Robert Scott Burn

Masonry, Bricklaying and Plastering by Robert Scott Burn is an extremely detailed and typically moral Victorian textbook. It was intended to be ‘the most comprehensive and exhaustive Treatise hitherto issued’. As well as being an excellent source of nineteenth-century building information it is also an insight into the social history of the time. For example, whilst discussing the prevention of dampness in walls Burn reveals that poor sanitation among labouring classes leads to ‘a mental as well as physical depression... which drives those subjected to it to the temporary relief afforded by the use of ardent spirits and other stimulants’.

It is important however, that Burn’s work is considered within the context in which it was written. This was the era of the Industrial Revolution, a period of rapid change in Britain. Industry was moving forward at breakneck speed, alongside the equally rapid developments in exploration, science, engineering and building. In fact, the period between 1750 and 1850 can be considered to be one of the most significant 100-year periods in the history and development of building practise. In masonry, bricklaying and plastering the choice of mortars, plasters and renders increased almost every year. Simple locally produced limes were being replaced by natural hydraulic limes, artificial hydraulic limes, natural cements, oil cements and artificial cements. Many of the eminent Architects of the time showed a clear preference in their choice of materials some even had a financial interest in their manufacture, often using their buildings to demonstrate the superiority of their product. (Adam Brothers with Liadet’s oil mastic, Wyatt Family with Roman Cement.) Numerous patents for new materials, mixtures or improved processes were being registered every year. Not all were successful and there were some very public failures.

Burn was clearly influenced by the great men and innovations of his time (both at home and abroad), making reference to the work of Smeaton and Vicat amongst others. There are also numerous references to the ‘Paris Universal Exposition of 1867’ which ‘abounds in inventions and combinations of high practical value’. Yet despite these influences the imperialist attitudes of the time are also evident in his work. There is a real sense of the importance of The British Empire and the need to construct buildings that will last for a thousand years to rival the classical structures of antiquity. It is clear that Burn believed good architecture was based on a complete and practical understanding of the properties of all building materials. He remarks that the ‘strength and durability of buildings depend chiefly on the nature of the materials of which they are constructed’. He was concerned that too little regard paid to this would mean that in a thousand years ‘almost every specimen of British genius’ would be ‘mouldered into dust’.

It is against this backdrop that Robert Scott Burn produced Masonry, Bricklaying and Plastering. He had seen the end of the vernacular building traditions and the birth of modern building. Burn provides his reader with an interesting mix of old and new, with materials such as concrete considered alongside pisé. He refers to ‘recent Architectural Adaptations and structural novelties in terracotta and artificial stonework’, as well as ‘Taylor’s patent faced concrete walls’ used to aid the prevention of damp. This book should be seen as Burn’s response to this new technology and practice, as he aims to provide for ‘the proper instruction of the modern mechanic’.

The book consists of over 400 pages of text and 160 beautiful plates. The text is divided into eight divisions (chapters) dealing with materials, practical construction in masonry and brickwork, design, drawing, planning and designing domestic structures, sanitary arrangements and plastering. Division eight deals with specification, measurements and estimates. This includes an example of a specification (and contract conditions) for the construction of a typical Victorian house. The plates contain hundreds of exquisite illustrations, relating to the text, and covering everything from industrial chimney stalks (not a misprint!) to the setting out of an Ionic order volute. I particularly like the gothic bosses, corbels and finials (plate 64).

When it was written this book was aimed at senior craftsmen, Clerks of Works and young Architects. (I wonder whether some of the contents would have gone over their heads?) Today it is relevant to the conservation building professionals and craftsmen, particularly those dealing with nineteenth century architecture. The writing is very Victorian in style and should perhaps be accompanied by a copy of Burn’s Glossary of Technical Terms Employed in the Practical Construction of Buildings... (1860). It may need reading twice to be fully digested, but is certainly worth the effort.

This book is full of good common sense and useful information. It bridges the disciplines of architecture, draughtsmanship, engineering and construction. There is a very strong emphasis on the qualities of materials and empirical experiments to justify them. There is, perhaps, a little too much reliance on "strength" (without a full appreciation of the benefits of soft materials) for the modern conservationist, but this will appeal to the engineers who buy this book. The practical sections on drawing and setting out are as relevant today as they were when the book was written.

There is an extremely wide range of architectural/engineering subjects covered. Enough in fact to be able to deal with the Victorian regeneration/expansion of a town and its infrastructure. Whether designing cottages, mansions, bridges or lighthouses this was, and still is, the book to have.

Ian Pritchett BSc (Hons)

Ian is Managing Director of IJP Building Conservation Ltd (incorporating The Chiltern Partnership), one of the premier conservation contractors in the UK. IJP specialise in the repair of a vast diversity of historic buildings including windmills and water mills. Ian has written numerous articles on the use of lime, earth and timber in traditional building repair as well as giving regular lectures on the subject. He is a member of the SPAB (Society for the Protection of Ancient Buildings) technical panel and has rewritten technical pamphlet No 11 'Panel Infilling to Timber Framed Buildings'.