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Book review from The Victorian, Volume 23 Number 4, 2002
Rivington's Building Construction
Major Percy Smith
This is perhaps the most ambitious of Donhead's facsimile reprints of classics on construction. 1,300 pages long in three volumes, intended for students, engineers and builders, it is strictly a text book. It was first published in 1875 and regularly expanded until it reached a climax in this edition of 1904. Don't be put off by this description. The book is fascinating and highly relevant to anyone interested in Victorian buildings and not just those actively carrying out conservation. It is packed with forgotten history and an invaluable aid to dating.
In the 19th century, building became increasingly dominated by technology. Practising architects might largely consider the hue of bricks or the form of mouldings, but the details of iron, steel, cements, plumbing, drains and electricity were largely left to the builders and specialists. The materials and techniques then used, whether new or traditional, have largely been lost or developed beyond recognition, but many buildings of the period remain.
Where, you may ask, can you find out in detail about the bricks then available, about bonds, types of stone, lead, the form of cast iron brackets or beams, the detailing of sash windows, the shapes of nails, brand marks on wrought iron or the number of cubic feet of fresh air needed per head per hour for children at rest? The answer is to look up Rivington. It is a mine of information, lavishly illustrated with beautifully clear drawings, a pleasure to handle but, alas, almost all copies seem to have been lost. This is why the reprint is so valuable. Wisely Donhead has omitted from the reprint a fourth volume on calculations.
Originally the book was issued without an author but, as discovered by Lawrance Hurst and noted in his excellent introduction, the author was Major Percy Smith of the Royal Engineers, who has now been given the credit on the title page which he deserved in 1875.
James Sutherland
