Restoration, in its true sense, means bringing back or replacing what has gone; but of late years the word has come to have a new meaning. Restoration now means making new initiative work to take the place of decayed or fractured work, and in this sense it applies to pictures, sculpture, furniture, and architecture; but as applied to architecture it is allowed a still wider meaning—viz. the building up anew and with new materials portions of buildings which have ceased to exist, such new work being designed afresh in imitation of what was supposed once to have existed. The new meaning of the word restoration only applies to works of art, including all the decorative arts. The 'restoration' of pictures and sculptures has long ago been condemned as diminishing the value of such works of art. For instance, at the British Museum and other public galleries it used to be the custom to employ a sculptor to 'restore' antique statues by making new arms, legs, or noses, or even heads, to replace such features as were missing; and, although sculptors of note were employed to do this, it was eventually decided that the results were not satisfactory. The truth is that up to that time it had not been understood that a work of art is the creation of an individual—his rendering of an idea—and that another artist, even if living at the same time and in the same mental atmosphere, would hardly grasp that idea so completely as to be able to supply a portion of the work if missing, and much less could one living hundreds of years afterwards be successful in so supplying the missing portion.
It is, however, with reference to building that restoration in this new meaning is chiefly concerned. Roughly speaking, by the end of the 17th century all appreciation of the artistic qualities of our mediæval buildings had ceased, the art had died out, and given place to the Renaissance (q.v.) style of architecture. But about the middle of the 18th century the artistic qualities of mediæval architecture began slowly again to obtain a hold upon the people. It seemed to be looked upon as quaint and romantic, and strange rude imitations of it were made, such as Strawberry Hill, which was built by Horace Walpole. Such work is now generally described as 'Carpenter's Gothic,' perhaps because the restorers often put in wood-framed windows with pointed arches in feeble imitation of mediæval work.
The first attempts to reproduce Gothic work followed upon the decay of the Renaissance style of architecture, and constituted the germ of the modern restoration movement, or Gothic Revival, as it is generally called. This movement began to work actively about the beginning of the 19th century, and was largely accelerated by a revival of activity in the Established Church of England. An impulse was given to the restoration movement by a society called the Camden Society, and afterwards the Ecclesiological Society, which was composed of churchmen and clergy, and started at Cambridge in the year 1840. The members of this society studied the history and usages of the church before the Reformation, and by that means found out why our mediæval churches were constructed in the form in which they have come down to us, and what was the use to which their furniture, such as rood-screens and rood-lofts, sedilia, piscina, credence tables, aumbries, and the like, was put. Before the formation of this society men had already studied mediæval architecture, and had recognised that there are five distinct styles following one upon the other—viz. Saxon work, Norman work, Early English, Decorated, and Perpendicular work (see ARCHITECTURE, GOTHIC ARCHITECTURE). This classification was first made by Thomas Rickman, and these terms which he gave have been adhered to. Our mediæval churches are generally composed of two or three and sometimes of all the styles; but the modern Gothic revivalists desired, and in many cases still desire, to see the buildings complete in one style, and consequently, if an ancient building is composed chiefly of one style, they would destroy all the subsequent work and replace it by work designed in the same style. The subsequent work thus destroyed is generally spoken of as 'debased' work.
Under the influence of the Camden Society the Perpendicular clerestory and flat roof were taken off the Round Church at Cambridge, and the present high-pitched roof, which was thought to be more correct, was put on. Each one of the styles was in fashion in its turn, strangely enough, each becoming fashionable in the order in which they were naturally developed. As might be expected, the movement produced specialists, of whom
Sir Gilbert Scott was the most noted. Into his hands was placed nearly every cathedral church in England, as well as a countless number of parish churches; however, he did but follow in the steps of the elder Pugin. Long before his death a cry of discontent arose. Even those who had felt that it might be possible to imitate the mediæval work accurately, so as to replace missing features, saw that this was a hopeless task, for not a single successful example of 'restoration' could be pointed to. Ruskin wrote strongly against 'restoration,' urging the folly of attempting to reproduce a lost work of art or any portion of it, and giving it as his opinion that the only right method of treating our ancient buildings—such indeed as had not been destroyed by 'restoration'—was to repair them structurally by propping leaning walls and mending leaky roofs. His words did but sound the note which was in the minds of many, and in 1877 a society was formed in London calling itself the Society for the Protection of Ancient Buildings, and having among its members men of all professions, including the clergy. This society has done its best to point out to those who still believe in the possibility of 'restoration' the destructive character of such work—destructive both of works of art and historical evidences—and it has urged the importance of keeping our ancient buildings in thorough and constant repair so as to avoid the necessity of wholesale renewal or rebuilding. The society also urges that no purely ornamental feature should ever be renewed any more than the antique statue should have its missing features replaced, and that where new features have of necessity to be introduced every effort should be made to keep them harmonious with, but dissimilar from, the ancient work. As examples of 'restoration' works we may give the north transept of Westminster Abbey and the west side of Westminster Hall, nearly the whole of St Alban's Abbey, the west front of Salisbury Cathedral (where an attempt has even been made to produce mediæval sculpture), Chester Cathedral, Worcester Cathedral; and, in fact, not a cathedral remains in England that does not bear marks of the movement. As has been shown, the 'restoration' movement had its origin in England, it has met a check, and shows signs of dying out; although it has spread to Scotland, the Continent, and even to India. Fortunately government has put a check upon it there, and we may hope that restoration as understood by the school of Sir Gilbert Scott is now ancient history.