother sneers in another at those
- who, haying formed opinions on art questions,
are bold enough to utter what they think,
and who, we know from their works, have as
much right to be listened to as the President
of the Institute or the Slade Professor.
Meanwhile, where is architecture? We turn
to the public Exhibitions, to the Royal
Academy, and the International. We examine
with anxiety the new buildings which are
springing up by thousands around us; and
we ask in all seriousness are there ten that
give promise of a better architecture in the
future? Are there twenty which show any
worthy advance on what was done ten
years ago? If the dignitaries of the
profession had only shown the same
anxiety for the development of art as
they have for developing their business ; if
they had had as much care for qnality as
quantity of work, such criticisms as we have
lately read would have been groundless, and |
would have met with the ruin which sooner
or later attends on weak foundations. But,
unfortunately, there is no escape from the sad
conclusion that architecture, generally speak-
ing, is degenerating, and has degenerated even
within the memory of the youngest practi-
tioner. Isthere, we wouldask, asingle building
of to-day founded on Classic, Italian, or
Renaissance principles of design, which can
compare with the works of the last genera-
tion? Has Mr. Wyatt, or Professor Kerr, or
Mr. T’Anson anything to show us like Sir
Charles Barry’s works, or the late Mr.
Cockerell’s designs? Have the architects of
the Gothic party done any better for the
encouragement they have met with? Do
their later designs show a greater power of |
composition and a greater grasp of beauty | to inspect and examine the waterworks of
than heretofore? Is not the book of patterns
as much resorted to as ever it was, with this
difference, that, instead of English examples
from Pugin, Bowman and Crowther, and
Brandon, we have French from Johnson,
Verdier and Cattois, and Viollet-le-Duc ?
These are questions which would, no doubt, be
very convenient to leave unasked ; but we
have a duty higher than any personal con-
siderations—a duty which is all the more
incumbent on us to fulfil, watching as we do
day by day the growth of indifference, the
spread of superficiality, the want of anything
like energetic life, and the increasing desire for
taking things easy in matters artistic, cha-
racteristic not merely of the leaders of the
profession, but of the whole body down to
the poorest assistant and the youngest pupil.
As is natural to such a state of things, good
drawing is becoming every day rarer. Art is
turned into business, and young and old
endeavour to escape from itas much as ambi-
tion to get money permits. Spare time now
is deyoted to anything rather than to the
mistress we have elected to serve, and even the
Association finds it hard to whip up its usual
classes. Seeing this, is it possible to suppose
that the elders in the profession have nothing
to answer for? Weare imitative beings from
the cradle, and yet look at what we have to
follow! Men who are afraid of criticism, men
who are prepared to give up their opinions
and the lessons they have taught fora quarter
of a century, rather than sacrifice the chance
of a good commission ; men who we know
never make a drawing, and who spoil their
clerks’ designs only for the sake of satisfying
their elastic consciences. ‘These are promi-
nent members of the profession—these are
our examples. No wonder that a profes-
sional critic is regarded as cantankerous or
spoken of as disagreeable. The sting cf his
criticism, as the Times said of the Galway
judgment, lies in its truth, and the thin-skinned
professors no doubt feel the sting, but do not
exactly perceive the truth. ‘The cure for this
unwholesome sensitiveness, we believe, lies in
criticism, plenty of it, deep, broad, and tech-
nical, general, and specific. It is because
architects have been so long exempt from
hearing opinions of their works freely ex-
pressed that they have become so tender
about them. And yet what art is so public—
what so justly open to praise or censure ?
Pictures and busts one may avoid and yet
live; but one cannot shut out building—it
forces itself on us in the country, and hems
us in in the town. ‘The newspapers and
periodicals may be deluged with critiques of
the first that no one need see ; but that which
we are all bound to see is far too sacred for
animadversion. Architecture must be in a
deplorably bad condition when its professors
must needs shrink from the caustic to the
extent lately exhibited. We heartily sym-
pathise with the nervous tenderness and
shrinking sensitiveness. displayed, and as an
earnest of our wish that they may soon grow
more hardy, and that their works may follow
them, we shall examine in detail a few
modern buildings, extenuating nothing nor
putting down aught in malice. It is quite
possible we may tread on a few tender places,
but we admit at once that we shall care
nothing about that, for architects have no
business to be afflicted with any such encum-
brances. They hurt us with their works
right and left. They take little heed of the
annoyance their designs cause us, and we, in
our turn, shall not stand measuring terms or
seek for words to soften our opinions when
they do not happen to coincide with the dulcet
notes of plaintive professors.
————_—_—_—_
VISIT TO THE LEICESTER WATER-
WORKS.
T 10am. on Saturday last a large party
met under the spacious roof of the
Midland Railway
that town. The majority of those present on
the platform were composed of that particular
class of members of the Institution of Civil
Engineers known as ‘Students,” and they,
as well as the remainder of the party, were
invited to visit the above-mentioned works by
the President, Mr. Hawksley, who is engineer
to the Leicester Waterworks Company. It
was under his superintendence that the whole
of the works were designed and carried out,
and there was, consequently, a singular pro-
priety in selecting them on the present occa-
sion. Several ladies started from London, but
the greater portion of the fairer sex who
participated in the trip were residents of
Leicester or the neighbourhood. Among
those present may be mentioned the following :
—The President of the Institution of Civil
Engineers (Mr. Hawksley) and Mrs. Hawksley,
Mr. Vignoles, F.R.S., Past President; Mr.
Abernethy, Mr. Bramwell and Mr. Bruce,
Members of Council; Mr. T. H. Wyatt,
P.R.L.B.A., Honorary Architect ; Mr. James
Forrest, Secretary; Mr. Allport, Major
Bolton, Sir John Duckworth, Bart., Mr. and
Mrs. John Edward Ellis, Mr. Filliter, Mr.
Gabrielli, Captain Douglas Galton, F.R.S.,.
Mr. Wm. Gibson, Mr. John Gunson, Mr.
Geo. Robert Hall, Mr. W. U. Heygate, M.P.,
and Mrs. Heygate, Dr. and Mrs. Letheby, Mr.
Albert Pell, M.P., Dr. W. Pole, F.R.S., Mr.
John S. Valentine, Mrs. and Miss Vignoles,
Mr. George Baines and a lady, Mr. Billson
and a lady, Mr. Charles Bowman, Mr. and
Mrs. Clephan, Mr. and Miss Crow, Mr. Alfred
Ellis and a lady, Mr. and Mrs. E. J. Ellis,
Mr. and Mrs. W. H. Ellis, Major Knight and
a lady, Mr. and Mrs. Smith, the Mayor of
Leicester and Miss Stafford, Mr. and Miss
Stretton, Mr., Mrs. and Miss Tebbutt, Mr.
Viccars, Mr. and Mrs. J. H. Williams.
A journey of two hours and a half brought
the visitors to the town of Leicester. At the
railway station a number of vehicles, exceed-
ingly well horsed, were in readiness, in which
the members of the party were soon speedily
seated, and the whole cortege rattled through
the streets of the town to the great admira-
tion of the residents, if we are to judge from
the crowded state of the thoroughfares, and
the numerous faces at the windows. A
pleasant drive of an hour, in spite of a little
dust, the inevitable drawback to all country
excursions, terminated at the destination,
where not only the actual works themselves,
but marquees, bands, banners, and other
agreeable accessories proved to the visitors
that their presence had not only been expected
but desired.
Mutual introductions having passed be-
tween the metropolitan and rural contingents
of the party, the majority of the male portion
followed in the wake of the President, who
proceeded to the reservoir, and commenced a
clear running description of the whole of the
engineering operations which had been carried
out in supplying Leicester with a constant
service of pure water. It will be interesting
to place before our readers a succinct notice
of the history of the waterworks, so that
the general features which characterise them
may be well understood.
The manufacturing population of the town
of Leicester has, by the last census, reached
a total of 100,000 people. The waterworks
by which the town is now supplied have been
constructed on the constant service system, to
meet the future requirements of 160,000 people
in years of extreme droughts. They are made
in two sections—the older one at Thornton,
about nine miles west of the town, and the
newer one at Bradgate Park, about seven miles
north of the town. ‘They both depend upon
rain-fall gathered into large impounding reser-
voirs. ‘The former operates by gravitation,
whilst the latter requires the aid of pumping
machinery. It was to the latter and larger
work that the visit was made. In the case of
both works the water is filtered by the most
Station to proceed to} improved method before it is permitted to
Leicester. The object of their journey was | enter the main pipes by which it is conveyed
