DINNER TO MR. C. F. A. VOYSEY
The complimentary dinner, given by the R.I.B.A. to Mr. C. F. A. Voysey, took place in the Hall of the Painter Stainers’ Company, Little Water Lane, E.C., on Thursday, November 17, Mr. Walter Tapper, A.R.A., President of the Institute, being in the chair.
The Chairman, proposing the health of their guest, said that it was a real pleasure to propose the toast of their old friend and confrere, Voysey, who, though he had reached three score years and ten, was a real boy in spirit. They all knew and appreciated his work for its restraint and fine dignity. All of them were guilty of sins of commission and omission, but the only charge he had to make against their old friend was his omission to join the R.I.B.A., though, no doubt, he had his very good reasons for it. Of personal details, he might mention that Voysey started at the age of 17, being articled to J. P. Seddon for five years, afterwards serving in the offices of Saxon Snell and George Devey. He commenced practice at the age of 26. As they knew, he had carried out a great deal of domestic work, but, in addition, he had done an immense amount of designing — furniture, fabrics, carpets, the Essex wallpapers — a great diversity of practice. These showed superb workmanship, individuality and freshness.
Mr. E. J. Horniman said he occupied the difficult position of the outsider called upon to support a toast to an architect, and, because of that, they must bear with him if his remarks were somewhat personal, both as regards Voysey and himself. He first met Voysey when they were both 30 years old, having been advised by Onslow Ford to get Voysey to design a cottage that he was proposing to build. He had not previously heard of him, and he might say that, before going to see him, he looked over the technical papers in the British Museum. When they did meet, he was very modest and so was Voysey, perhaps because he (Horniman) was by far the bigger man of the two. The friendship then begun, he had never regretted. Voysey built the cottage, and, with a virtue rare in architects, did not exceed his estimate. It was an excellent cottage, about which the speaker’s only complaint related to the height of shelves and of a door, due, perhaps, to Voysey’s disregard of their relative personal proportions. Although Voysey held himself out to be a true-blue Tory, he was really an anarchist, for he did not believe in law—at least, in building law, about which he had often expressed himself with fluency. “ And on most questions,” continued Mr. Horniman, “ Voysey is a personal and positive agnostic. He does not believe what I tell him, but only believes what he believes to be true. That, however, has never interfered with our friendship.
I am glad to support the toast to one I know to be an absolutely sincere man.”
Sir Walter Essex referred to his long association, both personally and in business, with his 11 impossible friend Voysey,” for he never knew what view he might next give expression to. Vet, for that long association of forty years he thanked God. When Voysey first came to his office and produced, from a roll, a sheaf of designs, he recognised at once that he had met a new spirit and force in design, a fact that, as time went on; was realised both in this country and
abroad. Voysey had never studied his own material interests; and, perhaps, had he been less obdurate in standing out for his ideals, might have become a rich man. He recalled that Voysey was once offered a partnership in a sound concern following the same calling as his (Sir Walter’s), and, after patiently listening to all the details of the proposition, Voysey
turned it down on the ground that if he became a partner in the firm he could no longer conscientiously recommend its goods to the public. Voysey was an amazingly rapid draughtsman. He remembered on one occasion that, desiring to make Essex wallpapers appropriate to every class of bouse, he went to Voysey for some simple flower designs, suitable for the cottager’s home. Voysey suggested that he should sit down, and in the short space of two hours had produced four excellent designs, using an average of five colours in each. Only once during their long association was Voysey ever wrong in the natural rendering of a flower, and that was over the sunflower. It was appropriate that Voysey should be entertained by British architects, because it was British architects who all along, in good times and bad, had appreciated and used his wallpapers.
Professor Dr. D. F. Slothouwer, supporting the toast on behalf of the Dutch architectural profession, said the purity and honesty of Voysey’s architectural design appealed to them as the best things they had ever seen. The Dutch were great friends of England, and their best wish to the English was that they might always produce men like Voysey.
Mr. Voysey, responding, explained his reason for not joining the R.I.B.A. as the strong views he held on architectural training, though he would admit that the Institute had greatly improved their method in recent years. He recalled that, in 1874, when he entered the profession, the great influence was that of John Ruskin, and that the first problem of the architect was style—not the site or the requirements of the client , and their fulfilment. Among the architectural giants of his early, years were E. W. Godwin, Macrnurdo, Norman Shaw, Devey, Bodley and Bentley. He was conscious of his good fortune in being there to enjoy the kind things that had been said, the hospitality given and the honour that had been bestowed
MR. C. P. A. VOYSEY.
[Photo: Elliott A Pry.
The complimentary dinner, given by the R.I.B.A. to Mr. C. F. A. Voysey, took place in the Hall of the Painter Stainers’ Company, Little Water Lane, E.C., on Thursday, November 17, Mr. Walter Tapper, A.R.A., President of the Institute, being in the chair.
The Chairman, proposing the health of their guest, said that it was a real pleasure to propose the toast of their old friend and confrere, Voysey, who, though he had reached three score years and ten, was a real boy in spirit. They all knew and appreciated his work for its restraint and fine dignity. All of them were guilty of sins of commission and omission, but the only charge he had to make against their old friend was his omission to join the R.I.B.A., though, no doubt, he had his very good reasons for it. Of personal details, he might mention that Voysey started at the age of 17, being articled to J. P. Seddon for five years, afterwards serving in the offices of Saxon Snell and George Devey. He commenced practice at the age of 26. As they knew, he had carried out a great deal of domestic work, but, in addition, he had done an immense amount of designing — furniture, fabrics, carpets, the Essex wallpapers — a great diversity of practice. These showed superb workmanship, individuality and freshness.
Mr. E. J. Horniman said he occupied the difficult position of the outsider called upon to support a toast to an architect, and, because of that, they must bear with him if his remarks were somewhat personal, both as regards Voysey and himself. He first met Voysey when they were both 30 years old, having been advised by Onslow Ford to get Voysey to design a cottage that he was proposing to build. He had not previously heard of him, and he might say that, before going to see him, he looked over the technical papers in the British Museum. When they did meet, he was very modest and so was Voysey, perhaps because he (Horniman) was by far the bigger man of the two. The friendship then begun, he had never regretted. Voysey built the cottage, and, with a virtue rare in architects, did not exceed his estimate. It was an excellent cottage, about which the speaker’s only complaint related to the height of shelves and of a door, due, perhaps, to Voysey’s disregard of their relative personal proportions. Although Voysey held himself out to be a true-blue Tory, he was really an anarchist, for he did not believe in law—at least, in building law, about which he had often expressed himself with fluency. “ And on most questions,” continued Mr. Horniman, “ Voysey is a personal and positive agnostic. He does not believe what I tell him, but only believes what he believes to be true. That, however, has never interfered with our friendship.
I am glad to support the toast to one I know to be an absolutely sincere man.”
Sir Walter Essex referred to his long association, both personally and in business, with his 11 impossible friend Voysey,” for he never knew what view he might next give expression to. Vet, for that long association of forty years he thanked God. When Voysey first came to his office and produced, from a roll, a sheaf of designs, he recognised at once that he had met a new spirit and force in design, a fact that, as time went on; was realised both in this country and
abroad. Voysey had never studied his own material interests; and, perhaps, had he been less obdurate in standing out for his ideals, might have become a rich man. He recalled that Voysey was once offered a partnership in a sound concern following the same calling as his (Sir Walter’s), and, after patiently listening to all the details of the proposition, Voysey
turned it down on the ground that if he became a partner in the firm he could no longer conscientiously recommend its goods to the public. Voysey was an amazingly rapid draughtsman. He remembered on one occasion that, desiring to make Essex wallpapers appropriate to every class of bouse, he went to Voysey for some simple flower designs, suitable for the cottager’s home. Voysey suggested that he should sit down, and in the short space of two hours had produced four excellent designs, using an average of five colours in each. Only once during their long association was Voysey ever wrong in the natural rendering of a flower, and that was over the sunflower. It was appropriate that Voysey should be entertained by British architects, because it was British architects who all along, in good times and bad, had appreciated and used his wallpapers.
Professor Dr. D. F. Slothouwer, supporting the toast on behalf of the Dutch architectural profession, said the purity and honesty of Voysey’s architectural design appealed to them as the best things they had ever seen. The Dutch were great friends of England, and their best wish to the English was that they might always produce men like Voysey.
Mr. Voysey, responding, explained his reason for not joining the R.I.B.A. as the strong views he held on architectural training, though he would admit that the Institute had greatly improved their method in recent years. He recalled that, in 1874, when he entered the profession, the great influence was that of John Ruskin, and that the first problem of the architect was style—not the site or the requirements of the client , and their fulfilment. Among the architectural giants of his early, years were E. W. Godwin, Macrnurdo, Norman Shaw, Devey, Bodley and Bentley. He was conscious of his good fortune in being there to enjoy the kind things that had been said, the hospitality given and the honour that had been bestowed
MR. C. P. A. VOYSEY.
[Photo: Elliott A Pry.