Agriculture Reference
In-Depth Information
at a design that incorporated the known elements with others more conjectural,
but most likely to have been incorporated in the façade (i.e. circular windows,
niche(s), scroll gables, and a crowning pediment).
Early in 2003 with the façade design nearly coalesced, Jeff Baker and I vis-
ited Gerard Lynch in England early in 2003. Jimmy and his mason brother-
in-law, Gerry Campbell, had already been working in his workshop for a week
being introduced to the brick axe and learning the skills of cutting and rub-
bing. While we were there we learned the techniques of color washing of brick-
work and the pencilling of mortar joints, which was commonly used to finish
many brick façades during the fifteenth to the eighteenth centuries in Europe
and subsequently in colonial America. He also took us to visit a large number
of brick structures of those periods, across parts of central England where evi-
dence of this was clearly in evidence, once one knew where to look; given the
centuries of weathering. He also shared his discoveries concerning the great
influence of the 'Red Masons' of the Netherlands and Flanders on the evolu-
tion of English brickwork.
From the fall of 2002 through five successive building seasons, and through
the dedicated work of Jimmy, Gerry and a team of craftsmen, the Chapel walls
of traditional bricks and lime mortar, enriched with cut and rubbed brick mold-
ings, have now risen to their full height. Still surrounded by a scaffolding com-
posed of rope-lashed poles, 'put logs' and planks, the walls await the imminent
construction of a timber framed roof structure and installation of tiling used in
its construction is also further evidence of how clamps would have been used
to fire the large numbers of standard bricks required which the brick masons
would then have simply shaped to suit their needs. The grand total is approxi-
mately 315,000 bricks of all types. This figure includes 295,000 Cushwa bricks
(a Maryland brickmaking company) which were used for the back-up brick-
work. 26,000
wood-fired bricks were made from clay obtained near to the
site of the original source in St. Mary's City, that was analysed to ensure a match,
excavated and carted to Charlottesville to be produced by Henry Cersley, trad-
itional brickmaker. These bricks were used for the exterior face (to be color
washed) and all 6,300 cut and rubbed molded brick shapes; together with 850
mullion bricks and 1,300 jamb bricks.
Upon completion the articulated façade will be rendered with lime stucco
and joints pencilled to imitate stone construction, while the brickwork of the
remaining walls will be color washed and pencilled.
Once again, the Jesuit Chapel will stand in the midst of a forgotten burial
ground. Whether the reconstruction would be recognizable to the original build-
ers we shall never know. But, by utilizing only traditional materials, original con-
struction techniques and craftsmen endowed with unique understanding and
skills, we have come in closer contact with the building world of the 1660s in
Maryland than any of us could have realized a decade ago.
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