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Plastering Plain and Decorative
Fourth Edition
When I was approached to review Millar’s fourth edition, I was a little daunted by the task. I knew of the famous first edition, but have to confess to only ever having skimmed through a borrowed copy, and never having owned one myself. To review the fourth edition meant first absorbing the original work, then comparing the two books. This is not easy bedtime reading - the risk of developing a deep vein thrombosis when supporting both books, one on each knee, is a serious health consideration!
Where do I start? Well, I am merely a keen follower of the art of plasterwork, not an actual plasterer. I have organized and run a number of courses, and marvelled at the skill of such masters as Jeff Orton, Malcolm Uttley and Sean Wheatley, to name but a few. And as I have watched them they have regularly referred to the great man, William Millar, and quoted extracts from his famous book. It is not nicknamed ‘the plasterer’s bible’ for nothing. But I do believe that the first edition is very much a book for the plasterer, or for someone wishing to practise or understand the art at a very high level. It contains extremely detailed accounts of every aspect of the craft, from how the first coat should be scratched to making a mould for an enrichment.
What of the fourth edition? This is a very different book. Millar had died twenty years previously when the publishers looked at producing a reprint. They asked George Bankart, an architect turned craftsmen, to set about the task. But times had moved on, and it is fascinating when comparing the books side by side to see just how the plastering trade had changed. Luckily Bankart retains Millar’s system of listing the contents of each chapter, making it an exceptionally useful reference book. He goes on to expand Millar’s chapters to include details of a whole range of new materials that were then becoming mainstream, with emphasis on cements and new systemised lathing products. He also includes for the first time in the fourth edition new ideas on waterproofing damp walls through the use of strong cementitious renders.
It is clear that Bankart is a product of the Arts and Crafts movement, and one of his primary motives in producing the fourth edition is to reinvigorate the art of ‘lime-stucco plasterwork’, i.e., hand modelled work. Millar made only passing historical reference to this, the art of hand modelling being virtually dead when he produced his original book. Bankart waxes lyrical about the superiority of handcrafted, high relief work with undercutting, impossible to produce with a mould. This is the first of three new chapters written by Bankart that totally change the feel of the book. In his second new chapter, he makes a stand for ‘modern’ design, and states his utter despair at the regurgitation of historical styles. The third new chapter takes plastering to a whole new level, with lessons in design, observation and artistry. Bankart tries to lift the ambitions of the humble plasterer from technician to sculptor.
If the first edition of Plastering Plain and Decorative is the plasterer’s bible, then the fourth edition is essential reading for anyone wishing to understand the revolution of design in the early twentieth century. Architects, designers, conservators, plasterers will all enjoy this book, whether using it as a reference or reading it from cover to cover. There is much repetition of the first edition, but the additional chapters provide an extraordinary insight into the mood at the time. The extra plates illustrate a whole new world of the plasterer’s craft, and are in themselves worthy of investment in the book.
Reading the book has made me realise just how much I have yet to learn about this wonderful craft. It reminds me of a quote, attributed I believe to the French chef Antoine Careme: ‘The Fine Arts number five, to wit: Painting, Sculpture, Poetry, Music and Architecture, the which has for its principal branch, Pastry-making.’’
Marianne Suhr, JAC
