Substance and Practice

SUBSTANCE AND PRACTICE BUILDING TECHNOLOGY AND THE ROYAL ENGINEERS IN CANADA Elizabeth Vincent .... Environment Canada Environnement Canada • ""!"'" Parks Service Service des parcs SUBSTANCE AND PRACTICE BUILDING TECHNOLOGY AND THE ROYAL ENGINEERS IN CANADA Elizabeth Vincent Studies in Archaeology Architecture and History National Historic Sites Parks Service Environment Canada ©Minister of Supply and Services Canada 1993. Available in Canada through authorized bookstore agents and other book stores. or by mail from the Canada Communication Group - Publishing. Supply and Services Canada. Ottawa. Ontario. Canada KIA OS9. Published under the authority of the Minister of the Environment. Ottawa, 1993. Editing: Sheila Ascroft Desktop Production: Lucie Forget Cover: Rod Won Cover illustration: front elevation of the Officers' Quarters. Fredericton, N.B.• 1851. (National Archives of Canada. Map Collection) Parks publishes the results of its research in archaeology, architecture and history. A list of publications is available from National Historic Sites Pub lications. Parks Service, Environment Canada. 1600 Liverpool Court, Ot tawa. Ontario. Canada KIA OH3. Canadian Cataloguing in Publication Data Vincent. Elizabeth Substance and practice: building technology and the Royal Engineers in Canada (Studies in archaeology, architecture and history. ISSN 0821-1027) Issued also in French under title: Le Genie royal au Canada, materiaux et techniques de construction. Includes bibliographical references. ISBN Q-660-14820-X DSS cat. no. R61-2/9-60E 1. Great Britain - Army - Military construction operations - History 19th century. 2. Canada - History, Military - 19th century. 3. Building materials - Canada - History - 19th century. 1. Canadian Parks Service. National Historic Sites. Il, Title. Ill. Series. UG413.V561993 725' .18'0971 C93-099413-2 ~~_ll~~ .~(~~ _ <:OIl1I1lUnic..ition Cnmmunicutiou Ii --_._--~-_.._-_._--.- - I'uhtishin/.! FJitill1l TABLE OF CONTENTS Foreword. 5 Introduction 7 Sources. 8 Chapter 1: The Bureaucratic Background 13 Purchasing Policy . 21 Contracts .................. 25 Chapter 2: The Foundation and Walls - Limes, Cements and Mortars 31 Early Developments 32 Experimental Work on Limes and Cements to 1870 . 35 Limes, Cements and Mortars in Use in British North America 43 Chapter 3: Covering the Walls - Plaster, Render and Stucco 81 Chapter 4: The Roof. .............. 95 Chapter 5: Waterproofing - Asphalt. .... 117 Chapter 6: Hardware - Locks and Nails. .. 139 The Manufacture of Iron and Steel to 1860 . 139 The Iron and Steel Industry in Canada. ... 141 Locks ....................... 142 Developments in Lock Production to 1870 142 Terms Used to Describe Locks 146 Use of Locks by the Royal Engineers in British North America 148 Nails 159 Development of Nail Production ... 159 Use of Nails in Military Construction 160 Chapter 7: The Windows ........... 165 The English Glass Industry .. ...... 166 Military Use of Window Glass in 19th-Century British North America . 180 Conclusion ................................ 223 Appendices ................ 225 Endnotes .,. .. 261 Bibliography . 279 FOREWORD The research for this study of building technology and the Royal Engi neers in the 19th century was undertaken to assist restoration and inter pretation of military sites and buildings under the custody of the Canadian Parks Service. But its use is not limited to the work of this or ganization. One of the articles of the World Heritage Convention, to which Canada is a signatory, stresses the dissemination of scientific and technical studies and research which will assist in the preservation of the nation's cultural or natural heritage. This particular study is of value to those interested in heritage preservation around the world and in Ca nadian architectural history. The Royal Engineers were responsible for military construction everywhere British troops were stationed and de signs and methods used in one locale frequently were made use of in many others. The building materials discussed are those used in civilian as well as military construction and an understanding of their use by the Royal Engineers on this continent in the 19th century will be valuable to anyone interested in construction in this period. In order to answer several major questions regarding historic building materials and construction techniques essential to accurate restoration work in the National Historic Parks and Sites system, cross-site studies of particular construction techniques and uses of materials were under taken. These detailed individual studies were combined to produce a general examination of the work of the Royal Engineers in British North America in the 19th century. Rather than a narrow concentration on spe cific buildings at one particular time, my intention was to provide data and evidence of changes over time on such matters as purchasing pol icies, suppliers, prices, construction standards and professional practice. Research for this book was done between 1978 and 1984. In its orig inal form it was produced as part of the Canadian Parks Service's Microfiche Report Series in 1985. Extensive revisions have been made, but no further research has been done for this edition. Some works which have been published since 1985 have been included in the Bibli ography. INTRODUCTION "Which ofyou, intending to build a tower, sitteth not down first, and counteth the cost? ,,1 This book focuses on military construction.in British North America from 1820 to 1870. During this period the Board of Ordnance was re sponsible for the construction and maintenance of works of fortification in Britain and in British overseas possessions. An important concern of the officials in London who tried to control the construction and repair work being carried out at all these posts was to know how much the work was going to cost. Thus it is easier to find the estimated cost of any building than to discover how the work was done and exactly what materials were used. Several types of structures must be dealt with in studying the work of the Royal Engineers in British North America. As well as fortifications the Royal Engineers built barracks, storehouses, hospitals, prisons, canal locks, offices, and even civil buildings such as Government House in Newfoundland. The military buildings constructed in British North America range from small temporary or unimportant structures, built quickly and with little or no attention to style or architectural detail, through more permanent but very utilitarian structures, to those de signed to impress the bystanders with either their elegance or their so lidity. Another important aspect of this study is the examination of how well or ill the Royal Engineers adapted their European experience and training to fit North American conditions. Military construction did not exist in isolation. Buildings were erected to face the same climate, the same con ditions as civilian buildings, and they were part of the streetscape of the towns or cities in which they were built. Construction of military build ings was carried out under the supervision of officers of the Corps of Royal Engineers, but the actual work was increasingly done by local builders under contract to the Ordnance Department. While official policy encouraged the purchase of manufactured articles in England, local pur chase became common by the end of the period under study. Therefore 8 SUBSTANCE AND PRACTICE military construction was often carried out by the same builders, using the same materials, as civilian construction. The major focus of this work is on specific building materials. Indi vidual chapters deal with limes and cements, plaster, roofing, asphalt, building hardware (specifically locks and nails) and window glass. In their use of window glass the Royal Engineers in British North America showed some awareness of local conditions, often using the type of win dow commonly in use locally, and suggesting the use of double win dows, or of a better quality of glass than provided for in the regulations. The Royal Engineers not only kept in touch with the work of civilians in the development of stronger mortar which would set in damp conditions, but also experimented with various limes and mortars and attempted to find natural hydraulic limes in British North America. But with some other building materials the Royal Engineers seemed quite uninterested in technological developments and the specifications which they drew up continued to call for types of materials which were passing out of use in the civilian building industry. Most of the building materials discussed herein were not produced specifically for the military but for the building industry in general. Whatever their level of awareness of the latest technological develop ments or of the latest fashion in architecture the Royal Engineers would have to use what was available. Even when they attempted to use what was provided by the Ordnance Department rather then what was in com mon local use they were sometimes frustrated. Contractors at times re fused to use the materials provided, or the users of the buildings made their own additions (for example the replacing of the standard locks). Sources A study of building technology as applied to military construction in British North America is necessarily limited by the type and scope of the sources of information available. It is in the records created by the Royal Engineers and by the Board of Ordnance that we must look for documen tary information

Load more