Rochester Cathedral, 1800 AD
/David A. H. Cleggett reviews Daniel Alexander's survey of the fabric and concerns around the 500-year old bell tower shortly before it was replaced in the 1820s. Featured in The Friends of Rochester Cathedral Annual Report for 2005-2006.
Early in the year English Heritage made its annual distribution of grants to the cathedrals. With others Rochester was allocated £50,000. Other cathedrals, for example Carlisle, Durham and Lincoln, received much larger grants. The grant was regular, not exceptional, and not related to the campaign presently being conducted. English Heritage grants are used for such essential work as may be due or even over-due. Would that such a large sum had been available in the opening years of the nineteenth century.
In last year's report the condition of the cathedral fabric in 1760 was considered. The situation revealed by the article was not much improved by 1800.
Daniel Alexander' carried out a thoroughly costed survey? of the fabric in 1799 and concluded that £600 (£48,600 in modern figures) a year over an eight year period [£4.800 (£388,800)] would be necessary. The report reveals that the nave floor "consists of shabby red tiles." In the nave Alexander also observed that the four main piers of the tower were painted to resemble marble, "real marble itself would perhaps not be the best coloured stone - the resemblance is even worse." Of course the dean and chapter did not have any funds for the general repair envisaged by Alexander and work proceeded in a piecemeal fashion.
Alexander was much concerned with the state of the roof of the nave and reported again on its condition in 1802
The Dean & Chapter of Rochester
Report on the state of the Roof of the West Nave of Rochester Cathedral
I have inspected the Timbers at the places which have been uncovered in consequence of directions given some time since; as well as by means of additional parts uncovered in my presence and have thus examined & probed almost every Timber in the Roof.
The main Beams appear generally to be Chestnut, the smaller Oak, but when Old they are difficult to be distinguished. They are without exception rotten, independent of bad ends & hollow insides so as to be irreparable. As Timber, it may be said its Substance is gone.
Altho' one Timber has fallen, I think others may remain some time without accident, as iron ties in parts have been adopted. But I think the next year should have a New Roof begun & finished in one Season, even tho the whole Expence could not immediately be cleared.
I cannot now state my opinion as to the figure, materials or Expence of this New Roof except that its Timbers must be all new; for the Old is too decayed to use again, and the little that might be sound, would sell for more than it is worth to use in its present awkward sizes in a New work - great part will be fit only for fuel.
I have directed Mr Smith to take for me a correct set of levels, lengths, heights & perpendiculars in order to enable me to report farther [sic] to the Chapter thereupon.
1am gentlemen
With great respect
Your most obt Servant
Daniel Alexander
Alexander was an extremely busy man and it was essential for him to have someone competent on the spot. John Smith, a surveyor of Maidstone, who was in the habit of walking the nine miles from Maidstone to Rochester when he waited upon the chapter, was such a man and was appointed Clerk of Works to supervise the work.
Mr. Smith addressed the dean as one having authority even if his letters were couched in a quaint style. Smith addresses his letter to My Lord. Thomas Dampier the dean was nominated to the see of Rochester on 2nd August 1802 and was consecrated at Lambeth Palace on the 21st of the month. Bishop Dampier was translated to Ely in 1808 and died in 1812. Until the installation of Samuel Goodenough on 27th August bishop Dampier continued to act as dean. Although the Congé d'élire and letters missive naming Dr. Dampier to the see were not gazetted until 2nd August the forthcoming appointment was known at Rochester some weeks before that date. Although a little premature, Mr. Smith addressed his first letter to the dean/bishop-elect using his new style.
Smith's first letter to Dr. Dampier reads
Deanery Saturday July 10th 1802
4 o clock - afternoon
My Lord
I did myself the honor [sic] of waiting on your Lordship this morning agreeable to my promise to acquaint you with the Result of my Estimate of the Amount of the repairs of the Cathedral.
As the weather seems likely to detain you beyond the time you appointed for returning I shall beg leave to acquaint your Lordship that the Amot (sic| of my Estimate is 730£ (£60,650) and notwithstanding the apparent Excess, above the Sum limited (viz 600£) yet I do not perceive any thing that can with propriety be omitted. The Stained Windows certainly in my opinion are not worth omitting as their Expence will be so trifling (viz between 30 × 40£) all other works appear to be absolutely necessary.
With respect to the Old Lead I beg to acquaint your Lordship, that I do not find any Plummer who will give more than 1 Guinea per hundred weight for it & therefore I conceive Mr. Francis offer a fair price at 23/- I have tried this at Maidstone where I reside.
Your Lordship will of Course determine on what work shall, or shall not be done - As I find that Mr Alexander is not likely to be here for this 2 months, I shall Consider myself in the light of his Substitute and feel myself honoured in your Commands I am my Lord
With profound respect
Your Lordships Most obed. Sa.
John Smith
PS I take the liberty of adding my address, in case your Lordship should wish for my attendance at any future period.
Mr Smith
Surveyor
Maidstone
The bishop/dean was probably not a little disturbed by Mr. Smith stating the cost of repairs would amount to an estimated figure £730 plus fup to £49 for the windows and wrote to Mr. Smith for an explanation. Mr. Smith replied.
Maidstone July 14th 1802
My Lord
I had the honour of receiving your Lordship's Letter this day & intended waiting on you on Saturday next unless I should find it impossible to get a Conveyance to Rochester during this busy Electioning time for having had an accident yesterday of hurting my Knee I am incapable of walking so far.
I don't in the least doubt of being able to wait on your Lordship notwithstanding.
I beg to State for your Information that the 730£ (the amount of my Estimate) I conceive would be quite outside, and that I hope the Works will be found to amount to much less, in case you determine on their being done according to the Specification I have the honor to be
Most respectfully
Your Lordships obed Serv
John Smithy
Smith was busy throughout the summer inspecting the nave roof and made a report of his findings to the dean and chapter on 18th September. How the roof acted in relation to the nave walls should be noted.
Report on the State of the Roof
Of the Great Aisle of
Rochester Cathedral
Having Caused the Lead & boarding to be taken up in Sundry places for the purpose of particularly examining the State of the principal timbers - I have to make the following report vizt.
That the Roof is generally speaking much worse than I expected to find it; the whole of the Plates (or Timbers which support the ends of the Great Beams and Rafters) being entirely Rotten from end to end, on both sides the Roof.
These Plates while they remained Sound formed the Chief Support of the Walls, by preserving their perpendicularity & keeping them from Spreading. In their present decayed State the Walls are entirely left to themselves, and the Weight of the Roof becomes injurious instead of being beneficial.
If the Plates had been Sound, the other Defects of the Roof might have been repaired by splicing Sound pieces of Timber to the several Decaved parts. But I am of opinion that such a partial mode of repair would be of no real utility, as the plates are the only connecting Medium to the two Walls.-As it will be utterly impracticable to insert new Plates Without taking up the Beams and principal Rafters (an expedient which would be equal to taking up the whole of the Roof the whole of the Roof) I am of opinion that nothing Short of a New Roof will be of essential Benefit to the Building, that a Sub-standard repair is impracticable and if attempted would lead to a very heavy expence, and after all would most probably only postpone the necessity of a New Roof a little longer.
I intend sending a Copy of this Report to Mr. Alexander, accompanied with such other information as to enable him to State his opinion to the Dean and Chapter without delay.
John Smith
Rochester Sept 18th 1802.
One week before Smith submitted his report Daniel Alexander filed his. He and Mr. Smith had obviously worked closely even though Alexander himself had not been in Rochester. It is most interesting that both Smith and Alexander considered the arcades of the nave to be Saxon work.
To the Revd the Dean of Rochester &c &c
Report on the state and Condition of the North Wall of the West nave of the Cathedral (reported to be dangerous) and of the Timber Roofing over the same
North side
The whole of this side of the Fabric has for a very many years leant out of the perpendicular towards the North - The North wall, of the North Isle adjoining it, having been, before the repairs of this year began, 11 inches at the West end and 3 inches at the East end out of the upright, and the Wall of the Nave following it, tho not in so great a degree - The said North wall is found to go down only 6 feet below the Surface, and is built on Chalk and other loose uncemented Rubble, on a Stratum of loose Ground - to prevent the further Settlement of said wall, at its 11 inch End, a Buttress has been thrown up at the commencement of this years work, whose foundation is carried down to the solid Native Loam.
Altho' from various indexes about the interior of the Building, it may be averred, that these Walls of late years have not visibly moved yet judged this addition a prudent Step.
The North wall of the nave is constructed on Massive Saxon Columns, turned over with 2 tiers of Semicircular arches, and small double arches on little double insulated pillars under the middle of the upper ones; 'tis at this point, and above, that the Evil exists in this wall; for the work having been originally a mere casing of 2 parts of Stone, filled in the interior with unbounded Rubble, has yielded to the incumbent weight; and being already divided lengthwise by the little double pillars, and by the alley formed by the said arches, has naturally followed the principle of this mode of Structure, and as it is divided below, has split itself above.
This also, has been the case for many years; and as the workmen in boring thro' the same, to fix the Iron work of the new Roof (which ought to connect itself with, as well as tie together these Walls) have of necessity disturbed it, so that in 3 places, it has shewn faint Signs of additional Settlement.
Small collars of Iron round the little pillars have been very properly introduced by Mr Smith, the Clerk of the work, during my absence and they thence may be pronounced secure.
Roof
Of the Roof I have only to state, that the piece of Timber which has fallen down, is one piece of a row of Ornamental plates, from which if all were down, no injury to the Roof is strait, without Bumps or hollows, apparently as good as when the Lead thereof was laid in 1705 and therefore it was in my Survey of 1798, after inspecting the boarding which is all good, reported as trustworthy. Since I have been here, I have had sundry large parts of the Lead & boarding unroofed, and find the end & interior of many of the principal Timbers, rotten and defective - so that in some places the same are supported by the little knees (which may be seen from the bottom of the Church, placed under every intersecting beam, and which is the peculiar fareseeing Characteristic of the Carpentry of that Age) when the ends which were the original support are rotten.
It is impossible now to state the extent of this evil, and consequently the remedy.
I have ordered an uncasing and inspection, by means of a lifting Cradle, of each Beam, One by one, upon which I can report more fully than is now possible for me to do. If the Timbers are not rotten heartwise for a length inwards, which is frequently the case, when the Outside appears sound; their Ends may be spliced, and the whole rendered sound for a Century or more.
Daniel Alexanderio
The two reports, like many, give every appearance of having been written by Mr. Smith when the full extent of the damage was known, and by Daniel Alexander when the work of inspection was actually being undertaken by Mr. Smith. The conclusion was reached that the roof of the nave would need to be renewed in its entirety. Part of the repairs and renewals was financed by loans. The total expenditure for renewing the roof came to £1,512-14s-10d (£125,554-10)." The figure is large and shows that the fabric of the ancient cathedrals have ever been and will continue to be a heavy charge on the dean and chapter.
The author is most grateful to the Dean and Chapter for their kind permission to reproduce documents in their archive.
David A. H. Cleggett
16th February 2006
Notes
1 Alexander, Daniel (1768-1846), architect. Surveyor to the London Dock Company, Fishmongers Company and Trinity House. Alexander designed the barracks for the French prisoners-of-war at Princetown, Devon and also designed the old buildings at Maidstone Gaol. Mote House, Maidstone, is one of his domestic designs.
2 DRc/Emf 38.
3 Smith, John, described himself on the plan of the house and grounds at Boxley Abbey, which he made in April 1801, as a House & Land Surveyor. In all probability Smith was, like many other eighteenth and early-nineteenth century surveyors, an architect in his own right. Occasionally such gentlemen came into their own and designed notable buildings. One such was William Baskett (1782-1842), of Camberwell, described as a surveyor on his death certificate, but most certainly the designing and constructing architect of the 1822 house at Leeds Castle.
4 DRc/Emf 43.
5 Thomas Dampier, born 1748, was one of the more interesting occupants of the see of Rochester. He was the eldest son of Dr. Thomas Dampier, dean of Durham from 1774. Dr.
Dampier the younger held a prebendal stall at Durham from 1778-1808. From an early age the bishop was a great book and print collector. Bibliomania remained his ruling passion to his life's end and at his death the bishop's splendid collection was acquired by the Duke of Devonshire for "£10,000 (£830,000)
DRc/Emf 4471.
DRc/Emí 44/2.
DRc/Emf 45,
In 1705, when the entire nave roof was re leaded with 25 tons of lead at 8 Ibs to the square foot (total cost £378-4s-10d) the names of the bishop, dean and canons and verger were inscribed on the leads for posterity. DRe/Emf 12/ In 1705 the bishop was Thomas Spratt, the dean Samue Pratt. The names of the canons will be found in the aricle on Dr. John Harris,
DRc/Emf 47/1.
DRe/Fiv 16 1.
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.
