Rochester Cathedral in the second half of the 18th century
/David A. H. Cleggett tells the sorry tale of the Cathedral’s deterioration through the second half of the 18th century. Featured in The Friends of Rochester Cathedral Annual Report for 2004-2005.
When we enter the cathedral today we find a well maintained building. It was not always so. In 1760 the fabric was in an extremely dilapidated state as the following survey shows. It was drawn up by the obscure William Younger and is reproduced in his own picturesque style.
Survey'd 15th July 1760
Revd Gentm.
The Undermentioned is a Report of Repairs Absolutely Wanting to be Done at St Peters or St Andrews College, Rochester Vizt.
Remarks
The north west Tower I find to be in A very bad & rotten State insomuch that no sorte of repaire cannot be of any service towards keeping the same from falling. The Iron Strapps & stayes that have heretofore been made use off have not bin any service to the same, but very much otherwayse, being improperly fix'd and the sooner they are released from the Gable Ende of the Church ve better.
In Order to which I humbly purpose the following meathoud to your holy reverences vizt.
first, to take down the Tops & upper parts of the sd Tower, as low at least as down to the Gallery, and there Cover the same, with a Temparey roof, To keep out the weather &C for the time being. This done will put the same out of any sort of Danger, Until it may be judged nessceary &c Conveniant to fixe upon a plan and Rebuild the same, at lasure &C.
2d Remarks
The Roofs Over the Body of the Church N.E. & South. Very mutch wants, some measure, A speedy & Carefull repair &C. Many parts of which being in a Very dangerous & bad state. But more particularly that part on the south front adjoining the Lobby leading into the Chapter house, is realey in danger of some parts falling down, therefore care should be taken in order toprevent any Accident of that sort in dew time.
I therefore purpose the following meathouds, to rectifie, and secuer the same &c the which must be done, with great care & procrastination and first to take down the Gable End South and the parapet walls Round the same so low as underside of the wall plates which will then not only relieve that Great Weight and Pressuer, that the Roof has now, upon the Extreme walls, that are now Greatly out of an upright but it will, also put the same in to a state of safety, until more can be done which is as follows. I would take off all the Lead of ye South wing In Order that, the roof may be Alter'd & Repaird in a Wormanlike manner, towards which there must first be a Project fix'd upon & also Plans, Profills and Sections with an Estimate for such parts as y allternately be carreyd on &c and I further beg leave heare to observe any very materiale Article in the above repairs and that is this, to Avoid as mutch as possible One Very grate & annewall Expence in the plumers branch in particulare with respect to the Covering of the sd roofs as they must from time to time, be rectified as above mentioned. I therefore purpose to Cover the same with the best Westmoreland Slates in place of that Weighty affair ye Lead the vallew of which, in Exchange Including Solder & labour the difference will Greatly Assist towards shortening the Expence of the General Repaire at present but also saving hearafter &C
3d Remarks
The Roofs ajoing the N East and South of the Steeple wants a repairte
Immeadeatly their being no less than 56 Lower Sheets of Lead that are Slipp'd down into the Gutters, also 42 feet running of ridge piece intirely strippd and gon, so that the weather must of Corse have free Access into that part of the Building which will dow Greate damage if not Timely prevented.
4th Remarks
In the large Roof west of the steple which is 117 feet in lenth here are some defects which are as follows Vizt.
I finde that one principal Guirder, of the sd roof is very rotten and more particularly so at the Ends that lays on the walls, I very much doubt, the same bad ffects, in many other of the Principals in the same roof, the Chief causes of which, has bin occasioned by the water over flowing the gutters, & pipes, being frequently stopp'd &c and the water Gitting in as above discribed has Not only decade & greatly dimaged the Timbers but also the walls & battlements on Each Side, North & South of the same &c.
Now when it may be found absolutely Nesseeary to begin the above repaires I could purpose, the same, to be done in the following manner Vizt-
and first To take down, the battlement, or Parapet walls So low at least, as the Under sides, of the wall plates, that done will not only Give an Oppertunity to Examine, the condition of the Roofs &c, but it will be the more Easely rectified & secured, wear ever It may be Judged most wanting and Absolutely Nesseary.
When so done, then, carry up, the parapet Walls againe, to the hight Only of 1 foot 6 Inches, above the highest part of the Gutters and Grate Care must be taken to lay in good broade water tabling, to Prevent the water from gitting between the Edges, of the Gutters & walls &c the want of which has Occasioned great dimages not only to this part but to the whole of this fine Old Church, in General &c.
And I must say, that I ham very, sorry to see the same, Hath been so Neglected which its two plaine has been the Case in the whole.
5 Some further remarks
NB the rain water Leden pipes that Conveys the water from the Upper part of the above - mentioned west roof are in a very bad State, on Each side North and South, of the same there being No 8 of the Lower lenths Intirely gon, so that the water runs down the face of the Walls to the no smail detterment of that part &c.
These should be Immeadeatly rectified, if it were only with Temprary Pipes of wood for the present.
On (sic) other thing is, that Care should be taken, to make good the water Tabling, all round the whole Building, and paint with Good lime, and have mix with Coalashes & well beate and this, should not be neglected, and also, the Gutter & Pipes, should be Carefully looked after and kept Clean & free from Stopiages &C.
But of this and all the foregoing Remarks
Is Most humbly offered to the Consideration, and direction, of Such Gentm as it most Concearne &c &c &c - by there Most humble & Most obedt Servt &c
28 July 1760
To The Rt Revd and Revd Principals of St Andrews Church at Rochester'
Henry Keene (1726-76),2 was the next architect to report on the serious state of the fabric at this time. Being a professional architect of some standing his report, dated 10th October 1760, and running to many pages is more professionally presented than Mr. Younger's just read although the conclusions do not differ.
Several of Keene's proposals were rather drastic. Of Gundulf's Tower he said;
Between (the north transept) & the N. W. Cross, stands the naked Walls only of a Tower, now known by the name of the Five bell Tower, this being of no use, it would be better remov'd but that being attended with a pretty Considerable Expence, I would propose that in the Course of any of these or future repairs when stone for buttresses, Walling or such like business is wanted, so much of this Tower shou'd be taked down as would serve those purposes, this would answer the 2 purposes of saving money in the purchase & Carriage of new materials and the removal in Time of this unnecessary and dissightly ruin.'
Fortunately Keene's proposal for this part of the building was not acted upon in its entirety but the tower was lowered to its present height.
An extremely jaundiced eye was cast over the West Front.
The N.W. Tower is so much crackt & tore to pieces, that it is render'd incapable of being repair'd to answer the purpose; it must therefore be taken down & rebuilt. The top of the S.W. Tower, wanting also much repair, I wou'd propose the following Scheme, for the repair of this End, which will considerably lessen the Expence, & make the building, as handsome, or more so, & much more Uniform than it is at present, & at the same time so preserve the Stile of the building; that it cannot be discovered but that it is in its original State.
Carry up the N.W. Tower in same manner as that & the S.W. Towers at present so high as where the S.W. Tower is sett off to an Octangular Figure; at that place cover it with a Flat roof leaded and finished the top with proper Battlements, & a Pinnacle at each angle. Take off the Octangular part of the S.W. Tower, and new top the Square part at the same height, & in the same manner as is here describ'd for the N.W. Tower, and repair the bottom part of the same. Make a new Staircase in each of the 2 Towers to lead up to the Flats over the Isles. Take off the Parapets 'twixt the Towers (now horizontal) & new work &c making as they appear to have been originally. Take down the Octagonal Top of the North middle Tower, & new work it in the Form of the top of the South middle Tower, repair the other decay'd parts of both the middle Tower.
This extraordinary proposal appears to have eventually been adopted completely. The Chapter endeavoured to save the northwest tower by having more ties and brickwork inserted. But this failed and in 1763 the tower and the north aisle adjoining it had to be take down'. The work of repair was not finally completed until 1769. Not until Person's restoration of the West Front in 1888 did this part of the building once more take on anything approaching its medieval appearance.
During the 1750s two large brick buttresses were built against the outside of the wall of the south eastern transept but by 1760 these were found wanting. As Keene reported:
This part of the Building is in a very dangerous and irreparable situation the whole being near 3 Feet out of the Perpendicular, & has drawn off with it the two first Arches (from the sEnd) with their Columns &c: and the whole is much crusht & tore to pieces - about ten years Since two brick buttresses were built to Secure it from Falling, these being but injudiciously perform'd, do not answer the intended purpose. (This is an example of one architect criticising another's work or proposals). For by the observations of the workmen and others, & indeed also by visible appearances, fresh cracks have happened, & the old ones have opened afresh since they were Stopt, and Since the Erection of these Buttresses; there is therefore great reason to believe it is still in a moveable State, & to fear from that State that it cannot long stand. It should therefore be wholly taken down, together with what appertains to that End and is drawn off with it, and rebuilt in the same Stile and form as it was.
But if this work, which must of Course be attended with great Expence, cannot be immediately, or soon set about, & the cracks should appear to Continue opening: which may be to a great Nicety ascertain'd by fitting store wedges to Several places between solid parts of those cracks, marking how far they will not Enter, and trying them at times afterwards to their respective places where fitted. And it does appear to keep moving, The Danger will be great; because the upper part will receive a greater proportion of Additional Power, the more it gets out of a Perpendicular Line, & most, when that Power becomes Sufficient to overweigh its Counter balance inevitably fall, and bring with it a great part of the Cross.
To prevent which therefore for the present it will not only in point of Prudence but absolutely necessary to prevent these Consequences advisable, to Erect a Truss Butress of Timber against the said End which properly perform'd will keep it from moving any further, & may secure it 'till a proper & convenient time for the taking down and rebuilding it."
Nothing survives in the Chapter's manuscripts to say that the truss was built. But the transept certainly continued to deteriorate because the gable was demolished in 1768 in order to reduce the weight on the wall." The transept was never taken down as Keene recommended.
For want of funds, a perennial problem at Rochester, the fabric continued to deteriorate for the remainder of the eighteenth century. Robert Mylne (1733-1811),9 surveyed the cathedral in 1776, paying particular attention to the wall of the south-east transept. Under Mylne's direction the wall received sufficient attention to secure it until the arrival of Mr. Cottingham in the 1820s.
Although funds were always scarce at this time sufficient was done that we should be grateful for the works undertaken by the various architects engaged. Without them large parts of the cathedral would have collapsed.
Fortunately that situation is not likely to arise today but in a building of this age there is always the need for vigilance.
I am grateful to the Dean and Chapter for permission to reproduce documents in their archive.
David A. H. Cleggett
Notes
1 DRc/Emf 32.
2 Keene, Henry, designed the Radcliffe Infirmary at Oxford, as well as the Radcliffe Observatory but this was unfinished at the time of his death and was eventually completed to a different elevation by Wyatt. Keene was surveyor to the Dean and Chapter of Westminster.
3 DRc/Emf 34.
4 DRc/Emf 34.
5 DR/FTv 117.
6 DRc/FTb94, Ac 7/24.
7 DRc/Emf 34.
8 DR/FTv 126.
9 Mylne, Robert, designer of and engineer for the first Blackfriars Bridge. In
1767 Mylne became surveyor to the New River Company which preceded the Metropolitan Water Board. In addition to public works Mylne had an extensive country house practice in Shropshire. The diary that he kept for his years at Rochester is on permanent loan to the library of the RIBA.
A View of the CATHEDRAL CHURCH./ROCHESTER in Kent.
The Friends of Rochester Cathedral were founded to help finance the maintenance of the fabric and grounds. The Friends’ annual reports have become a trove of articles on the fabric and history of the cathedral.
Piecing together the thousands of architectural components and evidence from excavations and other sources informing the architectural history of the site.
