Public Buildings : Universily the struc tures erected previous to the end of the seventh decade, when Gothic was the accepted style and naturalism in art was carried almost to an extreme, is Deane and Woodward's University Museum, at Oxford. Here the cap itals of the columns which, grouped with more massive piers, support the two-storeyed arcade that surrounds the quadrangular roofed court are all copied from nature, and the ornamental iron-work of the roof takes plant forms and luxuriates in foliage.
Keble College, noticeable modern ornament of Ox ford, also executed in the seventh decade under Gothic influence, is But terfield's Kebie College, the bright tints of whose walls seem to have been intended to contrast with the sober grayness of older colleges; yet time will tone the color, and there is beauty here, especially in the lofty chapel, which may be considered a worthy paragon of the more ancient univer sity chapels. The stained glass, mosaics, and marble-work of this chapel afford a most gorgeous effect of color.
The New Law Courts, London, occupy a prominent position at the junction of the Strand and Fleet Street. In appearance they contrast widely with the Vienna Rathhaus; the London edifice is as wildly and purposely irregular as the German one is tamely symmetrical. Both lack a central feature of sufficiently commanding importance, and thus neither is equal, in a general view, to the Houses of Parliament at Westminster. There is no want of variety in the exterior of the Law Courts, nor can either picturesqueness or beauty of detail be denied it; yet it lacks grand eur—that characteristic which is to the picturesque what beauty is to mere prettiness. The interior seems to fail just where failure can least be justified—namelv, in fitness for its purpose. The corridors by which access is gained to the various courts are narrow and dark; they seem to be really secret passages in some inedkcval pile. The central hall is mag nificent. It is a stone-vaulted cathedral nave used for civic display, but already it contains the tomb of its architect, George Edmund Street— worried to death by the circumstances arising out of the construction of this same building-.
It appears probable that this building, which, despite its deficiencies, is a grand work, has rung the knell of medievalism in England—at least in so far as any but ecclesiastical works are concerned. It must be remembered, however, that the commission appointed for the purpose deliberately chose this design as the one which best fulfilled its require ments, in preference to the more noble ones of Scott and Burges; the shortcomings are, therefore, to a large extent the result of compliance with imposed conditions.
The Albert Memorial, in Hyde Park, London, opposite the Albert Hall, is a gorgeous Gothic shrine rich in marbles, gilding, and fresco, and rivals in splendor anything of the kind which the Middle Ages have left us. Its upper platform or base is adorned with four symbolical groups of statuary, one at each projecting angle, and the plinth bears rilievos of one hundred and sixty-nine celebrated men—artists, architects, poets, musi cians, etc.—of all periods. Groups representing the continents are also placed at the angles of a lower raised platform, which is again sur mounted by a second. Under the ornate canopy of the centre sits a colossal bronze gilded figure of Prince Albert, to whose memory this mag nificent monument was erected as a tribute of gratitude by the English nation. The architect was Sir George Gilbert Scott, while Foley, Armsteed, and other sculptors were engaged on the accessories.
Wallace memorial to Sir William Wallace, Scotland's most honored patriot, crowns the Abbey Craig of Stirling, Soo feet and more above the plain, and itself rises to a height of 22o feet above the rock. It is a massive tower with walls 15 feet thick at the base, and is severe and unadorned, in harmony with the cliff from which it springs. Higher up, a staircase-turret with ranges of small windows following the rake of the stairs frees itself from one angle. The terminal storey of the tower is full of quaint corbelling, above which three richly-dec orated flying-buttresses unite to support an elaborate finial. This crown of arches and pinnacles forms a striking contrast to the severity of the masses below.
Horticultural Society's International Exhibition of r851 gave an impetus to building-operations in the vicinity of Hyde Park, and a group of important Renaissance public buildings erected at South Ken sington during the sixth and seventh decades effectually introduced terra cotta as a material capable of effective use in conjunction with brick. Among these are the large rectangle of the Horticultural Society's Gar dens, the Albert Hall, and the South Kensington Museum. The first is a series of decorated galleries and pavilions, and affords a graceful example of light terra-cotta ornate shafts supporting round arches, in harmony with the Albert Hall, which is visible above the dome of its conservatory. The quadrangle has during the last five or six years been occupied by wooden shanties erected for exhibition purposes; so that it is difficult to form an idea of its original effect.