A HALL OF FAME.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 20317, 27 January 1928, Page 10

A HALL OF FAME.

WESTMINSTER ABBEY PLAN. NEED FOR EXTENSION. A “ Hall of Fame.” estimated to cost between £150.000 and £200,000, is a proposal put forward in the report of the Cathedrals Commission, issued in London recently. So crowded is Westminster Abbej* with monuments that only a few square yards of wall space now remain, where memorial tablets could be fixed, and this is not regarded as adequate for the commemoration of the nation's great men. , , , Sketches and plans of the proposed building have been prepared by Sir Herbert Baker. It would run parallel to Henry VIPs Chapel, and consist of an ambulatory round the Chapter House and a series of cloisters between it and Old Palace Yard. " The time has come, concludes the report, “ when the nation must decide whether or not Westminster Abbey is to retain the place it has held for centuries as the shrine of the nation’s memories of the great men and women who have given noble service to science, literature, and art.” The subject is discussed in a report of a sub-commission presided over fay the Archbishop of York, dealing with the Abbey. Like the Royal Commission of 18S0, the sub-commission are opposed to the policy of removing existing monuments. “ However inappropriate and artistically unworthy some of these may seem to be,” it is pointed out, “ they have their place in the history, not only of the abbey, but of English life and art.” A building on another site, “ whatever its architectural merits might be, lacking all the profound associations, historical and religious, of the Abbey, would be a mere empty shell — a body without a- soul.” “COUNSEL OF DESPAIR.”. As to the suggestion that the abbey is a place of national memorial might now bo regarded as closed—an “ expression of the feeling of the past and that for the future “ our great dead must find sufficient commemoration on the walls of the National Portrait Gallery or in the pages, of a dictionary of National Biography,” the sub-commission say:—“We regard this as a mere counsel of despair,” An alternative proposal to the Chapter House scheme was considered. This is a new north aisle built on the grass space stretching from the north transept to the west front, adjoining and accessible from the existing aisle of the nave. Members were divided in their view on this proposal, but the Dean and Chapter were asked to submit plans and sketches to the judgment of eminent architectural assessors, and, if thought fit, to such representative bodies as the Royal Institute of British Architects or the Fine Arts Commission. The sub-commission think that if expert opinion pronounced strongly in its favour, popular opinion might be educated to understand and appreciate the proposal. ENRICHING THE ABBEY. With regard to the Chapter House site, however, the sub-commission says: “We are unanimously of opinion that a scheme on the lines thus indicated would satisfactorily meet the need of a place of national memorial in close association with the abbey, and might even enrich the abbey by the addition of a beautiful building in full harmony with its surroundings.” The objections are:—The building would seem to be detached from the Abbey Church and its worship. It might interfere with the present open view of Henry VlP's Chapel and the Chapter House, and with the grouping of these buildings and the abbey itself. A long cloister, with few pillars and recesses to relieve the wall space, might be somewhat monotonous. " Against these objections,” says the report, “it may be urged that: A very direct access from the Abbey Church could be obtained from the south transept at the Poets’ Corner. If the elevation were kept low, the building would not seriously spoil the view of the Chapter House (not in itself one of the most beautiful of the abbey buildings) and Henry Vll’s Chapel, ai d might even enhance the interest and beauty of the grouping of these structures. A skilful and imaginative architect could be trusted to devise means for relieving any monotony.