22 feet; north aisle, 66 feet by 12, and south aisle, 79 feet by 12; 664 sittings, of which 400 are free; cost, 4,000l.; a fine organ by Herr Schulze; tower to be completed at a future day; architect, Mr. T. Austin. Bettiscombe; of flint, with bands of native stone, and carvings and dressings of Ham-hill stone; some good carved work in interior; 160 sittings; architect, Mr. J. Hicks, of Dorchester. St. Luke's, Heywood, Bury, Lancashire; a parallelogram in plan, with the Fenton Chapel added on the north; the tower stands detached on the north side of the church, and, with the spire, is 188 feet high; exterior of Yorkshire and Staffordshire stone, interior of Bath stone, with marble shafts and rich carvings; architect, Mr. Joseph Clarke. St. Nicholas, Harpenden, Herts; on the site of an old Norman church, the tower being retained; 650 sittings; cost, 4,6007.; architect, Mr. W. Slater. Lower Crumpsall; of stone, with wooden bell-cote; nave of six bays; 450 sittings; cost, 4,500l.; architect, Mr. G. Shaw. St. Michael's, Brighton; of brick, faced with stone; interior black and red brick; chancel-screen and pulpit of marble; seats free throughout; erected chiefly at the cost of the Misses Wardle; architect, Mr. Bodley. St. Luke's, Tor Mohun, by Torquay; a more than commonly picturesque country church, with short spire, and apsidal chancel; 935 sittings, of which 550 are free; architect, Mr. A. W. Blomfield. All Saints, Whipton; a small cruciform church, with bell-turret; 198 sittings, of which 140 are free; architect, Mr. T. Ashworth. Holy Trinity, Ventnor ; cruciform; of sandstone, with Bath stone dressings; polychrome decoration in chancel; reredos of alabaster and marble; font of alabaster; pulpit of Caen stone carved; 567 sittings; erected at cost of three sisters; architect, Mr. Giles. St. Mary's, Wythall, Worcestershire; on site of an old endowed chapel of very unsightly appearance; 352 sittings, of which 253 are free; cost, 2,1007.; architect, Mr. F. Preedy. Christ Church, York; on site of former parish church, a portion of the east wall of which is retained; 205 sittings, all free; architect, Mr. R. Gould. Stoke - Prior, near Leominster; rebuilt, except the chancel, which has been restored; of local rubble stone, with Bath stone dressings; cost, about 1,000l. ; architect, Mr. G. Colley. St. Peter's, Wittenham; on foundations of old church, the tower being retained; a reredos of alabaster, in three compartments, inlaid with coloured cements, and red marble cross in centre; architect, Mr. C. Buckeridge, of Oxford. Cilrheyden, Pembrokeshire; of local stone, with Bath stone dressings; nave, 58 feet by 22; chancel, 28 feet by 18; porch on south side, and a double bell-gable at west end; cost, about 1,1007.; architect, Mr. Withers. St. John's Common, for parishes of Keymer and Clayton, Sussex; cruciform; of red and black brick, with stone dressings; pulpit of same materials; clerestory, &c.; the whole very carefully finished; 700 sittings; cost, 5,000l.; architect, Mr. Talbot Bury. Arborfield, near Reading; faced with flints, with dressings of Combe Down stone; apsidal chancel, and open timber roof; tower with brooch spire at west end; baptistery under the tower; architect, Mr. J. A. Picton, of Liverpool. St. John's, Over, Cheshire; baptistery in lower part of tower; chancel arch richly carved, and borne on

shafts of polished grey granite; tower and spire 140 feet high; 550 sittings, of which 460 are free; cost, about 5,000l., defrayed, and the church endowed, by Lord Delamere, as a memorial of Lady Delamere; architect, Mr. J. Douglas, of Chester. St. Paul's, Hoddleston, near Darwen; 72 feet by 20, with an aisle 20 feet wide; entrance tower at west end; cost, about 4,000l.; architect, Mr. E. G. Paley. All Saints, Dedworth, a memorial church, erected by the widower and children of Mrs. Tudor. St. Margaret's, Bramley, near Leeds; of local stone, with Bath stone dressings; cruciform ; pinnacled tower and spire, 131 feet high, at north-west angle of north aisle; 1000 sittings, of which half are free; cost, 6,000l.; architects, Messrs. Perkin and Backhouse, of Leeds. Huntley, near Gloucester; all new, except tower of old church, to which a spire has been added, and a brooch spire to stair-turret; of the native old red sandstone, with dressings of local freestone; interior faced with freestone, varied with red sandstone, and columns of coloured marbles; spandrils of nave arches have medallions of the Evangelists, &c.; reredos of alabaster, with marble shafts and mosaic bands, &c.; pulpit of alabaster and marble, with a statuette of St. John; font of carved stone and marble; all the fittings are of oak; architect, Mr. Teulon. West Buckland, Devon, on site of old church, of which only the tower has been retained; transition period; shafts of columns, dividing nave from aisles, of polished granite; chancel elaborately decorated, a free use being made of coloured marbles, and a great deal of colour and gilding on iron work, roof, &c.; architect, Mr. Gould. Startforth, Yorkshire; Early Second Pointed; 200 sittings; cost, 1,7007.; architects, Messrs. W. and J. Hay, of Liverpool. Cheadle Hulme, Cheshire; 300 sittings; cost, 1,2007.; architect, Mr. J. M. Taylor, of Manchester. Bradley, near Mirfield, Yorkshire; cruciform; columns of arches separating nave and transepts of red Aberdeen granite; open timbered roofs; tower at east end of south aisle. Welshampton, near Ellesmere; apsidal chancel; bell-cote over chancel arch; columns of polished Devonshire marble; 250 sittings; built at cost of Mrs. Mainwaring; architect, Mr. Scott. Broseley, Shropshire; a memorial church to the late Mr. G. Pritchard; French Second Pointed; cruciform; turret of unusual character, 75 feet high; of coloured bricks and Grimshill stone dressings, with shafts of Forest of Dean stone and terra-cotta variously employed; cost, 2,500l.; architect, Mr. Blomfield. Woodchester; nave, north aisle, and chancel; some peculiarities in the general form, and also in the window tracery, give it a decidedly foreign character; tower on the south side 126 feet high; the carvings on the capitals are of the local plants and flowers, very carefully executed; several of the windows are of painted glass; architect, Mr. Teulon.

Of churches in neither of the fashionable styles the examples are very few. Two by the same architect, Mr. T. H. Wyatt, in the Third Pointed, or Perpendicular style, are of a superior grade. Langton, near Blandford, Wilts, occupies the site of an older church, but is of much larger size. It is cruciform, with a tower 57 feet high, which has pinnacles at the angles and intermediate ones of smaller size, and a turret. The walls are of flint, with stone in bands, and

Bath stone quoins, tracery, and dressings. The pulpit, communiontable, and seats, are of old oak, elaborately carved. The chancel windows are of painted glass. The cost, about 21,000l., was defrayed by Mr. A. Green, of Blandford. Chitterne-All Saints, Wiltshire, is 102 feet long by 52 wide, and has an apsidal chancel, with four unsymmetrical windows. The walls are of flint and stone, with Bath stone dressings. At the western end is a tower 56 feet high. The church has 526 seats. The cost was about 2,000l.

The following churches are in the Norman style :-Itchin Abbas, Wiltshire, built on the site of a true Norman church, is a cruciform structure 58 feet long, with transepts 46 feet across. It has 200 sittings. The architect was Mr. W. Coles, of Winchester. Christ Church, Biddulph Moor, Staffordshire, a plain solid building, constructed of the local gritstone, has a nave, south transept, and apsidal chancel; 300 sittings, of which 200 are free; cost about 1,400l. The architects were Messrs. Ward and Ford, of Henley.

Respecting church restorations, it must suffice to say that they are going on with unflagging zeal, and we hope with a little more discretion. Many of the works are on a very extensive and costly scale. Of the cathedrals, Hereford is completed, and on the whole very satisfactorily. The lantern of Ely is making progress, as are also the pictorial decorations of the interior. The tower of Chichester is being proceeded with. That of Salisbury is having its foundations strengthened and injuries repaired. Worcester, if not altogether satisfactorily, has been largely altered and restored; and Mr. Scott is busy upon Ripon. Of the more famous churches, the tower of Taunton has had the statues placed in their niches; Shrewsbury Abbey Church is in the restorer's hands; and the Temple Church, London, under the care of Mr. S. Smirke and Mr. St. Aubyn, has had the round portion capped with a correct conical roof, and been otherwise skilfully operated upon.

Before quitting the subject, we must note that the' mediævalists, fearing perhaps that the materials to be destroyed under the name of restoration may grow scant, or in a fresh outburst of their zeal for confusing chronology, are busying themselves about what they call 66 recasting." This, as defined by the Ecclesiological Society, is "the transformation into a better style of the nondescript churches of the last and present centuries." The "better style" is of course mediæval. The particular mode in which the unhappy nondescript will be tricked out will depend, of course, partly on the individual taste of the artist called in to direct the transformation, but more upon the fashion in vogue at the precise moment it takes place.

Several Roman Catholic churches have been opened during the year, though not all in a completed state. The most important in the metropolis is the Italian church of St. Peter, Hatton Wall. It is of large size, and when finished will have a striking appearance. At present, the eastern end being closed by a temporary wall, the campanile scarcely half its intended height, and the priests' houses attached to it mere carcases, whilst the exterior is of ordinary stock bricks, without stone dressings or ornament, it not only looks unfinished, but unattractive. It is, however, interesting, even in its

present condition, as being a more accurate reproduction of a Roman basilica than has hitherto been attempted in England. The interior is a parallelogram 138 feet long, 70 wide, and 56 high, and consists of a nave with side aisles 88 feet long; a tribune the width of the nave, and 27 feet deep; the sanctuary, in which is the high altar under a baldachin, or canopy on four columns of black and gold marble; and a semicircular apse beyond. Triforia and a clerestory are supported on Ionic columns. The ceiling is flat and panelled. At present little has been done in the way of internal decoration. In the apse, in recesses of the chancel, and elsewhere, are a few paintings; in the niches of the tribune are statues of the Evangelists, and midway down the aisles, on the opposite walls, are a gilt Pietà and crucifix, both of colossal size. But the body of the church is left unfinished and unpainted. Withal, however, the general effect is very striking. The building is amply lighted, and seems well adapted to the grand musical and processional displays which are the special features of the services. The building will at present conveniently accommodate about 2,000 persons; when finished it is intended for 3,400. In the basement are a crypt adapted for over 200 worshippers, and a narrow apartment about 100 feet long. Eventually the principal entrance will be by a stately Corinthian portico in Saffron Hill; and it is intended to carry the campanile (in which is Vickers's great bell from the International Exhibition) to a height of 96 feet. About 15,000l., chiefly raised on the Continent, have been expended on the building up to the present time. The architect is Mr. J. M. Bryson.

Among other Roman Catholic churches are the following:-Our Lady and St. Wilfrid, Blyth; First Pointed; 120 feet long, 36 wide, with an open timber roof; spire to be added at a future time; accommodates 900 persons; cost, under 3,0007.; architect, Mr. A. M. Dunn, of Newcastle. Littlehampton, Sussex, church and presbytery; Second Pointed in style; of Kentish rag and Whitby stone; erected at the cost of the Duchess of Norfolk; architect, Mr. Hadfield, of Sheffield. Leamington, Warwickshire; semi-Byzantine; of brick, with stone dressings; interior 102 feet long, 75 feet high; selfcoloured bricks; apsidal termination, with a Majesty in fresco, painted windows, &c.; the roof is borne on coupled columns; the architect, Mr. Clutton. St. Pancras, Ipswich; Italian Gothic; of Suffolk red brick, with bands of black brick, and Whitby stone dressings. The chief feature of the exterior is a lofty flèche, around the base of which are large statues of angels; of the interior, an elaborate altar with richly-carved reredos, on which are large statues of the Saviour and the four Evangelists, standing within canopied niches, the whole carved by Mr. Earp; the cost was 3,4007.; architect, Mr. Goldie. St. Wolstan, Great Malvern; Gothic; nave 80 feet by 30, with three side chapels; chancel to be added at a future day; erected at the cost of the Rev. W. Scott; Mr. B. Bucknall, architect. St. Peter's, Bromsgrove; Second Pointed; apsidal termination; accommodates nearly 400 persons; architect, Mr. Blount. Liskeard; plain First Pointed; of local schist faced with Bath stone; 400 sittings; cost, about 4007.; architect, Mr. Hansom. Chatham; of brick, with little external ornament; interior 100 feet by 50; archi

tect, Mr. Clutton. Pocklington, Yorkshire; Second Pointed, with apsidal chancel; nave 70 feet by 26, chancel 15 feet deep; open timbered roof; architect, Mr. Hadfield, of Sheffield.

In Great Ormond-street, London, a Church, Consent, and Hospital of St. John of Jerusalem are being erected, chiefly at the cost of Sir G. Bowyer, M.P. The style is Italian; the architect, Mr. G. Goldie. Foundation stones have been laid of a Dominican Convent at Haverstock Hill, London; and of a Franciscan Convent at Gorton, near Manchester; Gothic in style; architects, Messrs. Pugin and Hansom. A Convent, Italian in style, designed by Mr. J. Spencer, has been erected at Birkenhead at a cost of 10,000%.

Among the several Dissenting bodies there has been great activity in church and chapel building-stimulated largely, no doubt, by "the Bi-centenary Movement" referred to last year. The Congregationalists have taken the lead in this movement. It was stated in the Report presented at the annual meeting of the Congregational Union (Oct. 1863) that the Bi-centenary Fund had reached 250,000l.; and that whilst 300 new churches and chapels have been built during the last fifteen years, there are at the present time 300 in progress of erection. Some of their recent churches are curiously unlike the old conventicle type. Indeed, as a rule, there is little to distinguish them externally from the churches of the Establishment. In the interior they are less encumbered with pillars; there is usually a gallery, and never a chancel. Preaching is the chief thing, and the object is to enable the largest number to see and hear the preacher. More attention is given to the comfort and convenience of the congregation, and there are readier means of ingress and egress. A difference affecting the outer form is that there is commonly a deacons' as well as the minister's vestry; and in large chapels a ladies' room.

As an example of a first-class Congregationalist church we give an elevation of Stepney Meeting (No. 2), just erected in place of one of the oldest Independent chapels about London. The old chapel was noted for the four lofty pillars which supported the roof, they having been presented for the purpose by the States-General of Holland in 1674, and being consequently a memorial of the friendly intercourse then subsisting between the English Nonconformists and the Dutch. The new building, as will be seen from the woodcut, is of the Second Pointed Gothic. It is of hammered stone in irregular courses, with Bath stone dressings. The chief features of the front are the lofty steeple and the wheel-window. The spire, 150 feet high, is of stone, very well proportioned, and, with the clustered pinnacles at the base, sits well on to the tower. The tracery of the window is very graceful. The entrance is by three doors of equal size, which open into a corridor, divided from the body of the church by a glazed wooden screen. The church is of five bays, has a highpitched roof, and is flanked at the end by two low square towers. The interior is 82 feet by 57. A gallery is carried round three of the sides. The light iron pillars which support the gallery are the only obstruction to the sight. The roof is curved and panelled. There is a large chancel arch, but no chancel. The great wheelwindow is filled with stained (not painted) glass. The church has