The ARCHITECT
& BUILDING NEWS
Vol. CXVIII — 3076
December 2, 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 849, 850 Essays By the Way. VIII — Westminster Abbey.................... 851, 852 Professional Societies............................................................. 852 The Royal Orthopædie Hospital (Illustrations)
851, 853-855, 868 Books and Publications................................................................. 856
Design for a School Chapel (Illustration)...................................... 857 House at Gerrard’s Cross (Illustrations)........................................ 858 House at Barnet (Illustrations)...................................................... 859 Notes in Brief. ............................................ 860
Post Office, Beaconsfield (Illustration)........................................ 861
The Casino of St. Raphael (Illustrations)..................................... 862-866 Coming Events ................................................................................... 866 Points from Papers...................................................................... 867, 868 Building News in Parliament............................................................. 869 London Building Notes............................................... 870, 871 The Week’s Building News......................................................... 872, 873 Building Contracts Open.............................................................874 Building Tenders........................................................ 874, 876 Current. Market Prices............................................... 875, 876 Current Measured Rates............................................... 877, 878
NOTES AND COMMENTS
The Manchester Guardian devoted a lengthy article last week to the present over-crowded condition of the Town Hall in that city, and, on consideration of the plain facts and figures of the case, is of opinion that the extension scheme is the better policy to adopt. The whole of the available accommodation in the existing building is needed to meet the requirements of the purely administrative departments, and another 104, 000 square feet floor space is wanted to house the other departments of the Corporation, some of which, like the Electricity Department, are divided up between two or three buildings, an arrangement that must be troublesome and costly in working, and a constant source of annoyance to the public. And these temporarily housed departments, mainly the trading departments of the Corporation, are not only hampered by unsuitable quarters but, being expanding cancerns, can rot be accommodated indefinitely in their present positions. The Town Hall extension question, apparently has fallen into the slough of civic politics. It now awaits the report of a Committee appeinted to enquire into “the feasibility of pro
viding alternative accommodation in the buildings already existing on the site of the proposed extension and as to the cost of making the necessary alterationsˮ. The appointment of this Committee seems to have been determined upon, not so much to
obtain the particular information mentioned, as to checkmate for the time being “ the intention of those who, from whatever motive — and their motives, of course, were mixed — pressed for the immediate postponement” of the extension scheme for several years — in fact, for its virtual abandonment. Unless the minds of the members of the Corporation have considerably changed during the past few weeks, the outlook for Mr. Vincent Harris’s successful design does not seem to be particularly hopeful. On the face of it, if this special Committee can produce a reasonable plan for utilising existing buildings on the site, the Extension proposal will go by the board; on the other hand, if the die-hard opponents of the scheme get their way, the major scheme will, equally well, be doomed. In the circumstances, it is not surprising that the Manchester Star does not gleam very brightly on the architectural horizon. Architects will willingly compete for prizes, such as this Town Hall Extension Competition offered; the prize, from a designer’s point of view, is not centred, however, in the premium offered, much of which will be swallowed up in expenses, but in the honour and glory of carrying out the building. And though the unsuccessful architects do
not begrudge their lost chance, they do most decidedly resent being induced to spend much time and much money in trying to win a prize that does not materialise — to waste effort and substance merely to provide opposing factions on a civic council with material for a party squabble. In sporting parlance, it is beguiling them into backing a horse that is not being run; they don’t even get a run for their money. The Town Hall Extension fiasco, from what we hear, is having a bad effect on the Competition for the Extension of the Municipal College of Technology at Manchester; and many architects feel that it would be a waste of time and money to go in for this competition, unless there is some pretty definite assurance that the proposed Extension is going to be built and that their work will not be thrown away, as has been the case in some previous competitions at Manchester. Some pertinent enquiries have, we understand, been made in this connection, and the information which reaches us satisfies us that intending competitors need not hesitate to enter for the Competition. We trust, therefore, that architects of good standing will not be deterred by what has happened over the Town Hall Extension from sending in designs. One naturally wishes that Manchester should get the best that our architectural world can offer, even if the responsible authorities have, in other cases, done little to deserve it.
Over a hundred local authorities in the United Kingdom were represented at the joint conference of the National Housing and Town Planning Council and the Scottish National Housing and Town Planning Committee held at Harrogate last Saturday. The delegates were chiefly concerned with a continuance of active housing operations, and opposition to any further reduction in the Government subsidy. The uncertainty of this latter aid had resulted, according to the Chairman, Mr. F. M. Elgood, in a general slowing down of housing work by the local authorities, who were either inclined to hold their hand in the matter, or to embark only on cheaper and inferior types of houses. The Chairman also referred to the reply of the Prime Minister to a deputation, of which he was a member, which had asked, on the previous Thursday, for the appointment of a Royal Commission to inquire into the housing of the working classes. Mr. George Hicks contended that the million houses erected since the war had merely covered the annual deficits, and that 150, 000 new houses were required each year to cope with the normal increase in wedded
& BUILDING NEWS
Vol. CXVIII — 3076
December 2, 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 849, 850 Essays By the Way. VIII — Westminster Abbey.................... 851, 852 Professional Societies............................................................. 852 The Royal Orthopædie Hospital (Illustrations)
851, 853-855, 868 Books and Publications................................................................. 856
Design for a School Chapel (Illustration)...................................... 857 House at Gerrard’s Cross (Illustrations)........................................ 858 House at Barnet (Illustrations)...................................................... 859 Notes in Brief. ............................................ 860
Post Office, Beaconsfield (Illustration)........................................ 861
The Casino of St. Raphael (Illustrations)..................................... 862-866 Coming Events ................................................................................... 866 Points from Papers...................................................................... 867, 868 Building News in Parliament............................................................. 869 London Building Notes............................................... 870, 871 The Week’s Building News......................................................... 872, 873 Building Contracts Open.............................................................874 Building Tenders........................................................ 874, 876 Current. Market Prices............................................... 875, 876 Current Measured Rates............................................... 877, 878
NOTES AND COMMENTS
The Manchester Guardian devoted a lengthy article last week to the present over-crowded condition of the Town Hall in that city, and, on consideration of the plain facts and figures of the case, is of opinion that the extension scheme is the better policy to adopt. The whole of the available accommodation in the existing building is needed to meet the requirements of the purely administrative departments, and another 104, 000 square feet floor space is wanted to house the other departments of the Corporation, some of which, like the Electricity Department, are divided up between two or three buildings, an arrangement that must be troublesome and costly in working, and a constant source of annoyance to the public. And these temporarily housed departments, mainly the trading departments of the Corporation, are not only hampered by unsuitable quarters but, being expanding cancerns, can rot be accommodated indefinitely in their present positions. The Town Hall extension question, apparently has fallen into the slough of civic politics. It now awaits the report of a Committee appeinted to enquire into “the feasibility of pro
viding alternative accommodation in the buildings already existing on the site of the proposed extension and as to the cost of making the necessary alterationsˮ. The appointment of this Committee seems to have been determined upon, not so much to
obtain the particular information mentioned, as to checkmate for the time being “ the intention of those who, from whatever motive — and their motives, of course, were mixed — pressed for the immediate postponement” of the extension scheme for several years — in fact, for its virtual abandonment. Unless the minds of the members of the Corporation have considerably changed during the past few weeks, the outlook for Mr. Vincent Harris’s successful design does not seem to be particularly hopeful. On the face of it, if this special Committee can produce a reasonable plan for utilising existing buildings on the site, the Extension proposal will go by the board; on the other hand, if the die-hard opponents of the scheme get their way, the major scheme will, equally well, be doomed. In the circumstances, it is not surprising that the Manchester Star does not gleam very brightly on the architectural horizon. Architects will willingly compete for prizes, such as this Town Hall Extension Competition offered; the prize, from a designer’s point of view, is not centred, however, in the premium offered, much of which will be swallowed up in expenses, but in the honour and glory of carrying out the building. And though the unsuccessful architects do
not begrudge their lost chance, they do most decidedly resent being induced to spend much time and much money in trying to win a prize that does not materialise — to waste effort and substance merely to provide opposing factions on a civic council with material for a party squabble. In sporting parlance, it is beguiling them into backing a horse that is not being run; they don’t even get a run for their money. The Town Hall Extension fiasco, from what we hear, is having a bad effect on the Competition for the Extension of the Municipal College of Technology at Manchester; and many architects feel that it would be a waste of time and money to go in for this competition, unless there is some pretty definite assurance that the proposed Extension is going to be built and that their work will not be thrown away, as has been the case in some previous competitions at Manchester. Some pertinent enquiries have, we understand, been made in this connection, and the information which reaches us satisfies us that intending competitors need not hesitate to enter for the Competition. We trust, therefore, that architects of good standing will not be deterred by what has happened over the Town Hall Extension from sending in designs. One naturally wishes that Manchester should get the best that our architectural world can offer, even if the responsible authorities have, in other cases, done little to deserve it.
Over a hundred local authorities in the United Kingdom were represented at the joint conference of the National Housing and Town Planning Council and the Scottish National Housing and Town Planning Committee held at Harrogate last Saturday. The delegates were chiefly concerned with a continuance of active housing operations, and opposition to any further reduction in the Government subsidy. The uncertainty of this latter aid had resulted, according to the Chairman, Mr. F. M. Elgood, in a general slowing down of housing work by the local authorities, who were either inclined to hold their hand in the matter, or to embark only on cheaper and inferior types of houses. The Chairman also referred to the reply of the Prime Minister to a deputation, of which he was a member, which had asked, on the previous Thursday, for the appointment of a Royal Commission to inquire into the housing of the working classes. Mr. George Hicks contended that the million houses erected since the war had merely covered the annual deficits, and that 150, 000 new houses were required each year to cope with the normal increase in wedded