The Oxford Museum: An Architectural Discourse
The Oxford museum was built in response to the growing interest in the Natural sciences and was to house the university's science collections. It becomes, however, an architectural discourse in how the seemingly opposite concepts of historical interest, as embodied in Gothic design, united with industrial innovation.
A competition was held for possible designs; two were ultimately selected. One, submitted by Sir Thomas Dean and Mr Woodward, was in the Gothic style, the other was in the Renaissance style and was submitted by a Mr Barney. Ruskin himself strongly favoured the Gothic design; most likely because of the ethic and morality associated with the architectural style which would, therefore, be deemed an appropriate style for a museum which would be linked with an educational institution such as Oxford. It was decided that the successful style should lend itself easily to future extensions and adaptability.
Ruskin, however, wasn't entirely satisfied with the successful design as he believed that Oxford deserved a larger monument to modern scientific study of nature that what was presently being offered. The museum, maintained Ruskin, should be as grand and as giving as the libraries and the university's commonrooms. The medical student should be afforded the same opportunity to learn as the student of letters. The studies of the museum were to be a study of nature in its fullest glory.
The Oxford Museum was to be a monument not only to science but to the infamous students who had attended the university. The workmen constructed capitals which were created under the general inspiration of such famous artists as Rossetti, Alexander Munro, Millais, and Holman Hunt. Munro helped design four of the five statues, which were donated by Queen Victoria. Ruskin himself donated an generous £300 towards a set of windows.
The decision to build a science museum was due in part it an increase of interest in the natural sciences. Oxford, which had been the ancient seat of learning for centuries was not in a position to ignore the advent of a new academic discipline and it was thought that a monument to science should be erected which would give students a better insight into the world in which they lived. The general object of the museum was to give the university's students a better insight into the planet on which they lived. The museum's exhibitions were to be broken down into the principle sciences under the heading of the 'History of Nature'. The subjects were meant to accommodate, among others, Astronomy, mathematics, experimental physics, and zoology. The university allowed £30,000 for the projects which was to be used towards the exterior building. The competition for an architectural design barred no style and a total of thirty-two samples were submitted, representing virtually every major architectural style. The winning design was Dean and Woodward's which was in the Gothic style.
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