William Morris and the Society for the Protection of Ancient Buil

Western Michigan University ScholarWorks at WMU Dissertations Graduate College 6-2005 William Morris and the Society for the Protection of Ancient Buildings: Nineteenth and Twentieth Century Historic Preservation in Europe Andrea Yount Western Michigan University Follow this and additional works at: https://scholarworks.wmich.edu/dissertations Part of the European History Commons, and the History of Art, Architecture, and Archaeology Commons Recommended Citation Yount, Andrea, "William Morris and the Society for the Protection of Ancient Buildings: Nineteenth and Twentieth Century Historic Preservation in Europe" (2005) Dissertations 1079 https://scholarworks.wmich.edu/dissertations/1079 This Dissertation-Open Access is brought to you for free and open access by the Graduate College at ScholarWorks at WMU It has been accepted for inclusion in Dissertations by an authorized administrator of ScholarWorks at WMU For more information, please contact wmu-scholarworks@wmich.edu WILLIAM MORRIS AND THE SOCIETY FOR THE PROTECTION OF ANCIENT BUILDINGS: NINETEENTH AND TWENTIETH CENTURY IDSTORIC PRESERVATION IN EUROPE by Andrea Yount A Dissertation Submitted to the Faculty of The Graduate College in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy Department of History Dale P6rter, Adviser Western Michigan University Kalamazoo, Michigan June 2005 Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner Further reproduction prohibited without permission NOTE TO USERS This reproduction is the best copy available ® UMI Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner Further reproduction prohibited without permission Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner Further reproduction prohibited without permission UMI Number: 3183594 Copyright 2005 by Yount, Andrea Elizabeth All rights reserved INFORMATION TO USERS The quality of this reproduction is dependent upon the quality of the copy submitted Broken or indistinct print, colored or poor quality illustrations and photographs, print bleed-through, substandard margins, and improper alignment can adversely affect reproduction In the unlikely event that the author did not send a complete manuscript and there are missing pages, these will be noted Also, if unauthorized copyright material had to be removed, a note will indicate the deletion ® UMI UMI Microform 3183594 Copyright 2005 by ProQuest Information and Learning Company All rights reserved This microform edition is protected against unauthorized copying under Title 17, United States Code ProQuest Information and Learning Company 300 North Zeeb Road P.O Box 1346 Ann Arbor, Ml48106-1346 Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner Further reproduction prohibited without permission Copyright by Andrea Yount 2005 Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner Further reproduction prohibited without permission ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS I would like to thank my committee advisor, Dr Dale Porter, and my committee members, Dr Marion Gray, Dr Florence Boos, and Dr John Norman for the time and effort that they took to read and make suggestions for this dissertation I would also like to thank the people at Western Michigan University who helped me with information concerning my dissertation work, specifically Kevin Vichcales and Dawn Nelson Finally, I would like to thank the very helpful people at the SPAB office and archive in London, including the SPAB archivist, Cecily Greenhill, the SPAB secretaries, Isla Campbell and Helen Jones, and the technical secretary, Douglas Kent Andrea Yount 11 Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner Further reproduction prohibited without permission TABLE OF CONTENTS ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS u CHAPTER I MODERN PRESERVATION TECHNIQUES WITH NINETEENTH CENTURY INSPIRATION II REVIEW OF LITERATURE CONCERNING PRESERVATION, THE SPAB, WILLIAM MORRIS, AND INFLUENCES IN THE 19TH CENTURY 23 III THE ARCHITECTURAL AND IDEOLOGICAL ENVIRONMENT OF THE NINETEENTH CENTURY 53 IV WILLIAM MORRIS, HIS ATTITUDE TOWARD THE GOTHIC REVIVAL, AND THE SOCIETY FOR THE PROTECTION OF ANCIENT BUILDINGS 91 V THE SPAB IN BRITAIN 129 VI THE SPAB IN FRANCE AND GERMANY IN THE NINETEENTH CENTURY 169 VII SPAB ACTIVITIES AND INFLUENCES IN THE TWENTIETH CENTURY 195 BIBLIOGRAPHY 225 111 Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner Further reproduction prohibited without permission CHAPTER ONE: MODERN PRESERVATION TECHNIQUES WITH NINETEENTH CENTURY INSPIRATION The Society for the Protection of Ancient Buildings, founded by the artist and craftsman William Morris in 1877, sought to preserve the integrity of historic buildings by preventing unnecessary changes and additions William Morris's intention and that of the SPAB, as outlined by the original manifesto, was that buildings of any period had a life that was best protected through the conservative repair of what was falling into ruin and the prevention of injury to buildings by safeguarding them as much as possible and practical Throughout its history the SPAB maintained these ideals One simply has to view the SPAB website, read the current SPAB newsletter, attend a meeting, or observe the nature of current SPAB work to see not only the credit which has been given to Morris and his original ideals but also to see how these ideals continue to guide the SPAB in its current work Morris's organization of the Society for the Protection of Ancient Buildings, his passion for the Society and what it stood for, and his Manifesto express his principles towards restoration and preservation and explain his intense desire to effect change in the restoration practices of his time Vital to the integrity of the SPAB, both in 1877 and today, this Manifesto provides the backbone to the organization The SPAB Website (http://www.spab.org.uk/) begins with a reprinting of the original Morris SPAB Manifesto The SPAB News is a quarterly publication that outlines current SPAB projects and advertises educational programs ranging from appreciation of architectural heritage to the practical use of preservation techniques The SPAB Board has monthly meetings to discuss financing of specific sites, to develop educational programs, and to determine future goals Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner Further reproduction prohibited without permission The extremes of the nineteenth century Gothic Revival motivated the founding of the SPAB: in the mid-nineteenth century, many historic buildings were restored to appear Gothic in style Although some restoration had occurred in past centuries, it was in Morris's age that this practice became so excessive Early SPAB work involved speaking against restoration and providing alternate ideas to promote preservation The SPAB so influenced late nineteenth century perspectives of historic preservation that it motivated the foundation of similar societies in Britain, Europe, and around the world Due to the continued monitoring of preservation practices concerning historic buildings, along with the evolution of techniques and adaptations throughout the years, the SPAB is now the oldest and largest conservation society in Britain The nature of preservation has evolved throughout the past century so that the words "preservation" and "restoration" hold a different meaning to people today than in Morris's day Further, the word "conservation" is also currently used to denote a practice devoted to preservation techniques with only mild repair when necessary Its use in reference to historic architecture is a primarily modem development The word "preservation" could, and often is, used in place of "conservation." The word "preservation" held a similar meaning in the nineteenth century as it does today, that a building is protected from harmful elements and only necessary repairs are made to keep the integrity of the structure That buildings be preserved was Morris's goal when he fought against restoration and organized the SPAB since, put simply, he thought that "restoration" was the same as destruction Ironically, the word "restoration" is sometimes mistakenly used to refer to the current practices of preservation and conservation "Restoration" does and has, since the Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner Further reproduction prohibited without permission 223 Barley Hall of the city of York in The Times He claimed that restoration was completely accurate because the same construction techniques were being used and forty-seven of the 520 sections of oak were original 73 The 1992 Chairman of the SPAB, James Boutwood, responded in much the same manner as Morris: Now that the work has been carried out only per cent of the original frame survives and virtually none of the later (and listed) alterations By taking it down to ground level prior to reconstructing it, the entire history of the building has been destroyed, leaving what is left as a lifeless museum object and not part of a living building It is now virtually worthless as an object of serious study because of the destruction wrought to recreate yet another contribution to our Disneyland heritage 74 He added that Barley Hall had been listed as an ancient monument and therefore, given statutory protection 75 "Disneyland heritage" refers to England's trend of turning some historic sites into tourist attractions An example of this is a proposed "Cadfael Centre" on the grounds of Shrewsbury Abbey, named after Brother Cadfael and based on Ellis Peter's character in the popular novels set in medieval times 76 Tourism is a bigger threat to England's cultural heritage than it has been in the past Many tourists come to England to view places that they have heard about in books and movies or to visit the homes of literary or historic figures This "Disneyfication" often inspires a site owner to make the area more marketable by adding gift shops or fixtures to make a site seem more authentic Another problem is when buildings are not properly cared for in the face of tourism Building owners need to allow for the wear of floors and walls, the effects of increased humidity, and the effects of lights from cameras 73 Peter Davenport, "Medieval Hall Given New Lease of Life," The Times (London), February 1992, 74 James Boutwood, "York Reconstruction," The Times (London), 22 February 1992, 13 Letter to the Editor 751bid 76 Ann Hills, "Stranger than Fiction," History Today 43 (April1993): Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner Further reproduction prohibited without permission 224 They need to take the necessary measures to protect buildings and artifacts within them Tourists should also show respect for these historic sites One of the most famous monuments in England, Stonehenge, was blocked off from tourists because of vandalism Now, instead of walking through the stones, tourists file by at a distance The SPAB is doing what it can to insure that historic buildings and monuments are cared for in the face of tourism The SP AB evolved from its reactionary tendencies in the nineteenth century to being a more established and influential group in the twentieth century Architects and politicians consult the SPAB regularly and its membership is currently over 7500 It developed methods to educate the public and students of conservation and architecture Several times each month, the SPAB hosts lectures and holds classes Its publications and access to advice has increased As it has in the past, the SPAB will continue to evolve with the changing needs and issues of England's and the world's historic sites In doing so, it continues to respect the goals of the founders Through all these changes, Morris's original Manifesto remains the guiding force for the SPAB Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner Further reproduction prohibited without permission 225 BffiLIOGRAPHY I PRIMARY SOURCES SPAB RECORDS AND PUBLICATIONS Morris, William Concerning Westminster Abbey London: SPAB, 1893 _ _ _ SPAB Manifesto London: SPAB, 1877 Palmer, William, (Ed.) Quarterly Report London: SPAB, 1937 Society for the Protection ofAncient Buildings Annual Reports London: SPAB Society for the Protection of Ancient Buildings Files on specific sites: SPAB File: Edinburgh Castle SPAB File: Iraq Monuments SPAB File: Old St Pancras SPAB File: St Albans SPAB File: Palace Street, Caernarfon, Caernarfonshire SPAB File: Salisbury Cathedral SPAB File: Stansted Airport Expansion SPAB File: Westminster Abbey Society for the Protection of Ancient Buildings SPAB Membership Pamphlet London: SPAB, 1992 ~· SPAB: Notes on the Repair ofAncient Buildings London: SPAB, 1903 _ _ _ SPAB: Transactions London: SPAB, 1881 Turner, Thackeray Society for the Protection ofAncient Buildings: A Chapter of its Early History London: SPAB, 1899 PERIODICALS AND PAMPHLETS Ancient Monuments Society AMS: Transactions London, AMS The Anthenaeum London Antiquaries Society Antiquaries Society Proceedings London: ASP Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner Further reproduction prohibited without permission 226 Bath Preservation Trust Bath Preservation Trust Guide Bath: BPT The Builder London The Churches Conservation Trust CCT: Report London, CCT Daily Chronicle London Europa Nostra Newsletter and Accounts Fribourg: EU and ICI Fisk, Bruce St Pancras Old Church Guide Luton: L&T Press Ltd., 1990 The Friends of Friendless Churches AMSIFFC: News London: St Ann's Vestry Fun London Punch London The Times London RECORDS British Parliamentary Records Reports from Select Committees and Commissioners on the Promotion ofFine Arts and on National Monuments and Works ofArt, with minutes of evidence, appendices and index, 1841-47 Shannon: Irish University Press, 1971 Ford, G and Ford, P Select List ofParliamentary Papers: 1833-1899 Oxford: Basil Blackwell, 1953 Hansard Parliamentary Debates London: TSO Parliament Transactions Dublin: TSO The Royal Commission on Ancient and Historical Monuments in Wales and Monmouthshire An Inventory of the Ancient Monuments in Caernarvonshire, Volume II Central (!'he Cantref ofArfon and the Commote ofEijionydd) London: The Royal Commission, 1960 CONTEMPORARY LITERATURE Belcher, Margaret, (Ed.) The Collected Letters ofA WN Pugin Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2001 Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner Further reproduction prohibited without permission 227 Boos, Florence, (Ed.) William Morris's Socialist Diary New York: The Journeyman Press Limited, 1982 Bush, Douglas, (Ed.) John Keats, Selected Poems and Letters Boston: Houghton Mifflin, 1959 Carlyle, Thomas Past and Present [1845) Boston: Houghton Mifflin, 1965 Colebrook, Frank, (Ed.) William Morris: Master-Printer, A Lecture Given on the Evening ofNovember 27, 1896 Council Bluffs, Iowa: Yellow Barn Press, 1989 Coleridge, Samuel Taylor The Rime ofthe Ancient Mariner and Other Poems New York: Penguin Books, 1995 Hayden, John 0., (Ed.) William Wordsworth: Selected Prose New York: Penguin Classics, 1988 Hooker, Herman, (Ed.) The Poetical Works ofS.T Coleridge New York: Leavitt & Allen Bros., 1853 Kelvin, Norman, (Ed.) The Collected Letters ofWilliam Morris, Volume I, 1848-1880 Princeton: Princeton University Press, 1984 McConnell, Frank, (Ed.) Byron's Poetry New York: Norton, 1978 Morris, May, (Ed.) The Collected Works of William Morris London: Longmans, 191015 Morris, William The Beauty ofLife London: Bentham Press, 1983 Chants for Socialists London: The Socialist League Office, 1885 The Lesser Arts: Hopes and Fears for Art London: Longmans, Green, and Co., 1903 Signs of Change; Seven Lectures London: Longmans, Green, and Co., 1896 NewsfromNowhere London: Penguin Books, 1993 William Morris and the Kelmscott Press Providence, RI: Brown University Library, 1960 Pugin, Augustus W.N Contrasts and True Principles of Christian or Pointed Architecture London: Spire Books Limited, 2003 Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner Further reproduction prohibited without permission 228 Reichensperger, August Die Christlich-Germanische Baukunst und ihr Verhaltnis zur Gegenwart Trier: Linz, 1860 Reisman, David, (Ed.) Democratic Socialism in Britain: Classic Texts in Economic and Political Thought, 1825-1952 London: Pickering & Chatto Publishers, 1996 Ruskin, John The Seven Lamps ofArchitecture London: Smith, Elder, and Co., 1855 _ _ _ The Stones ofVenice New York: Hill and Wang, 1960 Trail, H.D Collected Works ofThomas Carlyle in 31 Volumes London: Chapman and Hall, 1896-1899 Schinkel, Karl Friedrich Briefe, Tagebucher, Gedanken Berlin: Propylaen-Verlag, 1922 Scott, Sir George Gilbert Personal and Professional Recollections London: Sampson and Low, 1879 Viollet-le-Duc, Eugene-Emmanuel The Foundations ofArchitecture: Selections from the Dictionnaire Raisonne New York: George Braziller, 1990 Wollstonecraft, Mary Vindication ofthe Rights of Women London: Penguin Books, 1975 PERSONAL CORRESPONDENCE Dyson, Philip, Vicar at St Mary the Virgin and St Pancras Old Church Personal Correspondence, March, 1995 Pearce, Roger Clayton, Pastoral Secretary for the Diocese of London Personal Correspondence, 28 February 1995 II SECONDARY SOURCES Adams, Steven The Arts & Crafts Movement North Dighton, MA: J.G Press, 1996 Banham, Joanna and Harris, Jennifer, (Eds.) William Morris and the Middle Ages Manchester, UK: Manchester University Press, 1984 Beckson, Karl London in the 1890's: A Cultural History New York: W.W Norton & Company, 1992 Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner Further reproduction prohibited without permission 229 Bideault, Maryse and Claudine Lautier De-de-France Gothique: Les eglises de Ia vallee de l'Oise et du Beauvaisis Paris: Picard, 1987 Bonfante-Warren, Alexandra Architecture in France, 1800-1900 New York: Harry N Abrams, Inc., 1998 Boos, Florence S and Carole G Silver, (Ed.) Socialism and the Literary Artistry of William Morris Columbia: University ofMissouri Press, 1990 Boutwood, James "York Reconstruction," The Times (London), 22 February 1992 Briggs, Asa Victorian Cities London: Penguin Books, 1968 Brownlee, David ''Neugriechisch!Neo-Grec: The German Vocabulary of French Romantic Architecture," Journal of the Society ofArchitectural Historians, 100 (March, 1991), 18-23 Buzard, James "Ethnography as Interruption: 'News from Nowhere,' Narrative, and the Modem Romance of Authority," Victorian Studies, 40 (Spring, 1997), 445-474 Carpenter, Edward, (Ed.) A House of Kings: The Official History ofWestminster Abbey New York: John Day, 1966 Cichy, Rodo Art et Secrets des Biitisseurs Paris: Librairie Hachette, 1961 Columbia Encyclopedia, Sixth Edition Columbia: Columbia University Press, 2001 Coote, Stephen William Morris: His Life and Work New York: Smithmark Publishers, Inc., 1995 Custodis, Paul-Georg Die Stadt des 19 Jahrhunderts in Rheinland-Pfalz Saarbriicken: Saarbriicker Druckerei und Verlag, 1985 "Das Heidelberger Schloss in der zweiten badischen Kammer," Deutsche Bauzeitung, 36 (1902), 99-102 D' Arcy, David "Iraq's History is Our History Too," The Art Newspaper (London), 2003 Davies, John A History ofWales London: Allen Lane Penguin Press, 1993 Davenport, Peter "Medieval Hall Given New Lease of Life," The Times (London), February 1992 Dellheim, Charles The Face ofthe Past: The Preservation ofMedieval Inheritance in Victorian En/and New York: Cambridge University Press, 1982 Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner Further reproduction prohibited without permission 230 Denslagen, Wim Architectural Restoration in Western Europe: Controversy and Continuity Amsterdam: Architectura & Natura Press, 1994 Egbert, Donald Drew The Beaux-Arts Tradition in French Architecture Princeton, N.J.: Princeton University Press, 1980 Ellenberger, Nancy W "The Transformation of London 'Society' at the End of Victoria's Reign: Evidence from the Court Presentation Records," Albion, 22 (Winter, 1990), 633-654 Epstein, James "Victorian Subjects: Introduction," Journal ofBritish Studies, 34 (July, 1995), 295-299 Erlande-Brandenburg, Alain Cathedrals and Castles: Building in the Middle Ages New York: HarryN Abrams Inc., 1995 Eshleman, Lloyd Wendall Victorian Rebel: The Life ofWilliam Morris New York: Charles Scribner's Son's, 1940 Faulkner, Peter Against the Age: An Introduction to William Morris Boston: George Allen & Unwin, 1980 Fitch, James Marston Historic Preservation: Curatorial Management ofthe Built World Charlottesville: University ofVirgina, 1995 Ford, Mary Bacon "The Art Socialists of London," Cosmopolitan, (London), 1889 Forssman, Erik Karl Friedrich Schinkel: Bauwerke und Baugedanken Munich: Schnell & Steiner, 1981 Frin, Raymonde A "European Governmental Experience," Historic Preservation Today: Essays Presented to the Seminar on Preservation and Restoration in Conjunction with the National Trust for Historic Preservation Charlottesville, VA: University Press of Virginia, 1963 Frye, Northrop "The Meeting of Past and Future in William Morris," Studies in Romanticism, 21 (1982) Germann, Georg Gothic Revival in Europe and Britain: Sources, Influences, and Ideas London: Lund Humphries with the Architectural Association, 1972 Girouard, Mark The Return to Camelot: Chivalry and the English Gentleman New Haven: Yale University Press, 1981 Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner Further reproduction prohibited without permission 231 Grant, James Memorials ofthe Castle ofEdinburgh Edinburgh: William Blackwood and Sons, 1850 Gunn, Alexander and John Timbs Abbeys, Castles and Ancient Halls ofEngland and Wales New York: Frederick Warne & Co., Ltd., 1870 Hall, Catherine, (Ed.) 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