Future Church-Building
Puritan Architecture and Its Future. By Martin Shaw Briggs, F.R.I.B.A. (Lutterworth Press. 8s. 6d.) Tins is a brief history of Nonconformist architecture and guide for its future in concise and readable form. The Puritan tradition, as dealt with in the first half, traces Nonconformity and its architecture from the earliest days of the sixteenth century through Oliver Cromwell's " Purges " of " Popish images," the declaration of Indulgence and Toleration Acts to the days of John Wesley. The dark architectural days of the Victorian era follow, and then the awakening of architectural consciousness in the twentieth century to the fact that a church or chapel need not necessarily be Gothic to provide the proper atmosphere for worship.
The earliest cited example at Horningsham, Wiltshire (1566), might almost be taken in its simplicity for a Quaker meeting house—though meeting houses did not appear till a century later. Most early Non- conformist architecture is of this type, presumably, as Mr. Briggs says, because simplicity was in harmony with the Puritan tradition. Incidentally, the War Damage Commission's regulations as to " plain substitute buildings " for church rebuilding may be instrumental in re-creating this simplicity of form. There is little, if any, indication of Baroque tendencies in the illustrated examples. The minister, who frequently acted as architect and builder, can probably be credited with a restraining influence which was less evident in the later periods, though Mr. Briggs has been kind to his co-religionists in some of his omissions.
The numerous authorities quoted open up fascinating channels of study, particularly Wren's comments on the design of " Protestant " churches, written when the great architect was eighty years of age. About a hundred years later came a publication called " Observations on the Construction and Fitting Up of Meeting Houses, etc., for Public Worship," by William Alexander, of York, who, though an amateur, contributes many useful hints which today are not entirely out of date. The future, as dealt with in the second half of the book, is full of advice which any architect might study when undertaking the design of a modern place of worship of any denomination. Ritual may take a greater or lesser part in worship, but as long as music plays a part in it the problems must be similar.
Edward Maufe's Anglican Church at Weston Green has a Nonconformist simplicity, and loses nothing thereby ; it is a pity that the illustration of this church does not do it more justice. The other modern examples are well chosen, and show a reversion to simplicity of form ; and " If you get simple beauty and naught else, you get about the best thing God wants." The suggestion that theological students should include a course on architecture is interest- ing, though perhaps risky, since a little knowledge can be dangerous. The illustrations, particularly of modern examples, are excellent, though there are not enough of Mr. Briggs's pen drawings of the older examples which are not as well served by photographs.
HUBERT LIDBETTER.
Previous page
