9

Arguments and Achievements

Peter and Patrick continue their account of the Cathedral’s Art Committee and its various contributions.

Peter Howell and Patrick Rogers

In 1943 Cardinal Hinsley was succeeded by Bernard Griffin, who apparently disliked committees, and the former Art Committee, which had lapsed with the onset of war, was not recalled. Before long things were going wrong again with regard to the Cathedral decoration, to such an extent that Edward Hutton organised another letter of protest. Published in The Times on 17 November 1853, the letter was signed by some of the signatories of the 1935 protest – Sir Giles Gilbert Scott, Kenneth Clark and John Rothenstein – together with Philip Hendy, Graham Greene, Henry Moore and John Pope-Hennessy. The mosaics were still a source of complaint, and there were also new ones. Hutton was distressed by the marble lining of the walls of the galleries on either side of the sanctuary, which he felt: ‘destroyed the fine effect’ of Bentley’s arcades. Francis Bartlett later described it as ‘formica marble’. Worse still, the column supporting the arcade across the north transept had been removed in 1949 and replaced with a steel girder, because the Administrator, Mgr Collingwood, thought that it got in the way of processions.

In December 1953 the signatories of the letter, which had urged the setting up of a committee on the model of Hinsley’s Art Committee, were invited to meet the Hierarchy at lunch. The new committee which resulted had as its members H S Goodhart-Rendel (who, as a former member, had declined to sign the letter), Sir John Rothenstein, the sculptor Arthur Pollen and Professor Thomas Bodkin. In January 1954 Collingwood was succeeded as Administrator by Mgr Gordon Wheeler, later to become Bishop of Leeds. Collingwood's folly? The removal of the pillar in the north transept lasted for only a few years before its replacement, and led to the removal of Mgr Collingwood as Administrator

In February the transept column was retrieved from Messrs Fenning, marble merchants, and a scheme to replace the beautiful marble floor of the narthex was cancelled. The committee was then asked once again to consider replacing Pownall’s tympanum mosaic over the sanctuary. Designs had previously been put forward by Thomas Derrick, Eric Newton and Colin Gill, but Rothenstein and Pollen strongly urged an approach to Boris Anrep, who had been responsible in 1914 for the mosaics on the soffit over Cardinal Manning’s tomb in the crypt, and in 1924 for the Oliver Plunkett mosaic outside St Patrick’s Chapel. In October 1954 Griffin approved Anrep’s design, and gave £1,000 towards an appeal for the cost, estimated at over £26,000.

Meanwhile, the replacement of John Trinick’s 1950 mosaic of St Thérèse of Lisieux in the south transept, also regarded as unworthy, was under consideration, and eventually Rothenstein’s suggestion that Giacomo Manzù should be asked to replace it with a bronze relief was accepted. However, in March 1955 Griffin abandoned the proposal to replace Pownall’s tympanum mosaic, on the grounds that the public would not subscribe for a replacement. Anrep was offered the design of the Blessed Sacrament Chapel mosaics instead, finally completing these in 1962.

During 1955 signs of disagreement appeared among the committee members. Wheeler and his SubAdministrator, Francis Bartlett, supported by Goodhart-Rendel and Bodkin, thought that Bentley’s designs should be used wherever they existed, but Rothenstein and Pollen were not so sure. Nevertheless, on the matter of the revetment of the nave with marble, they were won over. A suggestion that Stanley Spencer might design mosaics for the Baptistry alarmed Rothenstein, who thought Spencer ‘too keen on the audience’, and suggested Henry Moore instead. His idea that the Baptistry could be ‘like Matisse at Vence’ alarmed Wheeler and Bartlett in their turn.

In November 1955 the Cardinal asked Sir Albert Richardson and John Betjeman to join the committee. Other matters under consideration included an image of St Patrick for his chapel, an altarino to stand before the statue of Our Lady of the Pewe (installed that year), the Lady Chapel floor and communion rails. In March 1956 Griffin finally decided to go ahead with the marble revetment and balustrade for the nave. Francis Bartlett’s brother, Aelred was to be in charge; the two would ‘interpret’ Bentley’s drawings. Pollen created great difficulties about this, as he had doubts about Aelred Bartlett’s abilities. These were quite unjustified, but Pollen also suggested that his employment smacked of nepotism. This was rather rich, considering that Pollen had proposed that his own son, Francis, should act as architect for the Baptistry; this had progressed far enough for specimen mosaic designs to be painted on Francis’ drawings by his brother Patrick. However, the Baptistry proposals were dropped in April 1956.

Pollen then managed to shake Goodhart-Rendel’s confidence in Aelred Bartlett. The elderly Curtis Green was asked to act as consultant architect, but was away in France, so Wheeler asked Richardson to advise Bartlett. This led to a furious row. In August 1956 Cardinal Griffin died and was succeeded by William Godfrey, but the committee carried on as before. Finally, in November 1957, it expressed itself entirely satisfied with the balustrade, and confident in Aelred Bartlett. Manzù’s relief of St Thérèse of Lisieux arrived at last, in March 1958, and was much admired, although not by Hutton, who also believed that Pollen objected to all that had been done.

The main subject under consideration that year was St Patrick’s Chapel. After various other sculptors had been considered, a statue was commissioned from Arthur Pollen himself. It is interesting to note that in February 1956 Bodkin had warned Wheeler that it would be a great mistake to employ Pollen or his sons, for as long as Pollen was a member of the committee: ‘I have always held the view that members of committees should pass self-denying ordinances respecting their own participation in work under consideration’. In the event Pollen resigned from the committee in April 1960: ‘to remove some of the embarrassment which could arise from my commission’.

The roles of two members at this time are particularly interesting. Betjeman was very active, frequently making suggestions. In April 1956 Pollen praised his judgment to Goodhart-Rendel, who agreed. However, earlier that same year he had expressed doubts about him, complaining that ‘one cannot discuss the spiritual side’ with him or Richardson, and that for him Bentley was ‘a champion collector’s piece’. In May 1956 he described Betjeman to Goodhart-Rendel as the key man in the fight over Bentley’s balustrade.

Sir John Rothenstein was a difficult member, complaining in 1957 to Wheeler that various works in the Cathedral had not been put before the committee, including Cardinal Griffin’s gravestone in the crypt and the temporary Cathedral Shop. Wheeler pointed out that Rothenstein was mistaken in some of his complaints, not least about the employment of Aelred Bartlett, and reminded him that at least four proposals had been turned down by the committee. Furthmore, the committee’s choice of Anrep and Manzù had been accepted. Neverthless, in 1961 Rothenstein was still complaining and Wheeler replied that it was difficult to find times for meetings to suit all members, emphasising that in urgent matters they were consulted individually. Cardinal Godfrey died in 1963 and was succeeded by John Carmel Heenan. In 1964 Gordon Wheeler became Coadjutor Bishop of Middlesborough, and in 1967 Francis Bartlett was appointed Administrator. It was a matter of great regret to him that Heenan’s unwillingness to spend money on the Cathedral decoration (even when earmarked for the purpose) meant that so little was done. Nevertheless, the committee continued to meet in Mgr Bartlett’s elegant sitting-room; fine sherry was drunk, but no minutes were taken.

In 1975, when Heenan died, the members still included Rothenstein and Betjeman, and also John Beckwith (of the V & A), Nicolete Gray, Francis Pollen, Patrick Reyntiens and David Stokes (architect son of Leonard Stokes). I [Peter Howell] had been appointed to represent the Victorian Society, a role which I found rather embarrassing at first as Betjeman was our Vice-Chairman; however, his friendly charm soon put me at rest. The committee occasionally had important matters to discuss, such as access for the disabled, resulting in a new door in the south transept. This was designed by John Phillips, who had succeeded the veteran Laurence Shattock as Cathedral Architect in 1976.

The committee was also skilfully deployed by Francis Bartlett to deflect pressure (some of it from inside the committee) for a drastic reordering of the sanctuary and Blessed Sacrament Chapel in line with the (supposed) requirements of the Second Vatican Council. The possibility of executing mosaics was also sometimes considered. It was mentioned that Graham Sutherland might be willing to produce designs, and Mgr Bartlett even made a fruitless attempt to call on the reclusive William Roberts to ask if he might design mosaics for the Baptistry.

During Oliver Kelly’s time as Administrator, from 1977, even less was done in the Cathedral, and the committee either was not consulted (for example, about the new chairs) or was consulted on an individual basis. By the time Patrick O’Donoghue succeeded to the role in 1989, few of the members were still alive, and it was decided to reconstitute the committee under the title ‘Art and Architecture Committee’. The only member retained from the old committee at the outset was Corinne Bennett, but after a couple of years I [Peter Howell] was asked to rejoin. Since its reformation, the committee has had regular meetings, with agenda and minutes. [Sherry, however, is no longer offered – Ed.]