FUTURE OF CHURCH BUILDING.

Dominion, Volume 4, Issue 1062, 27 February 1911, Page 9

FUTURE OF CHURCH BUILDING.

AN ARCHITECT'S VIEW. In a lecture on "Modern Churches," given before the Birmingham Architectural Association, Mr. C. Spooner said that for practical purposes Christians wero divided into Catholic and Protestants, and' the Catholics hinde the Holy Communion tho central act of 'worship, and accompanied it with more or loss ceremonial, ' while Protestants looked upon the Communion mainly as n memorial service, and gave prominence to preaching. Their respective church buildings were planned accordingly. . This distinction tended to limit tho opportunities of architects in planning churches. ,At the same Hrao it was possible to produco a building worthy of the high: purpose for .which-; tr church was intended. He urged that they must build solidly and substantially of thoroughly good and well-tried, but not unnecessarily expensive, materials. Local, materials were nearly alwaysthe bestto use, but they .did not always , meet.tho conditions, ■ Local tradition in .building should, howevor, bo followed wherever it was possible. Affectation should' bo avoided as -well as. passing, fasnons. Largeness and simplicity, togethor witn good building, told much more than ornament, and cheap ornament should bo avoided by ..-"nil-.means;. The , building should alsobe designed so as to allow a future generation to adapt the services,to ?ome extent; to' its own requirements if it desired any change: Mr.-Spooner thought that the idea of garden cities had come to stay, and would tend to prevent 'houses' in' towns -being -jumbled -together so closely ns they were now. There would thus bo more room for churches; which would conscnnentlytapproach more nearly to tho character of country churchesi