Sir Christopher Wren: His Family and His Times: With Original Letters and a Discourse on Architecture Hitherto Unpublished. 1585-1723.Phillimore, Lucy
History
Sir Christopher Wren: His Family and His Times: With Original Letters and a Discourse on Architecture Hitherto Unpublished. 1585-1723.
Phillimore, Lucy
Great Britain -- History -- Stuarts, 1603-1714 -- Biography; Wren family; Wren, Christopher, Sir, 1632-1723
The great work at S. Paul's was the while proceeding. In 1676 Compton,
Bishop of London, issued an Address, urging the claims of the Cathedral,
not on the citizens alone, but upon the country at large; he insisted
with some eloquence that all churches should as much as possible imitate
the 'exceeding magnifical' temple of Solomon in their beauty and
grandeur, and especially the cathedral of wealthy London. His address,
his warm interest in the work, and that of Dean Sancroft, who was a
contributor until driven from his archbishopric, brought many
contributions: among them may be mentioned Morley, Bishop of Winchester,
who gave 1,800_l._; Dr. John Fell, who gave 100_l._, 'in lieu of his
consecration dinner and gloves' when consecrated Bishop of Oxford, 1680;
Bishop Ken, who gave the same sum at his consecration, 1685, also in
lieu of the dinner and gloves; Bishop Wilson, of Sodor and Man, who gave
from the quarries of the island the dark stone steps which lead to the
west doors. Though hampered often, the architect was never actually
stopped by lack of money. He himself out of his scanty salary gave
50_l._ towards the expenses.
[_PORTLAND QUARRIES._]
In a letter speaking of his progress in building S. Paul's he says, 'I
have received a considerable sum, which, though not proportionable to
the greatnesse of the work, is notwithstanding sufficient to begin the
same--and with all the materials and other assistances which may
probably be expected, will put the new quire in great forwardness.' The
materials referred to are probably such parts of the old building as it
was possible to use again; and it may here be said that Wren had the
control of the quarries of Portland stone.[166] In 1669, King Charles
issued a proclamation that--
'Whereas great waste had been for many years past made of our
quarries in the Isle of Portland, ... and the great occasion we
have of using much of the said stone, both for the building and
repairing our houses and for the repaire of S. Paul's, our pleasure
is ... that all persons forbeare to transport any more stone from
our Isle of Portland without the leave and warrant first obtained
from Dr. Christopher Wren, Surveyor of our Works, as hath been
formerly accustomed in that behalf.'
Wren must have commanded an army of quarrymen in the little island, not
then grim with convicts and with a prison; but nevertheless he had, as
in the case of the Monument, not seldom to pause in his work before he
could get blocks of the size he required. As the choir rose the time
came in which the space for the great Dome was to be marked out. The
architect stood watching with some of his friends, and called to one of
the workmen to bring him a stone to mark a special spot; when the man
obeyed, Wren saw that the stone thus brought had an inscription upon
it--the single word 'Resurgam.'[167] It was looked upon by Sir
Christopher as a singularly happy omen, and he took great pleasure in
telling the anecdote.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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