THE WELLINGTON CATHEDRAL

Dominion, Volume 12, Issue 80, 30 December 1918, Page 3

THE WELLINGTON CATHEDRAL

ITS STYLE: ENGLISH GOTHIC

DESCRIPTION OF THE BUILDING

(Contributed.) By a great contemporary colonist of another liouunion.the present Kew Zenlauder has been marked out ua "the most British of all colonists." Sentiment of attachment to "Home" permeates our people, who arc imitative of the people of I lie Mother Country in almost every respect in their customs and manners. They continue its literature, strive to acquire its accomplishments, and to march level with its more recent developments. And so in architecture. Here we see reproductions of the Home method of design; the permanent buildings of Old England have been imitated with great accuracy from the first—but in wood until recently-especially such of the Gothic ecclesiastical architecture ns has been within the Eettlers' powers. This evidences a straining to maintain tradition, and rightly so. , Such considerations determine definitely that the style adopted for tlvo iprouosed Anglican Cathedral for Wellington shall be that which has lived through the ages—Gothic; and that it shall be English Gothic, influenced mostly by the spirit and methods of its acknowledged best periods in ecclesiastical art, and quite free from its later debasement. At the same time we should not fail to apply the later modern discoveries of materials and methods of construction, and to modify the architectural features accordingly: and it shall be enriched in addition. nou\ as in the past, in a manner inspired by the 1 earnest and imaginative work of medieval France (in this case by the work of its culminating period), of which the Huns have destroyed so much. The body of thi.« church must be broad, spacious, grand, and well lighted, amply providing for congregational worship in fho mass, Irat nevertheless arranged, to support Anglican ritual-stately and impressive withal. The Interior. In composing the interior, stateliness of effect (as well as spaciousness) has been aimed at by means of that continuity and- .homogeneity which in composition express an efteet of length and order. All parts will lead up to a predominating internal part of the fabric, the central area called "The Crossing' *t the threshold of the, presbytery. This, "crossing" will be crowned with an octagonal lantern and galleries, above which will be constructed a detached cir-cular-domed ceiling; and all will be brilliantly lighted, from above by the windows of the square tower as _well as by the lunettes in the dome, all of wnicn will shed the sun's Tays into the centre of the church. Stateliness is maintained also by the uninterrupted amplification of the main component parts or features by the simple "ample" triforiuni passago arcade and the clerestory windows above, practically the eame ni effect from end to end of the cathearal and round the transepts, and the series of imposing aisle windows of the nave, ample and broad to contain figure subjects on the, "grand" ecale within reapu .of. the .eyeThe high altar, well raised and backed by the.reredos, will, ultimately be the centre-piece of the vista from the nave, being advanced well into the sanctuary, leaving a sacristy between it and the great East window. When tho church can be finally furnished it ie proposed that this reredos shall be of marblo of massive and solid proportions, and of a considerable height, richly adorned with cuspings and carvings and sculptured! figures in canopied and groined niches, which will return also on short enclosing wings.. , ' The organ fronts will face west and south in the bay of the presbytery next the "crossing," and being elevated to the triforium level the sound will pass over the heads of the people.

The arches of the navo arcade are planned with a considerable span to limit the number of pillars, and they can, therefore, conveniently be made massiw No piers can bo grander or more impressive in effect than the groat columns of the ancient Norman period of ecclesiastical architecture,,and it is considered certain that no more appropriate use of the available 'native marbles could be made, than to" apply them in this Cathedral and Military Chapel in tho form of shafts of varied, diameters. A very imposing and impressive result of grandeur should follow from such "ample" employment of concrete mid marble material. The filling of tho nave and presbytery with arched ndges will give a domical effect to the ceiling in each bay,; concrete vaulted nave and transept ceilings or fillings will have decorative painting, the presbytery ceiling Venetian mosaics. The barrel vault of the Military Chapel will eventually he finished with a picture- in Venetian mosaics, and on the wall; at the end should be a great picture-of the war. The effect of massed shafts and 'marbling will be niiiiedat as iii the interior of the rest of the ■ cathedral. The Exterior, The 'length of the site is limited, and the chief resultant problem externally is aesthetic, viz.,. that of producing an effect of sufficient length for a cathedral church of this size and importance, built on the Gothic plan. This has been solved especially by the proportioning of the transept aiid of the component pairts of eiich bay at the clerestory level between the buttresses; the Military Chapefwill considerably extend and,,back up tho whole group as seen from the west front, and will add much dignity to the eastern . front or facade. The considerable porches and the chapel projections will balance the composition as viewed from the west particularly, The west front (the nave floor rising 30ft. above the road level) will be bounded (by twin towers, with varied terminals, the one having a lantern and spkelet of some French character, the other a spire purely English, and the intervening west gable will genuinely emphasise the section of the nave pitch as carried through to the front, and lot "screened."

The north-west porch, with its great angle buttress, is composed to broaden and buttress up this west front on the north, where the ground returns round on a bank, and a projecting turret stair emphasises , and strengthens the soiiith-west-angle, an aspidnl projection jutting out of the south wall of the tower, which will give an additional mass at that point.

Light and shade will be obtained by deeply recessing and arching tho west front, and by tho ample use in the doorways of shafts of the nativo marble, which, as before stated, is po available.

The tower at the "crossing" is kept broad and low to give great mass and solidity at this the central point. This, the centre-piece of the exterior, should with its transepts be '"humped up" in effect liko an elephant's back, and it ivili be surmounted by a low octagonal lantern, which will be seen from below peeping above the parapet <f the square tower, and not to compete with the marble or stone terminals of the lowers of the west front, it will terminate with a tall copper-covered spire sharply pierciue the .sky. In addition to the towers mentioned there will be a stately turret euire adjoining the transept to receive a bell to toll for the chapel services. The general tone of the cathedral externally will be a light colour produced by white, yellowish ■white, and grey or dove-coloured marblo chins, which will form the outside surface of the ferroconcrete, and will be "brushed" to show the marble chip grain and' leave a surface with suitable texture as directed. The inserted features or dressings will be marble and stone. Soldiers and their relatives and tou.rists will visit and attend the services of the cathedral, which, i belli;,' upon the rite of the church attended by the Gov-ernor-General, may 'be used, too, on Shire occasions; and it will be much visiNl especially in connection with its Military Chapel. Galleries have consequently been arranged on all ekles <o overlook the town and harbour, and on occasion will be conveniently accessible, and Hie outside pulpit or rostrum enn be used to collect or address gatherings for festivals. The two tower? of strength, will stand shoulder to shoulder supporting the main facade on the west front mid fnen to-the wld; one will terminate 'with some

Frouch inspiration, us seen by English eves, and the other of purely English character, and they should be typical of the great alliance of the Iwo nations.