Canterbury Cathedral II
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Author : William Morris

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      I am sorry to trouble you again in the matter of the proposed restoration of
      Canterbury Cathedral, but the Dean's letter shows that he has misunderstood both Mr
      Loftie and myself somewhat seriously, I think. He is mistaken in reading my letter
      as an approval of the schemes of restoration now afoot:on the contrary, I implied
      that the removal of the stalls now proposed would practically destroy a worthy work
      of art, which I value pretty much as Mr Loftie does, and I expressed a dread, which
      I still feel, that changes would not stop there, but would spread to the ancient
      fabric of the choir: I believe myself to be justified in that fear by the
      well-known fact that assurances of the kind the Dean is now giving are impossible
      to be kept to when restoration once begins. I am glad to hear from the Dean that he
      dreads paint in restoration, though it is by no means the only thing to fear; but I
      protest strongly against the charge that I consider the ancient painted work of our
      churches coarse daubing. I look on it rather with the greatest interest, and know
      that the art in it is often great, however rude it may be: it is the unfeeling and
      dead imitation of it so rashly practiced in restoration that I condemn.
    
    
      But the Dean's most serious misunderstanding both of Mr Loftie's letter and mine
      and of the general aim of our Society is in supposing that we wish our ancient
      buildings reduced to the state of ruins, whereas we earnestly press of their
      guardians the duty of keeping them in sound and orderly repair, so that they may
      never want restoration. Where Canterbury Cathedral has been [left] unrestored it is
      in as good a state as in the thirteenth century, and, man's work as it is, has
      hardly begun to perish yet, nor will it for many a hundred years, if only the roofs
      be well kept: where it is restored - well, let the ghost of the Norman tower tell
      that tale.
    
    
      The Dean's argument about divine worship I do not understand, coming from him; in
      the mouth of an ultra-montane priest I should take it to mean, `Yes, we know our
      doings are in bad taste, but we don't heed that, since they beguile the Vulgar -
      let them be beguiled.' For my part,remembering well the impression that Canterbury
      Cathedral made on me when I first stood in it as a little boy, I must needs think
      that a great building which is obviously venerable and weighty with history is
      fitter for worship than one turned into a scientific demonstration of what the
      original architects intended to do: I think that these learned restorations are
      good on paper to be kept in portfolios, but not good in new stone for the use of
      people who are busy and in earnest.
    
    
      Letter to the Times, 7 June 1877.
    


     From : Marxists.org

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     Canterbury Cathedral II -- Added : February 19, 2021

     Canterbury Cathedral II -- Updated : January 07, 2022

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