Old London.

Progress, Volume III, Issue 8, 1 June 1908, Page 281

Old London.

It has often been remarked that the Roman remains on the site of the ancient capital are not in proportion to the other remnants of the Roman occupation The engineers of Rome built roads and aqueducts which have survived, not as picturesque merely of the noble work they did, but things in use at the present day One can not help thinking that if these old engineers had got a chance to show their skill in the back blocks of " God's own Country," there would not now be any need for distracted settlers to send deputations to the Government, or any occasion for Opposition diatribes against the iniquity of bribing constituencies with roads and bridges. And as for irrigation, had the Romans been here before us there would have been a utilisation of the vast water powers of this Dominion, sufficient to "stagger humanity," as poor old Paul Kruger once put it in telling a very different story. Under the circumstances, the meagreness of the Old Roman remains on the site of the modern Babylon certainly requires explanation. There is nothing in the records of the realm to show that there was ever any great devastation of war. The Saxons were not destroyers, nor were the Normans, the most thrifty of all the conquerors the world ever saw. In Plantaganet times, and the days of the lawless barons who squeezed the nation for their particular advantage, there was nothing remarkably destructive in the course of the wars. When the " Roses " convulsed the nation it was the same. And in the last of the wars that sullied the soil of Old England, when King and Parliament had their long fight for supremacy, London fared well enough at the hands of both parties. What then is the reason for the disappearance of the Roman remains which elsewhere have always given a good account of themselves and their wonderful builders ? According to a recent publication the truth probably is that the old buildings and the old walls were used as quarries by those who came after the Romans had left. But, as was clearly shown by Mr. Philip Norman in a recent lecture at Carpenter's Hall, the Imperial bailders of Iyondinium have left traces sufficiently clear and numerous to enable the antiquary to set forth with no little clearness and certainty the picture of a walled and fortified city, approached by great roadways and filled with substantial and sometimes stately and luxurious buildings, plentifully adorned with objects of art. Mr. Norman had an altogether most interesting story to tell of the ancient city ; and his story was interspersed by cunning anecdotes. Said he :—: — The course of the Roman wall which surrounded the city on three sides, and some think also on the fourth or river side, has been pretty clearly marked out, and considerable portions of it still exist, though none is now above the level of the roadway. The structure of this great wall, as it has been revealed by excavations, was explained by Mr. Norman with the aid of diagrams and photographs of existing portions of the wall. On a base of clay and flint, which, perhaps, served as a dampcourse, was placed a rough foundation of rubble masonry, 2 ft. to 3 ft. high ; on this was placed a chamfered plinth, above which were masses of masonry with layers of red bonding tiles at intervals. All the stone of the wall, except the plinth, was Kentish rag ; at each course of tiles the wall narrowed a few inches, so that the top was considerably narrower than the base.

The stones were bound together with a very strong mortar, which was poured in from above in an almost liquid state. The result of this method of building was that little interstices remained unfilled with mortar, and in regard to this Mr. Norman related a rather instructive incident. He was examining a portion of a Roman wall excavated on" the site of Christ's Hospital, in Newgate street, when a workman, pointing to the gaps in the mortar remarked : "I never saw such jerry-built work in my life. If I were to do such work, I should get the sack immediately." Yet this " jerry-byilt " work has stood for 2000 years. It is clear that there are more ways of building a wall than one ; and it is useful to be reminded that in building, as in other things, the sum of all excellences is not included in the term " up-to-date." While the wall, of which fragments may still be seen in situ at the General Post Office, at Norman Wall House, Old Jewry, and on Tower Hill, is the most striking evidence we have of the massive and solid qualities of the buildings of Roman L,ondon, the several tesselated pavements which have been found, and some fine examples of statuary and pottery reveal a high level of artistic culture. Many of these examples were shown on the screen at Mr Norman's lecture, and served, with the aid of the lecturer's lucid explanations, to bring home to a popular audience, most of whom, probably, would not be attracted to antiquarian studies, a sense of the greatness of those ancient builders who first saw the possibilities of the most famous building site in the world.

It has often been asked what is the advantage of a great building isolated in the midst of poor surroundings m a great city. The reply is that like makes like. In other words, that when a fine building arises in a neighbourhood the standard of taste is raised with it. A glance at the street architecture of any of the towns of the Dominion (especially Wellington) will amply confirm that idea. The experience of London is distinctly m the same direction. We read in the Carpenter and Builder of 21st February last, for example :: — • The beneficial effect of a great building upon the property in its immediate neighbourhood has been strikingly illustrated in the case of the Roman Catholic Cathedral at Westminster. As a writer m the Daily Telegraph points out, this magnificent building has practically developed its own neighbourhood. It is said that when Cardinal Manning bought the site for Westminster Cathedral it cost /55,000. To-day it is estimated as probably worth from to The immediate locality has become a favourite residential neighbourhood, and boasts streets of first-class residential mansions. Indeed, it may be supposed that not a few of those who formerly dwelt in Victoria street flats have moved into these quiet backwaters under the shadow of the cathedral campanile. The building of the new County Hall may, *n a similar way, be relied upon to enhance the value of property in Lambeth. ****** In a paper recently read on the subject of designing public libraries, Mr. Hare, a well-known architect, recommended the abolition of newspapers in public libraries, on the ground that this would tend to reduce the number of loafers who make use of the reading room. Here is a case of the need for the shoemaker to stick to his last. Libraries are not built for the mere display of art. They are useful institutions primarily. And one of the uses of such an institution is to enable men to obtain a knowlenge of contemporary history, a thing which is told from day to day in the newspapers. The privilege of studying the same may be abused by poor wretches who have no home and no means. But the majority are not to be deprived of their priceless advantage on account of the abuse by a few. The proper remedy is not to curtail the advantages of the masses, but to improve their condition. Then men will not be driven to seek warmth and comfort under the pretence of wanting to know what is going on in the world. Moreover, in these days of spreading franchises, every means of educating the masses should be utilised To stop the newspapers would be the suicide of democracy.