Blog 5: Locovisual

Wesley Methodist Church – Taranaki Street, Wellington.

“Gothic revival was the most widespread and artistic movement which England has ever produced,” (Clark, 1962, pp. 7). The Wesley Methodist Church is heavily influenced by mid-18^th century Gothic Revival style. This is evident through characteristics such as elegance, and ornament of the decorated windows, the pointed arch of the roof which common of the Gothic Revival style which is grand and tall, and helps produce the light and airy interior. According to Kenneth Clark it was these pointed arches and tracery that people wanted in a church, not chancels and side aisles (1974, pp. 94). Gothic design was a comprehensive response to the dislocations and traumas of the Industrial Revolution in Britain, (Lewis, 2002, pp. 7).

Design reformists such as Ruskin and Pugin were troubled by the dehumanising of labour in the modern world. Ruskin believed that “physical labour had a nobility and spiritual dimension, which the Industrial Revolution had despoiled, condemning the factory worker to mindless repetitive action,” (Lewis, 2002, pp. 115). This was believed to have made medieval work superior above other styles as it commanded the sculptor to use his mind as well as his hands, designing and executing as opposed to tedious labour (Lewis, 2002, pp. 115). A large motive of building Gothic churches was economy. The cheapest medium at this time was brick. “No greater quantity of stone should be used,” (Clark, 1974, pp. 96). Following this principle, the Wesley Methodist Church uses wood as this is a cheap and easily available material in New Zealand.

The Wesley Methodist Church is likely to have been built in the style of Gothic Revival because according to Micheal. J. Lewis  the orchestration of light, sound and space designed in these cathedrals brought Christian worship to a pitch of spiritual reverie (2002). Clark agrees, saying “Gothic architecture not only provoked religious enthusiasm but excited it in a particularly dangerous form,” (1974, pp. 101). Walpole stressed the popish element in Gothic design, saying that Gothic churches infuse superstition. The Industrial Revolution heavily influenced the Gothic Revival style which is still used today. Especially in church architecture, as its ornament and space create a spiritual atmosphere.

 

Reference

Clark, Kenneth. (1962). The Gothic revival : an essay on the history of taste (3^rd ed). London. John Murray.

Clark, Kenneth. (1974). The Gothic revival : an essay on the history of taste (4^th ed). London. John Murray.

Lewis, Micheal. J. (2002). The Gothic Revival. New York. Thames & Hudson.