which used, till recently, to be the too frequent characteristics of new churches, are avoided; and yet a pure and perfect taste does not appear in the details, nor even (as we think) in the style selected, which is Romanesque; on account of the old chapel, on whose site the new one stands, having, upon examination, shown traces of early Norman work. The entrance is by a small porch, surmounted with a cross; the doorway is square, but forms part of a Romanesque arch; it is, we believe, intended to put some carved work on the tympanum above it. The chapel consists of a nave and an apse, which is separated from the nave by an arch, and which forms the sanctuary. There is, we are sorry to say, no chancel, in the proper sense of the word. There are altar-rails under the arch. The font is of stone, and is square; it is thrust close up against the west wall; it has a drain. A large high-walled square box, not unlike an exaggerated pew, stands to the left of the entrance, and serves as a kind of sacristy. The seats are all open and commodious; the roof of the nave is of open timber-work, of a much later character than the rest of the chapel. The windows are very small and narrow, and are most of them of the kind usually met with in early Romanesque work; in the eastern gable of the nave, above the apse, a circular window is to be placed; the gable is surmounted by a cross. There are three narrow lights in the apse, and two circular windows are, we believe, to be inserted; these are to be filled with stained glass. At present all the windows are filled with some glass of green tinge, which we do not think has by any means a pleasing effect. The chapel is certainly rather too dark, owing to the extremely small size of the windows. The plaistering between the timbers of the roof of the apse is painted with some red and blue devices, which we do not perfectly understand, but which seem to be a kind of wreath-work. The sanctuary, which is raised by a step above the level of the nave, is very well laid with encaustic tiles. The altar, we regret to say, has a very common appearance. The pulpit is of stone, and is placed on the north side of the chancel arch; it has a gilded cross and an intersecting triangle on its panels. The reading-desk is close to it; it is open, and fronts the south; it has standards and poppy-heads. On the panel at each end is a carved and gilded cross. The bell-cot at the west gable, containing a single bell, is a very pretty one: the architect is, we believe, Mr. Cranstoun. The chapel was consecrated on Sept. 8, 1848, by Dr. Hampden. It is pleasing, as showing an improved state of ecclesiology in a county where good modern specimens are very rare ; its defects are, we presume, to be attributed to too close an adherence to the style of the old chapel, which formerly stood on the site now occupied by that which we have described. If so, we cannot conclude without protesting against this mistaken spirit of conservatism, which tends to exalt antiquarianism (in itself a mere branch of secular learning) above ecclesiology, which devotes its energies to the reverent serving and adorning of the church in the best and fittest manner possible.

S., West Lavington, Sussex.—A simple village church, building from the designs of Mr. Butterfield. It has a chancel, 32 ft. 6 in. by 15 ft.; nave, 48 ft. by 15 ft.; and two aisles, about 9 ft. broad; besides

The

a north-eastern sacristy, and a south-western wooden porch. chancel is arranged with longitudinal seats, a low marble screen with metal doors, a spacious sanctuary properly disposed; and the priest's door is in the sacristy. The nave has a pulpit on the north side of the chancel-arch, an organ on the ground in the eastern corner of the north aisle, and the font on the west side of the westernmost pier of the north arcade. We particularly regret that, contrary to the ancient practice, the passage up the aisles is made along the walls instead of in the middle; and that fixed open seats, twelve feet long, run through from the middle passage to the aisles. Mr. Butterfield has likewise departed from precedent in putting the porch at the extreme west, instead of in the second bay from the west, of the south wall. This, if more convenient in practice, is anything but agreeable as to external effect. The style is very late First-Pointed, and of almost too severe a character. The windows are generally of two unfoliated lights, with a plain circle above, or with intersecting monials. Throughout the detail is good, but we fancy we observe a tendency to prefer stiff and quaint forms, which show some originality, to more hackneyed architectural expressions. This is very good and hopeful, when done with extreme caution and very chastened taste. We trust we may not be now registering the first traces of an excessive reaction from traditionary architectural rules on the part of the eminent architect whose work we are reviewing. For example, all the circles that are foliated in this design have the quatrefoils set square instead of diagonally; and the south windows display an ungraceful form of trifoliation; and, what is more important, we think we detect a growing use of Third-Pointed forms-disguised, of course, but not made really more tolerable by their being presented in Middle-Pointed detail. We view this symptom, we confess, with especial apprehension. We more gladly call attention to the better points of the design: the judicious arrangement of windows, as to height in the wall, and combination; the sensible allocation of the buttresses; the modest wooden belfry, so suitable to Sussex; and the unaffected treatment of the copings and gables throughout. We can enter into the temptation an architect must feel to depart from the beaten track in design but we must anxiously watch any such departure. In this case we have an interesting and excellent design deprived of much of its beauty by what we can consider little better than crotchets of its author.

S. Michael, York Town, near Sandhurst.-This is the nave of a church, with an arch at its east end for a future chancel, and one at the west for a future tower. No preparation is made for aisles in order that the chancel may be, almost of necessity, the next addition: -a thoughtful provision of the present builders. The eastern part of this nave is now fitted up as a choir, with extreme propriety. It is rendered more dignified by external strings, and is marked by buttresses and a light octagonal spirelet of timber and iron over the temporary screen. With the tracery, and the thorough Middle-Pointed spirit of the whole design, we are singularly pleased. Indeed, we have rarely seen a more successful attempt.

S. Mark, Philadelphia.—Our readers have already heard more than

once of this church. The following particulars are condensed from an account, accompanied by a very inferior engraving, given in the Philadelphia newspaper, the Banner of the Cross, of March 17, 1849 :— The church is built of freestone, from Trenton, Newark, Little Falls, and Thorn Quarries, in the Middle-Pointed style. The length of the church is 150 feet long. The tower is on the south side, near the west end, attached to the aisle wall, projecting all its size, and makes the breadth at this point 91 feet. The tower is in the position of the south porch, for which its first stage is to be used: through it is the principal entrance by a deeply recessed and richly-moulded doorway, ornamented with foliated shafts in the jambs. The windows of the aisles and clerestory are of two lights, and have moulded-work stone jambs. The church comprises a chancel, a nave, and aisles-an organ or choir aisle, with a convenient vestry. The interior is 138 feet in length, 56 feet wide, and 54 feet high. The chancel is 38 feet deep,

23 feet 6 inches wide, and will be built, to show the interior, of cut stone. The floor is to be paved with encaustic tiles, and rises in four steps to the altar. The window over the altar is of five lights, and will be glazed with painted glass of subject design. The nave is 28 feet wide, and 100 feet long. The north and south aisles are each 14 feet wide by 100 in length. The division is in seven bays on each side; the piers and arches are of cut stone, supporting the clerestory, with bracket shafts between each window for the roof timbers. The roof is open timbered, framed of oak, with hammer and collar beams moulded, the whole construction being visible. The chancel has a polygonal cieling of oak, divided into panels. The organ aisle is a continuation of the north aisle, with an arch open to the chancel. The seats will all be of oak, and will be open-of suitable design. The windows are to be glazed in quarries set in lead, having borders of coloured glass. The great west window is of four lights, and those of the aisles have three lights each. A small porch entrance is under the large window, and another door on the north side opposite to that through the tower. The vestry and chancel have each their entrance door. The tower is square built, with buttresses to the height of 80 feet from the base. It is then resolved into an octagon spire 90 feet high, broached on the angles, with three tiers of spire lights alternating. The belfry has coupled windows on each face. The spire is terminated with finial and cross. The gables are to bear ornamental crosses, and a neat crest tile is carried on the ridges of the roof. Another unusual feature in this church is, that neither paint nor plaister are to be used for its construction, the inside walls being all lined with stone, and all the wood work is to be of solid oak. Neither was the church built by subscription; a few churchmen (not more than five or six,) advanced the necessary funds to complete it, with the exception of the tower and spire. Their contract with the architect is 30,000 dollars, including the entire completion of the building and appurtenances, excepting the organ."

Sydney Cathedral.-We extract the following account from the Annual Meeting of the Diocesan Society, in the Sydney Morning Herald, March 22, 1849. "It is always a pleasant part of your committee's duty to report the quiet but satisfactory progress made in the

erection of the Cathedral Church of the province. They feel that the progress of the building may seem to be slow compared with the ardent desire of those whose hearts delight to anticipate its completion, but they will do well to look beyond the narrow view, bounded by the present, back to the examples of the past, for encouragement, or with a humble faith to believe that a coming age will acknowledge the soundness of the principles upon which they have proceeded in raising this palace for the Great King.' They have a plain but animating assurance from Him, whom they seek to honour, that it is well that it is in their hands to build Him a House. In their last report they announced the acceptance by the Cathedral Committee of a contract for the completion of the nave and north transept to the spring of the arches of the windows. During the past year that contract has been completed at a cost of £869 19s., and a fourth contract for £584. 10s. has been entered into, which will carry the walls of the nave, extending from the south transept to the middle of the western window, to their full height, including the tracery of the windows, and of this contract more than one half has already been performed. Not less for the Christian sympathy it evidences than from the valuable aid it has afforded, your committee desire gratefully to acknowledge a communication received from the treasurer in England, the Rev. G. Gilbert, of Grantham, advising the cathedral committee of subscriptions received from his immediate friends to the amount of £72. 2s. 6d.; as also of a similar communication from Thomas Francis, Esq., notifying the receipt of £40. 18s. collected by him. As a further and most cheering proof of the interest felt in this great work by distant members of the Church, your committee have to announce the munificent gift of £300. from two ladies in England, to be dedicated to the same object. It is in contemplation to perpetuate the remembrance of this offering by devoting it and a like sum towards the completion of a specific portion of the cathedral-its choir; and a commencement has already been made by laying the foundation of 'buttresses to the aisle walls of the eastern portion of it."

SCHOOLS.

School at Seale.-We have seen the drawings of this by Mr. Woodyer. The style is a sort of un-Perpendicular Third-Pointed: not so successful in detail as in outline. A house for the schoolmistress is attached.

Schools at Wantage.-Also by Mr. Woodyer, of a better, though more decidedly Third-Pointed style than the last. They are of two stories, and, except for being of a later style than we can ever think necessary, very successful. We believe that but for the exigencies of the piece of ground, the two stories would not have been permitted.

School at Lechmere, by Mr. Woodyer, much less successful than those already noticed.

71

CHURCH RESTORATIONS.

Old S. Pancras, London.-On the building of the vast and costly mass of heathenism which is now the parish church of S. Pancras, the old, modest, though much disfigured, Romanesque one was left standing in the middle of its church-yard, and maintained for sacred uses, though lowered to the status of a chapel merely. At length the church needs of London called for an enlargement of it; and unhappily, Mr. Gough, of the firm of Gough and Roumieu, was the architect employed to do it. We only know Mr. Gough by his results, but these results justify us in asserting that we believe that in these days of architectural improvement, it would have been difficult to have found any other person who could have so completely succeeded in doing badly. The old church was Romanesque, so the restored one was also to be Romanesque; and the architect seemed to have run to all available books, and turned up all the available details of his style which he could find. The method adopted to enlarge the old church (a nave and chancel, with no aisles, but with a western tower,) was to extend the nave westward, pulling down the tower, and to pitch a new tower and spire on the show-side. A new east window was needed, and most men would have stuck it where they found the old one, in the east wall; but the inventive genius of Mr. Gough would not brook such humdrum, so he thickened out the central portion of the eastern wall till he had evolved externally the idea of a sanctuary in an atrophy; into this wall he stuck a triplet, and over the triplet he bored two little round windows. He scorned to turn a chancel arch, but the chancel hardly wanted such a distinction, so effectually did the old prayer desk, looking westward, and the pulpit barricade it. Of these Mr. Gough is not, of course, guilty, and we must in justice say, that bad as it is, the Italian work of the last century pleased us much more than his spick and span Romanesque. A gallery ran round the north, south, and west walls of the old church. These Mr. Gough has retained, merely giving his western gallery an indefinite prolongation in that direction. The roof is of a segmental curve, utterly unknown in any days of Christian architecture. This, with the galleries, give the nave very much the aspect of the cabin of a steamer. The lower stage of the parasitical tower is used as a baptistery, and in it stands a vast stone Romanesque font, into which vast Romanesque font is inserted the bowl of the old wooden Italianising one. What is in this we are ashamed to say we did not take the trouble to learn, we guess" a crockery basin. But any how, Mr. Gough deserves credit for the originality which could give a new shape to the old Wedgewood notion. But the whole merit of the church cannot be seen till we walk round it. The first idiosyncrasy which strikes us, is that the nave gable is made up with slates. There is to be seen an elegant assortment of fancy chimneys, one of which must have taken to smoking, as it has been replaced by another, plain, ugly, and we hope practical. The little side tower to which we have more than once alluded, is