9s Architecture and Building

Progress, Volume XII, Issue 7, 1 March 1917, Page 895

9 s Architecture and Building

[Note—The Articles appearing on pages 895 to 902 are published by arrangement C'Stf with the New Zealand Institute of Architects.] Cfyz&jt

Brickwork—from the Aesthetic point of view, and the lines of its possible development in N.Z. By C. H. Mitchell, A.R.1.8.A., Wellington Introduction. THE object of this article is to suggest lines of probable progress of the future development of brickwork in New Zealand, and as the majority of colonial students either study in England or America I think that the movement towards artistic brick designs will be on similar lines to those of the countries mentioned. The subject seems naturally to arrange itself under the following headings

Part —A brief historical survey of the older work

in the two countries, and

Part ll.—An analysis of the factors which tend to satisfactory results in the use of brickwork Avith examples of present day work taken from both England and America.

Stone is accorded the first place as a building material, and is freely used in localities where it can be economically obtained and prepared. It is in those areas where this does not apply and where good material for making bricks is found, that brickwork will predominate and the art become strongly developed.

In Ncav Zealand building stone becomes expensive if used at any distance from its quarry, and is therefore out of reach of the majority of business people, who decline to go to the expense of using stone when they can obtain a cheaper substitute. This substitute up to the present time has been brick and as a good brick clay is procurable in almost any part of the Dominion bricks are manufactured in nearly all places.

The finished brick possesses very good qualities, and from a constructional point of view is badly in need of a “standardization,” as not only does the size of the brick vary for each of the main centres of the Dominion, but the sizes adopted by each of the manufacturers in a town sometimes differ. The difference in sizes of bricks may not be very great, but to obtain a good finished brick effect, one must have suitable materials to work with. Certainly the majority of the city buildings are built in brick, but in most cases the whole is totally spoiled by the use of stucco all over in imitation of stone, or is made to look fussy and disjointed by the indiscriminate tacking on of plaster patches. In some cases a

brick building is faced with brickwork, but no attempt is made to work in any design into the plain brick face, which is more often than not spoiled by tuck pointing. This was the way that brick design was treated until a few years ago, when some more progressive minds introduced diaper pattern design in brick building, and later brickwork was altogether more pleasing and some architects no longer cover their buildings up with stucco, but adopt a brick design. As a result of this, brickwork now receives more of the attention that it deserves, and some welldesigned buildings have been erected, among which is the church at Invercargill, by John T. Mair, A.R.1.8.A., which has some very interesting brick work, as will be seen from the illustration. Until the present time timber construction has been used for domestic work, but now there is very little difference in cost between brickwork and timber, and within a year or so brickwork may be the cheaper, when it will be the more popular among clients, and will therefore require more study in domestic work by the architect. Although brick architecture has been adopted here by some, and has advanced during later years, it still requires a lot more study before it is up to the standard of modern work both in England and America. Part I— Historical Survey. ENGLISH BRICKWORK England has always been noted for excellence in the manufacture and use of brick, and thus the history of English brickwork can be written almost without a break from the building of the Roman wall, which used to surround London in the far distant past, to the late Mr. Bentley’s magnificent Westminster Cathedral, or some of the more recent work including that of Mr. Lutyens. Although English brick architecture never reached that high point of art attained in Italy, 4t never suffered degeneration, adapting itself to every change in style, and always preserved its admirable qualities.

NOTE The fallowing survey of English brickwork has been compiled from a prize essay by Mr. H. F. Murrell on “The Development of English Brickwork,” which appeared in the Journal of the Architectural Association, London, a few years ago, and an abstract of which was published in the American Brickbuildcr” a few months later.

ROMAN BRICKWORK

sistently intelligent use of Roman bricks adapted to essentially Saxon forms.

The Roman brickmaking and brickbuilding in England was similar to that done all over the Roman Empire. The most important British-Roman brickwork is to be found at Dover in the Pharos Tower, and at St. Mary-in-the-Castle. In the walls of the

NORMAN BRICKWORK

Norman builders, having acquired a developed masonry among the fine French building stones, did

former are the usual bonding courses of flat bricks, some of which have ledges for keying purposes. SAXON BRICKWORK The Saxons discontinued brickmaking, but used ready made materials, using sometimes the bricks the Romans made. . The church of Holy Trinity, Colchester, possesses a f|fie late Saxon tower, showing throughout a con-

not largely adopt brickwork, but, if they were given Roman bricks, as at Colchester, could put them together with far more skill and interest than their Saxon predecessor. EARLY ENGLISH BRICKWORK Evidence will not justify the assertion that no bricks were burnt in England from the time of the Roman evacuation in the year 420 A.D. until 1260

A.D., the date of the construction of Little Wenham Hall in Suffolk, but it is certain that brick-making as an industry, and brick-building as an art, did not exist during that period. Shortage in quantity, or inferiority in quality in local building-stone was met by the early English builders, not by the recourse of Roman brick fields, but by the importation of Caen stone from France. it is evident that the first cause of the re-use of brick was the growing scarcity, not only of stone, but of timber, and the constant destruction of timber buildings by fire must also have caused the introduction of a more resisting material. This movement manifested itself first in the Eastern counties. EARLY TUDOR BRICKWORK Although the use of brick in church buildings was fragmentary and incidental in housework, its possibilities were grasped, and a style developed which is most typical of English domestic methods. In cottages and smaller houses, brick was early discovered to be a suitable filling for half timber framing, a fine example is “West Stow Hall,” Suffolk, where every pattern of brick bonding seems to have been exploited. Another characteristic of Tudor brickwork is the introduction of diaper patterns, originating in the accidental effects of vitrified headers. Corbelling is also a marked feature of this period, and retained a strong Gothic tradition till well into the sixteenth century, as at Layer Marney, in Essex, and was at its finest in such early work as Rye House, Hertfordshire. Chimneys were also a great feature, and were a comparatively new thought to the early Tudor Architect.

The brick newel stairs of the period also form an interesting study, and the typical stair of Waynflete’s Tower at Esher Place, Surrey, which was built about 1500 A.D., the newel, vault, handrails and treads are brick throughout. RENAISSANCE BRICKWORK Geographically, the use of brick during this period was more widespread than during the Tudor. The most characteristic feature of Renaissance brickwork was the flat rubbed brick arch. In brick, as in stone, the Orders formed the great decorative resource of the Renaissance architects. A survey of brickwork of this period is perhaps best studied by analysing the characteristic work of prominent architects than by a general description. Eor this reason I have selected the following men and will employ their work as examples. INIGO JONES’ BRICKWORK Inigo Jones, like his master Palladio, was by no means adverse to brick, though using it little in his more important works. West Woodhay Manor House, an apparently authentic design by Inigo Jones, shows an early use of rubbed brick in its window architraves. St. Paul’s Church, Co vent Garden, London, was probably the first use of brick in Renaissance church building in London. SIR CHRISTOPHER WREN'S BRICKWORK Wren’s use of brick is characteristic of his natural strength and decision. . In church work he evidently preferred stone, employing brick only for

constructive utility as in the cone of St. Paul’s Cathedral, or for an economical facing as at St. dames', I'iccadilly, and St. Rennets, Upper Thames Street, London. In domestic work he used brick indiscriminately, considering it to be as suitable for a palace as for a house. He appears to have carefully considered the colour of his brickwork, and for almost the first time introduced yellow stocks. The quality of Wren’s brickwork was as excellent as his design. The Eluecoat School, Westminster, is perhaps the most careful and consistent of his brick building, but some others that are quite as interesting . are:Christ’s Hospital, London, (lately demolished), Chelsea Hospital, Kensington Palace and Hampton Court Palace.

The climax of Renaissance brickwork was followed by a decline, hastened by the general introduction of stucco m the late eighteenth century. The revivals of the nineteenth century induced from necessity a renewed vigor of brick practice. Impelled by economic considerations to build in brick the Gotnic Revivalists employed that material with architectural enthusiasm for all but their most important works.

Of the brickwork that has been done in England since the Gothic Revival, it is impossible now to give a survey, as apart from the invidiousness of differentiating between the work of recent architects, the survey would require too much space, but an outline of the main factors of an artistic design will be given in the concluding part of this article.

American Brickw oka Turning now 10 me subject 01 oncK architecture in me United States, it must be stated mat up to some years ago mere was uotnmg wormy 01 me name, 11 we except me architecture of me colonial period, which as 111 some way an ecno ox mat ox me Georgian period in England, in me best ox mis worn, tne brie ns came irom England and Holland in tne Holds ox returning vessels, where they served as ballast for tne relatively unladen part of tne voyage.

America owes a debt to Richardson, who performed useful service in laying ins transforming touen upon me brickwork of ms day, and since then it lias progressed rapidly, and to-day America contains many fine examples of brickwork. The personality of tne Americans is clearly shown m tne execution of their brick designs, and under a later Heading i will endeavour to describe the cnief characteristics.

{To be continued.)

“In architecture, the creative power of nature herself is the model imitated. It is an art which appeals directly to the understanding, and has not the means of flattering the senses in. the same way as her sister arts: hence her productions are not universally appreciated: in truth, they are rarely understood, except by those whose education and acquirements have qualified them to judge. ’’Gwilt.

“Repose is based upon quiet strength and an assured — Belcher.