# / . 4 % 8 4 - ! 2 # ( USE OF THE CULT OF SAINTS TO RAISE FUNDS 4HERE IS ALSO A DISCUSSION OF THE LENGTH OF TIME TAKEN TO COMPLETE THE WORK SOME YEARS 4HE EAST END OF THE CHURCH n THE ,ADY CHAPEL n WAS BUILT IN THE LATER TH CENTURY AND THE WESTERN CHOIR AND CENTRAL TOWER FOLLOWED 4HE WORK IS ILLUSTRATED THROUGHOUT WITH PHOTOGRAPHS OF EXCEPTIONAL QUALITY 3CULPTURAL DETAILS ARE PARTICULARLY ENJOYABLE AND THE UNIQUE GROUP OF FIGURES FROM THE NAVE TRIFORIUM ARE BEAUTIFULLY ILLUSTRATED AND DISCUSSED !S WITH THE EXTENSIVE COVERAGE OF THE MINSTER S GLASS IT IS MUCH EASIER TO VIEW AND UNDERSTAND THE DETAILS FROM PHOTOGRAPHS BEFORE A VISIT TO THE BUILDING 4HIS VOLUME HAS BEEN PRODUCED AT THE SAME TIME AS MANY OTHER CATHEDRALS #ANTERBURY (EREFORD %LY .ORWICH AND 3T 0AUL S ARE ISSUING MULTI AUTHORED VOLUMES WHICH GENERALLY ATTEMPT TO COVER BOTH HISTORY AND ART AND ARCHITECTURE THROUGH SCHOLARLY ESSAYS "ROWN S BOOK IS THE MORE ACCESSIBLE BECAUSE IT IS BY A SINGLE AUTHOR WHO CONCENTRATES ON ILLUSTRATING AND EXPLAINING THE BUILDING 4HE TEXT IS BEAUTIFULLY LAID OUT AND THE WHOLE DESIGNED CAREFULLY TO BE FULL OF INTEREST #LEARLY THERE IS ROOM FOR A SECOND VOLUME TO COMPLETE THE ARCHITECTURAL HISTORY BY COVERING THE DESTRUCTION OF THE REFORMATION AND THE @RESTORATIONS AND REPAIRS OF +ENT AND "URLINGTON *OHN #ARR 3IR 2OBERT AND 3IDNEY 3MIRKE 3TREET "ODLEY &EILDEN AND #HARLES "ROWN 4HIS FINE BOOK WILL HOWEVER REMAIN THE ESSENTIAL GUIDE TO THE STANDING FABRIC *ANE +ENNEDY PARTNER IN 0URCELL -ILLER 4RITTON 3URVEYOR TO THE &ABRIC OF %LY #ATHEDRAL AND 3ECRETARY OF THE #ATHEDRAL !RCHITECTS !SSOCIATION 4HROUGH MODERN EYES 4HE 6ICTORIAN (OUSE "OOK 2OBIN 'UILD 3HELDRAKE 0RESS THIRD EDITION PP ILLUS IN COLOUR HARDBACK )3". a 4HE 6ICTORIAN 3OCIETY "OOK OF THE 6ICTORIAN (OUSE +IT7EDD !URUM 0RESS PP MANY ILLUS HARDBACK a 4HE CULTURAL REHABILITATION OF THE 6ICTORIAN PERIOD OVER THE PAST YEARS IS WELCOME BUT HAS BEEN BOUGHT AT A PRICE )N THE @HOUSE MAKEOVER LITERATURE OF TODAY LET ALONE THE PLETHORA OF NICHE 46 PROGRAMMES ON THE SUBJECT WE SEE A VERY SANITISED AND UPDATED VERSION OF 6ICTORIAN HOUSES (OW COULD IT BE OTHERWISE (OUSES MORE THAN ANY OTHER ARTEFACT ARE MEANT TO BE LIVED IN AND ARE BOUND TO BE ADAPTED TO SUIT THE CHANGING PREFERENCES OF THEIR OCCUPANTS n CHANGES BROUGHT ABOUT BY NEW POSSESSIONS AND AMENITIES AND THE OCCUPANTS NEW INTERESTS ALL MADE POSSIBLE BY HUGE INCREASES IN DISPOSABLE INCOME AS WELL AS CHANGING TECHNOLOGY AND THE REDUCTION IN SIZE OF HOUSEHOLDS !S THE END OF THE 6ICTORIAN PERIOD SLIDES MORE THAN A CENTURY INTO THE PAST THE POSSIBILITY OF FINDING A TRULY @UNIMPROVED MODEST 6ICTORIAN HOUSE BECOMES MORE AND MORE UNLIKELY )NDEED IT IS SIGNIFICANT THAT THE HOUSES ON WHICH CURRENT LITERATURE TENDS TO CONCENTRATE ARE EITHER LATE 6ICTORIAN OR %DWARDIAN !ND THOUGH IN TERMS OF MATERIALS AND STYLE THERE IS LITTLE TO DISTINGUISH SUBURBAN HOUSES OF FROM THOSE OF OR EVEN THE THREE LAST ARE NOT TRULY @6ICTORIAN )T MAY BE A DISSERVICE TO OWNERS OF EARLY AND MID 6ICTORIAN DWELLINGS THAT THEIR HOUSES ARE LARGELY EXCLUDED FROM THESE ACCOUNTS 4HE INQUISITIVE HOMEOWNER WILL WANT TO LEARN WHY HIS HOUSE LOOKS AS IT DOES WHAT ARE ITS CONSTRUCTIONAL ANATOMY AND POSSIBLE PROBLEMS RULES FOR SYMPATHETIC ALTERATION AND SO ON 4HIS MARKET HAS BEEN RECOGNISED AT LEAST SINCE THE PUBLICATION OF 0UTTING "ACK THE 3TYLE MORE THAN YEARS AGO AND MANY BOOKS GIVING THIS GUIDANCE HAVE BEEN PUBLISHED SINCE THEN 2OBIN 'UILD S 6ICTORIAN (OUSE "OOK IS IN ITS THIRD EDITION HAVING FIRST BEEN PUBLISHED IN !CCORDINGLY IT IS ONE OF THE MORE DURABLE OF SUCH GUIDES AND A CONSIDERABLE AESTHETIC ACHIEVEMENT DESPITE FLAWS IN ITS HISTORICAL ACCOUNT OF THE SUBSTANCE AND RATIONALE FOR THE "RITISH 6ICTORIAN HOUSE 0ROBABLY THIS IS UNAVOIDABLE BECAUSE WHAT IS BEING PRESENTED IS AN EARLY ST CENTURY VISION OF ARCHITECTURAL 6ICTORIANISM n COLOUR VIEWS OF DAZZLINGLY CHARACTERFUL AND EXQUISITELY MAINTAINED VILLAS BATHED IN SUNLIGHT 4HE MAIN DIRECTION IS TOWARDS THE DECORATIVE AN APPROACH LOGICAL TO ITS INTERIOR DESIGNER AUTHOR 4HE SUMPTUOUS COLOUR PHOTOGRAPHS ARE SUPPLEMENTED BY PASTEL TONE WATERCOLOUR ILLUSTRATIONS EVEN MORE POWERFULLY IDEALISING THE HOUSE TYPES 4HE CURRENT CULTURAL LEGITIMACY OF 6ICTORIAN ART AND ARCHITECTURE PROVOKES THE PREDICTABLE TENDENCY OF VIEWING IT AS SUPERIOR TO OTHER THAT IS NEWER STYLES 'UILD S BOOK BEGINS WITH A PREFACE INFUSED WITH HAUTEUR THAT RECOMMENDS THE APPLICATION OF DISCERNING TASTE TO THE LAST VESTIGES OF 6ICTORIANISM SURVIVING IN A MULTITUDE OF SPECULATIVELY BUILT VILLAS !T THE RISK OF SWEARING IN CHURCH ONE WONDERS IF THE FASTIDIOUS APPROACHES RECOMMENDED ARE DISPROPORTIONATE TO THE @PROBLEM AND THAT THE STRATOSPHERIC SPECIFICATIONS FOR ALTERATIONS AND IMPROVEMENTS PROPOSED FOR MUNDANE AND SEMI MASS PRODUCED SUBURBAN HOUSES RUN THE RISK OF CREATING FLASHY AND INAPPROPRIATE INTERVENTIONS THAT MOCK THE MODEST STYLE OF THE HOST DWELLINGS )N CONTRAST +IT 7EDD S BOOK IS FAR LESS DIRECTED BY THE DESIRE TO FIND ITS NATURAL HOME ON THE COFFEE TABLE ALTHOUGH SIMILARLY A GREAT DEAL OF EFFORT HAS BEEN PUT INTO PREPARING A BOOK THAT IS VISUALLY APPEALING AS WELL AS INFORMATIVE 7EDD DEFINES HER MARKET EARLY PLACING IT IN A NARROW NICHE THAT ALLOWS HER TO BE CONFIDENT IN ADDRESSING AN AUDIENCE SHARING THE STATED AND IMPLIED VALUE
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