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To the President and Council
of the Royal Academy

Gentlemen
In submitting for your approval a
report on the proposed new classes of the Architectural
School, I venture to premise it by a few remarks.
The establishment of this School, the first of its kind
in this country is necessarily attended by many
difficulties with which experience alone can make us
acquainted. Not only is there a great difference in
the age, degree of Knowledge of design, and power
of drawing possessed by those students who now
present themselves for admission to the academy,
but, in the absence of any such well defined
academical course of study such as is found in
Foreign schools each student practises his own
particular style of design. In addition to this,
as the system of pupilage forms the readiest and
most practical method of acquiring an architec-
tural education, office work constitutes the chief
motive power, and all evening study is a work of

super^erogation and pursued only by a limited number
of students; these and other considerations would
be sufficient to show that the first efforts towards
the establishment of any system of instruction in
this school must necessarily be tentative __ to be
added to or modified as experience shall suggest.
Inasmuch as the rewards at present offered to
architectural students will form the chief induce-
ment for study in the new classes, I have
embodied them in the report and made such
suggestions as I hope will not be deemed out
of my province.
 

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I have for the convenience of the council
drawn up a series of resolutions with
explanations attached and divided into three
sections.
A. Qualifications for admission as probationer or student
B. Proposed courses of instruction.
and C. Rewards.

Section A Qualifications for admission
1. That applicants send in drawings as at present but
that these be defined to consist of
A plan of some building or portion of a building
A geometrical elevation of do. do.
A drawing form the cast
(such plan and elevation not necessarily to be of the
applicants own design, but executed entirely by him)
2. That upon the approval of such drawings the
applicant be admitted as a probationer to study
in the architectural classes and to attend the
lectures.
3. That at the end of six months the probationer be
required to execute in the school an architectural
design in one or two days (as afterwards determined)
and that such design together with the work executed
during the six months in the architectural classes, be
submitted to the council and if deemed satisfactory,
the probationer be admitted as a free student
for 7 years.
(In explanation of this resolution I would submit,
that 1st as many pupils and clerks are now
debarred from the priviledges of the Academy, in
consequence of their being unable to obtain 12
consecutive days to work out their designs; if the
time were limited to one or two days as in the French
 

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school, the number of applicants would be
greatly increased, and 2^{ndly that} as at the present
time only 28 per cent of the admitted students
ever compete for the medals; by obliging them
to pass through the curriculum of the school, they
would obtain those advantages hitherto shirked. It
would still be matter for the consideration of
the council, whether in the event of any student
having studied in the Foreign ^{or other} schools he should
be allowed to send in drawings supplementary
to the preliminary ones as a substitute for
the six months work in the school.)

Section B. Time and courses of Instruction.

1. That the classes be held on Tuesday, Wednesday
and Friday evenings from 6-8 p.m.
(The course of lectures on Perspective used to be
held on Tuesday and Friday evenings; but last
year it was found to be more convenient to change
the evenings to Monday and Thursday; because
then the other lectures on Anatomy, Painting,
Architecture and Sculpture could be attended on the
same evening from 8-9. On Saturday evening
very little attendance could ever be relied on; I
have therefore chosen these three evenings as better
fitting in with existing courses.)
In laying down any of the courses of instruction
it is very difficult to determine at once into what
divisions the students should be classed. This
would depend not only on the number who attend,
but on the respective degree of talent. The only
broad distinction to be made at present would
 

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be between the probationers and students.
Probationers.
2. Architectural drawing _ the delineation of some
of the best specimens of antiquity either classic
or Gothic first in line drawing and then shaded
in Indian ink in graduated and flat tones.
(This is the universal method adopted in France
and Germany to acquire care and accuracy in
drawing and power and facility in the use of
the brush. The drawings in this case would be
copied from examples which I hope to obtain in
Paris and elsewhere.
3. Drawing from the ornamental cast. (in pencil or
chalk, stumped or monochrome (Watercolour.)).
4. Architectural Design. (a subject would be given
out every month or six weeks and worked out
at home; the drawings would be submitted once
a week to the Visitors or Master; taken home
and altered after their or his critiscism. At the
end of the month or six weeks, finished
drawings not too elaborate would be brought back
and sent in as Probationers work.
Students. Courses of instruction.
5. Architectural drawing _ similar to probationer’s
work except that the shading would not be
from copies and that the geometrical projections
of shadow would be taught.
6. Drawing from the ornamental cast. (same as
before except that as architect’s drawings are only
the means of communicating certain forms to the
sculptor or carver, they should not be elaborately
finished, but rapid and effective, though careful)
7. Architectural Design.
(Here as with probationer’s work, text books
 

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should be pointed out to the student in which
he might find the best examples of the particular
style of his design; some of these books should
be in the architectural room as for instance.
Stuart and Revetts Atheirs. Blouet’s Bath’s of
Caracalla. Brandon’s analysis of Gothic Architecture,
Viollet le Duc; Dictionnaire Raisonné, Letarouilly’,
Rome and Sauvageot’s or Berty’s Renaissance of
Francis 1^st etc)

Suggestions for future consideration
8. A course of study consisting of the delineation
and projection of vaulting and Groining from
the early barrel vaults of the Romans and tracing
its development through the middle ages down to
the 16^th century.
9. An occasional course involving the restoration
of portions of certain well known examples of
antiquity.
10. An occasional course in which designs would
have to be worked out in accordance with certain
perfected styles.
(These two courses, archɶological in their tendency
are pursued in France by the students of the school;
their object being to instil into the student’s mind
a knowledge of precedent which is
impossible to design).
11. A course of composition in oramental design.
Section C. Rewards.
1. Gold medal. as at present
2. Travelling Studentship. as at present
3. Silver medal. for measured drawings. as at 

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present.

4. A silver medal for a perspective drawing and
a specimen of sciography.
As inducement for study in the architectural
classes. I venture to suggest the addition of
three medals.
5. A silver medal for the best series of architec-
tural drawings. (resolutions 5 or 8 above)
6. A silver medal for the best series of drawings
form the cast.
7. A silver medal for the best series of architectural
designs (resolution 7)

That the drawings submitted in competition for
medals 1. 3. 5. 6. 7. be sent in on or before the
15^th October. That the competitors for No 2. the
Travelling Studentship take place in August as at
present and that the drawings for No 4. be sent in
in May, that all architectural Students be expected
to pass an examination in Perspective, and that
the subject or subjects be specified. (I hope it will
not be considered that I have executed my instruction
in recommending this examination for architectural
Students.) I find that during the last 7 years
only five architects have competed for the Perspective
medal, and can therefore only assume that hesitation
as to what subject would be the best to put in
perspective, and the fact that the student having
invariably forgotten all he has learnt before
September are the chief for this lack of
competitors. If therefore the principles taught by
M.^r Bowler were at once put in practise by an
examination and by the immediate working of
 

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them out on drawings for the Perspective
Medal a very much larger number of
competitors might be depended on.) and the
subject being named there would be less
difficulty in comparing the results.
In conclusion. I have only to hope that the
confidence which you have been pleased to
place in me will be fully justified.
I have the honor to remain
Gentlemen
your obedient servant
R. Phené. Spiers.
Master of the Architectural School