UNDER-PINNING A CATHEDRAL.

Taranaki Herald, Volume LX, Issue 143808, 5 June 1912, Page 8

UNDER-PINNING A CATHEDRAL.

A case of modern science coming opportunely to the aid of ancient an was instanced recently hr the rescue of Winchester Cathedral, a structure over 800 years old, from threatened collapse. This magnificent church, second only in importance as a national shrino to Westminster Abbey, encloses ihe remains of kings of the Saxon, Danish, and Norman dynastic-, and William of Wykeham, Bishop Box, Cardinal Beaufort, I/.aak 'Walton, and Jane Austen, among many others, lie buried there. The history of the cathedral has from its beginning been marked by disaster, owing to the uniortunato nature of its site. The upper soil is wet, compressible, and insecure, and successive hirers of marl and peat rest on a bed of hard gravel. Tho inequality and lack of solidity of this soil have proved inadequate to sustain tho massive and ponderous pile raised by Norman architectural art. As early us 1107 the central tower collapsed. Hie trouble, in accordance with current modes of thought, was popularly attributed to the displeasure ol Beaven at the burial of the unholy William Rufus in the shrine, hut William of Malmesbusy .shrewdly suggested that the accident might have happened if ho had never been buried there. Century after century, despite continual additions and alterations, the state of the building became more and more precarious, till in IDllo the Dean and Chapter in alarm sought the advice of a distinguished architect, well known for his skill in the restoration and preservation of ancient buildings. Ho at once diagnosed the ease, and prescribed a remedy. A hole was dug down to tho gravel, and a diver descended and removed Hie peat, with the exception of a laver of eighteen inches directly above the gravel. Bags of cement were handed down to him, and placed regularly on this layer so as to form a water-proof flooring. On this solid foundation blocks of eouereto wore piled up to unite with the bottom of the old foundations, the wTiole firmly planted on the hard gravel stratum. Thus, at great expense and trouble, tho building was saved from collapse, tho whole work extending over seven years. Its completion is to be celebrated by a thanksgiving service to bo held in the cathedral next July.