Royal Geological Society of Cornwall

Volume 7 Extract Annual Report 1863

50th Annual Report (1863), published in 1865 Volume 7 of the Transactions

Extract from the President, Augustus Smith's address concerning the building.

The President then continued-

It is now my duty to draw your attention to the position and prospects of the Society itself, and more especially to that never ending and ever complicated question as it has unfortunately turned out-respecting the new buildings. This to me is a most ungrateful task, when I have to survey the delays that have arisen, the cause of those delays, the several transactions that have hampered our proceedings, the promises of blossom held out, the manner in which those promises have fruited, and the unexpected hindrances-chiefly arising from a complication of local, personal, and often petty, interests-which have marred what was about as simple a matter of business as could be well imagined, had it been treated as it ought to have been from the first, in a clear, straightforward spirit, and been allowed that independent action and character which such a public and county institution ought to have enjoyed. When I first had the honour of being called to the chair, in 1858, my chief apology for presuming to accept the office was in the hope that I might be able to carry out a design which had for years been in contemplation, and in aid of which liberal contributions had already not only been promised, but, in many instances, paid. A suitable site was the chief difficulty, and this seemed fairly to have been secured, when Mr. Thomas S. Bolitho-a gentleman whose public spirit is supposed to have very much at heart the welfare of his native town, and in which he undoubtedly exercises very great influence -announced that he was in treaty for the purchase of a certain property, called the Glebe Field, and on a portion of which, we were given to understand, such a site would for certain be placed at our option. Some three or, at the furthest, six months, was declared to be the term when everything might be expected to be arranged in reference to this purchase. A year, however, elapsed, and the completion seemed as far off as ever; and as the business was in the hands of the lawyers, and there were many parties, clerical and lay, municipal, episcopal, and parochial, besides the ecclesiastical commissioners, mixed up in the proceedings, any one of common experience ought at once to have felt satisfied that the next geological epoch of the globe was as likely to be near at hand, as an early certainty of a site on the Glebe Field for the Geological Museum. The prospect was, however, constantly dangled as within our grasp, and we were told only to open our mouths and shut our eyes, and the desired morsel would soon be dropped in. It now began to appear, however, that a site, purely and simply as our own, was not exactly what was intended, and that Mr. Bolitho had a project, and for which design plans had been prepared by Mr. J. Matthews, the intelligent town-surveyor, by which a building was to be erected for the joint accommodation of the Municipality of Penzance, the County-court judge, a public library, halls for concerts and assemblies, and the Geological Society, with certain portions, as to entrances and staircases, to be common to all. Our Society, however, was not prepared to join in this close companionship, but consented to form a portion or wing of the edifice itself, but requiring to be thoroughly independent in all other respects. The difficulties arising even from this arrangement I always felt would be such as were likely not to be very easily surmounted, as the style of building and of accommodation, required for one party might not exactly be suited to meet the exigencies of the others; and as architectural ambition called for elevations of a certain pretension, and that the same should be of choice granite as to material, I was always apprehensive the internal arrangements were in danger of being sacrificed to our external clothing, and considerable expense likely to be incurred on points comparatively unessential. I was, however, sanguine enough to hope that as the principles necessary to be kept in view as to the internal arrangements of the municipal courts, especially as to light and ventilation, were so identical with our own, that no real danger existed that the buildings would not be what they ought to be, in these all-important particulars. Without entering on various intermediate proceedings (amongst others a proposal from myself, for the erection of the geological buildings on an eligible site close to the railway station, and which, though approved generally by the supporters and subscribers resident in the county was negatived by the smaller though more numerous contributors of the Penzance district), I come to the month of January, 1862-in the fourth year of my presidency - when I received two communications,-one from the town-clerk of Penzance, informing me that Mr. T. S. Bolitho having now the transfer of the Glebe land, was in a position to treat with the Geological Society for a site for their buildings; while another from Mr. Bolitho himself stated that he had engaged with the town council, on their executing the deed, to offer them the plot marked out by them, 170 feet by 170 feet, and they would be prepared to sell to the Geological Society and any other institution. These two statements were somewhat at variance, and while the town clerk stated Mr. Bolitho was prepared to sell, Mr. Bolitho announced the same on behalf of the town council; but which was the principal in the business was not very clear, though it seemed clear enough that we had two instead of one party to deal with. But as far as our Society was concerned it was evident the original understanding of a site, as I had imagined, direct and independent for the Geological Society, was now ignored, and we were seemingly delivered over to be dealt with as they pleased into the hands of the town council, who, however, in their turn, as was subsequently developed, seemed at the same time to be held under other control. The transfer in the meantime was not quite so near its birth as had been announced, and the usual miscalculation as to time occurred before the actual delivery of the deed. Some months, however, after the above announcement, in the course of October, Mr. Bolitho was able to rejoice that the glebe land was his own property. Some time previous to this event, a communication from Mr. Bolitho to the town council, dated the 6th of September, 1861, came to light, but of which no copy had been furnished at the time to the Geological Society, This document is so important that I must be allowed to introduce it at length.

" Penalverne, 6th September, 1861. " Dear Sir,

It is more than probable that the purchase of the Glebe Field will be completed by me in November at £1,800, and although, of course, till the deeds are signed it would be premature to make any definite arrangement regarding the public buildings that have been so long talked of, I think it better, in order that there may be no misunderstanding hereafter, to reduce to writing what I intend to do. In case the fields become my property at any time within five years from this date, I undertake immediately on the purchase being completed to sell to you, or such other person or persons as you may nominate, a plot at the south-eastern end, including Hill's house and premises, say 170 feet frontage from the western end of Northcott's house, and 170 feet in depth, the price to be 7-18ths of the sum I may pay, including the amount of surveyors' and commissioners' fees and deeds of conveyance, as well as the deed from myself to you or your nominee. And in consideration of my having a right of road at the eastern end of the proposed building to my fields, I shall be willing to give up £25. It is to be understood-

1st.-That no building shall be erected by me or my successors on the western side of the plot, within 170 feet in depth from the street without your sanction.

2nd.-That no building shall be erected on the plot unless the design shall have been first approved of on my behalf, and on behalf of the mayor for the time being, by Mr. John Matthews, or such other person as may be selected by him and myself, in the event of Mr. Matthews being unable or disqualified to attend to it.

I am, Dear Sir,

Yours faithfully,

T. S. BOLITHO.

S. Higgs, Esq. (the then mayor)."

Two passages in this letter are very remarkable:-That in which Mr. T. S. Bolitho engages to sell to the town council, or such other person as might be nominated by them, placing us therefore entirely at their mercy, which, after his previous understanding with the Geological Society, was not quite fair to our body. The other paragraph contained a still more remarkable condition, requiring that all buildings erected should be first approved on Mr. T. S. Bolitho's behalf by Mr. John Matthews. Thus after having been in the first place handed over to the will and pleasure of the town council, we in the next place were subjected to the taste, talents, and tutelage of Mr. John Matthews, a very worthy individual no doubt, and efficient town surveyor, but who has no real knowledge or experience, as I shall take the liberty of stating, as a builder, much less as an architect. The real long and short of the whole matter is, that while Mr. Bolitho was making over certain accommodation for public purposes, the whole direction and control as to the mode, manner, and fashion of their being carried out, and the employment of Mr. Matthews, was evidently an absolute condition from the very first.-Had Mr. Bolitho proposed to have handed over these sites to others on very liberal terms, and some sacrifice to himself, on the maxim of not looking a gift horse in the mouth, these restrictions might have been not so objectionable, but considering the rate of payment was quite equal to, if not in excess of, the rate which would be paid for the whole property, the proposition, to say the least of it, was somewhat singular, though not more so than it should have been accepted in the main by the parties concerned. The town council, whose local pride would, of course, not allow their questioning Mr. Matthews's or Mr. Bolitho's architectural taste and skill, naturally felt no hesitation as to the conditions; but the Geological Building Committee, having the fear of the architectural world before them, though very desirous of objecting as little as possible to Mr. T. S. Bolitho's restrictions, and being really also desirous to help out Mr. Matthews's attempts as an architect, agreed only conditionally to the terms, and required that all plans should be submitted to some regularly-educated architect of eminence to be sanctioned by the society, while they had further to be submitted to and approved of by the Council as well as the Geological Society of Cornwall itself. Under these precautions, I was in hopes that the building plans might have been matured and brought into a satisfactory shape, and I can only say, for my own part, I was most anxious to have secured such a result if possible. A meeting between the town council and the Geological committee was, to be sure, not very encouraging; and such a meeting was much too large for a really close and accurate examination of the plans proposed. I believe certain comments of mine on the arrangement proposed in the public office wing were not very acceptable, and deemed somewhat impertinent. The town council and county court judge had, or were supposed to have, examined and sanctioned, and that was enough ; but as the same were to be assisted by a grant of public money, I hold any one is entitled to give their opinion on their construction. But further, as the court as designed was planned against all rules for such edifices, on the points of light and ventilation, I felt a personal interest in the building, in which I might chance to be called to sit as a magistrate or juryman, or to appear as a plaintiff or defendant in some suit. But my chief object in noticing these glaring defects arose from feeling assured that the defects of the geological portion of the building were caused very much by their being obliged to correspond and depend therefore on the construction of the other wing. Had these wings been designed so as to run forward some thirty or forty feet in advance of the central block, forming a half H, everything would have been easily attained as to light and air; but, for some inscrutable objections, this has from first to last been most unaccountably ignored and opposed, and neither of the parties have been able to perceive that a hall with windows only on one side, and into which, from the aspect of the building, the sun can never shine, and in front of which high buildings may be reared within thirty feet, must necessarily be dark, even though the whole side was of glass. The plans have been considerably altered from time to time, but I cannot say improved, or any attempt made to amend the main and fundamental objections which have been pointed out from the first. Though the Geological Society, and more especially myself, had been continually accused of being the main cause of the delay in the building scheme not being set going, it was in vain that I asked to be allowed to see the amended plans, when at length, in the month of March, an elevation only of the chief front was forwarded by our late secretary, Mr. Couch, with a further promise that the plans should follow. These, however, did not make their appearance till months after, and the elevation sent I subsequently found was different to that which was submitted to Mr. Smirke, who had kindly undertaken the invidious task of their revision. It was not till Saturday last that such an important element in judging of a building was produced. Mr. Smirke's remarks are well worth the attention of all the three parties concerned in these buildings, and fully bear out the objections that have been urged both to their general arrangement and architectural design, and ought to make them thoroughly re-consider the scheme as a whole, and hesitate before an irrevocable resolution to erect a range of public buildings, which neither internally or externally will be any credit to such a town as Penzance. Mr. Smirke, in his report as respects the geological portion, points out several defects in the arrangements and design; these as respects the latter are in common with the architectural elevation of the whole building. They first refer to the main entrance on the west side, the access to which is by a narrow road, only seven feet wide. The impropriety of bringing down the windows so near the floor is further pointed out, as well as their narrowness, and want of proper proportion. Mr. Smirke says, " the sills of the windows should be raised higher from the floor, so as to allow wall cases under them, and the light should be more generally distributed through the room." This question of light is more important than any other, and its effective distribution by the placing the windows high up, with their heads as near as possible to the ceiling, was also always insisted on; yet the windows in Mr. Matthews's plans are brought down close to the floor; while their heads do not reach within 4J feet of the ceiling, which must consequently always be dark, and not act as which have been pointed out from the first. Though the Geological Society, and more especially myself, had been continually accused of being the main cause of the delay in the building scheme not being set going, it was in vain that I asked to be allowed to see the amended plans, when at length, in the month of March, an elevation only of the chief front was forwarded by our late secretary, Mr. Couch, with a further promise that the plans should follow. These, however, did not make their appearance till months after, and the elevation sent I subsequently found was different to that which was submitted to Mr. Smirke, who had kindly undertaken the invidious task of their revision. It was not till Saturday last that such an important element in judging of a building was produced. Mr. Smirke's remarks are well worth the attention of all the three parties concerned in these buildings, and fully bear out the objections that have been urged both to their general arrangement and architectural design, and ought to make them thoroughly re-consider the scheme as a whole, and hesitate before an irrevocable resolution to erect a range of public buildings, which neither internally or externally will be any credit to such a town as Penzance. Mr. Smirke, in his report as respects the geological portion, points out several defects in the arrangements and design; these as respects the latter are in common with the architectural elevation of the whole building. They first refer to the main entrance on the west side, the access to which is by a narrow road, only seven feet wide. The impropriety of bringing down the windows so near the floor is further pointed out, as well as their narrowness, and want of proper proportion. Mr. Smirke says, " the sills of the windows should be raised higher from the floor, so as to allow wall cases under them, and the light should be more generally distributed through the room." This question of light is more important than any other, and its effective distribution by the placing the windows high up, with their heads as near as possible to the ceiling, was also always insisted on; yet the windows in Mr. Matthews's plans are brought down close to the floor; while their heads do not reach within 4J feet of the ceiling, which must consequently always be dark, and not act as it ought as a reflector. The position of the Society in consequence is one of serious embarrassment, as though no plan can be carried out without our approval, we, at the same time, are not free agents to carry out what we really wish or what may be most suitable to our objects and means; and, while those occupying the opposite portion of the edifice are altogether free from any interference on the part of the Geological Society, the Society can do nothing without the approval of the town council in the first place, and of Mr. T. S. Bolitho, or rather of Mr. Matthews, acting on his behalf, in the second place. These observations and strictures, I trust, will not be misconstrued. I have had a hard and invidious task-I should rather say duty-to perform. I am quite ready to admit that in what I have objected to, and contended for, I have found myself almost single, and that the support and concurrence I have received from the building committee and members of the council has been rather passive than active, and not from any absolute conviction of the correctness of the views and opinions contended for. I have more than once been met with the observation -" Yes, that may be your opinion, and it may be all very right, but others hold a different opinion." Such observations, of course, at once ignore that there are certain principles and rules in the arrangement, construction, and design of buildings, which cannot be violated with impunity ; and it is useless arguing with persons who are not aware that such exist, but claim all such to be mere matter of opinion. It might as well be affirmed that language was independent of grammar, as we know many persons practically prove. There are, however, certain obvious arrangements which involve the principles and laws of light, ventilation, and acoustics (and such laws I must respectfully submit are not matters of opinion but of proof and fact), which in all rooms or halls for public purposes are all-important, and the neglect of which is altogether unpardonable. For myself I can safely say I have no personal interest in the matter. My sole object has been to promote and secure such a plan as may be most fitted for the Geological Society in the first place, and in the second place that any united scheme may be such as may be really effective for the public purposes in view, and as a structure be creditable in point of architecture to such a town as Penzance, for the welfare and character of which as a friend and neighbour, and constant passenger through it, and a sort of feeling that I almost belong to it, I claim also to be not altogether indifferent, and that in a thoroughly disinterested spirit. Now that this flourishing and popular town has been brought in close contact with the rest of the world-as close as such a railway as that of West Cornwall will allow-it must be content in its public undertakings to be subject to such criticisms as the architectural knowledge of the world will not fail to make, and the mode of carrying such into effect will not less be a matter of observation and comment. This has been anything but satisfactory. In such a joint scheme for public buildings, a thorough understanding and unity of action was indispensible, and this, instead of being secured by an arrangement between the parties themselves, has been sought to be provided for by the mode and quarter in which a reservation of all real power has been secured. In the outset of such a joint scheme for public buildings, after each body had settled the amount of their own requirements, had the arrangements, as far as their joint concert was necessary, been confided to a committee of three, one chosen by each of the parties concerned, a general outline of a satisfactory character would, I believe, have been the result. To them should have been delegated powers to advertise for plans, in the first instance, either leaving this to public competition, or by invitation to a certain number of architects of note; and, subsequently, the execution of the same should be carried out by public tenders. This point still, at least, remains open. The whole of this scheme, however, has been so ordered by its proposers-so cribbed and cabined by conditions-as to make the choice of the architect and the plan itself, consequently, a predestinated conclusion. In no place ought all schemes of public improvement to be more jealously watched and carefully considered than in Penzance, of which the natural advantages as to site have been so irregularly and unfortunately marred by a collision of interests, acting in opposition instead of combination, by which the public, and I believe the private, interests of individuals, have suffered to a still greater degree. The building of the new church ought to operate as a wholesale warning on this point. A vast sum of money was expended on that edifice, and a vast amount of excellent and substantial work is displayed in its construction; but, through want of attention to the claims of architectural science and knowledge, it stands as a specimen eminently successful of a style which goes by the name of carpenter's Gothic. If care is not taken in these proposed new public buildings, Penzance will have to boast of a corresponding specimen of carpenter's Italian not less conspicuous. That such an opportunity should be lost for the erection of an edifice creditable as to architectural taste, plan, and construction, is much to be lamented. I have now discharged a most ungrateful task, which I felt, however, imposed on me; and I should not have said what I have, but for various attacks which I have had to encounter, and a desire not only to vindicate my conduct as your president, but to prove that I had good and substantial grounds for the objections urged. In this Mr. Smirke's remarks have more than justified whatever has fallen from me. I trust that as the buildings rise under the care of those to whom the chief direction of your affairs may be committed, and the exertions of those to whom we are indebted for our present position, that their aspect will disarm criticism, at least, if they do not elicit applause, and that they will at least be sufficient, though they may not be perfect, for the scientific, artistic, and municipal and judicial accommodation they are intended to supply. A report in detail respecting the building plans will presently be presented for your consideration, when the recommendation of the Council will afford every opportunity for a full discussion of the subject.