The Houses in Between

 

William G. Jones

 

10 December 2007

 

THE CHICAGO LITERARY CLUB

 

On the evening of Monday, November 30, 1936, a small fire broke out in an immense building on Penge Hill in Sydenham in the London Borough of Bromley.  Preparations were underway for the National Cat Show that was to begin the following day.  A choir was rehearsing in the garden room.  The fire started small, but in the hours following, it engulfed the length of the building, destroying a 27’ high fountain made of 5 tons of lead crystal and a huge pipe organ at the end of the transept.   By early morning the biggest fire in living memory had burned itself out, destroying the largest glass house ever built, the Crystal Palace, home to the 1851 Great Exhibition of the Works of Industry of All Nations.

 

In the middle of the 19th century, England was reaping the rewards of the Industrial Revolution, “traversing the globe” “with steam and Bible,” and she had been spared the revolutions that had convulsed Europe in 1848.  The popular 32-year old Victoria had been queen for 14 years and married for 11 of those years to her first cousin, the amiable Albert.  He was the queen’s personal secretary and was frequently involved with projects devoted to the improvement of the common good.  What better way to demonstrate the superiority of free trade, of English liberalism, of English industry, and of English prosperity than through a magnificent exhibition displaying, not only the wonders of English manufacturing, art, and design, but the achievements of other civilized peoples. Prince Albert had become President of the Society for the Encouragement of Art, Manufactures and Commerce in 1845.  Several members of the Society were eager to see London host an international exhibition and began to seek Albert’s support for one.  Ever cautious and pragmatic, he hesitated before lending his name to the proposed exhibition.  There could be no question of the monarchy bestowing its prestige on a project that might subject it to criticism. Energetic proponents of the exhibition traveled through the kingdom and Europe and eventually gained the requisite public support and involvement.  In 1851 a Royal Commission was created, headed by the Prince.

 

It was agreed that the Exhibition would be held in Hyde Park.  But what kind of building would serve?  A competition was held.  Most proposals offered conventional buildings of stone and required substantial amounts of time for construction.  The design of a “common gardener” who was decidedly uncommon, Joseph Paxton, was selected.  Paxton had indeed begun his life as a gardener, and in 1824 at the age of 23 the Duke of Devonshire offered him the position of head gardener at Chatsworth, one of the finest gardens in England.  He was given opportunities to experiment with the construction of glass houses, and he developed ingenious designs to house the exotic and very large plants being introduced in England from all over the world.  Paxton’s late entry to the Royal Commission met its needs for a building that could be erected quickly and that could be disassembled at the conclusion of the Exhibition.   What was created was “the 1st major example of modular construction, composed of standard parts that could be rigidly assembled and as rapidly dismounted….” The supports both vertically and horizontally measured 24 feet.  The resulting building was 1848’ long, 408’ wide, with its 72’ wide central transept rising to 108’.  It covered over 18 acres of ground and enclosed 33 million cubic feet.  It used 550 tons of wrought iron and 2400 tons of cast iron.  The building was so vast that many trees in Hyde Park could be completely enclosed. The girders were colored light blue with red undersides.  The columns were yellow and blue, and streamers of turkey red backed the railings.  Sheet glass panels were used for the building’s skin, 10” wide and 49” long, the largest yet manufactured. The building was erected in only four months.

 

From London the call went east and west soliciting the submission of exhibits for the great enterprise.  Letters were sent from London to Washington City in the United States and from there to governors of the then 31 states.  In Texas, a state since 1845 and a republic from 1836 before that, Governor Peter Hansborough Bell appointed six delegates, one of whom was John Maxwell Jones, a Galveston businessman, jeweler, and fancy goods store owner.  Born in Wilmington, Delaware, Jones, the son of a clockmaker, had worked for a time in a jewelry store in Philadelphia before making his way south in pursuit of a warmer climate and business opportunities. He stayed briefly in New Orleans where William Goodrich of the firm of Hyde and Goodrich, the largest jeweler in the south, advised him to try his luck in the new Republic of Texas.  He arrived in Galveston early in 1839 accompanied by a trunk filled with watches and jewelry.  Jones leased a lot for 5 years at the rate of $400 a year, Texas money.  He built a store costing $1,000 United States money near the beachfront using timber shipped from Maine.  Jones’s store became a gathering place for Galveston residents where they talked politics, exchanged news, and purchased some of the owner’s “fancy goods.”

  

Jones’s fellow delegates to the Exhibition read like a “who’s who” of early Texas settlers.   Yale educated Ashbel Smith was a Galvestonian and treated the sick during one of the frequent plagues of Yellow Fever in the city.  Jacob Raphael de Cordova was born near Kingston, Jamaica, but educated in England.  He settled in Texas in 1839, and, for a time, lived in Galveston.  He was an accomplished man, speaking widely and writing books to attract settlers to Texas.  He compiled the 1849 map of the state of Texas upon which most subsequent maps were based.  Edwin Ward Moore had been commander of the Texas navy and was responsible for clearing Mexican ships from the Gulf of Mexico when peace negotiations between the Republic of Texas and Mexico collapsed.   In 1843 Sam Houston accused him of disobedience and suspended him.  He was court marshaled and tried for disobedience, contumacy, mutiny, piracy, and murder.  He defended himself and was acquitted except for four minor charges.    James Reily, lawyer, diplomat, legislator, and, later, Confederate Army officer, held a bachelor’s degree from Miami University. He served as a major in the army of the Republic of Texas.  Gail Borden, a Galvestonian who, in his long career, published a newspaper and engaged himself in establishing schools for the education of freedmen and poor whites.  He invented a number of useful items and not so useful items, including a prairie schooner for transportation on land and water.

 

Jones and his party arrived in London on April 7.  Owing to his status as a delegate, he was able to gain entrance prior to the Exhibition’s opening and during the final days of construction.  In a letter to an unnamed correspondent, he notes that “I have received every attention from the U.S. Commission and all my time and attention is taken up in sightseeing and at the Palace. 

 

On May 1, the opening day of the Exhibition, Jones wrote in his journal,

 

Left hotel at 9, started out for the grand opening in cab with friends.  Found the streets all filled with people on the way to Hyde Park.  The day was bright and the clear sky shown forth in undimmed splendor.  The stream of carriages with gaily attired company came pouring into the west end.  All St. James Park and Constitution Hill were filled into a solid mass of human beings awaiting her majesty’s entre with her splendid suite to the Palace of Industry.  We hastened our steps and got admitted without any inconvenience and fortunately got a fine position within a short distance of the throne.  The scene which was presented was exciting both without and within beyond any description as all London had turned out her country’s thousands to do honor to this national Holy day, the world’s great fair.  The space set apart for her majesty and court was the center area of the intersection of the nave and transept.  The chair of state was of crimson and gold; over her head was an octagon canopy with satin drapery.  Before her chair rose the beautiful glass fountain glittering as a precious gem in the morning beams.  Behind rose the stems of the oriental plants and the stately elm along the galleries and avenues hung the choicest collection of splendid goods and along the whole line and through the avenues everything in the way of art and human contrivance stood revealed in its magnificent forms, never before surpassed in any age or former period of art.  The Duke of Wellington was early in attendance and the corps diplomatic and foreign dignitaries placed themselves into position, also the Lord Mayor and aldermen, all in court dress and robes of office, the space around the throne of state presented a most lively and picturesque appearance.  The various military uniforms contrasting most elegantly against the background of green formed by the trees in the transept…At the hour of 12 the booming of canon and the movement of the heralds told that the Queen is at hand.  A flourish of trumpets and the shout of salutation rings on every side, she comes leaning on the arm of His Royal Highness Prince Albert, accompanied by the Prince of Wales and Princess Royal followed by maids of honor and her household.  On her majesty taking the chair of state the national anthem, “God Save the Queen,” performed.  After the Archbishop of Canterbury says the prayer of inauguration, Prince Albert….delivered the address to her majesty, which was answered by the Queen who appeared attired in pink and white with the bosom of her dress glittering with pearls.  On her head rested a diamond crown sparkling with great luster.…After the queen and suite had retired the crowd rushed into the different departments to inspect the various articles and works of art…. I went out into the park to witness the crowd outside and such a moving mass of people and such an exciting picture as the royal cortege drove along.  Out of the park I mounted an elevated platform and the scene that was presented was beyond description, we succeeded in getting through the mass of people and being much fatigued by the whole scene returned to the hotel to seek quiet and rest.

 

Jones made many subsequent visits to the Crystal Palace, particularly examining the machinery department and the various operations of manufacturing in almost every branch of industry.  His official duties included a presentation to the American ministers and, among others, the Duke of Wellington.  Of this event he wrote, “It was a grand affair and the evening passed quite pleasantly.”  The old Duke had celebrated his 82d birthday on the opening day of the Exhibition.  Of him it was observed that he “was extremely popular with the public and would be sentimentally remembered as having mixed among commoners at what would be his last major public engagement.”  [Davis, p. 116] He is known to have made one other contribution to the Exhibition.  When the Queen expressed some concern about the fouling of clothes from sparrows within the building, his reply was, “Sparrowhawks, ma’am.”

 

In pursing his official duties, Jones visited the Machinery portion of the exhibition several times.  He was particularly concerned that the Chevalier Claussen’s invention with regard to the use of flax in the manufacture of cheap cloth not undermine the “great staple of the South, cotton.”   Claims made about this process predicted that farmers in the American north would be able to compete successfully against cotton growers, and, thereby, lead to the end of slavery in the South.  It did neither; however, Jones did observe carefully the exhibits relating to the planting, growing, harvesting, and refining of flax.  In a letter to his father, Jones wrote, “I have just returned from the Exhibition where I have been spending the day and have now been constantly in attendance ever since its “opening” on the 1st except the Sundays and have been abundantly gratifyed [sic], and I think have added largely to my before limited stock of knowledge. The exposition of goods, wares, and everything relating to the Arts and Sciences, are placed before you in such manner that you must understand if one has the least inclination to examine the subject, as for instance in the Manufacturing department.  First you have the raw material.  Take Flax, you see it in the seed, then growing in the pot, then in the straw, you then see the first process of breaking, scotching, and heckling, you then see it go through spinning, and preparation for the loom, and again you see it manufactured into the finest fabrics, and so it is with silk, laces, and thousands of other articles.…”

 

Jones found the American exhibits inferior to those of England and the Continent, and somewhat acidly for a man reported to be gentle and retiring, wrote “…it was unfortunate for the United States that they had to send samples of her staple producing in order to make a true representation of our resources….and [I] am sorry to say America has sent nothing except a few bales of cotton that is worthy of being exhibited, our deportment in comparison to the other nations look like an outdoor auction after the sale.  We have space allotted us, but there is nothing that is really worthy of appearing here, long side of those article from England, France, and Germany, even the little Island of Van Demans Land [Tasmania] make better display.”   Nonetheless, American locks, Colt’s revolver, and Mr. McCormick’s reaper drew favorable comment and awards.

 

The Exhibition itself turned out to be a commercial and popular success. Thirty thousand people attended on opening day.  On its day of greatest attendance 92,000 people were in the building.  In the 6 months that the exhibition ran, May 1 through October 11, 6 million people visited it, although Mr. Charles Dickens stayed home.  Messrs. Schweppes provided light refreshment and made a nice profit.

 

Jones remained in Europe for 5 more months.  Within a year after his return, he married a German lady who was visiting her sister in Galveston.  She was the sister of a German composer of French operettas, Jacques Offenbach, but that is another story.   Jones and his wife began a family and remained in Texas throughout the Civil War, finally leaving Galveston in 1867, the same year that the island experienced one of its most devastating attacks of Yellow Fever.  He took up business in New York, selling Texas land to northern investors.  He lived until 1891, having retired to Saratoga where he bought a comfortable house across from the racetrack.

 

Jones’s fellow delegate Ashbell Smith was eventually known as the father of Texas medicine and the father of the University of Texas.  Edwin Moore spent many years prosecuting financial claims against Texas until the U.S. Congress awarded him five year’s pay in 1857. He left Texas, dieing in New York City in 1865.  James Reily later served as U.S. consul to St. Petersburgh, although he found the climate inhospitable and the cost of living too high.   An ardent secessionist, he was killed in the battle of Camp Bisland near Franklin, Louisiana in 1864.  Among Gail Borden’s other useful inventions were meat biscuits, a mixture of dehydrated meat and flour.  They were the only Texas exhibit at the Crystal Palace.    Following the exhibition he developed a process for condensing milk.  The Civil War’s need for these products assured his success to such an extent that his, among all the delegates, is the only name that will be instantly recognized by members of this Club. 

 

The old Duke died in 1852.  Albert, the Prince Consort, lived until 1861, the victim of typhoid fever.  Queen Victoria survived him for 40 years, spending most of that time at Windsor Castle and Balmoral, and wearing black the entire time.

 

The Crystal Palace was removed to Penge Hill in 1854, much expanded, but perhaps not improved.  Instead of a vehicle for the improvement of understanding, it was put to use for activities serving the entertainment of the public.     After the fire, nothing much was done to redevelop the site, and all that remains of the magnificent and innovative building that once stood there are a few monuments and staircases, “ornamented with balustrades and statues,” (Mare).  The Great Exhibition seemed to promise a future of international good will, free trade and harmony between nations.    In this of course it was destined to fail.  A music hall song of the 1890’s captures some of the melancholy of the failure:  

If you saw my little backyard, "Wot a pretty spot !" you'd cry
It's a picture on a sunny summer day;
Wiv the turnip-tops and cabbages that people's doesn't buy
I makes it on a Sunday look all gay.
The neighbours finks I grow 'em and you'd fancy you're in Kent,
Or at Epsom if you gaze into the mews.
It's a wonder as the landlord doesn't want to raise the rent,
Because we've got such nobby distant views.

Oh! it really is a very pretty garden,
And Chingford to the eastward could be seen;
Wiv a ladder and some glasses,
You could see to the [Crystal Palace],
If it wasn't for the 'ouses in between.

 

Sources

John Maxwell Jones’s journal relating his travels in Europe in 1851 and transcribed by his daughter-in-law Zollie Luther Jones provided quotes and narrative.  I have retained the punctuation of the transcript.  Contents of a letter to his father and one to an unnamed recipient in the same year were also used.  John Henry Brown’s Indian wars and pioneers of Texas (L. E. Daniel, 189-?, p, 331-334) contains a biography of Jones. The Handbook of Texas Online  <http://www.tsha.utexas.edu/handbook/online/> offers information on Jones’s fellow-delegates.  I am grateful to the Victoria and Albert Museum for its help in identifying the one Texas exhibit at the Palace.

The text of the music hall song, “The Houses in Between” may be found at  <http://www.trasksdad.com/MusicHall/songs_6.html>  Whether the text of this song ever actually included a reference to the Crystal Palace as suggested by Howard Spring in his 1948 novel of the same name is unclear. I have interpolated the reference into the song’s text for the purposes of this paper.

Other sources are listed below:

Allen, Stephen.  “On the staple of flax,” New York Times, Feb. 2, 1860.

Auerbach, Jeffrey A.  The Great Exhibition of 1851:  a nation on display.  (Yale University Press, 1999)

Colquhoun, Kate.  “The busiest man in England”:  a life of Joseph Paxton, gardener, architect & victorian visionary.  (David R. Godine, 2006)

The Crystal Palace, and its contents: being an illustrated cyclopaedia of the great exhibition of the industry of all nations, 1851 : embellished with upwards of five hundred engravings, with a copious analytical index.  (W. M. Clark, 1851-1852)

Davis, John R.  The Great Exhibition of 1851:  new interdisciplinary essays.  (Manchester University Press, 2001)

Mare, Eric de.  London 1851:  the year of the Great Exhibition  (Folio Press, J. M. Dent, 1973)

Wikipedia  <http://www.wikipedia.org/>

 

William G. Jones ã 2007