Seconding Motion at SPAB, as Reported in the Times
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Author : William Morris

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SOCIETY FOR THE PROTECTION OF ANCIENT BUILDINGS.

The thirteenth annual meeting of the Society for the Protection of Ancient
Buildings was held last evening in the old hall of Barnard's Inn, Holborn.
Mr.
Walter Crane presided, and in opening the proceedings said that they had
there
that evening two very excellent photographs which might serve as
illustrations
of what modern restoration meant. They illustrated the restoration of the
south
transept of St. Albans Abbey - a very noble building, of which England was
justly proud. It might be said, "Look here upon this picture, and on this,"
for
they represented the state of the building before and after it had been
"Grimthorped," as a friend of his expressively put it. The one photograph
was
at any rate a picture of a genuine relic of antiquity. It was full of
variety
and richness, and was perfectly authentic whatever its style might be. On
the
other hand the other photograph showed a restoration of the same piece. It
appeared to him that the most ardent admirer of such a piece of work as
that
could not claim for it that it represented anything but the views of Lord
Grimthorpe. It appeared to him (Mr. Crane) as nothing but a composition
from a
superior box of bricks. There was a very influential class of men in
England -
the clergy - who had a great deal of power in their hands in that matter of
the
protection of ancient buildings, and one of the necessities of these days
was
that clergymen who had venerable buildings under their control should have
a
knowledge of architecture and a love of art. Mr. Crane moved the adoption
of
the report, and subsequently said that he ought to mention that Lord
Grimthorpe
had obtained a faculty to treat the Lady Chapel of St. Albans in the same
way
as be had treated the south transept.

 Mr. William Morris, in seconding the
adoption of the report, said that they might think the design of the
restoration of St. Albans Abbey bad been made by the greatest fool in
England.
On the contrary, the man who made that design, was one of the cleverest men
in
England. He was so clever that be had a large fortune, and be had bought
the
people who onght to have taken care of the building and put them in his
pocket.
Me was a man utterly unfit to have anything to do with an ancient
building,
simply because he did not care a straw what became of such a building so
long
as he conld impress his individuality upon it. The public buildings of
England
were in the hands of a few entirely irresponsible persons, and he appealed
to
those persons not to take any steps with reference to those buildings
without
the best advice and long consideration.

 A lecture on "Craft Gilds" was then
delivered by the Rev. W. Cunningham, D.D.


     From : Marxists.org

Events :
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     Seconding Motion at SPAB, as Reported in the Times -- Added : February
25, 2021

     Seconding Motion at SPAB, as Reported in the Times -- Updated :
January 08, 2022

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