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Drawing

ca. 1856 (made)
Artist/Maker
Place of origin

This is part of a set of plans entered by William Burges for the Crimean Memorial Church in Constantinople international design competition. Applicants were asked to design in the ecclesiastical pointed or gothic style of Western Europe, consider the city's warm climate and susceptibility to earthquakes, and keep within a budget of £20,000. In preparation for his design entries, Burges traveled to Northern Italy to find Gothic precedents for the church's style. He credited the Church of San Andrea at Vercilli, specifically, as the greatest influence on his entry. While generally French and Italian Gothic in style and plan, Burges' entry exhibited Eastern Constantinoplan influences in its structure and materials. As opposed to massively thick walls and buttresses, he used lightweight concrete on the insides of walls in conjunction with a system of tie rods and chains to address the earthquake concern. After winning the competition in 1856, Burges was asked to make several modifications to make it smaller, cheaper, and more French. When he refused to make any more alterations in 1863, G.E. Street, who came in second in the original design competition for the church, was asked to draw up all new plans in 1866. Completed in 1868, the church's final built state was constructed according to Street's designs.


Object details

Category
Object type
Materials and techniques
Pen and wash on paper
Brief description
Design, pen and wash, Foundation Plan of Constantinople Church, William Burges, English, ca. 1856.
Physical description
Pen and wash design on paper of the foundation plan of Burges' entry for the Constantinople Church. Rose-coloured wash is used with black pen to illustrate and specify the thickness of walls, interior spaces, and external retaining walls.
Dimensions
  • Width: 66cm
  • Length: 44.5cm
Style
Marks and inscriptions
  • 'CONSTANTINOPLE CHURCH / FOUNDATION PLAN / No.1' (Inscribed in ink in the top left corner.)
  • 'W. Burges / 15 Buckingham Street W.C.' (Inscribed in ink in the bottom left corner.)
  • 'No. 5 Design / This was the past design made for Nadin / Note. The details of this design are rolled up with the preceding one' (Inscribed in ink on the left side of the plan drawing.)
  • 'Note. The dimensions on the sectional lines are in metres.' (Inscribed in ink to the left of the plan drawing.)
Subjects depicted
Place depicted
Summary
This is part of a set of plans entered by William Burges for the Crimean Memorial Church in Constantinople international design competition. Applicants were asked to design in the ecclesiastical pointed or gothic style of Western Europe, consider the city's warm climate and susceptibility to earthquakes, and keep within a budget of £20,000. In preparation for his design entries, Burges traveled to Northern Italy to find Gothic precedents for the church's style. He credited the Church of San Andrea at Vercilli, specifically, as the greatest influence on his entry. While generally French and Italian Gothic in style and plan, Burges' entry exhibited Eastern Constantinoplan influences in its structure and materials. As opposed to massively thick walls and buttresses, he used lightweight concrete on the insides of walls in conjunction with a system of tie rods and chains to address the earthquake concern. After winning the competition in 1856, Burges was asked to make several modifications to make it smaller, cheaper, and more French. When he refused to make any more alterations in 1863, G.E. Street, who came in second in the original design competition for the church, was asked to draw up all new plans in 1866. Completed in 1868, the church's final built state was constructed according to Street's designs.
Associated objects
Collection
Accession number
D.1374A-1891

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Record createdJune 30, 2009
Record URL
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