PROTECTION OF ANCIENT BUILDINGS.

Thames Star, Volume IX, Issue 3020, 19 October 1878, Page 1

PROTECTION OF ANCIENT BUILDINGS.

A meeting of the Society for the Protection of Ancient Buildings wns held on Friday at. Willis's Rooms, Kiug-sfc eet, St. James's. The room tvas filled, nearlyhalf those present being ladies. The chair wan taken by Earl Cowper, who, in opening the proceedings, said many must have felt,, as he had, the need of some association like' this to prevent the con* tinuance of a system of so called restoration, which during the lust 50 year.s liad done irreparable damage to a great number of the most interesting and beautiful of our ancient buildings. It was melancholy to think that a groat deal of this mischief had been committed by conscientious but misguided people, who in many cases had actually been pinching themselves that they might give their money for a purpose which was really doing positive harm. lie was convinced that the principle laid down by this society was h sound one, and that the further destruction under the

name of restoration of bur historical and beautiful examples of ancient architecture ought to be prevented. Repair might sometimes be a disagreeable and painful necessity, but it should be looked upon with extreme distrust and never be allowed to become demolition.. The first annual report: of the committee, read by Mr W. Morris, the hon. secretary, called attention, inter alia, to the theatened gradual destruction of all the old churches in the City of London. Mr Thomas Carlyle had .written to the committee on this subject: -'" I can have but little hope that any word of mine can help you- in your good work of toying to save the Wren churches in the City from destruction ; but my clear feeling is that it would be a sordid—nay,sinful, piece of barbarism to do other than religiously preserve these churches aa precious heirlooms, many of them specimens of noble architecture, the like of which we have no prospect of ever being able to produce in England again." The committee held it strange that the richest country and city in the would grudged to Art the few feet of ground that these ancient monuments occupied; The society would enter into .no battle of styles, having among- its members persons of every shade of artistic opinion, whose common bond was opposition at once to neglect and meddling " in matters concerning all buildings that had any claim to be considered works of art. Their enemies were the enemies of all styles alike—ignorant destruction and pedantiqreconstruction. Mr Percy Wyndham, M. P., in moving the adoption of the report, said that peopje, often knowing little about architecture, were disposed to . trust those whom they supposed to be well informed. He feared that those who should have led bad been misleaders of the public, and that architects themselves had shown too little feeling for the work of their fellow-craftsmen; of by-gone ages. Professor S. Colvin seconded the motion, which was passed unanimously. Lord Houghton moved that "iri view of the deplorable falsification which has for long been going on in the treatment of ancient buildings under the name of restoration, this society desires the support of all those who are interested in art, archaeology, and history." The unfortunate effect of the general restoring that had been going on * for a long time in this country was that the restorers, entirely incapable of reproducing anything like the old condition of the building in their infinite variety, had produced the. most monotonous set of ecclesiastical buildings that, perhaps, had even been raised in any country at any time. The Ber. F. W. Norwood seconded the resolution, which was carried unanimously, as was also the next one, proposedby Mr G. Aitchisen, to the effect that ancient buildings, the loss of which was irreparable, were among the most valuable records of national history and progress, and as such were worthy of the utmost care of the " public and of individualsi A vote of thanks to the chair-, man, proposed by Mr Richmond and seconded by the Hon. Norman Grosvenor " brougut'the proceedings to a conclusion.