17 JUNE 1911, Page 3

Above all things, it is to be hoped that care

will be taken with the details of the scheme, especially as regards ornament, and that we shall not see a fine design spoilt by mean and petty metalwork. This is where we so often fail. Our architects are often able to show fine general conceptions, but such things as lamp standards and balustrades are poor, tawdry, and meaningless. To see how great is the effect of good ornament one has only to visit the Palace of West- minster. Pugin had many faults and did not always take his inspiration from the best periods or the beat models, but no one can doubt that a great deal of the pleasure which one derives from the interior of the Houses of Parliament is due to the thoroughness, beauty, and fine craftsmanship of the metalwork and woodwork.