WESTMINSTER ABBEY.

Taranaki Herald, Volume LXVIII, Issue 16823, 23 August 1920, Page 10

WESTMINSTER ABBEY.

HISTORIC FABRIC DECAYING, APPEAL FOR £230,000. It was recently cabled that an appeal was bein,' made for £230,000 to prevent Westminster Abbey from falling into serious disrepair. Further pa'rticulars*are brought by the mails. Why the money is wanted is explained by'jMr, E. F. Knnpp-Fishor, Receiv-er-General of Westminster Abbey, in The Times. The following arc extracts from his article:—

In 1882 ifr. Pearson, R.A. y the eminent architect, reported to the Chapter that immediate and very extensive repairs and restorations were urgently needed to the whole of the masonry of the clerestories, that the flying huttresses were in some places in a dangerous condition and that very considerable damage had been done to the western lowers by the- rusting of the iron cramps. He csitmatod the cost of the necessary repairs at £49,000. In 1905 the then surveyor of Westminster Abbey (Mr. Mickle thwaite) aiid Mr. Caroe made another serious report as to tho state of the fabric to tlio Doan and Chapter.

This report stated that tho clerestory referred to in Mr. Pearson’s report was “in a dangerous condition,” and “all tho outside work hero must ho made new,” and he roughly estimated tho cost then at £22,000. Ho further represented that the outer walls of tho chapels would soon become dangerous if not repaired. Tho cost of this was reckoned at £20,000, and he estimated that altogether a sum of at least £60,000 would he required to put the Abbey in a satisfactory state of repair. The matter was brought before tho Ecclesiastical Commissioners, and from lime to time money was advanced to the Abbey authorities by them. Certain very pressing work was done, hut the external stonework of Henry Vll.’s Chapel is now in a dangerous state. The two western towers, part of the clerestory, and in fact most of the workstated to bo essential in 1905, still remains to bo done, and it will he- readily understood that if that work was necessary in 1905 it is still more urgent in 1920.

FACTS ABOUT THE ABBEY. Westminster Abbey is 513 ft. long, including Henry Yll.’s Chapel, 2001 t. broad across the tiansopts, and 75ft. broad across the nave and aisles. The nave is the loftiest Gothic nave in England— 102 ft., or 2ft. higher than York Minster.

Tile foundations of the Abbey arc sound. it was founded between the years 730 ami 7-10 on an island in the midst of marshes. In 1050 Edward the Confessor began rebuild the Abbey, which, was consecrated anew' in 100.5. From 1272 it was for 200 years in a .stale of transition.

Hardly was the new nave completed when the magnificent chapel of Henry VII.. note greatly in need of.rcpair. was built. 1-503-10. ’ The towers, 225 ft. high, were added about 1739. Tbe facade of the north transept, by which the public now’ enters, was remodelled in 1890.

The- tombs of the Kings and Queens and the memorials of great men, poets, artists, statesmen, soldiers and sailors, arc the chief glories of the Abbey.

Within the structure is sound; but tbe western towers, the roof and parapets. and the exterior of the oldest portions all show marks of agq and decay. As" the years pass the Abbey must be re-built stone by stone. T his is tho great task which has laid such a burden upon succeeding generations of architects and custodians of this glorious edifice. “DESPERATE STATE.” In a moving appeal to the Englishspeaking world cn behalf of Vi estminslcr Abbey, Bishop Ryle. Dean of Westminster. says;—

The means placed at the disposal of the Dean and Chapter no longer suffice for its upkeep. The most historic and most beloved, sacred building in the Empire is in danger of entering upon a phase of steady structural, deterioration. v During the past 30 years over illoo,ooo lias been expended upon flu? fabric. This large sum bus been ob-tained-partly through the temporary sunpr.’sffinn ol one nl the Abbey eauon--I'ips and the use of the income for tlu? fabric, partly thiough subsulius supplied from time to time by tbo Eccioi'iasiicifl Commissioners in answer to urgent and piteous appeals. At the present moment wo are indebted to the extent of several thousands of pounds m respect of moneys borrowed from the Ecclesiastical Commissioners for essentia I repairs. •

URGENT REPAIRS. Now, however, wo arc faced with n desperate state of things. The sum of money which more than 50 years ago was fixed for the maintenance of the fabric and for the services of the Abbey Ims become utterly inadequate for those purposes. The immense rise in the cost of materials end in the wages of the staff, together with, the greatly increased standard of efficiency demanded in half-ccntury from every branch of service to Church and nation, have brought us to the verge of bankruptcy. IVc’ are no longer able to -pay our way. At the saute time there is urgent need for—(1) The repair of the two great western towers. , (2) The reparation of the external stonework of Henry VI I.’s Chapel. (3) The renovation of a large portion of the parapet running round the I’oof. (4) The repair of the clerestories and .Hying buttresses. There is besides a continual largo outlay required by the maintenance in proper repair of—(1) The much decayed cloisters, and (2) The ancient dwellings wjiich, at the present scale of prices, cannot be kept in suitable structural repair (as lias hitherto bc;n required) at the private cost of the officials who are tho temporary occupants. The Ecclesiastical Commissioners are not in a position to help, except to a moderate extent as landowners. . . . Rut the Abbey must not bo allowed to suffer. The Euglish-sr-raking peoples of the world glory in Westminster Abbey. They will not tolerate the thought that its structural condition should suffer through lack" of adequate funds. They will expect me to take them into my confidence, as 1. now do. APPEAL TO OVERSEAS. I know well, after residence for over

nine years in this place (tho Deanery, Westminster), and I know well from the extraordinary experiences in tho Abbey during tho .years of tho Great War,, how dear is this church to the people of Great Britain, to our brothers and sisters in Canada, Australia, New Zealand, South Africa and India; and, in a peculiar degree, to our brothers and sisters of the great Republic of America. I appeal to them. I appeal, indeed, with a. sore heart, hating having to do so, but convinced that it is the only way by which the Abbey can bo preserved in a. condition worthy of its sacred and historic traditions. I ask for the sum of £250,000. Of this, tho sum of £IOO,OOO is required for structural repairs in the immediate future. Tho remaining sum of £150,000 should constitute a- fund by which the whole Abbey and any buildings of which tho Dean and Chapter are the custodians should in future time lie kept hi a constant condition of complete efficiency and repair. The people will learn with pleasure that his Majesty the King has graciously shown his sympathy with the appeal by a generous donation of £IOOO. "The' Ecclesiastical Commissioners as land-owners have been good enough under tlie restrictions described to make ns a gift of £IO,OOO.