Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1914-07-05
TREATS OF THE CAUSE
Of DECAY IN THE WOOD
Report on Condition of Westminster
Hall Timbers, Oldest Part
Of Parliament.


LONDON. June 22-Mr. Baines' re-
port on Westminster Hall Che most an
cient part of parliament). which has just
appeared as a blue book, has already
been made public in its main conclusions
through Mr.. Wedgwood Benns speeches
in the house of commons. 1t Is a very
technical document dealing In detail
with the cause of the decay in the wood,
and the methods adopted to Withstand
its further ravages. The historical part
Of the report contains much Information
about the hall that is now made public
for the first time. Nothing. however,
has come out through Mr.. Baines' re-
searches to support the interesting
theory that William of Wykeham was
the architect Of the present roof
The design for stonework is thought
to be due to Master Henry Yeveley.
kings mason in 1890. The chief car
penter was Henry Herlsnd. In 1895 he
had a little house lying in the outer little
ward at the palace of Westminster, near
the house of the clerk Of works, for
keeping his tools and making his models
and molds for his carpentry work.
Completed in 1897.
The hall must have been finished by
Michaelmas. 1897. for there Is mention
OF twenty-five rolls of ''wadmole' "a
material like felt for covering the hall
against the queens coronation through
lack of lead. The oak for the new roof
came from the kings park at Oldham,
the Abbot of st. Adams wood at Ber-
nan, and wood by Kingstone-on-
Thames. The two towers were twenty
feet higher than the parapet of the hall.
and the upper part of the north gable
had a pinnacle twenty-eight feet higher
than the roof with four effigies Of kings
standing at four sides of the pinnacle.
The first known repair of the roof was
in 1863 when the lead was partly recast
and some work was done on the latern
and iron bolts put in some of the beams.
The lead roof seems to have given place
to states after 176O The large hanging
lamps which were suspended from the
angels were set there in 1112, and pilas-
ters were added to the walls. After sew
eral inquiries serious scheme Of repair
was begun about the time of George Tvs
coronation. Substantial repairs were
done about 1880, and again under Barry,
in 1880, and in 1885 Pearson removed
twelve dormers on the west side and in
1889 the dormers on the east side were
removed.
Roof busted Yearly.
At this time, and for some years after
ward. the roof was busted yearly by the
two old sailors. who called attention to
any defects which came under their
notice. In 1910 steel plates were bolted
between some of the beams.
Westminster Hall fell to the care OF
the ancient monuments grant OF the once
of works in 1912, and it was then that
Mr. Raines made his discoveries of the
extreme decay in some of the principal
timbers and the real defects came to
light. 1t was found that there was a
serious possibility of the occurrence OF a
fall of the thirteen trusses in the hall.
complete overhaul of the roof then
took place, with the result that an ex-
penditure of 100000 was required to
safeguard this priceless treasure of Eng
lish architecture and carpentry for time
to come.