SECTION XXI.

OF THE SACRISTY AND VESTRY.

I HAVE already spoken of the positions of these, it now remains to discuss their furniture. Architects nearly always leave vestries perfectly empty, which is, perhaps, partly to be accounted for by the absence of mediæval precedents—for, with the exception of a few stone lockers without doors, and some dozen or so of clumsy cope chests, we have no old fittings left-but it is chiefly owing to the miserable parsimony which so often rules our modern church building. When an architect is called upon to build a church, for about half the sum which would be spent upon a stable covering the same area, we may excuse him for leaving the vestry small and empty; indeed, our admiration should rather be excited, that he is able to provide even the barest furniture for the church itself.

The vestries thus left unfurnished by the architect cannot be said to be, as a rule, satisfactorily completed by those who come after him. In the majority of English churches their furniture consists of little more than two hat-pegs, a rickety table, a dry inkstand, and an old almanack; and even the highest effort seems only to result in a sort of combination between a musty storeroom and a neglected back-parlour. The fact that the

vestry is a part, and not an unimportant part of a church, is entirely overlooked. "Out of sight, out of mind,” seems to be the motto. As the congregation cannot see into it, it matters not how bare, how shabby, or even how dirty it may be.

There should, as I have said, always be two vestries, one for the choir, and one for the clergy. The former requires little furniture, all that is needed is proper accommodation for the surplices and cassocks of the choir. A row of hooks, even with a curtain in front, is too much exposed to dust; it is best to provide shallow closets against the walls with hooks inside them. The doors should fit well, and be hung on hinges, in widths of from two feet to two feet six inches; sliding doors, although they take up less room when open, are not to be recommended, as they are liable to stick, and they only allow a portion of the closet to be open at a time. Cassocks and surplices should be hung separately; for if so the latter are found to keep clean for a much longer time. There should be accommodation for at least two sets of surplices; and, when practicable, each set should have its own closets. These closets should be real, complete pieces of furniture with tops, backs, and ends; not mere screens with doors in them, placed a short distance from a wall in which there is a row of hooks.

Besides the surplice-closets, and a cupboard with shelves for music-books, there need be no other furniture in the choir vestry. Chairs and tables are of no use, and only inconveniently take up room; it is, therefore,

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best to be without them, except that in some cases it would be well to provide a small table at which books might be signed, and suchlike business transacted, so as to avoid the necessity of strangers entering the sacristy.

The requirements of the sacristy are more complicated, and are more or less affected by the character of the services held in the church. In what I now have to say, it will be convenient to suppose myself speaking of a goodsized church, in which the accessories of worship are brought to their highest development; the sacristies of other churches will differ from what is described, only by the omission of this or that provision, which, in individual cases, may be unnecessary. It will also be convenient to consider the apartment separately, with respect to each of its two uses, namely, as the sacristy proper, or place wherein all articles required in the services are preserved, and prepared for use, and as the vestry, or place where the clergy vest and unvest before and after officiating in the church.

It is of the first importance in a sacristy that there should be a distinct place for every object, however insignificant, and also that everything should be easily accessible whenever it is wanted. It is further necessary that no room be wasted by clumsy arrangements, and that all presses, &c., be contrived so as to give the maximum accommodation, whilst occupying the minimum of space. It is absolutely necessary that the fittings should be specially made for the purpose; the ordinary domestic furniture, which we often see introduced into sacristies, not only is inconvenient in itself, but greatly

encroaches upon space, which is rarely too abundant. A confusedly crowded sacristy is a great nuisance, everything should be as compact and tidy as in the cabin of a ship.

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The receptacles for vestments, being the most bulky, require consideration first. Linen vestments, albes, and surplices, are best hung up, and for them a closet like that in the choir vestry should be provided. Some copes may also be hung up, but as a rule all silk and velvet vestments should be laid flat. The mediæval quadrant-shaped cope-chests, of which a few examples remain, should not be imitated; supposing such a one to be full, and a vestment wanted from near the bottom, everything above it would have to be taken out in order to get at it. I doubt whether they were used formerly except for large suits of copes, all of which would be wanted at once, and the like of which no English parish church now possesses, or is likely to possess. In large sacristies, vestment-cases with shallow, quadrant-shaped drawers, turning on the centres, such as are found in some French churches, may be used; but I think few copes will be the worse for being folded, so as to fit into rectangular drawers of moderate width, which occupy so much less space than the others, that they should generally be preferred. For Eucharistic vestments a chest of shallow drawers, each about three feet broad and four feet six inches long, should be provided; the number of them being regulated by the probable requirements of the church, so that each suit of vestments may have its own drawer. There should, however, never be less than

six, and the whole chest should not much pass four feet in height; if a sufficient number of drawers cannot be kept within that, a second set should be provided, or the upper ones will not be convenient to use. These drawers are intended to contain, not only the chasubles and tunicles, but everything properly belonging to each suit of vestments, and rarely used except in connection with it, including the altar-frontal (unless from the richness of its material or workmanship it is not desirable to fold it, in which case a long, shallow drawer should be specially provided for it) and copes, if any belong to the set; but this at present is exceptional; where it is likely to happen, the drawers ought to be made about five feet long. We should endeavour to provide that all things, which may be wanted on any occasion, may at once be got at by opening a single drawer. A drawer should be set apart for vestments in regular daily use, and there should also be one for altar linen. Stoles, used with surplices, may hang with them in their closet. A separate closet should be provided for the vestments intended for servers.

Plate is not now usually kept in the church; where it is, an iron fire-proof safe must be built into the wall for its protection. But there are many other objects connected with the services or the decoration of the church besides the vestments, for the safe keeping of which provision should be made in the sacristy. Candlesticks, flower-vases, and the like, are best kept in a cupboard or closet with shelves; candles in drawers divided into compartments of different sizes. When a