Vol. CXVIII — 3065
The ARCHITECT & BUILDING NEWS
September 16, 1927
Proprietors: Gilbert Wood & Co., Ltd.
Managing Director: William L. Wood
Editorial, Publishing and Advertisement Offices:
Rolls House, 2 Breams Buildings, London, E. C. 4. Tel.: Holborn 5708 Registered Office: Imperial Buildings, Ludgate Circus, London, E. C. 4
Principal Contents
Notes and Comments............................................. Pages 449, 450 National Provincial Bank, Ltd. (Illustrations)....................... 451, 453 Professional Societies......................................................452 Competition News...................................................................... 452 Correspondence.......................................................................... 452
New Toffee Factory at Hunnington (Illustrations)........ 453-455 “Travellens’ Rest, ” Northfield (Illustrations)......................... 454, 459 A House at Hadley Wood (Illustrations)................................ 456-458 First Church of Christ, Scientist, Bournemouth (Illus
trations) ......................................................................... 460, 461
The New Industrial Continuation School in Vienna
(Illustrations)...................................................... 462-466 Holiday Reflections — III. (Illustrations)............................ 468, 470 London Building Notes................................................................ 472 Week’s Building News............................................................... 474 Contracts Open........................................................................... 476
Current Market Prices................................................. 478, 480 Building Tenders...................................................................... 480
Current Measured Bates................................................. 482, 484
NOTES AND COMMENTS
There can be little doubt that public interest in cival design is on the increase. Scarcely a day passes without some comment being made in the Press on the subject — either of street architecture or the amenities of the country-side. There is evidence that the local authorities are beginning to take a great interest in these matters. It is welcome news, for instance, that the Rye Rural District Council have instructed their surveyor that, wherever it is proposed to erect new buildings, if in his opinion “unsightliness is likely to arise he should submit the plans to the Area Joint Town Planning Committee before commending them for approval. ” It is not to be supposed, of course, that this censorship on the part of such a committee will secure the production of good designs, but at least it should have the effect of saving us from the worst type of architectural atrocity. Mistakes in design are due to two kinds of error— namely, errors arising through ignorance and errors arising through carelessness. In the first ease the remedy is not easy to suggest, but in the second we are dealing with faults of design which need not be committed at all if the designers in question were made to feel that critical eyes are watching them, and that they are not entitled to erect in a public place buildings in the design of which not the smallest attempt has been made to take account of their environment. It is noteworthy that the Corporation of Rye have also laid down a restriction that all new buildings should be tiled and not slated. This should go far to secure a certain homogeneity among the buildings, while it gives architects quite sufficient freedom in other respects. Such a restriction might also very well be made in other districts, for it is impossible nowadays to travel about England without seeing numerous examples of the discord arising through the juxtaposition of bright red tiles and purple slates, a contrast which in some instances is deliberately sought, as when we see a row of semidetached pairs of cottages of identical design, but having alternate slated and tiled roofs. What the perpetrators of these architectural misdeeds require to understand is that contrast is not in itself a principle of design, but is only pleasing or even tolerable under certain prescribed conditions.
Again, the problem of motor traffic is exercising the attention of the Automobile Association, and we learn that another effort is to be made to obtain greater facilities for parking cars in all London districts. The interesting proposal is brought forward that garages should be constructed underneath some of the squares. This is a very great advance on certain
earlier proposals made on behalf of motorists, namely, that the squares themselves should be allocated as parking-spaces for their use. It may be remembered what a storm of protest arose when a few months ago the present Home Secretary, in a public speech, made the suggestion that a part of St. James’s Park should be utilised as parking-space for the occupants of the new Devonshire House. It is becoming ever more clearly recognised that the public squares of London should, as far as possible, be preserved as pleasant little oases of verdure in the midst of the built-up areas, and even if in some instances the public is excluded from the enclosures concerned, they at least have the advantage of providing pleasant open spaces with grass and trees upon which the eye may rest with pleasure. Two years ago a scheme was put forward for the construction of a garage under Leicester Square, and this met with some official support. The Incorporated Society of Auctioneers and Landed Property Agents have now decided to place before the Royal Commission on London Squares a proposal for building garages in such a manner that the squares externally are to retain all their present features except in so far as reconstruction of the roadways would be necessary to provide ramps or inclines for cars entering and leaving the underground garages. Of the three hundred and sixty-five squares in London a large proportion are, of course, too small to warrant the expense of constructing such underground garages, but it is contended that many of them could be so utilised. Tenants and owners of the freehold of almost all of them, however, have ancient rights, which prevent any authority scheduling them as parking-places above or underground, and before anything could be done there would have to be fresh legislation. It is pointed out that motorists are increasing in numbers at the rate of at least 2, 000 a week, and this increase will accelerate. There seems little doubt that, from the architectural point of view, the underground garage is the most satisfactory of the various proposals which from time to time have been made for obtaining additional parking-space in our densely populated towns.
For several years after the war building on a sumptuous scale appeared to be undertaken more often by the great banking institutions than by any other agency, public or commercial. On the Continent this architectural activity on the part of the banks was more marked, it being noteworthy that even in countries like Austria, which were on the verge of national bankruptcy, the great banking houses were erecting marble palaces for the conduct of their business.
The ARCHITECT & BUILDING NEWS
September 16, 1927
Proprietors: Gilbert Wood & Co., Ltd.
Managing Director: William L. Wood
Editorial, Publishing and Advertisement Offices:
Rolls House, 2 Breams Buildings, London, E. C. 4. Tel.: Holborn 5708 Registered Office: Imperial Buildings, Ludgate Circus, London, E. C. 4
Principal Contents
Notes and Comments............................................. Pages 449, 450 National Provincial Bank, Ltd. (Illustrations)....................... 451, 453 Professional Societies......................................................452 Competition News...................................................................... 452 Correspondence.......................................................................... 452
New Toffee Factory at Hunnington (Illustrations)........ 453-455 “Travellens’ Rest, ” Northfield (Illustrations)......................... 454, 459 A House at Hadley Wood (Illustrations)................................ 456-458 First Church of Christ, Scientist, Bournemouth (Illus
trations) ......................................................................... 460, 461
The New Industrial Continuation School in Vienna
(Illustrations)...................................................... 462-466 Holiday Reflections — III. (Illustrations)............................ 468, 470 London Building Notes................................................................ 472 Week’s Building News............................................................... 474 Contracts Open........................................................................... 476
Current Market Prices................................................. 478, 480 Building Tenders...................................................................... 480
Current Measured Bates................................................. 482, 484
NOTES AND COMMENTS
There can be little doubt that public interest in cival design is on the increase. Scarcely a day passes without some comment being made in the Press on the subject — either of street architecture or the amenities of the country-side. There is evidence that the local authorities are beginning to take a great interest in these matters. It is welcome news, for instance, that the Rye Rural District Council have instructed their surveyor that, wherever it is proposed to erect new buildings, if in his opinion “unsightliness is likely to arise he should submit the plans to the Area Joint Town Planning Committee before commending them for approval. ” It is not to be supposed, of course, that this censorship on the part of such a committee will secure the production of good designs, but at least it should have the effect of saving us from the worst type of architectural atrocity. Mistakes in design are due to two kinds of error— namely, errors arising through ignorance and errors arising through carelessness. In the first ease the remedy is not easy to suggest, but in the second we are dealing with faults of design which need not be committed at all if the designers in question were made to feel that critical eyes are watching them, and that they are not entitled to erect in a public place buildings in the design of which not the smallest attempt has been made to take account of their environment. It is noteworthy that the Corporation of Rye have also laid down a restriction that all new buildings should be tiled and not slated. This should go far to secure a certain homogeneity among the buildings, while it gives architects quite sufficient freedom in other respects. Such a restriction might also very well be made in other districts, for it is impossible nowadays to travel about England without seeing numerous examples of the discord arising through the juxtaposition of bright red tiles and purple slates, a contrast which in some instances is deliberately sought, as when we see a row of semidetached pairs of cottages of identical design, but having alternate slated and tiled roofs. What the perpetrators of these architectural misdeeds require to understand is that contrast is not in itself a principle of design, but is only pleasing or even tolerable under certain prescribed conditions.
Again, the problem of motor traffic is exercising the attention of the Automobile Association, and we learn that another effort is to be made to obtain greater facilities for parking cars in all London districts. The interesting proposal is brought forward that garages should be constructed underneath some of the squares. This is a very great advance on certain
earlier proposals made on behalf of motorists, namely, that the squares themselves should be allocated as parking-spaces for their use. It may be remembered what a storm of protest arose when a few months ago the present Home Secretary, in a public speech, made the suggestion that a part of St. James’s Park should be utilised as parking-space for the occupants of the new Devonshire House. It is becoming ever more clearly recognised that the public squares of London should, as far as possible, be preserved as pleasant little oases of verdure in the midst of the built-up areas, and even if in some instances the public is excluded from the enclosures concerned, they at least have the advantage of providing pleasant open spaces with grass and trees upon which the eye may rest with pleasure. Two years ago a scheme was put forward for the construction of a garage under Leicester Square, and this met with some official support. The Incorporated Society of Auctioneers and Landed Property Agents have now decided to place before the Royal Commission on London Squares a proposal for building garages in such a manner that the squares externally are to retain all their present features except in so far as reconstruction of the roadways would be necessary to provide ramps or inclines for cars entering and leaving the underground garages. Of the three hundred and sixty-five squares in London a large proportion are, of course, too small to warrant the expense of constructing such underground garages, but it is contended that many of them could be so utilised. Tenants and owners of the freehold of almost all of them, however, have ancient rights, which prevent any authority scheduling them as parking-places above or underground, and before anything could be done there would have to be fresh legislation. It is pointed out that motorists are increasing in numbers at the rate of at least 2, 000 a week, and this increase will accelerate. There seems little doubt that, from the architectural point of view, the underground garage is the most satisfactory of the various proposals which from time to time have been made for obtaining additional parking-space in our densely populated towns.
For several years after the war building on a sumptuous scale appeared to be undertaken more often by the great banking institutions than by any other agency, public or commercial. On the Continent this architectural activity on the part of the banks was more marked, it being noteworthy that even in countries like Austria, which were on the verge of national bankruptcy, the great banking houses were erecting marble palaces for the conduct of their business.