51). Materials, If Readily Available, Were Used, And If Not, Then A

51). Materials, if readily available, were used, and if not, then a substitute would have to suffice. Wells was fortunate to have a good source of lead available for its roofing. The lead mines were only four miles away and transporting it down the hills of the Mendips would have been easy (Harvey and Colchester 1981, p.110). Nowadays this scenario is highly unlikely to occur, and later in the analysis we will see how contemporary restoration has been affected by a shortage of stone resources.

Chapter Two
Bristol Cathedral
The Victorian restoration of Bristol Cathedral was inspired by John Britton's History and Antiquities which contained passionate appeals for sensitive restoration (Smith 1979, p.25). In 1860-61 Giles Gilbert Scott undertook restoration to provide space for congregations in the cathedral. He recommended the removal of the Tudor Screen where the organ was, the clearance of stalls in the choir and the replacing of the stalls with chairs. (Bettey 1994, p.6). The screen which had been given to the cathedral in 1542, and which dated to an earlier time, was mostly destroyed. Elliot also removed and destroyed some of the mediaeval misericords which he regarded as indecent or improper.(Ibid). A new screen was constructed from stone and marble and in the sanctuary new pattern of coloured tiles was laid; one that was criticised at the time for disgracing even a railway station. (Rogan 200, p.60).
However, soon after the re-opening of the cathedral in 1861 the condition of the central tower meant that more restoration work had to be started. The site of the former Mediaeval nave had been cleared in 1838 which meant that the western side of the tower was left relatively unsupported. In order to rectify this an expensive proposal was put forward to provide massive buttresses. Then in 1868 work was overtaken by the commencing of work by G. E. Street on a new nave to replace the previous Mediaeval one. Street used evidence of the dimensions of the former nave for his plan. His choice of material was limited by the availability of stone: the Dundry stone which had been used in the original building was no longer available in large quantities. Instead Street used Doulting Stone with Lias supports for the pillars replacing the Purbeck stone used by the earlier masons. His plans deviated a little from the originals as he included two western towers as he believed them to 'add dignity to the building and emphasise its importance as a cathedral.'(Bettey 1994, p.10) (See Fig II). Unfortunately the project did not go according to plan because of financial problems and discrepancies within the committee concerned. It was in 1882, twenty years after work was started, that the restoration was completed. The table below provides a summary of the Dean's costs which in the later analysis chapter will be used as a comparison to contemporary costs of restoration.
Chapter III.