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YALE UNIVERSITY
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ILLUSTRATIONS

PUBLIC BUILDINGS OF LONDON
WITH
HISTORICAL AND DESCRIPTIVE ACCOUNTS
OF
EACH EDIFICE.
BY PUGIN AND B R I T T 0 N. "jc in V\

SECOND EDITION, GREATLY ENLARGED,
BY W. H. LEEDS.

Insegno ad emanciparsi dalla ortodossia de' pedanti, e senti che cercando di re-
condurre i propij concittadini a pensare e giudicare di per se stesso, avrebbe giovuto '
alia bella arte di cui scriveva.  Ugoni.

IN TWO VOLUMES.
VOL. I.

LONDON:
JOHN WEALE, ARCHITECTURAL LIBRARY,
59, HIGH HOLBOBN.
1838.

LONDON :
PRINTED BY W. HUGHES, (SUCCESSOR TO MR. VALPY,)
KING'S HEAD COURT, GOUGH SO.UARE.

TO
SYDNEY SMIRK E, ESQ.
F. S. A., F. G. S., ARCHITECT,
THESE VOLUMES,
ILLUSTRATIVE OF THE PUBLIC BUILDINGS
OF LONDON,
are respectfully- inscribed
by his much obliged servant,
JOHN WEALE.

PREFACE.

To many it has been matter not only of regret, but of
surprise, that a work like the present, so convenient
and economical in form, and interesting to others as
well as professional men, should not have been con
tinued beyond the two volumes originally published ;
more particularly as in the interim from their appear
ance, a variety of structures of more or less merit and
note have been added to the pubhc edifices of the
metropolis. That there is an abundant supply of
fresh subjects for such purpose, will hardly be dis
puted ; many of them, as it is hoped this new Edition
will satisfactorily testify, even more interesting than
several of those previously represented. Yet although
there are ample materials for a third or even a fourth
volume, the present publisher deems it more advise-
able, as the work is now out of print, to commence
with an entirely new edition containing several hitherto
unedited buildings.
Besides the additions both in regard to Plates and
their descriptions, others to a very considerable extent

VI PREFACE.

have been made by the present Editor, both in the
form of Notes, and of Remarks appended to the
accompanying letter-press by other writers. The
opinions of the latter have been left untouched by
him, even when decidedly at variance with his own ;
in order that the reader may adopt whichever shall
appear to him the most judicious, and the best-founded.
All that has been done in the way of altering the ori
ginal letter-press, has been confined to abridging several
of the articles, by paring away what was evidently
extraneous matter, what related only very remotely
indeed to the buildings themselves, and was by no
means in accordance with the character of a work
that is most undisguisedly of a strictly architectural
nature, therefore not at all likely to find purchasers
among those who seek merely historical and topo
graphical information. It was probably thought that
the insertion of such irrelevant matter, might both
help to make up for the deficiency of architectural
explanation and comment, and serve to render the
work more popular, and acceptable to the general
reader ; yet whatever may have been the motive, it
must be allowed to have been very mistaken policy to
adapt the work rather to the tastes of those who were
not likely to encourage it to any extent, than of the
class to whom it directly addressed itself ; and many
of the articles were so barren of remark and criticism,
so overloaded with details to be collected from topo
graphical histories, and bearing only incidentally upon

PREFACE. Vll
the professed subjects, that the former bore about the
same proportion to the latter, as the item of bread did
to that of sack in the fat Knight's bill.
With this conviction, the Editor has, among sundry
other excrescences, expunged the whole of the account
of the Progress of the Drama in England, as being a
grossly palpable hors d'ceuvre, having no more con
nexion with the history and description of the Theatres
themselves as buildings, than Covent Garden Market
has with Covent Garden Church. Neither was that
inter-chapter or interlude at all in keeping with the
rest of the work ; because, in order for it to have been
systematic and uniform, the account of St. Paul's
ought to have been similarly preceded by a semi-
theological dissertation on the Church of England,
while the Law Courts might have been prefaced by
an abridgement of Blackstone's Commentaries, and a
commentary on the Statutes at large.
Yet if the account of the Drama — of changes of
management, of theatrical dynasties and revolutions,
successes and embarrassments — has been swept away
by editorial reform ; something also has been added, —
even more in point of quantity, — namely, the obser
vations on Theatres, including a synoptical table show
ing the dimensions of some of the principal ones, and
other information respecting them; all which, it is
presumed, will be found quite as interesting to the
architectural reader, whether professional or amateur,
as was the matter it has supplanted. The chief that

Vlll PREFACE.
can be objected to it is that this Chapter is a deviation
from the plan elsewhere adhered to, no other kind of
buildings being similarly prefaced by remarks bearing
upon them as a distinct class, with the exception of
the slight observations upon English Villas by Mr.
Papworth. Such is confessedly the case : but then
other classes do not so much require any prehminary
notice ; while some of them consist of buildings so
various in regard to their specific purposes, that to
attempt any thing of the kind, would have been
attended with extreme difficulty.
Probably no exception would have been made in
favour of Theatres, was it not that what is here said on
the subject of them, is offered as an indemnification
for what has been retrenched. At all events, what is
now substituted for the former Essay, is, as far as it
goes, more in unison with the character and purpose
of the work itself; and gives some information that
will be new to the generality of readers. Another
would probably have twaddled in pompous common
place on the antiquity of the drama and the moral
influence of the stage : — Trahit quemquem sua. In re
gard to the efficacy of the theatre as a school of moral
instruction, the Editor leaves his readers, either to their
own opinions on the subject, or to seek for opinions
elsewhere ; merely remarking that it is a school where
many begin by learning virtue so easily, that they
leave off by being accomplished in the gracefulness of
Easy Virtue. Had he descanted ever so warmly on

PREFACE. IX
such a topic, hardly would the sympathies of archi
tectural readers have accompanied him.
One unquestionable improvement upon the first
edition is, that instead of the subjects being mixed
together, without any attempt at arrangement, they
are now classified under the respective heads of,
I. Churches ; II. Theatres ; III. Commercial and Civic
Buildings ; IV. Buildings connected with Literature
and Art, &c. ; V. Palaces and Private Mansions ;
VI. Bridges.
In regard to the first two classes and the last, there
was very little difficulty, except that occasioned by its
being considered most eligible to commence with St.
Paul's, and that being done, to proceed with the other
modern churches, reserving the Temple Church and
Westminster Abbey till the last. It was further deemed
advisable to introduce Westminster Hall, and the two
subjects which form a portion of the same general mass
of building, immediately after the Abbey; such arrange
ment being in some degree justified by their locality,
while it obviated the difficulty that would have attended
placing them elsewhere. Westminster Hall, therefore,
and the buildings connected with it, must be considered
as a kind of appendix to the account of the Abbey.
In addition to the general classification now adopted,
chronological order has been in some degree observed,
and the works of the same architect, when belonging
to the same class, (as Wren's churches), have been
placed together. The third, fourth, and fifth divisions,

PREFACE.

are so miscellaneous as hardly to admit of precise
arrangement, on which account the only order at
tempted in regard to the first-mentioned, is that of
their situation in the course from east to west.
As every one of the buildings now added to the
original subjects is of quite recent date, no history as
yet attaches to them; a circumstance the Editor is
far from regretting, because the respective accounts
are now necessarily confined to remarks on the build
ings themselves; whereas, when History and Archi
tecture sit down to make a meal together, the latter
gets very little more than the crumbs which fall from
the table, while poor Criticism is fairly kicked under
it, as if unworthy even to show her face. In the
preface to his Geschichte der Kunst, Winckelmann
gives us an anecdote to the purpose, of a writer who
filled what professed to be an account of two statues
of captive barbarian kings, with a history of Numidia !
The excuse that is frequently made for the reticence
of criticism in regard to buildings is, that they speak
sufficiently clearly for themselves ; and so they cer
tainly do, provided they are adequately illustrated by
explanatory engravings ; yet even then only to those
who are familiar with the language they make use of,
and merely as relates to them as objects. What is
plainly exhibited to the eye in an engraving, of course
requires not to be described in words also ; conse
quently whenever an elevation of a building is given,
it is mere repetition and reiteration to point out seriatim

PREFACE. XI
the parts of which it is composed: yet it does not
exactly follow that there is likewise no occasion for
critical comment and remark ; on the contrary, these
latter are then most of all serviceable when that which
is the subject of them is clearly understood. What
ever, too, they may happen to be in themselves, such
remarks have at least this beneficial tendency, that
they serve to fix attention upon much which would
else be passed over without observation ; consequently,
if erroneous, at least they direct notice to those points
which may be reconsidered by others, and treated by
them with greater diligence and acumen. Another
and not the least advantage attending criticism of this
sort is, that it teaches people to think and judge, and
shows them how much there is to be observed and
attended to in order to do so properly. Besides all
which, it invests the subject with that interest which
should belong to it in common with the other fine
arts, but which has hitherto been kept almost entirely
out of sight. It may mainly be ascribed to this last-
mentioned circumstance that, as a study, architecture
has so very few votaries beyond its professional pale,
— so very few lay-students who apply themselves to it
merely for the sake of the intellectual gratification it
is capable of affording. Most persons have taken up
with the notion that it is impossible to attain any
adequate knowledge of the art without becoming fami
liar with all its mechanical and practical operations
also ; which is about as extravagant as it would be to

Xll PREFACE.
fancy that a man must have handled the chisel or
pencil himself, and be well acquainted with all the
processes and arcana of the statuary's workshop and
the artist's painting room, before he can judge of or
relish the productions of sculpture and painting. In
short, if they cared to be consistent, they would go a
step further, and boldly deny at once that architecture
is a fine art at all, putting it upon the same footing
with those subsidiary arts of decoration which minister
to architecture itself. Another prevalent prejudice
against the study is, that every thing in it depends so
entirely upon rules, is so fixed and hemmed in by
them, as to afford no room whatever for the exercise
of criticism, any more than does the plain fact that
two and two make four.
Without inquiring whether these prejudices and
misconceptions are not, in some degree, attributable
to the course pursued by professional writers on archi
tecture, who have very rarely, if ever, condescended to
accommodate their writings to the general reader ; it is
sufficient to remark, that none have greater cause to
lament the popular ignorance in regard to the art,
which has been fostered by those prejudices, than
architects themselves. While it leaves them scarcely
any competent judges but their rivals, it places them
at the mercy of the self-willed, the obstinate, and the
capricious. On the other hand, the public are quite
as much at the mercy of pretenders in the profession.
It is in vain for people to demand excellence, so long

PREFACE. Xlll
as they admit that they are incompetent to discrimi
nate between talent and no talent, — in short, do not
understand either the beauties or defects of an archi
tectural composition. Thus, although their interest
and object ought to be the same, both parties mutually
accuse each other.
Such a state of things is not a little injurious to the
best interests of architecture itself. And architects
ought by this time to have discovered, that the better
informed the public in general are in respect to their
art, so much the better both for that and for them
selves. In proportion as architectural topics can be
made to engage general attention, and rendered matter
of conversation and discussion in society, so will the
pubhc take a livelier and more extended concern in
the art. In this respect something has been done of
late years by the establishment of the ' Architectural
Magazine,' which there is every reason to suppose
has been the means of leading many to direct their
attention to a study which, if rationally pursued, is not
without its allurements for others besides professional
men. More recently another periodical has appeared, en
titled ' The Civil Engineer and Architect's Journal,'
which, in conformity with its title, devotes itself more
particularly to strictly technical and practical matters,
yet by no means to the exclusion of more popular sub
jects. Both these publications have already effected
some good in disseminating a taste for such studies,

XIV PREFACE.
and in diffusing more enlarged and liberal views in
respect to the aesthetic principles of architecture, than
have hitherto prevailed.
How far the Editor's own criticisms, here offered
to the public, satisfactorily exemplify what he recom
mends, must be left to the reader to determine. At all
events, they are in no very great danger of being found
fault with on the score of not entering sufficiently into
details, or of being too dry and formal. Leaving alone
what may be thought of many of the opinions and re
marks they contain, they will strike different persons
very differently, because some will relish them all the
better for that, on account of which others will pro
bably object to them. The writer who attempts to
accommodate himself to the particular taste of every
one, will please no one ; whereas he who satisfies him
self, will at all events have the luck of pleasing some
one, and be apt to write naturally, if not originally.
Undoubtedly there are several things both in the notes
and elsewhere, that might have been omitted without
causing any hiatus. Still the Editor offers no apology
either for those, or any thing else he has said ; con
sidering all such apologies to be not only unavailing,
but most transparently hypocritical into the bargain.
Should what has been done be found to give satis
faction, the Editor will most probably resume his task,
it being in contemplation to carry on the work by at
least one additional volume ; yet further than that
probability is at present in favour of this being done,

PREFACE. XV

no assurance is here given — no positive promise made,
because the performance of it will in a considerable
degree depend upon the reception that shall be given
to the two now published. It may, however, be stated,
that should such continuation of the Public Edifices
be undertaken, as it will virtually become a new
series, whether so entitled or not, an opportunity will
be afforded for getting rid of some of the defects at
tending the original plan of the work, and now only
partially extirpated ; and also for some improvements
in respect to the plates. In which case, it is probable,
that in regard to one or two of the buildings now in
serted, additional information will be given in more
detailed and explanatory engravings.
Not only is there already an abundance of entirely
fresh subjects for the continuation of the work to double
its present extent, especially if they were more fully
developed by drawings, but every year will add some
thing to the stock. The new Houses of Parliament,
Royal Exchange, Reform Club, and the facade of the
British Museum, will doubtless prove very important
architectural acquisitions to the metropolis. Perhaps,
too, the buildings of the West of London Cemetery,
and of the Botanic Garden about to be formed in the
inner circle of the Regent's Park, will deserve to be
ranked among our pubhc embellishments.
Among the designs that have actually been carried
into execution, may be mentioned the Doric Propy-
leum to the London and Birmingham Railway, in

XVI PREFACE.

Euston Square, by Hardwick ; the London and West
minster Bank, Lothbury, by Cockerell and Tite ; the
Junior University Club House, by Smirke ; the School
for the Indigent Blind, by Newman ; and the interior
of the Synagogue, St. Helen's Place, by Davies. But
although several churches have been erected in various
parts of the town and its suburbs, since that of St.
Dunstan's in the West, there is hardly one that recom
mends itself as an architectural subject. One of the
best, at least in regard to its exterior, is that by Penne-
thorne, in Gray's Inn Road; for although small, it
possesses some originality, as well as consistency of
style and character, — and so far is greatly preferable
to 'those mawkish pseudo-Grecian structures, com
pounded of a portico and meeting-house stuck to
gether : the one in question, however, would have
been materially improved had the curved screen walls
been carried up so high as to shut out the view of
the sides ; had which been done, the facade would have
acquired much greater importance. There is also a
church in the Gothic style, now erecting from the de
signs of Mr. Blore, on the north side of Berwick
Street, Soho, which promises to be greatly better than
any thing of that sort which has been done in the me
tropolis for several years.
Even when all the available materials shall have
been exhausted as regards the metropolis itself, there
would still remain a new and ample stock for a similar
— or companion work to the present one, illustrative of

PREFACE. XV11

the Provincial Architecture of England, as exem
plified in the pubhc buildings at Liverpool, Manchester,
Newcastle, Birmingham, and other principal towns.
Such, for instance, as the Royal Institution, and the
Athenaeum, at Manchester, and Free Grammar School,
at Birmingham, (all by Mr. Barry) ; the Fitzwilliam Mu
seum, Cambridge, by Mr. Basevi ; the Public Libraries
of that University, by Mr. Cockerell ; the Victoria
Rooms, Bristol, by Mr. C. Dyer; and the Athenaeum,
at Derby ; which last-mentioned structure is now in
progress from the designs of Mr. R. Wallace.
As the field would be so extensive, such a work
ought to be confined to the very best specimens, and
to such as are unedited. The idea of a work of the
above description, however, itself belongs to that spe
cies of architecture denominated " castle building," it
being as yet matter of doubt whether the plan here
hinted at will be acted upon.
To speak, by way of conclusion, respecting his own
share in the present volumes, it will be evident enough
that the Editor has not scrupled to impugn many
veteris mendacia fames, and to indulge in some obser
vations that can hardly fail to shock what the author
quoted on the title page calls the ' orthodoxy of pedan
try.' Yet if not uniformly in accordance with those
commonly received, — if they occasionally tread too
sharply on the heels of prejudices, — if, moreover, some
of them shall be convicted of being erroneous, as well
as unpalatable, the opinions here put forth by him
vol. i. b

XV111 PREFACE.

may at least claim the merit of being independent and
unborrowed. He may also be allowed to say, that in
the articles now added by himself, he has endeavoured,
as far as the subjects themselves afforded scope for
doing so, to invest description and criticism of this
kind with some degree of interest, by impartially point
ing out both merits and defects, and by calling atten
tion to particulars, which, more frequently than not,
are passed over altogether. If, therefore, in some in
stances praise and censure nearly balance each other,
that circumstance argues no inconsistency in him,
whatever it may do in respect to the buildings so
spoken of.
To solicit indulgence for what he has said, would be
but the paltry affectation of modesty, equally unavail
ing and misplaced. If the remarks here submitted to
that class of the public who, it is presumed, are quite
competent to appreciate them, shall be found valueless,
they will be treated accordingly : should they, on the
contrary, possess any merit, they will ultimately make
their way with the majority of readers, that is, sup
posing they obtain any; for as the work will be purchased
chiefly for the sake of the plates, it is possible that
many will examine it no further. In which case all that
is here said becomes superfluous, and this Preface may
be dismissed at once without another syllable.

CONTENTS

THE FIRST VOLUME.

CHURCHES.

SUBJECTS.

ARCHITECTS.
PLATES.
PAGES
St. Paul's
-
Sie C. Wren -
8
1
St. Stephen's, Walbrook
-
Do.
2
47
St. Mary-le-Bow
-
Do.
1
57
St. Bride's
-
Do.
2
68
St. James's, Westminster
-
Do.
1
79
St. Dunstan's in the East
-
Do.
1
86
St. Mary "Woolnoth -
-
N. Hawksmoor
2
88
St. George's in the East
-
Do.
3
95
St. Martin's
-
J. GlBBS
3
101
St. Peter-le-Poor
-
Gibson
1
110
St. Paul's, Covent-Garden
-
Inigo Jones
1
115
St. Mary-le-bone
-
Hardwick
1
126
St. Pancras
-
Messrs. Inwood
3
137
St. Philip's Chapel -
-
Nash and Repton
2
155
St. Luke's, Chelsea -
J. Savage
2
162
All Souls', Langham Place
-
J. Nash
1
173
All Saints', Poplar
-
C. Hollis
1
177
Hanover Chapel
-
R. C. Cockerell
1
179
St. Dunstan's in the West
-
J. Shaw
1
186
XX

CONTENTS.

SUBJECTS.

ARCHITECTS.

PLATES.

PAGES

Roman Cathohc Chapel

- J. Newman

2

194

St. Mary's, Inner Temple

.

3

200

Westminster Abbey

-

6

210

Westminster Hall

-

2

—

Law Courts

- Sir J. Soane

3

259

Royal Entrance, House of Lords Do.

3

269

THEATRES, &c.

Preliminary Remarks -
-
-
274
Italian Opera House -
- NOVOSIELSKY -
2
305
Covent Garden -
Sir R. Smirke
6
312
Drury Lane
- B. Wyatt
5
326
Haymarket Theatre -
- J. Nash
2
344
English Opera House
- S. Beazley
1
348
Royal Amphitheatre -
-
1
356
Diorama - - -
Nash and Pugin
1
362
Colosseum
- D. Burton
1
368
Index
403
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ST. PAUL'S CATHEDRAL.

In recounting the history of St. Paul's Cathedral, it
would be improper to pass unnoticed the edifices which
have previously occupied the spot whereon it stands. To
the structure which immediately preceded it, circumstances
of considerable interest and importance are attached, and
it therefore merits our attention.
Some writers have supposed, that a Temple dedicated to
Diana anciently stood on or near the ground now covered
by the Cathedral. The conjecture seems to have originated
from the statement of Flete, a monk of Westminster, who
wrote about the middle of the fifteenth century. Though
there is not sufficient evidence in favour of this opinion,
the quantities of Roman pottery, consisting of urns, vases,
ampullae, &c, which were found in the neighbourhood,
render it probable that a Temple, belonging to some Deity
worshipped by the Romans, anciently stood here.
The first three sees in this country, which were metro-
political, were founded by Pope Eleutherius, A.D. 185 ;
and it is likely that, the earliest cathedral of London was
destroyed during the general persecution of the Christians
under Diocletian, nor is it less so that it was restored by
Constantine. It may be presumed, that this latter church
was demolished by the Pagan Saxons ; and that its rebuild
ing was not commenced till the year 604, when St. Augustine
arrived in Britain, on a mission from Pope Gregory, and
B

2 ' EDIFICES OF LONDON.
converted Ethelbert, the first Saxon king who embraced
Christianity. Under the auspices of that monarch was com
menced the first church, which, on this site, was dedicated
to St. Paul, the Apostle and Doctor of the Gentiles.
About 674, Erkenwald, the fourth bishop of London
expended large sums of money on the edifice ; which, it may
be surmised, was chiefly constructed of timber, from its
having been destroyed by a fire which raged in London in
the year 1083. From the ruins of that church, one more
splendid and magnificent arose, the immediate predecessor
of the present noble building, and not unworthy to have
ranked, in every respect, with any of those still existing in
the provinces. It was commenced in the reign of Rufus,
under Maurice, bishop of London, and proceeded under
Richard de Beaumeis, who bestowed upon the work, during
his tenure of the see, the whole revenues of the bishopric.
After the period above mentioned, Dugdale gives no
account of the church till 1135, when it was damaged by a
fire which extended from London -bridge to St. Clement's
Danes; but he apprehends, on the authority of Godwin,
that Richard, bishop of London, in the first year of King
Richard's reign, erected the choir at his own cost. In the
time of this bishop, it may be conjectured, that the nave,
aisles, transepts, and choir, were completed. The latter was
not, however, deemed sufficiently elegant ; a new one, there
fore, and other works, were commenced. The steeple tower
was finished in 1221, and the choir about 19 years after
wards. The cost of these works was chiefly defrayed by
the bounty of the people ; but it must not be forgotten, that
many of the bishops, during their possession of the see,
particularly Maurice, Richard de Beaumeis, and Roger, sur-
named Niger, were very liberal contributors, the second
more especially.

ST. PAUL'S CATHEDRAL. 3
The stalls in the choir were erected in the reign of
Henry III. In 1253, it was found that the roof needed
considerable repairs, which it either received, or was alto
gether new made within two years from that time. Soon
after were added the church of St. Faith, and the Lady
Chapel, to the eastward of the church. About 1315, a
great part of the timber spire was taken down, rebuilt, and
a new cross, with a pommel (ball) well gilt, placed on the
top. In the same year, exact dimensions of this stately
and magnificent cathedral were taken. Its length was 690
feet, breadth 180, height of the roof (west part) from the
floor 102 feet; the height of the roof of the new fabric
(east from the steeple) 88 feet from the pavement: the
whole body of the church 150 feet ; and its area three acres,
three roods, and twenty-six perches. The height of the
tower steeple from the level ground 260 feet ; the height of
the spire of wood, which was covered with lead, 274 feet,
and yet the whole exceeded not 520. The length of the
cross above the said ball, or pommel, 15 feet, and the
traverse of the said cross six feet. All which was inscribed
on a tablet in the north part of the choir.
This church consisted of a nave and two aisles, running
throughout the building, as well in the choir as in the
transepts. From the western wall of the nave to its inter
section by the transepts were eleven openings, separated
by Norman pillars, and crowned with semicircular arches.
Above these was a triforium, in which the circular arch was
also employed, but the clairstory windows and vaulting
were in the pointed style. Each transept had five arches
similar to those in the nave : over their intersection with
the choir and nave rose the steeple tower. The entrance
to the choir was distinguished by a screen richly orna
mented, on each side of whose principal door were four
b 2

4 EDIFICES OF LONDON.
canopies, and to the right and left, just beyond the range
of the great pillars, were two elegant doorways, which led to
the side aisles of the choir. The whole of the choir was
in the most elegant pointed style, with a triforium and
clairstory. Over the altar, the view extended into the Lady
Chapel, whose eastern wall was pierced with an elegant
circular window. On the south side of the church (towards
the west) was a cloister 90 feet square, in the centre of
which stood a beautiful octagonal chapter-house. The di
mensions of this church exceeded those of any other cathe
dral in this country. On Candlemas Eve, 1444, the timber
work of the steeple was fired by lightning, and it was not
thoroughly repaired till 1462, when a new ball and weather
cock were set up. It was again fired by lightning June 4,
1561 ; when the spire was entirely consumed, as were the
upper roofs of the church and aisles. By the year 1566 the
latter were reinstated ; but the spire was not restored, nor
was any further work done to the church till 1620, in which
year a commission issued to the Archbishop of Canterbuiy,
the Lord Chancellor, the Lord Mayor, the Lord Privy Seal,
and many other distinguished personages, including Inigo
Jones, Esq., Surveyor of His Majesty's Works, to inquire
what works were necessary, and what funds existed for
carrying them into execution. A second commission issued
on the 10th of April, 1631, in which the name of Inigo Jones
does not appear; he was, however, employed to superintend
and direct the works, which were commenced in April,
1633. By 1639 they were finished, including the beautiful,
though misapplied portico, at the west end, which consisted
of eight well proportioned columns, those at the flanks being
coupled with square insulated antae. Jones made no altera
tions in the choir. For the execution of the works the sum of
£101,330. 4.?. Sd. were collected, whereof only £35,551 . 2s. id.

ST. PAULS CATHEDRAL.

had been expended, when the flames of civil discord put an
end to all further progress in the works. With the restora
tion of Charles II. appeared a commission for resuming the
repairs of the dilapidated fabric, in which Doctor, afterwards
Sir Christopher Wren, first appears as architect to the
structure. The period, between the years 1663 and 1666,
was spent in taking down the houses erected by the usur
pers at the west end and sides of the church, in clearing
the rubbish, searching the decays, repairing the portico, and
in providing stone and timber, and other necessary prepara
tions. In May, 1666, Dr. Wren submitted to the commis
sioners a programme (in the shape of a report) of the
works he proposed to carry into execution, which was not
approved: but the great fire of London, September, 1666,
decided the fate of the old cathedral, by rendering it inca
pable of repair.
A new structure now occupied the attention of Dr. Wren ;
several designs for rebuilding it were presented to the king,
who after examination selected one of them, and com
manded a model to be made of it on such a scale that it
might remain as a perpetual and unchangeable rule for the
conduct of the work. Letters-patent were issued, bearing
date November 12, 1673, directed to several peers, spiritual
and temporal, together with other persons of eminent rank
and consideration in the state, authorizing and enabling
them to proceed in the execution of the work, according to
certain rules and orders therein mentioned.
"The surveyor," observes the author of Parentalia,' "was
at first directed to contrive a fabric of moderate bulk, but of
good proportion ; a convenient quire, with a vestibule and
porticoes, and a dome conspicuous above the houses." A
design was accordingly made conformably to these instruc
tions, but from various jarring, and even opposite objections,

6 EDIFICES OF LONDON.
it did not give satisfaction. Upon this, Dr. Wren made
several sketches for the purpose of eliciting the opinions of
the various parties ; and the author of the ' Parentalia' ob
serves, that " he endeavoured to gratify the taste of the
connoisseurs and critics with something coloss and beauti
ful, with a design, antique and well studied, conformable to
the best style of the Greek and Roman architecture." A
model made from this design is still preserved over the
morning chapel in the present cathedral.
A New Fabric. — The first design not meeting with
the approbation of those to whom it was submitted,
" the surveyor then turned his thoughts to a cathedral
form" (as the compiler of the c Parentalia' seems contemp
tuously to call it), but so altered as to reconcile, as near as
possible, the Gothic to a " better manner of architecture."
Charles approved the designs, and on the 1st of May,
1675, issued his warrant under the privy seal for the com
mencement of the works. From that time the surveyor
resolved to make no more models, or publicly expose his
drawings, which, he had found by experience, did but waste
time, and " subjected his business many times to incom
petent judges."
The removal of the immense ruins of the old cathedral,
which was lofty, and its walls of considerable thickness, was
a task not accomplished without difficulty. The application
of gunpowder was tried with success; but the incautious
application of it, in the absence of the surveyor, on a
second experiment, so alarmed the neighbourhood, that re
monstrances were made, and its employment altogether aban
doned. The architect then recurred to the means which
would most probably have been adopted by the ancients,
viz., the use of the battering-ram. Its first effect on a por-

ST. PAULS CATHEDRAL. 7
tion of the walls made the operators despair of success,
but repeated efforts were found efficient in bringing to the
ground the walls of the venerable ruin.
The foundations of the structure stand upon a hard pot
earth, the stratum of which, on the north side of the church,
was discovered to be six feet thick and upwards, but on the
south side not more than four feet; immediately under it
lies a loose sand of considerable depth. As the old cathe
dral had rested securely on the pot earth, the architect
concluded, with great good sense, that his building might
be trusted without fear to the same bottom that had borne
the old one. The result has proved that he was not mis
taken. The foundations were commenced at the west end, and
the work was carried on eastward without any obstruction
till they arrived at the easternmost verge of their extent. At
the northern point of the eastern boundary they came upon
a pit from which the hard pot earth had been removed, and
loose rubbish substituted for filling it up. The length
necessary for the completion of the foundation was not more
than six or seven feet ; but, as the surveyor had no opinion of
piles, from their liability to rot, there remained no expedient
but that of digging through the sand, and building up from
the solid stratum for a depth of forty feet. Here then he sunk
a pit eighteen feet wide, and built up a pier ten feet square,
till he came to within fifteen feet of the present surface,
at which level he turned an arch from the pier so as to tail
on to the main foundation. The north-east quoin of the
choir stands upon this arch.
The first stone of the building was laid June 21, 1675, in
ten years from which time the walls of the choir and side
-aisles were finished, together with the north and south
circular porticoes. The piers of the dome were also brought

8 EDIFICES OF LONDON.
up to the same height. The highest and last stone on the
top of the lantern was laid by Christopher Wren, the son of
the architect, in 1710. It is singular that the edifice should
have been completed in the short period of five-and-thirty
years, under the superintendence of one architect, under
the direction of one principal mason, Mr. Strong, and
during the occupation of the see by one bishop of London,
Dr. Henry Compton. Authors, following the ' Parentalia,'
have always been pleased to conclude the notice of this piece
of good fortune and singularity, by a comparison of it with
the number of popes and architects engaged in the completion
of St. Peter's. There can be no Englishman who is not proud
that the country possesses such a cathedral as St. Paul's ;
but it must be allowed that its interior effect, compared with
that of the splendid and magnificent interior of St. Peter's,
is poor and mean, and even far below what it ought to have
been, when we recollect what Inigo Jones had effected with
so much honour to himself and his country long before Wren
had entered upon his career; not to advert to the works
which the architects of Italy had accomplished, long before
Jones himself. Wren was a consummate mechanician, but
as an artist by no means so distinguished. What might
have been raised by Jones with the mathematical and me
chanical skill of the other !
The plan of St. Paul's is a Latin cross, to the foot or
western end of which projections are added northward and
southward, which, while they answer the purpose of a
morning chapel, and consistory, and other conveniences, are
expedients for elongating and giving importance to the
west front. At the internal angles of the cross are small
square bastion-like adjuncts, whose real use is to strengthen
the piers of the dome, but they become internally ser
viceable as vestries and a staircase. The nave and choir

st. paul's cathedral. 9
are separated by the area, over which the cupola rises ; from
this area the transepts (or traverse of the cross) diverge to
the north and south, each extending one severy or arch in
length. The choir is terminated eastward by a semicircular
tribune, whose diameter is, in general terms, equal to the
width of the choir itself.
The interior may be considered with respect to its nave
and choir, and their side aisles ; the transepts, of which a
sufficient account has already been given; the morning
chapel and consistory; and, lastly, the cupola and its
sub-order. The nave and choir are each flanked by three
arches, springing from piers which are strengthened as
well as decorated on their inner faces by pilasters of the
Corinthian order; these are crowned by an entablature
whose cornice reigns throughout the church. Over this
order rises a tall attic, which breaks with the entablature
over each pilaster, and by its break forms an abutment pier
for the springing of semicircular arches, after the manner of
arcs doubleaux, between each of which, pendentives gather
over from their springing points, and at their extreme
height receive a cornice. Above the cornice a small
cupola springs up, spherical in form, but rising vertically
much less than its semidiameter. The eastern piers of the
nave serve at the same time for the support of the cupola ;
they are wider than the other piers, and are flanked by
pilasters at their angles, with a square recess in the inter-
columniation. The western end of the choir is terminated with piers simi
lar to those just described, uniform with which there are at its
eastern end piers of the same length and form, except that
they are pierced for a communication with the side aisles.
In other respects the leading features of the choir resemble

10 EDIFICES OF LONDON.
those of the nave, with the addition of the tribune wherein
the altar stands, which is domed over from the top of the
attic order.
In the upright plane space on the walls (whose form
is a conic section) evolved from the piercing of the pen-
dentives, a clairstory is introduced over the attic order.
Though not strictly in place, it may not be inexpedient
to advert to an abuse, which occurs in the design just
described, viz., that of turning an arch from an attic order.
An arch, which is nothing more than a substitute for a
lintel, can with propriety only spring from a shaft by the
interposition of an abacus. In the triumphal arches the
archivolt can only be considered as a bent architrave
instead of a straight one, and the revivers of the art in Italy
ventured generally no further than allowing it to spring
from the entablature of an order, as in St. Peter's for instance.
There may be some excuse for this practice, inasmuch as
the architraves may be viewed as connecting in that case the
inner order and the outer walls only; and the great vault
may be considered as the substitute of a wooden roof, which
in St. Peter's is in truth the case ; its timber-tiled roof, which
is open at the sides, being nothing more than an umbrella
resting on the vault to protect it from the weather : but in
St. Paul's an attic (always a crowning order) is used as an
abutment, to all appearance incapable of resisting the pres
sure, or even supporting the weight of the vaulting.
The arches which spring from and connect the piers,
rest on architraves over small pilasters of a composed order.
Their archivolts rise above the level of the architrave of the
great order, which is discontinued between the pilasters in
order to permit the impropriety.
The side aisles, which are extremely low in respect of

ST. PAUL'S CATHEDRAL. 11
the nave, are vaulted from the small pilasters, and termi
nated in a manner similar to that of the vaultings of the nave
and choir.
The nave, it has been seen, is, to a certain extent, viz.
three arches westward, similar to the choir. At their ter
mination the north and south extension of the foot of the
cross commences. In the other severies or spaces from
pilaster to pilaster, the length is not equal to the breadth of
the nave, whereby the longitudinal sections of the penden-
tives assume the forms of conic sections, as is already
noticed; but the fourth, or western severy of the nave, is
square on the plan, and of course the regularity of the
pendentives is here preserved. The side arches spring from
insulated columns, coupled with the pilasters attached to the
piers, and on the north and south exhibit the morning
chapel and consistory, which are both parallelograms on
the plan, and are terminated at the eastern and western
ends by semicircular tribunes.
The central area under the cupola is circumscribed by
eight large piers, equal in size, but not equidistant. The four
large openings of course occur in the spaces where the nave,
choir, and transepts diverge from the great circle, the lesser
ones between them. These latter are surmounted by arches,
which spring from the architrave of the main order ; but by
extending the springing point above in the attic so as to break
over the re-entering angular pilaster below, such an increase
of opening is acquired in the attic, that the eight arches
which receive the cornice of the whispering gallery are all
equal. Above this cornice a tall pedestal rises up for the re
ception of the order immediately under the dome. The order
is composed. Its periphery is divided into eight portions of
three intercolumniations each, pierced for windows ; each of
these divisions being separated from that adjoiningit by a solid

12 EDIFICES OF LONDON.
pier, one intercolumniation wide, decorated with a niche. The
piers so formed connect the wall of the inner order with the
external peristyle, and thus serve as counterforts to resist
the thrust of the inner brick cupola, as well as that of the
conical wall, which carries the stone lantern, neither of which
are more than two bricks in thickness. The pedestal and
order just described incline inwards as they rise, and it is
worthy of remark that their bearing is solely on the great
arches and their piers, without any false bearing on the
pendentives ; a precaution which evinces great judgment.
A plinth over the order receives the inner dome, which is of
brick, plastered. The plastering is disfigured by the mise
rable work of Sir James Thornhill. The dome is pierced
with an eye in its vertex, through which a vista is carried
up to the small dome in which the great cone terminates.
The exterior of the fabric consists throughout of two
orders; the lower one Corinthian, the other a composed
order. In both stories, except at the north and south doors,
which are decorated with semicircular porticoes, and in the
west front, the whole of the entablatures rest on coupled
pilasters; between which, in the lower order, a range of
semicircular-headed windows is introduced : but in the order
above, the corresponding spaces are occupied by dressed
niches standing on pedestals, pierced with openings to light
the passages in the roofs over the side aisles. The upper
order is nothing more than a screen to hide the flying
buttresses carried across from the outer walls to resist the
thrust of the great vaulting. In the west front are two
porticoes, one above the other. The lower one consists of
twelve coupled columns ; that above has only ten, which bear
an entablature and pediment, whose tympanum is sculptured
in has relief, representing the conversion of St. Paul. The
artist employed on it was Francis Bird. The projection of

st. Paul's cathedral. 13
the porticoes from the general face of the front is about
one diameter and three quarters, a circumstance that deprives
them of the commanding effect which a portico should
always possess; witness that of the parish church of St.
Martin's-in-the-Fields. Sir Christopher seems to have been
aware of the defect, and to have attempted a remedy for it
by recessing the pronaos behind the three central interco
lumniations, in order to produce a depth of shadow ; but, as
Evelyn would have said, its aspect is nevertheless meagre,
and notwithstanding all the arguments that have been ad
duced in favour of the coupled columns, their use here is
indefensible. The transepts are terminated upwards by pediments over
coupled pilasters at the quoins, and two single pilasters in
the intermediate space.
On each side of the upper western portico a square
pedestal rises over the upper order, and on each pedestal a
steeple of two orders in light pierced work : they are covered
with domes, formed by curves of contrary flexure, very like
bells. The cupola, which is by far the most magnificent and
elegant feature in the building, rises from the body of the
church in great majesty. The dome itself stands on an attic
order, whose detail is extremely simple and appropriate, and
its profile excellent. Below the attic, whose exterior circuit
is flanked by a balustrade of considerably larger diameter, a
peristyle of a composed order, with an unbroken entablature,
encloses the interior order. It may be safely affirmed, that,
for dignity and elegance, no church in Europe affords an
example worthy of comparison with this cupola. The order
of the peristyle stands on a large circular pedestal, which in
its turn is supported on the piers and great arches of the
interior central space.

14 EDIFICES OF LONDON.
Objections have been raised to the columns of the
peristyle, for their excess in height over that of either of
the orders below. The objections are not groundless, but
none can lament this violation of rigid propriety.
The whole expense of erecting the edifice, deducting the
monies expended in attempts to repair the old cathedral,
was £736,752. 2.9. 3d. ; in addition to which, the stone and
iron enclosure which surrounds it (the latter of which was
cast at Lamberhurst, in Kent, twenty-eight miles distant),
cost £11,202. 0s. 6d. Total, £747,954. 2s. 9d.
It appears by a printed statement, bearing the appearance
of a publication by authority, that from the 1st of August,
1663, down to the end of the year 1723, no less a sum was
appropriated to the works of the old and present fabrics,
and Westminster Abbey, than £1,168,494. lis. 4d.; out of
which sum £1,100,131. 18s. bd. was raised by the imposi
tion of a tax on coals imported into London, authorized
by various acts of Parliament; and that the remaining
£68,362. 12s. lid. was supplied by voluntary contributions
of King Charles the Second, of the nobility, clergy, and
gentry, and by the sale of some of the old materials.
The remuneration which was made to Sir Christopher
Wren, for his care and superintendence in and about the
works, was a stipend of only £200 per annum. The treat
ment he experienced, and the trouble given him, as well as
some strictures on the fabric, and a comparison of it with
other churches, will form the remaining part of this account.
The infamous cabals and intrigues that were carried on
during the progress of the work at St. Paul's are not gene
rally known to the public . Unfortunately, the materials for an
account of them are some scarce pamphlets, which, from the
way in which they appeared, do not furnish us with all the
information that could be desired ; but they are quite sufficient

ST. PAUL'S CATHEDRAL. ]5
to mark the spirit of the opposition which Sir C. met with
from a set of men unworthy to have been his masters, and
disgraced by the line of conduct they adopted.
In 1712, the first of these pamphlets appeared with the
title of ' Frauds and Abuses of St. Paul's, in a Letter to M.P:
The writer of the letter founds his attack on Sir Christopher
Wren, on the occasion of a petition from the inhabitants of
the parish of St. Mary Woolnoth, praying, in substance, that
their church might be rebuilt out of the surplus of the
monies provided for rebuilding St. Paul's. In this pamphlet,
after accusing the architect of protracting the execution of
the works for the purpose of prolonging the duration of his
salary ; of which salary, be it observed (by a clause in the
act of Parliament for enabling the commissioners to proceed
with the building), one moiety was suspended till the com
pletion of the work; the writer proceeds to charge him
with connivance at some frauds alleged to have been com
mitted by Mr. Jennings, the master carpenter of the fabric,
in relation to the number of men employed, and the wages
paid to the journeymen, compared with those charged in
the accounts : to this is added, a complaint relative to the
abuse and misapplication of the materials and time ex
pended. One of the offences charged, is the appropriation
of part of the black marble (which had been purchased for
the use of the church) to the works then carrying on at
Lady Marlborough's house, in St. James's.
The commissioners had, it appears, displaced Jennings, as
far as their own resolutions could effect it; and had appointed
as his successor a Mr. James, then employed on Her Majesty's
works at Greenwich, at a salary of two hundred pounds per
annum. Other and minor complaints are set forth in the
book— such as the bad and imperfect casting of the great
bell, a charge for more copper in the ball than was used, and

16 EDIFICES OF LONDON.
some insinuations of Sir Christopher's partiality to a certain
iron founder, and his preference of wrought to cast iron for
the balustrade encompassing the church. In the latter
affair Wren was undoubtedly in error, but in the main points
he so far proved that he was sans tdche, that he procured a
dissolution of the commission. It seems almost needless
to observe, that the usual and mostly unjust charge made
against architects, namely, that of inaccuracy in their esti
mates,, brought up the rear of the abuses.
The first commission consisted of twenty-five persons,
comprising the two archbishops, five bishops, the dean and
chapter, seven civilians, the lord mayor and sheriffs for the
time being, the attorney and solicitor-general, Sir William
Trumbull, Sir Thomas Meres, Sir Henry St. George, and
Sir Christopher Wren. The new commission consisted of
fifteen persons, viz., the two archbishops, the bishop of
London, lord mayor, attorney and solicitor-general, the dean,
and Sir C. Wren ; the remaining seven were great officers
of state. The answers to the accusations above mentioned are set
forth in a pamphlet, entitled ' Fact against Scandal,' &c,
printed for John Morphew, near Stationers' Hall, 1713. It
opens in the usual strain of controversies of this kind, and
asserts the " Frauds and Abuses" to be such " a complication
of malice and falsehood, as even this age of lying has rarely
produced:" it is, however, a successful answer to the author
who provoked it, completely exculpates Jennings, and dis
closes particulars relative to the character of the contractor
for the iron railing, which we cannot but suppose were known
to the architect. The circumstances of having been branded
in the hand for manslaughter, as well as having narrowly
escaped conviction for forgery, or something very like it,
viz., the erasure of an endorsement on an ordnance debenture,

st. Paul's cathedral. 17
could not have been great recommendations of the con
tractor to Sir Christopher. They did not, however, deter
Dr. Hare, one of the prebendaries, from becoming the
stanch patron of this fellow, whose name was Jones. This
Jones appears to have been in reality an agent for a Mr.
Gott, who was possessed of iron works in Sussex. Gott
had a son who had been receiver-general of the land-tax for
the eastern part of that county, and was greatly in aiTear
with government at the time.
There is not space for a detail of the exposures made
in the pamphlet : one of them cannot, however, be passed
over in silence, because there is every reason for supposing
that the circumstance in question is the origin of the mean
and infamous system which continues to this day. It
appears that Jennings, the master carpenter, levied a toll
called stairfoot money, on all strangers who were desirous of
ascending to view the works from 1707 to 1711. With the
most laudable humanity, he applied the proceeds to the
relief of those artificers who were maimed and disabled by
accidents on the works, and to the assistance of their families
when the results were of a more disastrous nature. The
monies arising from this source were too strong a temptation
for the dean and his chapter. Without compunction they
put a stop to the charitable disposition of the monies, and
directed the future application of them for the benefit of
certain officers of the church. The author, with much pro
priety, observes, that if money must be raised, with the view
of keeping out improper persons, it would be better laid out
" for keeping the church and choir clean, for looking after
the roof, gutters and pipes, and for such like necessary
purposes about the church as was proposed for the appli
cation of it, when, by the finishing of the building, it might
vol. i. c

18 EDIFICES OF LONDON.
not be wanted for charities for which it was made use of
till stopt by the dean and chapter."
Another answer to the " Frauds and Abuses" followed,
in the nature of an appendix, by the author of the pamphlet
last noticed, and dated also 1713. It contains nothing suffi
ciently curious or interesting to the reader to justify more than
the following extract, which is an answer to the fraud alleged
respecting the non-allowance for the iron-work used in the
ball and cross. Cwt. qrs. Its.
" To Andrew Niblett, coppersmith, for thel
ball, cross, &c, for the lantern  J
Quantity in gross  94 3 12
Deduct iron-work  16 1 14
Neat  78 1 26
Which is the true weight of the copper, as 16 cwt. 1 qr. 14lbs.
is of the iron-work ;" " though," continues the author, " the
libeller," alluding to the first pamphlet, " says, that the
proportion of the copper to the iron used in the ball and
cross is, that the copper is not above a fourth or fifth part
of the whole."
Next came a pamphlet by the writer of the first, entitled
" A Continuation of Frauds and Abuses at St. Paul's," &c.
Printed for A. Baldwin, at the Oxford Aims, in Warwick-
lane, 1713, price 6d. Then a rejoinder, bearing the title of
" The Second Part of Fact against Scandal, in Answer to a
Pamphlet entitled — Continuation of Frauds and Abuses at
St. Paul's." Printed for John Morphew, near Stationers'
Hall, 1713. Nothing new, however, appears in either of
these, except a play on words of abuse, and a display of
ungentlemanly language.
These pamphlets are extremely valuable ; they prove the

 226 .....

 126

 395 .....

..... 215

 442 

 219

 139 

.... 31

.,  432 ....
 146 .....

 102
 36

st. paul's cathedral. 19
scandalous and unworthy treatment to which Sir Christopher
was exposed, and the little respect which was shown to a truly
great man by the deans and prebendaries of that day.
The following is a comparative view of the two churches
of St. Paul's and St. Peter's, in respect of their length, breadth ,
and height St. Paul's, St. Peter's, Excess of
English feet. English feet. the latter.
Length within  500
Breadth at the entrance  100
Front without  180
Breadth at the cross  223
Cupola clear  108
Cupola and lantern high....,  330
Church high  110
Pillars in front  40
The mechanical skill and ingenuity exhibited by Sir
Christopher in the construction of St. Paul's, the due
equipoise of the counteracting forces, and the proper ad
justment of their opposite effects (speaking mathemati
cally), call to mind the observations in Hooker's 5th book
of Ecclesiastical Polity. " All things are in such sort
divided into finite and infinite, that no one substance,
nature, or qualitie, can be possibly capable of both. The
world, and all things in the world, are stinted, all effects
that procede from them, all the powers and abilities whereby
they worke, whatsoever they doe, whatsoever they may, and
whatsoever they are, is limited, which limitation of each
creature is both the perfection and also the preservation
thereof. Measure is that which perfecteth all things, be
cause everything is for some end, neither can that thing
be available to any end which is not proportionable there
unto, and to proportion as well excesses as defects are
opposite. Againe ; forasmuch as nothing doth perish, but
c 2

20 EDIFICES OF LONDON.
only through excess or defect of that, the due proportioned
measure whereof doth give perfection, it followeth that mea
sure is likewise the preservation of all things." A train of
reasoning, that is so applicable to the arts, deserves to be
written in letters of gold over the doors of all academies
that profess to nurture them. But to the subject, which is
something more valuable in its consideration than the mere
table of lengths and measures given in the preceding page.
It is obvious to every one who has given the matter due
consideration, that, in estimating the merits of a building,
and the constructive skill of its architect, that is superior in
which the greatest effects are produced by use of the slen
derest means. If we look at St. Paul's in this light, it claims
our unqualified admiration. The most appropriate method
for our purpose is that of comparing with each other, in dif
ferent buildings, their total superficies (or space of ground
which they cover) with the superficial area of the piers and
walls supporting their roofs or other coverings.
It is true, this will be no criterion of their comparative
beauty, nor would it be a fair way of estimating the skill
displayed in the construction of buildings whose plans do
not bear some resemblance to each other.
St. Peter's, St. Mary at Florence, St. Paul's, and St. Ge
nevieve, called the Pantheon, at Paris, answer the above
condition ; and being the four largest modern churches of
Europe, it may be instructive to take a comparative view of
them in this respect. Proportion of
Eng- Ft- Eng. Ft. thelatterto
Superf. Superf. the former.
St. Peter's stands on 1 f Of which area its points)
\ 227,069. v 159,308 = 0.261
an area ot  J \ of support occupy ... J
St. Mary, at Florence 84,802  17 030 = 0.201
St. Paul's, London ... 84,025  14,311 = 0.170
&t. Genevieve  60,287  9,269=0.154

ST. PAULS CATHEDRAL. 21
The latter building failed so alarmingly, that it can
hardly be drawn into a comparison with the three others,
for it was found necessary to increase the points of support
under the cupola to a considerable extent.* The construc
tive merit, therefore, of the three first named will be to each
other as the numbers 261, 201, and 170 inversely.f It
is curious to observe, that the proportional number which
would be assigned to the cathedral of Notre Dame is 140, a
prodigious superiority over the others; and there can be
little doubt, that on a comparison of the above with some
of our own cathedrals, the low ratio at which they would
appear would surprise and astonish us.
Having thus compared their points of support with their
superficies, it will not be uninstructive to view them in a
different way: the result is curious and interesting; for
though St. Paul's stands high in rank under the conside
rations just named, it is doomed to lose much of its im
portance in valuing similarly its vertical section.
Supposing sections to be made from north to south
through the transepts of each of the four churches, their
areas, including the thickness of the walls, piers, &c, will
be in the following ratio :
St. Peter's  10,000
St. Mary, at Florence  5,358
St. Paul's  ••  4,166
St. Genevieve  3,303
* It had been, indeed, nearly like Bartolettl's bridge at Pisa, which he
boasted would be one of the wonders of the world. Milizia says of it, that
it was completed, but " dopo otto giorni, una notte si senti un terribile
fracasso, e la mattina, addio maraviglia."
f Soufflot had not sufficiently attended, in the construction of his
church, to the principles which our countryman Hooker considered neces-

22 EDIFICES OF LONDON.
And their clear internal areas to their external areas as
under : — In St. Peter's, as  8,325 to 10,000
In St. Mary, at Florence, as  8,855 to 10,000
In St. Paul's, as  6,865 to 10,000
In St. Genevieve, as  6,746 to 10,000
Thus it appears that there is least waste of interior effect
in St. Mary, at Florence ; and that St. Paul's, and the
church of St. Genevieve, are very far from being economical
in this view of their merits. The same observation, in
respect of the Gothic cathedrals, as was made on their
horizontal areas, quite as strongly applies to their vertical
areas. The builders of the middle ages seem to have found
out the minimum of strength necessary for their purpose.
Among the most elegant applications of science ever
perhaps introduced into a building, is the conical wall
(between the inner and outer domes), upon which the stone
lantern, of enormous weight, is supported. This was truly
the thought of a master ; but however admirable the science
which directed the use of the expedient, it has induced two
defects which are scarcely pardonable. The first of these
is, that the exterior dome is constructed of timber framing,
which, however well attended to, must necessarily decay
within a comparatively short period, should even the care
lessness of plumbers spare it. The other defect is the
immense waste of section which it has caused, and the con
sequent great loss of interior effect sustained.
The vaulting of the nave is very judiciously constructed,
but in this point we find another abuse similar to that just
sary to enter into the completion of a perfect work j yet he was a great
man ; and the edifice, which has been now rendered secure, does him the
highest honour.

ST. PAUL S CATHEDRAL. 23
noticed, viz. the internal inutility of the second order through
out : in truth, its external utility is as little. It seems to have
been erected more to conceal the flying buttresses, turned over
to counteract the thrust of the great vaulting, than for any
other purpose.
The beauties and defects of St. Paul's have been so often
the subject of discussion, that little new can be advanced on
the subject. Its greatest defect arises from the multiplicity
of breaks and incongruous forms in every part. Hence a want
of breadth and repose throughout the interior and exterior, the
cupola and its peristyle only excepted, in which a very oppo
site practice has produced the most delightful result. Ano
ther defect is the almost universal want of even the semblance
of tie and connexion, which the want of continuous lines of
entablature produces ; pediments with the horizontal corona
wanting, and the like. The most glaring instance of this
defect about the fabric is in the interior, over the voids, created
by diagonally piercing the bearing piers of the great cupola.
The object in piercing them must of course have been for the
purpose of preserving a vista through the side aisles of the
nave and choir ; but it may be fairly disputed whether more
was not lost than gained by the expedient. The effect per
haps would have been more striking in the nave by a con
trast with short aisles, whereas the whole length of the cathe
dral is now discovered in each subdivision of its width. To
this may be objected an opposite practice in the Gothic
cathedrals : but do not the different styles require different
treatment ?
The mitering of the archivolts over the eight great arches
of the cupola was a sad abuse. They make the lofty works
which rise above them seem to stand on points. There are
many minor abuses, such as omissions of architraves, fritter
in the ornament, &c, which it is unnecessary to touch upon.

24 EDIFICES OF LONDON.
In short, all the details appear to have been copied from
the worst examples of the worst Italian and French masters.
In this respect, all that was done for the art by Inigo Jones
was lost on Wren, who seems to have delighted more in the
vices of such a man as Borromini, than in the purity of
Palladio, and the elegance and taste of Sansovino and San-
micheli. If, however, the building have great defects, it
has also great beauties : that of the dome has been more
than once alluded to ; no less admirable is the simplicity of
the plan, which certainly approaches perfection. The semi
circular porticoes at the north and south doors are not infe
rior in beauty to the cupola itself.
The excuses which Sir Christopher Wren made for the
adoption of two orders instead of one, are unsatisfactory ; it
would have been far better to have had the columns in many
pieces, and even with vertical joints, than to place one
portico over another in the western front.
Among the merits of the fabric, it must not be forgotten,
that it is free from any material settlement tending to bring
on premature dilapidation. The chief failures in St. Paul's
are over the easternmost arch of the nave, and in the north
transept : for the remedy of the latter it is understood that
Sir Christopher Wren left written instructions. Most of
the flying buttresses exhibit small defects in the haunches,
but they are almost too trifling to merit notice.
A few years ago a new ball and cross were set up on
the stone lantern, in lieu of the original one, which had
become so decayed as to render this measure necessary.
In external appearance, the new ball and cross are fac
similes of their predecessors, but considerable improvements
are said to have been made in the mode of putting them toge
ther. The interior of the church underwent, at the same time,
a thorough cleaning and colouring up to the underside of the

ST. PAUL'S CATHEDRAL. 25
whispering gallery. It is to be regretted that it was not
extended upwards: when the time arrives for undertak
ing it, one may venture a wish, and perhaps entertain a
well grounded hope, that the paintings in the dome will
be effaced, and panels painted in relief substituted for
them* The bare cold walls of the cathedral have remained till
lately unadorned in any way. Some years back, very
liberal offers to decorate them, with a series of pictures,
were made to the then dean and chapter, which, strange
to say, were rejected. It seems, however, now determined
that the walls and recesses shall be filled up by the sculptor,
a decision which, though it will not tend to enrich the effect
of the church in point of colour, is desirable, inasmuch as
it will afford the means of preserving that rank in Europe
to which our school of sculpture has so deservedly attained.
In the monuments already erected there is so much
* Whatever merit there may be in these compositions by Thornhill,
the paintings themselves are barely visible, owing to the great altitude at
which they are placed, and their situation being otherwise very unfavourable,
because the dome receives hardly any light at all from the upper lantern,
which is at a considerable distance from the inner dome, while what light
there is proceeds from the windows in the tambour of the cupola ; neither
are these, again, so effective in regard to light, as they would be, were they
nearly as lofty as the external colonnade allows. Consequently, as the space
beneath these windows is much better lighted than that above them, the latter
's rendered all the more obscure and indistinct by the force of opposition or
contrast. As regards the paintings alone, this is not greatly to be regretted,
since it prevents the bad effect arising from the intermixture of the fictitious
with the real architecture, which are here quite at variance, from being so
conspicuous and offensive as it else would be. This want of sufficient
light to display the interior may, however, be considered as inseparable
from the double dome, and the lantern being proportioned to the appear
ance of the exterior one, and not to the internal one. — Edit.

26 EDIFICES OF LONDON.
sacrifice of propriety, that a word or two on the subject may
be excused. Not to notice naked admirals and post-captains,
with little bits of drapery falling from their shoulders to
mask their nudity ; no fewer than twenty-one of the monu
ments display women with wings growing on their shoul
ders. These personages are facetiously enough denominated
Victories, or, if these be wanting, the hero commemorated
is assisted by some god or other. Hercules and Neptune
seem to be held in most repute ; and their godships, if they
are ever inclined to pay a visit to our sculptors' studi, are
not likely to meet the same reception that Mercury, in the
fable, encountered. It is impossible to imagine a greater
violation of decorum, and consequently of taste, than this
abominable practice, not to mention the disgust arising from
the repetition of these gods and lusus naturae in a Christian
church. The writer of this article was exceedingly surprised to
find the celebrated Chantrey guilty of the absurdity just
mentioned ; but he understands that the design in which it
occurs was made entirely in deference to the powers who
sit in judgment on these occasions, and under the certain
conviction, that without submission to the prevailing taste,
his model would have been thrown aside, as he had before
repeatedly experienced: in his last monument, in this
church, Samson like, he brake the bonds. The situations
assigned to his works here, are as disgraceful to the person
or persons that selected them, as to those who acquiesced
in the selection.
The costume of the age in monumental sculpture is of
the utmost importance ; first, because neither the act of the
person, if the subject be historical, nor the identity of the
person himself, if it be merely monumental, can be recorded
without an observance of it; and secondly, because the pre-

ST. PAUL'S CATHEDRAL. 27
servation of it to the future historian and antiquarian is of
the highest value.
Though the plates, which accompany the foregoing ac
count, are sufficiently explanatory of the remarks which
have been made on the fabric, some observations, which
would have been elsewhere out of place, are subjoined in
the description of them.
Plate I. is a Plan of the Crypt of the Cathedral. To
the architect who builds for posterity, this plan, compared
with that of the superstructure (Plate II.), is peculiarly in
structive and interesting. The large portion of solid allotted
to the piliers of the dome, and the abutmental adjuncts
thereto for guarding against horizontal failure, are not only
remarkable but useful examples for the study of the scien
tific artist.
In the south aisle of the crypt is the tomb of Sir Chris
topher Wren, nearly (as is supposed) under the site of the
high altar of the ancient cathedral. Not far from this spot
are deposited the remains of Bishop Newton, dean of the
cathedral, contiguous to which are those of the distinguished
artists Barry, Opie, West, and Sir Joshua Reynolds.
In the recess of a window, under the south aisle, is the
tomb of Robert Mylne, many years architect to the fabric.
He designed and carried into execution the bridge over the
Thames at Blackfriars, at a period when the science of bridge
building was in this country very imperfectly understood.
The later bridges of the metropolis are below it in elegance,
propriety, and constructive merit : their materials and mass
ensure them a more protracted duration.
Under the middle aisle lie the remains of the late Lord
Chancellor Rosslyn ; Doctor Boyce, the eminent musician ;
Thomas Newton, a considerable benefactor to the Literary
Fund; Dr. John Taylor, Chancellor of St. Paul's; Dr. Chris-

28 EDIFICES OF LONDON.
topher Wilson ; Thomas Jackson, and other departed mem
bers of the cathedral.
In a recess, under the east window, several speci
mens of the sculpture of monuments, which had a place
in the old fabric, are still preserved; among which are
the statues of Dr. Donne, in his shroud ; Sir Nicholas
Bacon, in armour ; Sir John Wolley and his Lady ; Lord
Chancellor Hatton; Sir Thomas Heneage; Sir William
Cockayne ; and a fragment of a bust of the most worthy
and munificent Dean Colet, the pious founder of the gram
mar-school of St. Paul.
Nelson, the glory of his age and nation, lies in this crypt
under the centre of the cupola ; and near him, his gallant
officer, Collingwood.
This plate contains a Transverse Section of the Cathedral
from north to south. The peculiarities of this section and
its merits have already been noticed. The subjects of the
paintings in the compartments of the cupola, which are
chosen from the most remarkable events in the life of
St. Paul, are as follow : — His miraculous conversion, near
Damascus; Acts, chap. ix. His preaching before Sergius
Paulus, and punishment of Elymas the Sorcerer ; chap. xiii.
The sacrifice at Lystra; chap. xiv. The conversion of the
gaoler at Philippi ; chap. xvi. His preaching at Athens ;
chap. xvii. The burning of the books at Ephesus ; chap. xix.
His defence before Agrippa ; chap, xxiv : and his shipwreck
at Melita ; chap, xxvii.
On this section is shown the construction of the exterior
dome, which consists of a system of timber framing of king
posts supporting hammer beams, the ends of which tail on
to corbels worked into the cone. The carpentry is elegant,
but misapplied, where a stone dome should have been
employed.

st. paul's cathedral. 20
The general dimensions are given on the plate ; those of
the detail are not the objects of a popular work.
Plate II. comprises a Plan of the Cathedral on the level
of its principal story, and an Elevation of the West Front, with
the cupola and northern and southern entrances represented
geometrically, more distant. The remarks which it was
thought necessary to make on this front, will be found
at pages 12 and 13 ; nor has the plan been unconsidered.
The Monuments on this story remain therefore to be men
tioned. The first public monument erected in this cathe
dral, was to the memory of John Howard, 1796. It is
placed under the south-east recess of the cupola. In the
corresponding north-eastern recess is that of Dr. Johnson ;
on the south-west side, that of Sir William Jones ; each by
Bacon. The fourth recess contains a statue of Sir Joshua
Reynolds, sculptured by Flaxman. The last-named are
merely monumental sculpture : but the following, which
are historical as well as monumental, are, for the most
part, distinguished by absurdities, to which no age can
furnish a parallel. They contain figures representing the
North Sea ; the German Ocean and the Mediterranean ; the
British Empire in Europe and Asia ; great and small Rivers
in India ; Victory and Britannia ; Fame ; Liberty ; Fraud
and Rebellion ; British Lions and Imperial Eagles ; Genius
and Valour ; and other curiosities !
Those persons to whom monuments are already erected
are: — Lord Nelson (sculptor, Flaxman), on the southern
pier of the dome leading to the choir. Over it is Captain
Duffs monument, in a panel. Marquis Cornwallis (sculptor,
Rossi), situated opposite to Lord Nelson's. In a panel over
it, correspondent to Captain Duff's, is the monument of Cap
tain John Cooke, of the Bellerophon. Major-general Dundas
(sculptor, Bacon, jun.), upon the eastern pier of the north

30 EDIFICES OF LONDON.
transept. In the panel above, is a monument to Generals
Mackenzie and Langworth. Opposite to General Dundas's
monument, westward, stands one to the memory of Captain
Westcott (sculptor, Banks). Over it, in a panel, is the
monument of Generals Crawford and Mackinnon. On the
western pier of the south transept is a monument to the
memory of Captain Burgess, by Banks. Above it, in a
panel, is one to the memory of Captain Hardinge, by Man
ning. On the eastern pier of the south transept is Cap
tain Faulknor's monument, by Rossi ; over which is placed
one to the memory of Captain Miller. In the south tran
sept are the monuments of Earl Howe, by Flaxman; Sir
Ralph Abercromby, by Westmacott; Sir John Moore, by
Bacon, jun. ; Lord Collingwood, by Westmacott ; and Sir
Isaac Brock, in the western ambulatory. In the north
transept are the monuments of Captains Mosse and Riou
(sculptor, Rossi) ; of Lord Rodney, by the same artist ;
of Major-general Hay, by Hopper ; of Generals Picton and
Ponsonby, and Major-general Bowes, by Chantrey; and of
Le Marchant, by James Smith ; of Major-general Ross, by
Kendrick. Monuments also to the memory of Colonel Ca-
dogan and Major-general Houghton, by Chantrey ; and Sir
William Myers, by Kendrick.*
J. GWILT.
* Since the above account was written the following monuments have
been added : against the north-west pier of the south transept, Sir W. Hoste,
by Thomas Campbell ; and on the return, or west side of the same pier,
Dr. Babington, by W. Behnes ; facing Hoste's monument, that is to the
west of the door, is one to Major-general Gillespie ; and in the south aisle,
within the recess of the third or middle window, one to Thomas Fanshaw
Middleton, D.D., Bishop of Calcutta. In the north transept, facing Dun
can's, has been erected a monument to Major-generals Gore and Skerrett.
— Edit.

st. Paul's cathedral. 31
It having been deemed essential to extend the fore
going account, by entering more fully into the description
of the Dome, than has been done by Mr. Gwilt, and
that gentleman's engagements not permitting him to con
tinue the subject, the following particulars are annexed by
Mr. Brayley.
The capital letters on the Plan in Plate II. point out
the principal divisions of the building, viz. A, west portico,
and principal entrance; there are also entrances to the
nave aisles, on each side, but more advanced. B, bell and
clock tower. C, grand geometrical staircase. D, morn
ing-prayer chapel. E, ecclesiastical, or consistory court.
F, aisles of the nave. G, nave. H and I, north and
south transepts: the circular lines within the great piers
show the extent of the cupola and lantern: the north
and south porticoes are shown on the exterior of the tran
septs. K, staircase to the cupola and to all its galleries:
the corresponding division, on the opposite side, is appro
priated as a vestry for the Lord Mayor. L, prebendary's
vestry. M, dean's vestry. N N, choir aisles. O, choir.
P, tribune or altar part of choir.
Plate III. is a Longitudinal Section of the church,
looking south. No particular explanation of this print is
requisite ; but it is proper to remark, that the variation
mentioned in page 11, between the western severy of the
nave and its other divisions, is here shown.
Plate IV. is a Section across the Nave and its Aisles,
of peculiar interest. Architects are indebted to Mr. Samuel
Ware, an experienced and well-informed artist, for having
directed their attention to this section of the cathedral, in
his recent publication on " Vaults and Bridges." By this
print it will be seen how ingeniously Sir Christopher Wren
has masked the flying buttresses, which (springing from the

32 edifices of London.
outer walls) resist the thrust of the main vaulting, by a
screen wall, which extends the whole length of the north
and south sides, and, exteriorly, forms the upper order of
the building. The interior disposition, &c, of the western
entrances are also shown, as well as various general admea
surements, including those of the exterior of the western
towers to the top of the balustrades.
Plate V. is a North-east View of the cathedral, in which
all the exterior forms are duly represented.
Plate VI. is a View of the Interior from the north
transept; and, of course representing the south transept
and entrance, as well as the piers, arches, whispering-
gallery, and inner tambour of the cupola.
Plate VII. In this print, No. 1, is a Section of the
North Transept, and half the Dome, looking east; and
No. 2, an Elevation of the South Transept, and half the
Dome : in both which, the capital and other letters corre
spond with those in Plate VIII., which includes four quar-
tative Plans of the Dome, from its foundation to its vertex ;
two demi -Plans of the Lantern ; and two demi-Plans of the
South-west Tower.
The Dome, or Cupola, as it may with greater propriety
be termed (however general the use of the former appella
tion), is the most magnificent feature of this cathedral. In
the comprehensive manner in which the phrase is mostly
employed with respect to this edifice, it includes the entire
circular part of the superstructure ; which, in fact, inde
pendently of the lantern, consists of three distinct divisions,
namely, the inner cupola, a surmounting cone, and an ex
terior dome, or roof.
The general idea of the Cupola was confessedly taken
from the Pantheon at Rome, as appears from the " Paren
talia," but it is more frequently compared with that of

st. Paul's cathedral. 33
St. Peter's in the same city. Its proportions, however, are
varied from both of those edifices ; the cupola of the former
being no higher within than its diameter, whilst that of
St. Peter's is nearly twice its diameter in height. Sir
Christopher, by observing a mean proportion, has obtained
a form considerably more graceful and harmonious. Before
proceeding, however, with a description of the interior, it
may be expedient to add a few particulars to the account
of the exterior already given.
The circular basement, or pedestal upon which the
cupola stands, rises about twenty feet above the roof of
the church, and then gives place to a peristyle, or colon
nade, of a composed order, but principally Corinthian, of
thirty-two columns, crowned by a continued entablature.
The columns, which are of large proportions, are placed at
regular intervals; and every fourth intercolumniation is
filled with masonry, so disposed as to form an ornamental
niche, or recess, by which judicious arrangement the pro
jecting buttresses of the cupola are entirely concealed. As
all the buttresses are pierced with arcades, there is a free
communication round this part of the dome ; as there is,
also, above the entablature of the peristyle, which supports
a circular gallery surrounded with a balustrade. Within
this enclosure rises an attic story, designed with appropriate
simplicity, and surrounded by pilasters (with intervening
panelling), from the entablature of which springs the ex
terior cupola: this is of a bold and graceful contour, crowned
with lead, and ribbed at regular intervals. The upper part
is pierced by eight large openings (independently of the
central aperture), which admits light through the windows
of the cone into the interior. Another gallery, or balcony,
goes round the aperture, and from the vertex of the cone
rises the stone lantern; the latter is surrounded by a
vol. i. D

34 edifices of London.
Corinthian peristyle, and is crowned by a small cupola,
which, with its majestic ball and cross, terminates the
fabric. The whole exterior, to the entablature of the attic
itself, is of stone.
In describing the interior of the cupola, we may notice
the extreme precaution taken by the architect to insure its
stability ; not alone by the scientific principles exhibited
in its construction, but, likewise, by the ponderous masses
of masonry used in its sustaining piers and abutments.
Commencing with the foundation in the vaults, it may be
described as rising from a square basement of 190 feet,
of which the solid parts are more than equal to the va
cant spaces, and their thickness upwards of twenty feet.
But this will be better understood by referring to the divi
sion of the plan marked H, in Plate VIII. The small
x, shows the piers in the ground plan ; y, the staircase lead
ing to the cupola; and z, the groining to the vaults, or
crypt. Sir Christopher has very judiciously given the preference
to an octagon in place of a square, for the base of his cu
pola, in the area of the church. By this form, the projec
tion of the pendentives is considerably reduced; but the
architect judged it inexpedient in any degree to rely on the
advantages thus obtained for the support of his superstruc
ture. The octagon is formed by eight massive piers, with
their correlative apertures, four of which, being those ter
minating the main openings, are each forty feet wide, whilst
the width of the others is no more than twenty-eight feet
each ; but this disparity is remedied on the level of the first
order of pilasters above the piers, at which elevation the
smaller openings are expanded in a peculiar manner, so
that the eight main arches are all equal, as may be seen by
the longitudinal and transverse sections in Plates III. and

st. Paul's cathedral. 35
VII.* The forms of the piers, and of the vast masses, or
contre-forts, composing the angular abutments, are shown
in Plate VIII. at G, in which w indicates the Lord Mayor's
Vestry, in the north-western angle of the transept.
The spandrells between the great arches are so wrought,
as to form the area into a circle, which is crowned by a
large cantaliver cornice, partly supporting, by its projection,
the whispering gallery. At this level, the interior tambour
of the sub-dome commences, which consists of a high pe
destal and cornice, forming the basement to a range of pilas
ters (with painted flutings), of a composed order, the intervals
between which are occupied by twenty-four windows and
eight niches, all corresponding in situation with the inter
columniations and piers of the exterior peristyle. All this
part is inclined forward (vide p. 12), so as to form the
frustrum of a cone.f From a kind of double plinth, over
* The Florentines say, that the immediate idea of this contrivance was
suggested by the base of the dome of the church of Santa Maria del Fiore,
in their city ; but Sir Christopher never was in Italy, nor, if the honour
of the invention be denied to him, was there any cause for his travelling
thither for the idea, when so fair an example of the octagonal base and
lantern existed in the Cathedral of Ely. But the " Parentalia" affirms,
that in the cupola, " the Surveyor has imitated the Pantheon, or Rotunda,
in Rome, excepting only that the upper order is there but umbratile, not
extant, as at St. Paul's, out of the wall, but only distinguished by different
coloured marbles."
t The surrounding wall, from the area of the whispering gallery to the
first cornice, is quite plain and unornamented ; but the cornice is enriched
with sculptures of shells and acanthus leaves, most splendidly gilt, as are
the bases and capitals, also, of the thirty-two pilasters over it, which cor
respond with the outer peristyle. The panels below the eight niches of
the intervening piers, and the compartments above them, are finely sculp
tured with festoons and foliage, enriched by gilding ; but the festoons be
neath, the windows, like the flutings of the pilasters, are only painted re-
D 2

36 edifices of London.
the upper cornice, springs the inner cupola, the contour of
which is ellipsoidal ; it being composed of two segments of
a circle, which, if not interrupted by the opening under the
cone, would have intersected at the apex.
This cupola is of brick, two bricks thick, and " as it
rises at every five feet, it has a course of excellent brick-
banding through the whole thickness."* For additional
security, also, the lower part is encircled by a girdle of Port
land stone, of considerable dimensions, within which an
enormous double chain of iron, strongly linked together at
every ten feet, and weighing 95 cwt. 3 qrs. and 23 lbs., is
embedded in a channel cut for the purpose, and afterwards
filled up with lead.f From the sectional plan marked F,
semblances, now miserably decayed. The surmounting architecture and
cornice are superbly gilt, as are also the scrolls, shells, festoons, wreaths,
and other decorations of the fictitious frame-work to the paintings by Sir
James Thornhill. The ornamental panels and roses above them, to the
opening of the vault, and the cornice, festoons, shells, roses, &c, in the
upper part of the cone, which is seen through it, are highly enriched with
gilding. * Parentalia, p. 291. — " The concave of the dome was turned upon
a centre, which was judged necessary to keep the work even and true
(although a cupola might be built without a centre) ; but this is observable,
that the centre was laid without any standards from below to support it,
and as it was both centering and scaffolding, it remained for the use of the
painter. Every story of this scaffolding being circular, and the ends of all
the ledgers inserted as so many rings, and truly wrought, it supported itself.
This machine was an original of the kind, and will be a useful project for
a like work hereafter." — Ibid.
f The using of this chain has been objected to, as breaking through
one of Sir Christopher's own maxims, namely, that such "a way of tying
walls together, instead of making them of that substance and form that they
shall, naturally, poise themselves upon their own abutments, is against the
rules of good architecture." But, on this occasion, according to the bold
expression of the "Parentalia" the Architect's " endeavours were to build for

st. paul's cathedral. 37
in Plate VIII., the arrangement and proportions of the
peristyle division of the dome may be distinctly conceived :
ttt, show the piers in the area ; u, the gallery over the
outer peristyle, called the stone gallery ; and v, the whisper
ing gallery.
In the crown of the vault is a circular aperture (sur
rounded by a neatly railed gallery), through which the light
is transmitted with admirable effect from the cone and lan
tern above ; which, " in compliance with the general wish,"
Sir Christopher found it necessary to construct, in order to
give a greater elevation to the fabric. " In this respect, the
world," says the ' Parentalia] " expected that the new work
should not fall short of the old, though that was but a spit,
and this a mountain. He was, therefore, obliged to com
ply with the humour of the age, and to raise another struc
ture over the first cupola ; and this was a cone of brick, so
built as to support a stone lantern, of an elegant figure, and
ending in ornaments of copper gilt."
The cone, " being a form which concentrated the risk
in the frangibility of the material,"* was the most judicious
which the architect could adopt to attain the required ele
vation, and support the lantern proposed ; as an erection of
that form, when prevented from spreading at its base, will
sustain any weight at the vertex.
In describing the cone, which takes its immediate rise
from the attic above the stone gallery, it must be remarked,
that, in order to give it increased strength, it is banded at
different distances by a girdle of stone and by four iron chains'.
eternity ! " On that principle, surely, even a superfluous caution may be
pardoned, for it has been sometimes questioned whether the chain has any
absolute utility. But query— is it not the means of rendering the thrust
of the cupola more directly perpendicular than it would otherwise be?
* Vide Ware's " Tracts on Vaults and Bridges," p. 20.

38 edifices of london.
Like the cupola, it is constructed of brick, and is two bricks
in thickness. It is pierced by three ranges of small elliptical
apertures ; and still higher up, by eight semicircular-headed
windows, which admit light from the lantern, and the open
ings round its pedestal, in the outer dome. As the small
dome in which it terminates is seen through the vista at the
vertex of the cupola, that part has been ornamented by an en
riched cornice and soffit. The plan marked E, in Plate VIII.,
will elucidate the construction of this division of the Cathedral :
/, gallery over the inner cupola ; g, cupola; A, cone; parches
in ditto ; j, buttresses ; k, cornice ; I, gallery over the peristyle,
called the golden gallery; m, balustrade; n, roof to choir; op,
roof to transept ; q q, parapets to choir and transept ; r r, roofs
over aisles ; s, balustrade at the angle of the transept.
Between the lower part of the cone and the wall of the
surrounding attic, at intervals of about eight feet, are strong
cross wedges of stone (pierced with circles, &c), each of
which " supports two upright timbers, about one foot square,
reaching to the third gradation in the great arch of the
external dome. The second horizontal timber is the base of
the great ribs. Under this are two ranges of scantling, the
whole circumference of the circle ; the lower one supported by
two uprights between each wedge, and the other by eight, rest
ing on the stone-work. The remaining horizontal timbers, in
the ascent, four in number, rest upon strong brackets of stone,
inserted quite through the brick cone. Another series of
uprights spring from the second row of brackets, which are
secured by angular timbers, and the whole, at proper inter
vals, by strong bands of iron."* The ribs, which are about
seventy in number, are closely covered with oaken boards ;
* Malcolm's " Londinium Redivivum," vol. iii. p. 116. See also the
Sections in Plates I., III., and VII,

ST. PAUL'S CATHEDRAL. 39
and those by the lead, which forms the external covering*
The contour of this outward dome, although ellipsoidal in
its form, approaches somewhat closer to the hemispherical
character than the inner cupola.
The stone lantern, which takes its rise from the upper part
of the cone, is reputed to be of the enormous weight of 700
tons. The plan, No. 1, Plate VIII., will elucidate its form
at different stages. B, shows the basement of the peristyle ;
a, is the staircase to the gallery which surrounds the lantern ;
b, the gallery itself; and c, the ribs and flutings of the lead-
work which covers the dome.
In the same Plate are two half plans (No. 2) of the south
west tower of the Cathedral, of which C shows the colon
nade, and D the story above the latter.
Among the drawings of Sir Christopher Wren, now pre
served in the Library of All Souls' College, at Oxford, is one
in which the respective sites of the Old and New Cathedrals
of St. Paul are compared, by means of a variation in the
tints, as shown in the annexed wood-cut, which has been
executed from a copy of the original drawing made by
Mr. Gwilt. From this print, the difference between the two
buildings, in respect to extent and form, will be readily
comprehended ; and it will be seen, likewise, how much of
the old ground-plot is covered by the new foundations. The
square, with an octagonal centre, at the angle between the
nave and transept of the old Cathedral, shows the situation
of the ancient cloisters.
* The quantity of timber used in the construction of this roof, is generally
considered by architects to have been far more than necessary ; and Mr. Ware
remarks, that " had its great architect been a timber merchant, the implication
would have been on his morality." But, as he immediately and justly ob
serves, " it is to be remembered that, in a censure of Sir Christopher Wren,
he is only paying the tax to the public for being eminent."

40 EDIFICES OF LONDON.
Comparative Plans or the Old and Modern Churches of St. Paul.

As an interesting appendage to the preceding account, the following
particulars of the size of all the principal Domes in Europe have been
abstracted from Mr. Ware's " Tracts on Vaults and Bridges :" —
The Domes remarkable from their size, erected before the time of Con-
stantine, are those of the Pantheon, of Minerva Medica, of the Baths of
Caracalla and of Diocletian, at Rome ; and of the Temples of Mercury,
Diana, Apollo, and Proserpine and Venus, in the neighbourhood of Puz-
zuoli. Of these, the principal dimensions are as follow : —
Feet Diam. Feet high.
Dome of the Pantheon  142  143
 Minerva Medica  78  97

st. Paul's cathedral. 41
Feet Diam. Feet high.
Dome of the Baths of Caracalla  112  116
 Diocletian  74  83
 Temple of Mercury  68  —
 Diana  98  78
 Apollo  120  —
 Proserpine and Venus ... 87  77

From the time of Justinian, who erected St. Sophia, at Constantinople,
to that of Brunelleschi, who flourished in the early part of the fifteenth
century, the principal Domes are these : — Feet Diam. Feet high.
Dome of the Church of St. Sophia  115  201
 Mosque of Solyman II., at Constan
tinople  —  —
 Achmet  92  120

Church of St. Vitale, at Ravenna... 55  91
 St. Maria, ditto, said to be

cut out of a single block of stone  36  61
 St. Mark, at Venice  75  190

. Church at Sienna  57  148
• Cathedral at Milan  57  254

From the time of Brunelleschi to the present period : —
Feet Diam. Feet high.
Dome of St. Maria delle Fiore, at Florence  139  310
 the Chapel of Medicis  91  199
 Baptistry at Florence  86  110
 Cathedral of St. Peter, at Rome ... 139  330
.  Church of Madonna della Salute, at
Venice  70  133
 ¦ Superga, at Turin  64  128
 — Invalides, at Paris  80  173
 . Val de Grace, ditto ... 55  133
 Sorhonne, ditto  40  110
 - St. Genevieve, ditto ... 67  190

Cathedral of St. Paul, at London... 112  215
. Catholic Church, at Darmstadt ... 105  104

42 EDIFICES OF LONDON.
Taken altogether, St. Paul's is the finest architectural
monument of its class in Europe, as superior to St. Peter's
for its composition and design, as it falls short of that edi
fice in regard to dimensions and costliness of embellish
ment. That it is perfectly exempt from all leaven of the
corrupt taste of the period when it was erected, cannot be
asserted ; yet there is merely enough to remind us of it, and
excite our wonder that Wren should have been able to
shake it off to the degree which he has done, and surpass
not only his contemporaries but himself. In no other of his
works, for instance, do we meet with any piece of composi
tion at all approaching that of the two semicircular porti
coes of the transept ; which, with the single exception of
the tablets above the doors, are marked by a breadth and
simplicity, and by a refined dignified elegance quite the re
verse of the qualities exhibited in most of his other designs.
By some, the west front has been considered exceptionable,
both on account of its having two loggias, one above the
other, and coupled columns ; but then, if these might be
censured as defects in a style professing to be more strictly
Greek, they are in accordance with the general character of
the fabric, where the grandeur aimed at is evidently enough
of the kind arising from an accumulation of masses distinct
in themselves, but all so combined as to relieve and set-off
each other, and co-operate towards one common expression
of grandeur, which attains its climax at the dome. A single
order could not have been here substituted without altering
every other part. As regards the cupola, it would in some
degree have overpowered its peristyle, and caused it to ap
pear less important than it now does, and certainly would
not have combined with the present companili ; which, al
though they will not bear rigid scrutiny, are highly valuable
in the general composition, both giving an animated and

st. Paul's cathedral. 43
picturesque outline to the mass of the western facade, and
as balancing and leading the eye to the dome, which dis
covers itself behind them. Again, although the height is
divided into two orders, they are in themselves of sufficient
magnitude to have an air of dignity, and so far accord
with the interior as to indicate (as will be plainly seen by
the section, Plate X.) its principal order and its lofty vaulted
roof. So far, then, there is a sufficient degree of harmony
and correspondence between them ; whereas a single exter
nal order would have required a totally different mode of
treatment for the interior from that now adopted. One
happy peculiarity in the design of the facade, which
deserves to have attention directed to it, more especially
as it appears hitherto to have escaped remark, is that
arising from the lower order of columns being extended
beyond that of the upper loggia, so as to exhibit a range
of twelve insulated columns, forming five principal inter-
columns, of which only the three middle ones belong-
to the recessed portion, or loggia, containing the great
door. By this means two varieties of contrast are obtained ;
first, that which it presents to the upper loggia, crowned by
the pediment, and the variety of shadow in the parts be
hind itself; and yet, although one would imagine that this
arrangement, and the effect produced by it, must be suffi
ciently obvious to the eye of every professional man, no one,
even of those who affect most to admire Wren's architecture,
has ever borrowed a hint from it.
The interior of the church has many beauties ; and al
though no very high commendation can be bestowed on
the individual monuments, still they have the merit of
being exceedingly well arranged for general effect— of
filling up, without crowding the building, and of serving
to relieve the architecture. A stranger who had never seen

44 EDIFICES OF LONDON.
the edifice itself, can form but a very imperfect idea indeed
of it from prints, all the views being confined to one or two
principal stations, notwithstanding that there are numerous
others far preferable to those selected, both in regard to
subject and scenic effect. In fact, it would require a rather
extensive series of drawings fully to illustrate the interior
alone of this noble edifice in all its parts, and in every
direction ; and we may here remark, that it is almost im
possible to show in any vertical representation the effect of
the dome, since to bring within the picture the height
from the pavement to its summit, or nearly so, the spectator
must be not only at a much greater distance than the edi
fice will allow, but at such distance that the roof of the nave
would intercept the view of even the pilasters and windows
above the whispering gallery. Of this any one may satisfy
himself by consulting the longitudinal section, Plate III.
It must therefore be admitted, that there is no small degree
of licence taken in the interior view, Plate VI., although not
quite so great as that which another artist has allowed
himself in a recent publication, where, in a view from the
whispering gallery, he allows us to see at one and the same
instant the lantern in the summit of the dome, and the
pavement beneath our feet ! On the subject of the defi
ciency of light in the interior of the dome itself, some re
marks have already been made in the note at page 25.
For other remarks on the architecture of St. Paul's, we refer
the reader to those which occur in Dallaway, and in Mitford's
work, entitled " Principles of Design." One thing which we
shall stop to notice, because we are not aware that it has
been pointed out by any of his numerous critics, notwith
standing that it evinces more than usual good taste on the
part of Wren, is, that he has fluted the columns of the ex
terior, but has not fluted the pilasters.

st. Paul's cathedral. 45
In point of situation, St. Paul's is by no means favoured,
quite the contrary; neither is there reason at present to
anticipate any alteration for the better, except the very
partial one of opening a view of the east end to St. Martin's-
le-Grand. Some years ago — if we recollect right, it was in
1825 — a scheme was brought forward by Mr. Elmes, which,
had it been carried into execution, would have conduced in
no small degree to the beauty and convenience of the imme
diate neighbourhood, as well as to the effect of Wren's
majestic pile. According to the published plan of the im
provements, it was intended that all the surrounding houses
should be taken down and rebuilt after a uniform design,
so as to accommodate the whole of the surrounding area to
the outline of the Cathedral, making a small crescent facing
each of the porticoes of the transept, whereby sufficient
space would have been obtained opposite these projecting
parts of the edifice, without setting back the general line of
houses too far. It was also intended to form a more spa
cious crescent before the west front, and thence to extend,
in a straight line, an entirely new street passing a little to
the south of Fleet Street, and terminating by the church of
St. Clement's, in the Strand. Perhaps it was this part of
the project which caused it to be abandoned altogether, be
cause, independently of the magnitude of the undertaking,
it was not likely to be favoured by the inhabitants of
Ludgate Hill and Fleet Street. Were such the case, it is to
be regretted that the architect did not confine his views, at
the commencement, to what would have been in itself a
most noble and desirable improvement, and which would
have converted into an elegant and symmetrical place what
is now one of the most zigzag, confused, and perverse jum
ble of houses in the whole metropolis. Had such plan been
adopted, and an act of parliament obtained for carrying it

46 EDIFICES OF LONDON.
into effect, St. Paul's School, an elegant edifice in itself,
would not have been suffered to offend the eye as it now,
does, by being turned obliquely to that end of the Cathe
dral ; greatly is it to be regretted that the line of its front
was not laid down with a view to future, if not immediate,
improvements, for as it now stands it offers an almost in
superable obstacle to any, at least on that side of the
churchyard. EDITOR.

EDIFICES OF LOUDON"  CHURCH ES.

_S.H.ayner del;

j Gladwin t'cnlp.

.v. *¦ sections.

John. lircale Archu^cceuraZZibra^y.SS^Si^hSbldot

ST. STEPHEN'S, WALLBEOOK.

Ralph, in his " Critical Review of the Public Build
ings in and about London and Westminster," 1734, ob
serves, that " The church in Wallbrook, so little known
among us, is famous all over Europe, and is justly re
puted the masterpiece of the celebrated Sir Christopher
Wren. Perhaps Italy* itself can produce no modern
building that can vie with this in taste or proportion:
there is not a beauty which the plan would admit of
that is not to be found here in its greatest perfection;
and foreigners very justly call our judgment in question
for understanding its graces no better, and allowing it
no higher a degree of fame."
If such a want of taste really existed in England
when Ralph wrote, it is more than made amends for
by the estimation in which our countrymen at present
hold the work in question. Had its materials and vo
lume been as durable and extensive as those of St. Paul's
Cathedral, Sir Christopher Wren had consummated a
much more efficient monument to his well-earned fame,
than that fabric affords.
» Compared with any other of nearly the same magnitude, Italy cannot
exhibit its equal ; elsewhere its rival is not to be found. Of those worthy
notice, the Zitelle, at Venice (by Palladio), is the nearest approximation,
in regard to size, but it ranks far below our church in point of composition,
and still lower in point of effect.

48 EDIFICES OF LONDON.
The earliest church of this parish, of which we have
authentic notice, was, previous to the year 1135, given
to the monastery of St. John, in Colchester, by Eudo,
sewer to King Henry the First. It stood on the west
side of the street, and consequently on the western bank
of the water-course of Wallbrook, till the year 1428, about
which time the site of the present church and cemetery
was purchased of the company of grocers, by Robert Chi-
chely, lord mayor of London (the executor of William
Stondon, who had theretofore filled the same office), and
the church then erected was completed in 1439; St. Ste
phen, the protomartyr, being at that period, as now, the
saint in whose honour it was raised. Destroyed in the
great fire of 1666, the edifice for the use of the united
parishes of St. Stephen and St. Bennett Sherehog, which
is more peculiarly the subject of this memoir, was con
structed in its place.
The main body of St. Stephen's church (for the en
trance and tower stand completely distinct from it) covers
a plot of ground eighty-seven feet ten inches in length
from east to west, and sixty-four feet ten inches from
north to south ; its clear internal dimensions being eighty-
two feet six inches by fifty-nine feet six inches. It is
very singular that so many writers, including the author
of the " Parentalia," should have invariably quoted its dimen
sions so far from the truth as seventy-five feet by fifty-six
feet. The plan, which is nearly a parallelogram, is divided
laterally by four ranks of columns, whereof the two cen
tral, between the third, fourth, and fifth longitudinal inter
columniations, are omitted on each side, for the purpose
of admitting the large area covered by the cupola. This
expedient also answers the purpose of giving to the in-

st. Stephen's, wallbrook. 49
terior a cruciform effect; the intercolumniations of the
transept (if the term may be used) being as wide as
those of the nave. When it is considered that the archi
tect had to contend with a confined and limited space
not wide enough for completely developing his design,
when we contemplate the method he adopted to triumph
over the difficulty which presented itself, we take the pro
per means of duly appreciating the singular ingenuity of
Sir Christopher Wren. By thus estimating its merits,
we shall perceive that the walls are a mere case for the
exquisite interior they enclose; seeming almost to indi
cate that the architect had hopes he might some day or
other have the good fortune to remove them and perfect
the building.
The plan results from an octagon inscribed in a cir
cle, whose diameter is equal to the distance between the
centres of the extreme columns. The interior length of
the church is the common measure of the other parts,
one half of it being given to the diameter of the circle
about which the columns under the cupola are circum
scribed. Hence it arises that the spaces between the
columns and the north and south walls are not more
than six feet six inches. The central intercolumniations
are sixteen feet eight inches in width, as are those which
may be said to form the traverse of the cross. The longi
tudinal intercolumniations are eleven feet four inches wide,
those at the eastern and western extremities excepted,
which are only ten feet eight inches in width; and the
transverse intercolumniations exceed those last named by
only three inches.
The columns are of the Corinthian order, and it is
truly astonishing to observe the advantage the architect
has taken of so scanty a number as sixteen. These are
VOL. i. e

50 EDIFICES OF LONDON.
crowned with an entablature of a mongrel breed,* some
thing between an architrave and a cornice. The eight
columns which support the cupola are, as already men
tioned, on the angles of a regular octagon, and conse
quently equidistant ; but, inasmuch as the open space over
which the cupola rises is square, and the entablature breaks
northwards and southwards rectangularly throughout the
church, it became necessary to form the octagon for the
reception of the dome above the entablature, by means
of four diagonal arches springing from the columns of
the nave to those which have been said to form tran
septs. This was an expedient scarcely allowable, because
of the ill effect of the entablature returning behind the
arches at an angle of forty-five degrees with their faces,
and thus producing in the diagonal section a column oppo
site to the central vertical line of the arches. Lines reced
ing acutely are never agreeable in Roman architecture,
from the irregularity they always induce. - The pleasant
and delightful result of the combination is, nevertheless,
so satisfactory in the example before us, that it may be
justly said of the architect,
"  Si non

Videtur meruisse laudem, culpa caruisse."
On the arches of the octagon, pendentives are formed
for the reception of the circular composite cornice im
mediately under the dome, which is hemispherical, and
about forty-five feet in diameter. It is decorated with

* This detracts somewhat from the merit imputed to this interior in
the rest of the description. In itself the censure is just, for this excessive
enrichment of the frieze accords neither with the unfluted columns, nor
with the bareness of the walls. — Edit.

st. Stephen's, wallbrook. 51
four heights of sunk panels of singular elegance and va
riety, enriched with shields, palm branches, and roses, and
pierced at its vertex for the reception of a tambour or
lantern Light.
The ceilings over the central intercolumniations, north,
south, east, and west, are vaulted with groins and arcs dou-
bleaux, between which latter a clairstory is introduced. The
other parts of the ceiling are horizontal, formed into panels
by the entablatures which severally connect the columns.
The entrance from Wallbrook is sombre, and without
any beauty to prepare the spectator for the brilliant inte
rior, which he approaches by a flight of sixteen steps.
The steeple tower, placed at the north-west angle of the
church, is not worthy of remark. It is, indeed, difficult
to believe that it is by the same architect who designed
the interior just described.
The walls and tower are of stone, and the roof and dome
of timber covered with lead. The latter circumstance is
greatly to be regretted in a city where fires are so frequent,
and over a church so contiguous to houses.
The first stone of the church was laid October 16th,
1672, and in 1679 it was completed.
The constructive skill exhibited in this fabric is of
the highest class, whether viewed in regard to the points
of support, as compared with its total superficies, or in
respect of its section. The former only have been consi
dered here, but the slightest glance at the section given
will show how small a portion of interior effect has been
lost. Its area, including wall (the church only), is 5,641
feet superficial, whereof the points of support occupy only
819 feet superficial ; so that the ratio of the former to the
latter is 0.145, one which may admit of its ranking in this
respect with the extraordinary structures of the middle ages.
E 2

52 EDIFICES OF LONDON.
Before the erection of the Mansion House, this church,
standing unobstructed in Stocks Market, enjoyed a plen
tiful supply of light, that blessing which Dr. Fuller, pre
bendary of Sarum, in his " Aphorisms of Building," has
not inaptly termed, " God's eldest daughter." The Man
sion House has greatly tended to deprive it of that bless
ing, not less than, as it were, to smother the fabric* It
will, therefore, be scarcely credited, that at the last repair
of the church, a few years back, it was in contemplation
to deprive it, by bricking up some of the windows, of that
light already from circumstances too much diminished.
The attempt was made, but the good taste of the church
warden of the year saved the structure from the rude hands
of barbarous builders. To such, alas, are our beautiful edi
fices now usually exposed. The window at the east end
had, indeed, been already closed for the reception of a
picture by West; ill placed, because badly lighted; and
one cannot help expressing a wish that if the sister art
be, as it ought to be, employed in our churches, it should
not be at the expense of the architectural effect.
Alison, in his " Essays on Taste" (vol. i. p. 57), says,
" In all the fine arts, that composition is most excellent in
which the different parts most fully unite in the produc
tion of one unmingled emotion; and that taste the most
perfect, where the perception of this relation of objects,
in point of expression, is most delicate and precise." This
definition eminently applies to the subject of the present
* " Behind proud Dance's palace, in disgrace,
Retiring Wallbrook hides her blushing face ;
Perhaps St. Stephen thinks this pile of stones
Again may rattle round his batter 'd bones."
Metrical Remarks on Modern Castles and Cottages.
London, 1818.

ST. STEPHEN'S, WALLBROOK. 53
memoir, in which is to be found the taste, the style, the
purity of Palladio, and of the best architects of the six
teenth century; and these observations cannot perhaps
be closed more suitably than by applying to the archi
tect, in respect of it, the words of the younger Pliny,
" Manet manebitque honori."
J. GWILT.
Plate I. A Section of the Church from east to west,
in line C D on the plan. — B, Section in line A B from
north to south. — C, Ground-plan of the Church: 1. Ves
tibule, or porch ; 2. Arched or coved recess for the organ ;
3. Altai- and communion, &c. ; 4. Vestry ; 5. Tower.
Plate II. View of the Interior of the Church, from
the west end, looking east.

I cannot help being of opinion that this church has
been considerably overrated as a piece of architecture, par
ticularly when we are told Wren " has not omitted a
single beauty of which the design was capable, but has
applied them all with infinite grace."* That the testimony
of foreigners in its favour should, in Ralph's time, have
been held equivalent to a verdict admitting of no appeal, is
not surprising ; and it certainly deserves the celebrity it has
obtained, full as well as many buildings in Italy, which
having been admired in their own day, have since been
permitted to retain the eclat of a traditional reputation.
Such is also, in some degree, the case with this work of
Wren's : few care to impugn it now, for fear of committing
themselves ; yet hardly any one seems to admire it, I will not
say enthusiastically, but sincerely, from his own feelings,
without regard to established opinion.
* Dallaway.

54 EDIFICES OF LONDON.
If, indeed, commendation is to be supposed to extend
only to what is praiseworthy, this interior is no doubt en
titled to much; yet there is also not a few things in it
which operate as so many drawbacks on its merits. It is
markedly deficient in architectural keeping in that species
of harmony which results from maintaining equal attention
to finish and details throughout : not that every part should
be treated as being of equal importance, but so as to con
tribute to the general effect and character, and that nothing
shall appear to be neglected. Assayed by this test, the interior
of St. Stephen's must be pronounced very unsatisfactory ;
for either the dome and columns are far too rich for all the
rest, or the latter much too plain and even mean to accord
with those features. Instead of in any degree coming in
aid of the design, the windows are so many blemishes ;
more especially the small oval ones, which are fitter for a
stable than a church of the Corinthian order ; — unpleasing
forms at the best for such apertures in any building pro
fessing to be classical in its style, yet here most conspicu
ously introduced, and very superfluously so ; since sufficient
light might have been admitted through the dome, and the
vertical windows above the entablature. Another defect
consists in the order not being carried out by pilasters against
the walls, which, besides that they would keep up con
sistency of decoration, seem almost demanded, in order to
receive the extremities of the architraves from the columns
to the walls.
Rash and presumptuous as this estimate may appear to
many, it will hardly be thought immoderate in censure, if
compared with the late Dr. James Anderton's observations
on the same church, in his essay on the " Origin, Excel
lencies, and Defects, of the Grecian and Gothic styles of
Architecture." " There is in London," he says, " a church

ST. STEPHEN'S, WALLBROOK. 55
of most wonderful construction, which has been much cele
brated, and deserves to be so, if the effecting what no other
person could have conceived the idea of doing can give a
just claim to celebrity, for I do believe that there never was
an equal number of architectural incongruities huddled to
gether in so small a compass as here ; so that I consider it
the ne plus ultra in this line. In the church alluded to, we
find the Grecian column, though made of wood (not of
marble) surmounted by its capital, architrave and cornice,
totally detached from all other objects on its own level, sur
mounted by arches in the Gothic manner, but after the
Grecian form and fashion (compare with this the graceful
springing of the arches from the top of the Gothic pillar).
These arches, whose very existence ought to depend upon
the stability and weight of the materials of which they
consist, are made of chips of wood instead of stone ; so that,
in order to keep them from falling, they must be bound by
internal bars of a straight, not a curved form, that are con
cealed from view by veneering, with which the whole is
covered. To proceed further in this kind of analysis would
prove tiresome, I shall, therefore, conclude it, by directing
the reader to the church of St. Stephen, Wallbrook, where
he may have the pleasure of contemplating at leisure this
matchless composition: warning him, however, not to let
drop any hints of disapprobation, or he will run a risk of
being hooted at as a maniac ; for there is scarcely any church
in England, that has obtained higher eulogiums abroad,
and from a certain description of persons at home than this
has ; nor can it be denied that it is indeed and in truth a
most wonderful structure."
Here, perhaps, the censure is as much too exaggerated,
as is the praise that has been bestowed by others, since he
building ought not to be tested very rigorously by the rules

56 EDIFICES OF LONDON.
of pure Grecian architecture, its style being avowedly
Italian, wherein arches resting on an order may be consi
dered admissible, and in adopting them the architect has at
least avoided the incongruity of putting a mere fragment of
their entablature above each column, as is done in St.
Martin's Church. Neither ought we to cavil at the material
not being stone, because at that rate we should be obliged to
condemn a good deal in modern architecture whose design
is good, although the construction is more or less masked by
it. However, notwithstanding that they partake of hyper-
criticism, the remarks just introduced will serve to show
how widely opinions differ as to the merits of this church.
One thing, however, in which it differs from almost every
other of our modern churches, and wherein it deserves to
be taken as a model, is the absence of side galleries, which
are rarely so managed as not to appear awkward incum
brances, cutting up and disfiguring the architecture. EDITOE.

EDIFICES of 'LONDON -..CHURCHES

Sir Christopher Wren, .Arch?
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ST. MARY-LE-BOW, CHEAPSLDE.

The Church of St. Mary-le-Bow is dedicated to the
Virgin, and has been supposed to derive its cognomen from
the arches of its ancient crypt. Malcolm, however (in
"Londinium Redivivum," vol. ii. p. 150), suggests it as
more probable that the appellation was given from the
bows, or arches, which are said to have ornamented the
ancient steeple, in the manner of that of the present Church
of St. Dunstan's-in-the-East.
An ancient church stood nearly on the same ground as
the present edifice, one corner of which was occupied by a
tower, or steeple ; the whole, according to Sir Christopher
Wren,* standing forty feet back from the High Street. Of
this edifice no particulars have been preserved, but we learn
from Stow, that the steeple was twice rebuilt, previously to
the great fire of London; first in 1284, when the former
edifice had fallen down. This becoming ruinous, was
again restored in 1512, and finished with five lanterns at
the summit, one at each angle, and one in the centre.
These were to have been glazed, and illuminated by night,
as a beacon to guide travellers on approaching the metro
polis. At last, both church and steeple were involved in the
general conflagration of 1666, which destroyed them, together
* " Parentalia," p. 265.

58 EDIFICES OF LONDON.
with all the surrounding buildings. When the new city
was rising from the ashes of the old, the re-edification of
this church devolved to the care of Sir Christopher Wren,
in his official capacity of surveyor-general of the city build
ings ; and, as it had long been regarded as the principal
parish church in the metropolis, he appears to have devoted
to it particular attention. Some liberal benefactions also,
from private individuals, contributed to assist his endeavours
to make this church a conspicuous monument of his skill*
In the account of the ancient state of London, deduced
from the discoveries of Sir Christopher after the fire, and
inserted in the " Parentalia," it is stated that, " upon open
ing the ground, a foundation was discerned, firm enough
for the intended fabric, which (on further inspection, after
digging down sufficiently and removing what earth or rub
bish lay in the way) appeared to be the walls, with the
windows also, and the pavement of a temple or church, of
Roman workmanship, entirely buried under the level of the
present street." By this Roman temple, the surveyor seems
to have meant the crypt of the ancient church, the substance
of which, after various repairs and renewals, still exist, and
of which the date seems not far from the period of the Nor
man Conquest. Upon this foundation he erected the church,
and by purchasing the ground of one private house, he pro
cured a place for the exterior of the steeple to range with
the houses of Cheapside. On digging here for a foundation,
he found one ready prepared for him, eighteen feet below
the surface, in the ancient Roman causeway, over which the
ground had since accumulated thus much ; and upon this
he resolved to raise his intended lofty and weighty struc
ture. Having thus secured his foundations, he proceeded
* Among these was a donation of £2,000 from Dame Dionysse Wil
liamson, of Hales Hall, Norfolk.

ST. MARY-LE-BOW, CHEAPSIDE. 59
with the buildings, and finished them in the year 1677.
The plan consists of the area of the church, adjoining
which is the vestry-room, a capacious apartment for the
transaction of parochial business, with a vestibule connect
ing the church with the tower ; and the celebrated tower
or steeple, which, as before mentioned, ranges with the
houses of the street. An arcade of two openings was origi
nally designed by the architect to occupy the space between
the side of the church and the street, but the ground could
not be obtained.
The church, unlike most others in London, is nearly
square in its plan, and is divided by two Corinthian co
lumns on each side, into a nave with two aisles, between
which, length-ways, are pilasters with arches : the entabla
ture is not continuous, the arches rising to the under side of
the cornice, above which is an arched ceiling, ornamented
with enriched bands, panels, &c. The east end contains
one large and four smaller windows, and is decorated with
semi-columns similar to the others. In the centre inter-
columniation is an highly enriched altar-piece. The west
end is ornamented in the same manner as the east, except
ing that a door-way, with an organ-gallery over it, are sub
stituted for the altar-piece. The columns are painted in
imitation of porphyry, with gilt capitals and cornice ; and
the general effect of the interior is pleasing.
The celebrated steeple next claims our attention ; the
whole composition of which is divided, like that of St. Bride's
Church, Fleet Street, into two leading parts, — a square
tower, and the conically disposed structure above. This
arrangement is a general imitation of the Gothic spire; and,
to add to the similitude, the architect thought proper to
place on the angles of the tower assemblages of cartouches,
surmounted by urns, forming pyramidical ornaments, and

60 EDIFICES OF LONDON.
forcibly reminding the spectator of the pinnacles of the pointed
Christian architecture. The tower externally is divided in
its height into three stories. At the bottom are elaborate
entrance door-ways, on two sides ; each of which is contained
within a lofty arched recess, and consists of two columns
with an entablature of the Doric order. The metopes of these
are occupied by heads intended to represent cherubim : within
the recess is an arch with sculptured spandrells and key
stone ; and above is an elliptical perforation, surrounded by
the figures of two children in sitting postures, with festoons,
&c. Above this, in the north front, is a window with a
balcony, having a small niche on each side. The upper
story is ornamented by coupled Ionic pilasters, with an ap
propriate entablature, which, surmounted by a high balus
trade, completes this part of the structure. Internally, the
tower consists of four stories ; of which that on the ground
constitutes an elegant vestibule to the church, being enriched
with a dentillated cornice, and covered by a vaulted ceiling
of stone, with a large aperture in the centre. Above this are
two stories to the base of the Ionic pilasters of the elevation,
the upper of which serves as an apartment for the bell-
ringers. On the next floor are placed the bells ; and here
the angles of the walls are gradually filled up to reduce the
square to a circle, which it becomes a little below the ex
terior entablature. Over this is a parabolic dome, the
external appearance of which is a circular stylobate, sup
porting a peristyle of twelve columns, with their entablature,
and a balustraded parapet. These are of a composed order,
the capitals being Doric, with single rows of leaves round
their necks : on the frieze are a kind of modillion brackets,
supporting the cornice in the manner of the upper order of
St. Paul's Cathedral. Within this is carried up a cylinder
of stone, the weight of which, together with that of the rest

ST. MARY-LE-BOW, CHEAPSIDE. 61
of the superstructure, is thrown upon the dome, which
seems rather balanced than built upon the walls below :
thus affording a striking example of that mechanical skill
which pervades the works of Sir Christopher Wren. To
this cylinder are attached flying buttresses, which spring
from over the columns of the peristyle, and are carried
up to a considerable height above the parapet. Where
these terminate, a cornice is constructed round the cylin
der, and upon it a pedestal, which surrounds a second
dome. Upon this is an elegant little building, with co
lumns and entablature of the Composite order, round a
small cylinder, which is yet further diminished at the top
by a kind of dome. The plan, here made square, is or
namented with two cartouches on each side, surmounted
by a cornice, on which is placed an obelisk and a ball.
The figure of a dragon, in copper, gilt, about ten feet
long, which serves as a weathercock, crowns the whole
Within the cylinder is a wooden staircase of light con
struction, detached from the wall, and resting on a newel
of timber, which is suspended within the dome by means
of beams proceeding from the walls. The impossibility
of erecting a stone staircase in this situation, or, if erected,
of gaining access to it, led to the adoption of this expe
dient. The accompanying engraving displays, as far as
this kind of representation can, the construction and pro
portions of the tower and spire, by an elevation, section,
and plans of the different stories.*
* About the year 1820, it was found necessary to take down and rebuild
the upper portion of Bow spire, and George Gwilt, Esq., was employed
as the architect. He found that the iron cramps had so much expanded
by rust, that many of the joints were opened, and several stones broken. He
has successfully and skilfully restored and re-erected the greater part of the
spire.

62 EDIFICES OF LONDON.
As this celebrated steeple, with others erected in the
Grecian and Roman styles, are imitations of a feature of
the edifices of the middle ages, and adapted to " a better
manner of building," as the author of the " Parentalia"
calls it, it may assist us in forming a right judgment of
the edifice in question, to consider what has been done
by the ancient monastic architects. The antiquities of
our own country furnish us with various elegant and
skilful examples of this , species of composition, which
owes its origin and use to the nature of the Christian
worship. This invites all persons to join in its cere
monies, and partake of its benefits ; differing in this
respect, essentially, from all previous religious systems.
From this arose the use of bells to notify the time of
meeting, and also the appropriate buildings to contain
them; which, in order to diffuse more widely the sounds,
were elevated above the contiguous ordinary dwellings.
These buildings were called Campaniles, and in the early
Christian churches were often detached from the edifice,
and placed in a corner of the surrounding area.* With
the Christian religion extended the use of such towers, which
became necessary adjuncts to buildings erected for its ser
vice. In these, therefore, they have always formed con
spicuous features, and are to be met with in almost every
variety of form and situation consistent with their essential
quality of loftiness. They sometimes rise from the ground,
and sometimes seem erected on the roofs of the buildings
to which they belong. As the mediaeval architecture gra
dually improved in lightness and elegance, the steeples be
came more slender and lofty, and, to assimilate their out-
* At Salisbury was one of this description, and there is another re
maining in connexion with the Cathedral of Chichester.

REMARKS ON SPIRES. 63
line more completely with the leading lines of the style,
spires were added, which, from the stability of the pyra-
midical form, could be carried to a greater height than
would otherwise have been practicable. Hence origi
nated the Christian steeple; among the most beautiful
examples of which, with various ornamental details, are
those to Louth Church, St. Mary's, Oxford, and Newark,
rising immediately from the ground; whilst those of Sa
lisbury, Norwich, and Chichester Cathedrals, are raised
above, and at the intersection of two roofs. These struc
tures generally consist of square towers, with turrets or
buttresses at the angles, surmounted by pinnacles, which
surround spires, for the most part, of the form of octan
gular pyramids. H. A.

[The following judicious history of, and remarks on
Spires, have been communicated by Mr. E. J. Willson,
of Lincoln, the well-informed author of the literary part
of Pugin's " Specimens of Gothic Architecture," 2 vols. 4to.]
This beautiful appendage of a Christian church has
been hitherto regarded as the genuine production of the
pointed arch ; the towers of churches erected before the
thirteenth century, being described as originally designed
to be quite square, and flat at the top; the spire of old
St. Paul's, in London, erected in 1221, being referred to
as one of the earliest, if not the first in England* This
mistake has arisen from the towers of earlier date having
* See the opinions of the Rev. T. Warton, the Rev. J. Bentham, and
the Rev. Dr. Milner, in his " Essays on Gothic Architecture," published
by Taylor; " the History of Winchester Cathedral," vol. ii. p. 12 ; Dalla-
way's " Observations on English Architecture," p. 37 ; " Architectural
Antiquities," vol. v. pi. 82, 83, and Index.

64 EDIFICES OF LONDON.
lost their original finish; some of them being now co
vered with flat roofs, others having spires, pinnacles, and
various ornaments of later style; scarcely any remaining
unaltered at the present time. But if we examine the
representation of churches in ancient drawings, &c, a spe
cies of monument not liable to be altered, like the struc
tures themselves, we shall find that spires were very com
mon among the Normans in the eleventh and twelfth cen
turies, and even among the Anglo-Saxons long before. Of
the former we have an example in a curious draught of the
Cathedral of Canterbury, made by Edwin, a monk, before
its destruction by fire, 1174,* where there are no less than
five spires on the church itself, besides some on the out
buildings; and in the plates of Mr. Strutt's works, taken
from ancient Saxon MSS., are many such spires, finished
with crosses, weathercocks, &c, the same as the loftier
steeples of later ages. Nor is this at all to be wondered
at, if we consider the general fashion of covering build
ings in those times ; all of which, let their plan and di
mensions be what they would, had roofs of high pitch ;
except, perhaps, the towers of castles, where a flat roof
might be necessary for the convenience of placing sol
diers and warlike engines. It is true, indeed, these pri
mitive spires were very clumsy, if compared with those
of the fourteenth and fifteenth centuries ; their form being
merely pyramidical, covering the whole tower with pro
jecting eaves, and their height being seldom more than
twice the diameter of their base, in those covered with
lead; and much less where tiles or shingles were used.
Two ancient spires of this form remained till lately on
the western towers of the Collegiate Church of South-
» " Vetusta Monumenta," vol. ii. pi. xv.

REMARKS ON SPIRES. 65
well, draughts of which may be seen in Dugdale's " Mo-
nasticon," Dickinson's " Antiquities of Southwell," &c*
The destruction of these spires is much to be regretted
by all lovers of antiquity, being perhaps the only ones
of the original form in the kingdom ; but there are marks
of such spires on the towers of some other churches.
The first attempt at improvement in spires, was by re
ducing them to an octangular shape, but with the base
still remaining square, and as broad as the tower, the cor
ners being sloped up against the sides of the spire ; by which
alteration they appeared considerably loftier than the square
steeples, when viewed at an angle. Of this form we have
many examples of stone, in the southern division of Lincoln
shire, and the adjacent counties. The most ancient one
I have seen is at Sleaford, in Lincolnshire. Though the
builders of stone spires appear to have been for a long time
cautious of increasing their height, those of timber soon
shot up into amazing sublimity, and improved into a very
elegant form ; a few still survive the wreck of time, but they
are rapidly falling under the hand of improvement; nothing
appearing so contemptible to modern taste as a spire covered
with lead. The church of Long Sutton, in Lincolnshire, has
one of the finest timber spires in the kingdom, rising from
a very ancient and curious tower ; the base of it covers the
walls entirely, with pinnacles on the turrets, at the angles,
leaning towards the spire in a very uncommon way : a view
of it has been engraved by Mr. Burgess, of Fleet, in that
neighbourhood; but it well deserves a fuller illustration.
After this, the builders of timber spires effected little further
improvement, except by reducing their breadth to much
less than that of the towers they were built on, and increas-
* Mr. Dickinson endeavours to prove the church to be Saxon, but
gives up the antiquity of the spires.
VOL. I. r

66 EDIFICES OF LONDON.
ing their height, which was sometimes carried to a degree
of slenderness never attained in stone. Some of the earliest
were splayed at bottom, so as to slope over the walls, as the
two at Reculver, in Kent ; but they were generally sur
rounded with parapets or battlements, and sometimes, for
the sake of variety, were placed on octangular turrets of
timber and lead ; as on the belfry tower of Salisbury Cathe
dral, destroyed in the late great repair, and one yet standing
at Baldock, in Hertfordshire. It may be difficult to deter
mine the time when spires first began to be constructed of
stone ; but I believe very few are so old as that at Sleaford,
abovementioned ; and the date of its erection may be
pretty accurately guessed from the style of its ornaments.
By degrees they were reduced to a slender proportion, like
those of timber ; but still retaining their little pedimented
windows, which were in use to the last. In the fourteenth
century their angles began to be purfled with crockets, and
the pinnacles at the corners were frequently connected with
the spire by arched buttresses, as in the beautiful steeple at
Louth, and several others in Lincolnshire. Thus was this
beautiful piece of architecture at length brought to perfec
tion, the obtuse finishing of Saxon and Norman towers
being gradually improved into one of the finest objects the
mind of man ever conceived.
To this sketch of the history of spires, many particulars
no doubt might be added ; but I trust that the outline of it
has been pretty accurately traced, and one great mistake
corrected in the history of ancient ecclesiastical architecture.

Like the preceding subject, the steeple of St. Mary-le-
Bow has been extolled beyond its deserts. Its general out
line is good, but the individual forms are for the most part

REMARKS ON SPIRES. 67
uncouth, and the different stages of the edifice have too much
the appearance of being set upon one another, without suf
ficient connexion. It certainly is the fashion to admire
the steeple of Bow Church, and to ridicule that of St.
George's, Bloomsbury ; nevertheless, the latter is an infi
nitely finer specimen of a campanile, being well composed
and coherent in its various parts, which, while they are
judiciously contrasted with each other, are also well con
nected together. The pyramidal spire, at the same time that
it gives a pleasing lightness and sveltezza to the outline of
the whole, possesses in itself that expression of solidity
which is almost indispensable to what in other respects
partakes professedly of Roman and not of Gothic architec-
*
ture. As to the statue on its summit, which we are at
liberty to suppose that of the patron saint to whom the
church is dedicated, it must be allowed to be a most graceful
termination to the structure ; — not at all more preposterously
placed, than a figure on the acroterium of a pediment, and
some degrees less so than one fixed on the summit of a
column which has no other meaning or purpose than to
support the statue so elevated into the air.
Speaking of that church, the writer of an article in the
54th Number of the Quarterly Review, " On the Application
and Intent of the various Styles of Architecture," asserts, that
though it has been scoffed and scorned, it is in fact one of the
most picturesque pieces of architecture in the metropolis ;
adding, " Let any one unprejudiced observer view the front
of the building, divesting himself of traditionary prejudice,
and he will acknowledge the truth of this observation." EDITOR.

f 2

ST. BRIDE'S, FLEET STREET.

This edifice stands in a confined situation, surrounded
by houses, in the ward of Farringdon Without, between
St. Bride's Lane and Salisbury Court. Its patron, St.
Bridget, from which the present name is corrupted, was a
native of Ireland, reputed for the superior sanctity of her
life. At what period the church was originally founded is
unknown ; yet it must have been anterior to the year 1362, as
the names of three rectors are recorded who possessed the
living previously to that date. The patronage belonged to
the Abbey of Westminster, till the dissolution of the mo
nasteries by Henry VIII. ; and after its transmission, as a
vicarage, through the short-lived See of Westminster, it was
regranted to that foundation by Queen Mary. It is now
held by the Dean and Chapter of Westminster, under a
charter of the 2nd of Elizabeth, by which the deanery was
re-established which Mary had dissolved.
According to Stow, St. Bride's " was, of old time, a small
thing;" but about the year 1480, it was " increased with a
large bodie and side iles, towards the west," at the expense
of William Vinor, Esq., Warden of the Fleet ; " all which,"
continues the historian, " he caused to be brought about in
the stone, in the figure of a vine, with grapes and leaves,
&c. The partition betwixt the old worke (which remayn-
eth to be the quire) and the new, sometime prepared as a
serene, to be set up in the hall of the Duke of Somerset's

s EDIFICES OF LONDON  CHURCHE

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ST. BRIDE'S, FLEET STREET. 69
House, at Strand, was bought for eightscore pound, and set
up in the yere 1557." Previously to the Reformation there
were several chantries, with obits, &c, in this edifice. In
August, 1610, Dr. Abbot, Bishop of London, consecrated a
contiguous plot of land for a new burial-ground ; it having
been given for that purpose by the Earl of Dorset, on con
dition that the parish should not bury on the south side of
the church, which was directly in view of his mansion in
Dorset Court ; but that house having been destroyed in the
great fire of 1666, the parish obtained a revocation of the
restriction, on payment of a small quit-rent.
The present church was erected by Sir Christopher
Wren, after the destruction of the ancient fabric by the
great fire of London. It was completed about the year 1680,
at an expense of £11,430, and additionally embellished
in 1699. Since that time it has undergone several repairs,
either more or less partial, and a most complete and general
one in the years 1822 and 1823. Two or three of the re
pairs were occasioned by the spire having been struck by
lightning : to the effects of which it is much exposed, from
its tapering form and great height, crowned as it is by a
metal vane and cross. The greatest damage which it has
thus sustained, was during a dreadful storm in the after
noon of the 18th of June, 1764. The concussion was so
extremely violent, and the mischief so extensive, that up
wards of 85 feet of the stone-work were obliged to be taken
down, in order to restore it substantially. Many stones
were started from their places, and much shivered, and
others were propelled to a considerable distance. One
stone in particular, which weighed 72fts., was projected
more than 150 yards, and broke into the garret of a house
in St. Bride's Lane. Several fell upon the church itself,
and one of them broke through the roof into the northern

70 EDIFICES OF LONDON.
gallery. The rubbish of the fallen fragments in the upper
parts of the spire is said to have been as much as several
masons would have made in a week's work* The spire
was again struck by lightning in 1803, but the damage
was far less than on the previous occasion.
This is a spacious and uniform edifice, built of Portland
stone, having a square tower at the west end surmounted
by a lofty spire, which, from its reputed elegance and the
scientific principles displayed in its construction, exhibits
the superior talents of the architect in a pre-eminent point
of view. There is not, however, any place near the church
from which it can be properly seen, the close contiguity
of the neighbouring buildings preventing the eye from ob
taining a sufficient range, t The curious spectator, who
would judge of its " fair proportions," must be content to
extend his walk to Blackfriars' Bridge before he can, cor
rectly, trace their effect. From thence its varied outline is
beheld to great advantage, there being no other within the
sphere of vision, except those of St. Martin's and Bow
Church, that can in anywise compete with it, either for de
sign or beauty. There are very few, indeed, throughout the
metropolis, that can be placed in comparison with it ; and
though two or three, perhaps, may be found which display
a greater variety in the forms, or have a closer affinity to
* In the " Philosophical Transactions" for 1764, are two interesting
papers, with some explanatory engravings, giving an extended account of
the damage done to this church by lightning in the above year.
f Such is not now the case, for a fire which happened a few years ago
having destroyed the intervening houses, an avenue between two ranges of
handsomely fronted buildings, forming a. regular architectural design, has
been opened; yet it admits of question whether it would not be far better
to exclude the lower part of the tower from view, since that has certainly
no pretensions to any kind of beauty. — Edit.

ST. BRIDE'S, FLEET STREET. 71
some distinct order, yet, considering it as a whole, for its
proportions, altitude, scientific construction, and airy effect,
there can be little hesitation in assigning this to the first
rank among the " heaven-directed " spires of the capital.
The elevation of the west front in Plate I., A, will con
vey an accurate idea of the design and proportions of this
spire. The base of the tower is carried up to a height of
60 feet, and crowned by a well-proportioned cornice ; this
supports a stylobate, or continued plinth, which sustains a
cubical story of the Corinthian order (enclosing the belfry),
having a large latticed window on each side, flanked by
pilasters and columns ; these are covered by circular-headed
pediments, a blocking-course, and a balustrade. At the
angles of the latter are ornamental vases, of good propor
tions, which considerably improve the general effect.
Within the balustrade is a circular plinth, forming the
basement of the spire, which consists of a series of four
stories of different orders, the two lowermost being Tuscan,
the third Ionic, and the fourth Composite or Roman. Here
vases are again judiciously introduced ; and from the balls,
on the surmounting basement, the obelisk springs that ter
minates this fine example of architectural science. Before
the spire was struck by lightning, in 1764, its height from
the ground was 234 feet ; but on its reparation by Mr.
Staines (who was afterwards Lord Mayor of London, anno
1801, and knighted), it was reduced to 226 feet, which is
still 24 feet higher than the Doric column called the Monu
ment, near London Bridge.
The uncommon skill of the architect in devising the
means of obtaining so lofty an altitude by the use of so few
materials, will be best appreciated by referring to the sec
tion marked B, in the same Plate, and to the plans a and b.
It will be there seen by what ingenious contrivances the

72 EDIFICES OF LONDON.
spire is lightened in all its stories by arched openings and
other apertures. The cone that surmounts the belfry in
the upper part of the tower, was most judiciously conceived
for the purpose of forming a base for the spire to spring
from, of greater strength than could otherwise have been
produced; and in order to give additional security, the
stone piers in every story are connected together by iron
bars, extending horizontally across from about the height
of the capitals of the pilasters: iron cramps and chain bars
are also imbedded in lead, within the stone-work, in dif
ferent parts. The plan of the first story of the octagonal
part is shown at b; that of the second and upper stories at a.
There is no spire in the kingdom, designed after the
Roman orders, that equals this in point of elevation ; and,
except those of Salisbury, Norwich, and Lichfield Cathe
drals, there is, probably, no one in the pointed style of
architecture that exceeds it in loftiness. Whether Sir
Christopher intended it as an experiment to ascertain how
far the graceful structures in that style could be rivalled
by designs from the classic orders, cannot now be dis
covered, but he has certainly produced an edifice of great
merit and originality. That he has not attained to the
towering grandeur, the elegant fancy, and the exuberant
richness of the pointed style, will be readily admitted ; for
the inimitable graces of that class cannot be attained by
inventions from other orders so dissimilar to itself, and in
their principles so utterly at variance with steeple-like
erections. He deserves, however, every praise, as well for
the boldness of his conceptions, as for the scientific skill
by which he has carried them into effect. Considered as a
whole, there is, probably, no other spire than that of Bow
Church which he ever designed, deserving of greater com
mendation.

ST. BRIDE'S, FLEET STREET. 73
It has already been remarked, that the external design
of this church is plain and uniform. The north and south
sides are each pierced with three large semicircular-headed
windows, and two circular ones : there are, also, two door
ways on each side, but those toward the west only are now
used as entrances, the others being occupied, interiorly,
by patent stoves : each doorway is surmounted by an an
gular pediment resting on trusses. A cornice surrounds
the building at the distance of a few feet below the
parapet. On the west front are three square-headed and three
circular windows, together with the principal entrance,
which opens into the basement story of the steeple. The
door-case is of the Ionic order : it consists of a segment
pediment, and an entablature supported by a half column
•on each side; a seraph and the words Domus Dei are
sculptured on the key-stone. Immediately within the en
trance is a lofty semicircular arch ; the soffit is ornamented
with a double row of roses in enriched panels, and at the
sides are small niches : a corresponding arch leads into the
vestibule ; and these, together with the intervening dome
which springs from the great piers that support the steeple,
form a well-proportioned and handsome porch, into which
the light has been recently admitted from the tower, by
means of a glazed horizontal opening in the centre of the
dome. The vestibule is separated from the choir by a
glazed screen ; at the sides, westwards, are staircases to the
galleries ; and to the north and south are rich doorways of
the Composite order, forming the inner entrances from the
burial grounds.
The architectural arrangements and decorations of the
interior of this edifice produce an extremely fine and
powerful effect ; heightened into magnificence by the superb

74 EDIFICES OF LONDON.
picture from Rubens' "Descent from the Cross," which
that very ingenious and able artist Mr. Muss has now
executed in glass, in the east window* Five noble
arches on each side, springing from Doric columns, cou
pled, and placed transversely, separate the nave from the
aisles; these support a lofty attic, which is lit by ellip
tical windows, and has an arched ceiling. The columns
in every duplication rise from one plinth, and terminate
in one impost: during the late repairs they were painted
in imitation of porphyry, and the ornamental work of the
arches was pleasingly varied by imitations of veined mar
bles. The key-stones are sculptured with cherubim, and
the soffits are enriched by an arrangement of roses, within
panels, in bold relief; and in place of a plain arris, the
archivolts have been altered to correspond: the pilasters
supporting the galleries are painted to imitate Sienna mar-,
ble. A large expanded flower, stuccoed, ornaments the
middle of the ceiling, which is crossed by six arched ribs,
terminating in shield-like brackets, with scroll borderings,
and being enriched in their soffits by panelled roses. The
aisles are plainly groined ; the impost cornices, from which
the arches spring, are supported by figures of cherubs.
During the late alterations the old altar-piece, which
was principally of the Corinthian order, together with its
various appendages, as the figures of Moses and Aaron, a
crimson curtain, glory, &c, was taken down, and an en
tirely new arrangement made, from the judicious designs
* The dimensions of this window are twenty feet high by thirteen
wide ; it is semicircular-headed, and much elevated. The painting is of
similar extent, so that the figures are more than seven feet six inches high.
Rubens executed the original picture for the Cathedral at Antwerp ;
Mr. Muss's is copied from that in the Royal Academy, by the kind per
mission of the members of that institution.

ST. BRIDE'S, FLEET STREET. 75
of Mr. Deykes, the architect. The new altar-piece occu
pies the whole of the recess of the east end, and consists
principally of two stories, of the Ionic order, crowned by
an entablature and a circular pediment ; the respective pi
lasters and compartments of which are very tastefully deco
rated in imitation of verd antique, porphyry, Sienna, and
veined marbles, interspersed with, and relieved by, rich and
massive gildings : large festoons, having the effect of solid
gold, are introduced over the panels of the upper story. In
the recessed division, beneath the window, and which in
cludes an enriched entablature, supported by two half and
two quarter columns of the Corinthian order, gilt, are the
Tables of the Law ; and on the panels, on each side, the
Lord's Prayer and the Belief. The centre panel is embel
lished by a very effective, yet chastely coloured picture, by
Willemont, of the descending Dove, with the initials I. H. S.
in resplendent stars. The soffit of the arch above the altar,
and the large panelled roses which diversify it, correspond
in decorative sumptupusness with the other parts. In the
lower compartments of each of the side returns is a spa
cious niche, painted in imitation of Sienna marble.
The area is well pewed ; and on the north, south, and
west sides, are spacious and handsome galleries of wain
scot ; the pews are lined with a watered moreen of a rich
puce colour. In the west gallery is a large and excellent
organ, by Harris, resplendent with gilding, and ornamented
with mitres, a crown, statues of fame, &c: in front of this
gallery is a clock. Some bold carvings of oaken wreaths
and foliage embellish the pulpit, which is executed in a
good style, and stands near the eastern extremity of the
nave. At the west end, on the south side, is the font,
which was preserved from the ruins of the old church,
and consists of a basin of white marble on an ornamented

76 EDIFICES OF LONDON.
shaft of black marble : the following inscription and arms
appear on it : — " Deo et Ecclesia, ex Dono Henrici Hother-
sall; anno 1615. Azure, a lion ramp, or, a cresc. for
diff. Hothersall; impaling gules, a chevron ermine, be
tween three buckles, or." During the winter season the
church is lit by gas, which is introduced from sixteen
double branches, eight of which are suspended over the
side galleries, from the crown of each arch, and the others
below them in a parellel line : the light by this means is
more equally diffused lhan when it emanates, as it custo
marily does, from a central chandelier.
Though but few alterations were made during the late
repairs, in the architectural character of this building, the
improvements in other respects were very considerable, and
they reflect much credit on the abilities of Mr. John Deykes,
the tasteful improver of Great Malvern, under whose direc
tion and superintendence they have been completed. The
church, which had been closed for nine months, was re
opened on the 6th of April, 1823.
In the years 1792 and 1796, two acts of parliament
were obtained for repairing this fabric, and purchasing
the freehold of the parish workhouse, and for raising the
sum of £ 12,000, by way of annuity, to defray the ex
penses, &c. In 1797, a convenient and handsome vestry-
room was erected on the south-west angle, and under it a
spacious vault. The total expense of the late reparations
was £4,940. 7*. Id.
Plate I. A, elevation of the west front, with the tower
and spire ; B, section of ditto ; a and b, plans of the upper
stories of ditto.
Plate II. A, section of the east end, looking east, in
the line of 1 ; 2, on the plan ; B, elevation of the east end ;
C, longitudinal section in line 3 ; 4, on the plan ; D, plan

ST. bride's, fleet street. 77

of the church — the north side at d showing the ground story,
or pewing — e, the gallery story, with approach to the same
at b — another staircase at c — d is the porch, or entrance by
the great western door— -f, the altar and communion table —
g, part of the organ gallery, a section of which is given in C
— h, pulpit — i, reading desk.
E. W. BRAYLEY.

It is difficult to account for the admiration the spire of
this church has acquired and maintained, otherwise than
by attributing it, in the first instance, to the perverted and
ignorant period when it was produced, and the indolent
acquiescence of the following one in the imaginary beauties
ascribed to it. The piling up the orders one above another
in stages, contracting in diameter as they ascend, savours of
a conceit as puerile as it is barbarous, producing an outline
equally at variance with Gothic or Roman composition, and
unlike to any style or mode of composition save that which
is exhibited in a Chinese pagoda, to which, whether inten
tionally or not, the structure bears a marked resemblance.
So applied, the respective orders not only lose all individual
character, but contribute nothing to general effect ; or may
rather be said to counteract that which it may be presumed
the architect aimed at, inasmuch as their entablatures cut it
up by their numerous horizontal lines. Granting it is in
genious and scientific in its construction, it is merely an
abuse of both science and ingenuity to employ them in
creating monsters to be gaped at by the many, who mis
take childish surprise for the genuine admiration which
a work of art ought to produce. When he designed this
spire, Wren either had not at that time adopted, or must
have entirely forgotten his own maxim — that architecture

78 edifices of London.
admits of no fashions — for here he has entirely lost sight
of the genius of the style indicated by the adoption of
the orders, and 'deviated into what, by so reminding us
of its origin, strikes us all the more as essentially devi
ating from it, not through a series of gradual changes,
during which the orders would have undergone a com
plete transmigration of form, but immediately and per
saltum. Most undeniably, both this spire and that of St. Mary-
le-Bow have been much extolled, but with so little attempt
to point out satisfactorily the beauties imputed to them,
that unless the praise can now be confirmed by accurate
criticism, it may reasonably be suspected that it has been
allowed to establish itself, in consequence of successive
writers having taken up, and handed down in their turn,
the opinions they met with, without being at the pains of
further investigation; until it has at length come to be
imagined, that what has so long passed current, must of
necessity be correct. What renders the matter all the
more supicious is, that notwithstanding the great additions
which have since been made to the study of architecture,
and the increased light now thrown upon the principles of
the art, opinion would appear to be quite unchanged in re
gard to this church, neither a defect nor a beauty more or
less having been discovered in it, nor a single remark made
which does not amount to a repetition of what had previ
ously been said. EDITOR.

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ST. JAMES'S, WESTMINSTER.

Who would conceive that the barbarous brick-cased
and ill-shapen pile which stands on the south side of
Piccadilly, encloses one of the choicest and most elegantly
formed interiors which this metropolis can boast ? — -one
which displays, in the highest degree, the extraordinary
talents of our great architect, Sir Christopher Wren ? Yet
this is the fact, and we can account for its beauties being,
except to professional men, unknown, only by its grim and
forbidding aspect, which does not invite the spectator to
close inspection : it is like the toad, " ugly and venomous,
yet wears a precious jewel in its head." Before describing
it, a brief view of its history and foundation will be
necessary. The church, as well as the district for which it served,
which latter was formerly part of the parish of St. Martin-
in-the-Fields, was constituted parochial by the authority of
parliament, in the first year of James II., on account of the
great increase of buildings in these parts, which rendered
another church necessary for the accommodation of the in
habitants. The church was, however, built in the reign of
Charles II. ; and, though of no small dimensions, was con
sidered only as a chapel of ease to St. Martin's till the
year 1684.
The gallant Earl of St. Alban's (who was supposed to
have been privately married to the Queen-Dowager Henrietta

80 EDIFICES OF LONDON.
Maria), at the head of the chief persons of distinction in
the neighbourhood, was founder of this church, the ex
pense of which amounted to somewhat less than £8,000.
On the death of the earl, letters patent issued, May 31,
1684, to Thomas, Lord Jermyn, his nephew, granting the
church and cemetery in trust to him and his heirs for ever.
He assigned it over to Sir Walter Clarges, Bart., and others,
in trust, as a chapel of ease, for the use of the inhabitants
in that part of St. Martin's parish ; and it was consecrated
on the 13th of July, in the year 1684, by the appellation of
" St. James's-in-the-Fields." It has been said that the
dedication to St. James was in compliment to the Duke of
York, afterwards James II. This may have been the case,
though its proximity to St. James's Palace, which was
originally an hospital dedicated to St. James, and sup
pressed by Henry VIIL, might in some degree have con
tributed to the adoption of the patron saint. Pennant says
it was named " in honour of both saint and monarch."
The exterior of the church is of brick, except the rustic
quoins, fascia, doors, and windows, which are of stone. The
roof, which is admirably contrived, is of lead. It is a
model for economical, not less than safe construction, and
that without tie-beams. The principal rafters, which rise
from the walls at a height level with the tops of the co
lumns, are prevented from spreading, partly by collars
above the plastered cradling of the great vaulting, and
partly by hammer-pieces (on to which they tail towards
the wall), which lie from the walls to the tops of the
columns, whence the semi-cylindrical ceiling springs. On
the hammer-pieces there are posts which rise vertically and
catch the principals, thus causing the superior parts of
those principals to be poised and steadied on the right-
angled triangular bases formed over the galleries. The

st. james's, Westminster. 81
lead-flats above the galleries also create a reaction of the
thrust primarily generated ; the principals, of course, only
occur over the columns. There is nothing remarkable in
the framing which forms the cradle of the plastered vaulting.
The interior of the church is an example of Wren's love
of harmony in proportions. Its entire breadth is half the
sum of its height and length ; its height half its length ;
and its breadth the sesquialtera of its height — the numbers
being 86, 66, and 50 feet. The height of the steeple, which
consists of a tower and clock spire, is 149 feet.
The church is divided transversely, by a range of six
columns on each side of the nave, from what may be called
the aisles, which are each one-fifth of the whole breadth,
measuring from walls to centres of columns; the remaining
three-fifths give the breadth of the nave. The columns,
which rise from the breastwork of the galleries, are of the
Corinthian order; they stand on square panelled pillars,
which serve also to carry the galleries. They are crowned
with a regular entablature, broken in each intercolum-
niation, for the arches which intersect the great vaulting
run through to the external walls, against which they die.
The main ceiling is divided into sunk and enriched panels,
the whole producing, by its unity, richness, and harmonious
proportions, a result truly enchanting. The east window,
which is not very much in harmony with the rest of the
work, from its breaking in upon the lines of the transverse
section too abruptly, consists of two stories of columns ; the
lower ones on the same level as those of the galleries, and
of the same order ; the upper story of the window is Com
posite. Its centre intercolumination is connected by a
semicircular arch. The introduction of the light in this
church is most agreeably managed, and ' (if the expression
may be allowed) well tempered.
VOL. I. g

82 EDIFICES OF LONDON.
The carving of the altarpiece is by Grinling Gibbons,
who also sculptured the font, which is supported by the
Tree of Life ; round it the bassi-relievi represent the Ser
pent tempting our first parents, St. John baptizing our
Saviour, St. Philip baptizing the eunuch, and the Ark of
Noah with the dove bearing the olive branch, the type
of peace to mankind.
This church appears to have been, and justly, a favourite
with the architect ; and as the opinion of Sir Christopher
Wren is of some importance, and may tend to restrain in
future the present system of packing persons in a church,
as it is called by the ingenious author of the " Letters
to Mr. Soane on the Building of New Churches," this ar
ticle cannot be closed better than in the architect's own
words : —
" I can hardly think it practicable to make a single
room so capacious, with pews and galleries, as to hold
above 2,000 persons, and all to hear the service, and both
to hear distinctly and see the preacher. I endeavoured to
effect this in building the parish church of St. James's,
Westminster, which, I presume, is the most capacious, with
these qualifications, that hath yet been built ; and yet, at a
solemn time, when the church was much crowded, I could
not discern from a gallery that two thousand were present.
In this church I mention, though very broad, and the nave
arched up, yet as there are no walls of a second order, nor
lanterns nor buttresses, but the whole roof rests upon the
pillars, as do also the galleries, I think it may be found
beautiful and convenient, and as such the cheapest form of
any. I could invent."
The accompanying print shows the peculiar arrangement
and construction of the roof and ceiling of the church, in
compartment A ; with one half of ground plan, floor pewing,

ST. JAMES'S, WESTMINSTER. 83
&c, B, b ; and a plan of the other division of the church in
the gallery, C, c.
J. GWILT.

Here, again, we have convincing proof that a structure
may possess that interest and merit which entitles it to the
attention of the builder, and nevertheless be egregiously
deficient in aesthetic beauty, and those qualities which ad
dress themselves at once to the eye, and are indispensably
essential to a work of art. It is one thing to solve a dif
ficult problem, another to infuse grace over the whole of
the edifice, so that while it satisfies the judgment it shall
also fascinate the eye. Arduous as such task is, it has
been frequently accomplished, ere now, in many works of
Gothic architecture, where every thing seems to have been
calculated chiefly for effect, science in construction having
been employed as the means, not as the end. If, on the
contrary, we postpone beauty to mere convenience and
ability of construction, indifferent whether we obtain the
former, so that we do but secure the latter, we get rid of the
Gordian problem, which consists not in losing sight of or
sacrificing any one of the qualities mentioned, but in making
all of them subservient to each other; whicli, certainly,
cannot be affirmed of the present edifice.
The exterior is deservedly given up to reprobation,
being such as admits of no apology ; not merely plain, but
of positive hideousness, without anything either in its
general forms and proportions to render it, if not exactly a
pleasing, still a passably sightly object. Such being the
case, were it not for the utter insensibility to taste which it
exhibits, we might, not very unreasonably, expect to find
it beautiful within, it being evident that the architect has
not in the slighest degree given up anything in the interior

84 EDIFICES OF LONDON.
to the demands of external design. Does the arithmetical
harmony, which is so much insisted upon, make itself felt ? —
It is to be apprehended it does not. Moreover, the propor
tions assigned to it are merely those of the entire plan, not
those which present themselves to the eye, namely, those of
the central space, defined by the columns to the galleries,
and the arched ceiling above it; for of this, the breadth
instead of being the sesquialtera of the height, does not
exceed three-fourths of it, while the plan becomes more
than a double square. As regards other dimensions,
the order is insignificant, at least can be considered only
secondary in the composition. There are, however, two
good points of design belonging to it ; first, that there is a
perfect column at each extremity of the galleries ; secondly,
the entablature is carried from every column to the wall
behind it, which affords sufficient excuse for introducing
such a member above columns supporting arches. In St.
Martin's Church, on the contrary, the columns are sur
mounted by square blocks, resembling so many fragments of
an entablature, as if expressly intended to remind us that the
entablature naturally belongs to the column, and to convince
us that the combination of arches with any of the ancient
orders is a barbarism; the entablature so mutilated being
not only converted into a very unmeaning and superfluous
addition to the column, but one that quite destroys the
effect of the capital, mingling itself with it, and altogether
altering the relative proportions of that part and the shaft
itself. In fact, that mode may further be said to have the
effect of shortening the columns, and altogether rendering
them less important in relation to the arches they support,
than they would be if carried quite up to the latter, and
there made to rest immediately on the abaci of the capitals,
as would be most consistent with good taste and good sense.

ST. JAMES'S, WESTMINSTER. 85
If Wren deserves some commendation for the way in which
he has justified the application of an entablature to the
columns, it must also be confessed, that for such extent of
architrave the eye requires some more apparent support
than they have at present. The window at the east end,
divided into lower and upper one, by two orders of columns,
has an exceedingly unpleasing and harsh effect, since the
outline it produces next the ceiling is utterly different from
what would be dictated by the form of the latter. Had the
lower window been widened by making the centre space
correspond with those between the columns of the galleries,
and a large semicircular window been placed immediately
above its entablature, there can be no doubt that a pleas
ing degree of harmony would thus have been produced in
the ensemble. The oval panels are detestable. EDITOR.

THE TOWER OF ST. DUNSTAN'S IN THE EAST
Has been lauded much beyond its deserts, and praised in
hyperbolical terms, chiefly from being the work of Sir
Christopher Wren. It has been called " a masterpiece of
construction," — " unequalled for lightness and for elegance,"
— and also pronounced to be " the noblest monument of
geometrical and constructive skill in existence." Such un
qualified language cannot exalt the fame of the architect,
or dignify his works ; for, when analyzed, it is found to be
unjust and false. That the Cathedral of St. Paul's is a
monument of his skill and science, will be readily allowed ;
but the architect and critical amateur who have examined
the towers of St. Nicholas, at Newcastle, and that of the
High Church, at Edinburgh, will not find much to admire
or praise, by comparison, either in the design or con
struction of the steeple under notice.* The two Gothic
* Mr. Carter, the Quixotic defender of every thing ancient in Christian
architecture, gives the following comparative view of the towers : —
St. Dunstan's. St. Nicholas.
Width of the tower 20 feet, propor- Width of the tower 20 feet, propor
tionate height. tionate height.
Three stories to the battlements. Five stories to the battlements.
Doorway in the first story, and one Doorway to the first story, and one
window in each face of the second window in each front of second,
and third stories. third, and fourth story : to the
fifth story, two windows.
Flying arches of plain masonry on Flying or intersecting ribs on the
the summit, without mouldings or summit of the tower, replete with
ornament. mouldings and ornaments.
These arches bear on their centre These ribs bear on their centre a
an obelisk perforated at the base. perforated lantern and spire.

EDIFICES OF LONDON  CHURCHES.

Tho f Eradb erry dol

Sir Chris; Wren Arch J
T0V.-.O* OF THE CHTJE.CH,

Johru WeaZe>,ArckitecturaZZi&ra.7y. 53. High, ICoIborn,

ST. DUNSTAN'S IN THE EAST. 87
towers alluded to, are not only much enriched in their
details, but are more complicated and diversified in forms,
and in the union of parts, than this of St. Dunstan's.
It loses in every respect by comparison; but taken by
itself, and viewed without reference to any of those bold,
but light — sublime, but simple, towers and spires raised
by the monastic architects of the thirteenth and four
teenth centuries, the eye is pleased, and the mind analyzes
its design and execution with satisfaction. In the an
nexed elevation, section, and plans, we see its true geo
metric proportions, its form, and its features : and the man
of taste will soon pronounce that beauty and simplicity are
its elements. This tower appears to have been erected from
the designs of Sir Christopher Wren, in the years 1667, 1668,
and 1669, as recorded by an inscription over the south
porch, when he made considerable additions and alterations
to the church, which was then standing, and which had
escaped the ravages of the great fire. The latter was taken
down in 1817, and a new edifice was erected from the
designs of Mr. D. Laing.
J. BRITTON.
St. Dunstan's. St. Nicholas.
Obelisk pedestals, great and small, Characteristic pinnacles, great and
at the angles and centre of each small, at the angles and centre of
front of the tower. each front of the tower, with bat
tlements, demy-ditto, crockets, and
terminating vanes : pinnacles to
the lantern with crockets ; spire
with crockets ; and a vane, with
eight small buttress-flying arches,
for the support and embellishment
of the several pinnacles. — Gen
tleman's Mag.

ST. MARY WOOLNOTH.

The Gothic, not less than its preceding and succeeding
Italian styles, as applied to church architecture, may (how
ever such a proposition will doubtless startle our modern
church architects) not inappropriately be termed the Chris
tian style, in contradistinction to that style which it is the
reigning fashion of the day to extol ; and which, were not
the fear of interdiction before my eyes, I perhaps might be
induced to call the Pagan style, though by its admirers it
is facetiously called Grecian : — as though Greek columns
and entablatures, rigorously copied from ancient examples,
should thence entitle the buildings in which they appear
to be distinguished by such an honourable appellation, not
forgetting the xar Ifyxw accompaniment of a light pierced
steeple, and perhaps a spire, over a Greek Doric of five or
six diameters in height. The Italian and Gothic styles,
from an association of ideas, originating in . their early
adaptation to the purposes of Christian worship, not to
mention the convenience they afford (without the appear
ance of obstruction) for the reception of a great multitude,
are eminently entitled to better treatment than they receive
at the hands of our Church Commissioners ; they would be
found ductile in composition and arrangement, and would
in after ages reflect greater credit on the very worthy body
just named, on account of the picturesque forms and masses
with which they abound, than the conventicle-like, heavy,
heterogeneous productions that are daily springing up.

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' EDIFICES OF LONDON"  CHURCHES

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John, Weal&Ardtite.GlzuraJj Library, DS.Hu/Tiffolbom .

ST. MARY W00LN0TH. 89
Of the Italian style an exquisite example is presented in
the church of St. Mary Woolnoth, whose interior, in some
respects, is unrivalled by most of those by Sir Christopher
Wren himself, the master and instructor of its architect.* A
church on this site is of an ancient foundation, since records
have been quoted, by which we leam, that as early as 1355,
one John de Norton was rector ; but the reason for its carry
ing the name of our lady of Woolnoth, Stowe confessed he
had " not yet learned." Some have said its name was de
rived from its proximity to the ancient wool-beam which stood
hard by in Stock's Market (a site now occupied by the
Mansion House and its abutting streets), on a cemetery
attached to St. Mary Woolchurch (called Woolchurch Haw),
not rebuilt after the fire of 1666, on account of the parish
being united to that of St. Mary Woolnoth, and that it
obtained its name from being wool-neagh, or nigh : but it
may, with perhaps more probability and with better approxi
mation to the present orthography, be derived by the mere
transposition of a single letter from the words J>ul-noht, or
wool-nought, as distinguishing this (for the churches were
very near each other) from that in whose cemetery the wool-
beam was actually placed.
It has been mentioned above, that there existed a church
on this spot in 1355. This was rebuilt about 1496, and
* This interior is introduced by Mr. Bardwell, in his work entitled
" Temples, Ancient and Modern," as an example of a plan formed upon
that of a Roman atrium ; yet it may fairly be doubted whether the resem
blance, such as it is, be more than a casual coincidence, without intention
or even consciousness of it on the part of the architect. By very
far the more striking similarity is that which Mr. Bardwell's view of it
bears to the one given in this work, it being a perfect fac-simile of it ; yet, as
his own name is affixed to it, it cannot be supposed to be a direct copy. —
Edit.

90 EDIFICES OF LONDON.
lasted, it appears, till 1620, when it was again either re
stored or made anew. The latter was the church damaged
by the dreadful conflagration of 1666, and restored in
1677.* The part of it which chiefly suffered was the Lom
bard Street front, which was rebuilt with a Tuscan order
and appropriate accompaniments, the Gothic interior, &c,
remaining unchanged. The present church was commenced
in 1716, and completed by 1719. In digging for the foun
dations, specimens of Roman pottery, the tusks and bones
of animals, and other pieces of antiquity, were discovered
* " St. Mary Woolnoth Church, situated on the south side of Lom
bard Street, was repaired in 1677, the sides, the roof, and part of the
ends, having been damnified by the great fire. The steeple was old, and
wanted rebuilding, which, together with the whole church, is now very
substantially performed by the ingenious and skilful architect, Mr. Nicholas
Hawksmoor, who formerly was, and continued for many years, a domestic
clerk to the surveyor, and was afterwards employed under him in the royal
and other public works."- — Parentalia, p. 315. — Hawksmoor, who was born
in 1666, and died in March, 1736, also built St. George's, Bloomsbury ;
the exterior of which church (already noticed in the observations at the end
of the account of St. Mary-le-Bow), although comparatively little spoken
of, is one of the very best architectural productions of its time in the me
tropolis : the portico, a Corinthian hexastyle, prostyle two intercolumns, is
in itself very little inferior to that of St. Martin's, and has two advantages
over it ; first, in being elevated on a handsome flight of steps, between pe
destal walls at their extremities ; and, secondly, in not having a steeple strad
dling on the roof of its pediment. Instead of being so placed, the steeple
is made to form a campanile attached to the church on the west side of
the portico (the latter facing the south) ; and in whatever direction it is
viewed in combination with the portico, it produces such an exceedingly
happy effect, that instead of being censured, as it was not only by
Walpole, but by the late professor of architecture (Soane), who was him
self addicted to indulge in rather censurable vagaries, it deserves to be
attentively studied, since more than one hint might be derived from it,
capable of being turned to account by an architect of talent. — Edit.

ST. MAKY WOOLNOTH. 91
at a depth of from fifteen to twenty-two feet below the
surface of the ground ; as also a well, which still continues
to furnish a supply of pure wholesome water to the neigh
bourhood. This church cannot, in any situation, be seen to advan
tage. The street is narrow in which it stands, and it is
moreover so hemmed in by the surrounding buildings, that
its general effect is entirely ruined.* The whole edifice is
of stone. On the north side, the elevation, which, from its
aspect, required a bold outline and prominent features to
compensate for the want of light and shade to which it is
never subjected, is composed with three large semicircular
rusticated niches, each standing on a lofty rusticated pedestal,
relieved with blank recesses, which are repeated in the inter
vals below between the niches. Under the whole is a second
or basement story, with openings corresponding to those
above. The niches are decorated in their recesses with an
Ionic order on a pedestal of its own, the top of whose enta
blature is level with the springing of each niche head, and
runs through on each side so as to form an impost. This
front is crowned with a block cornice, which reigns through
out the building ; and the central part of the north front is
surmounted by a balustrade. The facade is extremely pic
turesque, and though far from being in good taste, is well
adapted to the peculiar circumstances of the aspect and
situation. The entrance is at the west end, under lofty rusticated
arches. The tower is oblong on the plan, rusticated to the
level of the cornice, above which is an unbroken pedestal for
the support of six composite columns in the east and west
elevations, and of two on the north and south sides : from
* See observations at the end of this description.

92 EDIFICES OF LONDON.
this order rise two low towers, pierced with semicircular
headed openings, and surmounted with balustrades. The
south front is pierced with four semicircular headed win
dows in the upper story, and with small square ones below :
for the remaining, or western aperture, a blank is substi
tuted. The plan of the interior is nearly a square, with its north
west and south-west angles truncated for the introduction
of stairs. The principal lines seem to be obtained by an
inscribed square, whose sides are equal to two-thirds of the
internal width, the remaining sixth on each side being as
signed for the intercolumniation of the columns and pilasters
on the external wall. The columns, twelve in number, are
all set within the sides of the inscribed square, and are cou
pled at the angles, at intercolumniations of one diameter.
They are of the Corinthian order, fluted, and carry an en
riched entablature one-fourth of their height. The square
space which they thus enclose continues above in a clere
story, pierced on each side by a semicircular window, whose
diameter is equal to one of the wide intercolumniations below.
The height of this, including its entablature, being haK that
of the lower order, with its pedestal, thus makes the total
height of the central part of the church equal to its extreme
width. The sesquialteral proportion is thus preserved in
section as well as in plan. Though this may not perhaps
be the place for any observations of this kind for the use of
the architectural student, the writer cannot refrain from
observing, that the harmony which reigns throughout the
interiors of Sir Christopher Wren's churches, and in them
produces such enchanting effects, is, in his opinion, mainly
attributable to the harmonical relation of the leading
parts to each other, as well in plan as in section and
elevation.

ST. MARY WOOLNOTH. 93
The east end of the church is recessed square for the
altarpiece, and arched over with a semi-elliptical ceiling
enriched with caissons. It is impossible to leave the de
scription of this delightful interior without noticing the in
troduction of the galleries, which extend round the north,
south, and west sides. They are so designed that (though
prominent in feature, and what perhaps some architects
might denominate heavy) they do not interfere at all with
the general effect, nor destroy the simplicity and elegance
of the design. The ceilings throughout are horizontal and
in compartments, whose members are enriched.
Defects in this edifice are only to be found in the detail :
one of the chief of them, is the break in the entablature be
tween the wider intercolumniations; but the church has
such exquisite beauties, that it is irksome to dwell on its
few and trifling faults.
In the construction there is nothing remarkable: perhaps
on this score, indeed, more than any other, it is faulty. There
is a considerable waste of material and loss of effect in the
construction of the building, the ratio of superficies to the
points of support being 0.263 ; a sad falling away from the
mathematical skill of the architect's instructor, Sir Chris
topher Wren. The whole wall of this building is of stone,
and the rustic grooves very wide and deep.
Plate I. A, Half of the plan. — B, Section from east
to west through the centre of the building, at a b, on the
plan. — C, Elevation of the west front. — D, Elevation of the
north side, in Lombard Street.
Plate II. View of the interior of the church from the
west, looking east.
J. GWILT.

94 EDIFICES OF LONDON.
The disadvantageousness of situation above complained of
has been so completely remedied by the formation of the new
line of street between London Bridge and the Mansion House,
that the west front of this church is a very prominent object
among the group of buildings which present themselves to the
eye from the extremity of the Poultry. The view eastward
from that spot comprises a tolerably rich assemblage of archi
tectural objects, viz., the Bank, the Royal Exchange, the
tower of St. Michael's, Comhill, the new Globe Insurance
Office, St. Mary's Woolnoth, and the Mansion House. Ow-
Jng to a fortunate accident, the Monument likewise exhibits
itself exceedingly picturesquely at the end of the vista pro
duced by the new street ; and thus, instead of being as formerly
quite shut out from sight, except when it could not be be
held to full advantage, is brought into contact, as it were,
with many of the chief buildings in the city. When Chan-
trey's equestrian statue of the Duke of Wellington comes to
be erected, another important feature will be added to the
scene ; and it is to be hoped that it will be so placed as to
admit of its being seen from every one of the numerous
streets which radiate from this central focus and point of
union. EDITOR.

EDIFICES OF LONDON":  CHURCHES.

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ST. GEORGE'S IN THE EAST,
NEAR KATCLIFFE HIGHWAY.

The church delineated in the accompanying engravings
has been selected, not as a specimen of good design, but as
an example of the peculiar style of its architect, and charac
teristic taste of the age in which it was erected. An act of
parliament was passed in 1710, during the reign of Anne,
for erecting fifty-two churches, within the limits of London
and Westminster, one of which is the edifice under notice,
its architect being Nicholas Hawksmoor. It was com
menced in 1715, and consecrated July 19th, 1729. The
architect's estimate appears to have been £13,570, but
the entire expense amounted to £18,557.* This edifice is
a specimen of that ponderous and singular architecture
which marked the public buildings of Vanbrugh, and
which Hawksmoor imitated in its worst features. It has
fortunately never acquired much favour with the public,
nor is there reason to apprehend it will ever regain even
the short-lived estimation in which it was held when the
present edifice was erected. Massiveness in quantity of
materials, and grotesque features, are its characteristics;
and though these may seem to assimilate with prisons
and workhouses, they have few pretensions to be approved
in designs for churches or private mansions.
* Malcolm's Londinium Redivivum, vol. 3, p. 479.

96 EDIFICES OF LONDON.
Walpole, speaking of the pure taste introduced by Inigo
Jones, says, " That school, however, was too chaste to flou
rish long. Sir Christopher Wren lived to see it almost ex
pire before him ; and after a mixture of French and Dutch
ugliness had expelled truth without erecting any certain
style in its stead, Vanbrugh, with his ponderous and un
meaning masses, overwhelmed architecture in mere ma
sonry. Will posterity believe that such piles were erected
in the very period when St. Paul's was finishing ?" — Works,
vol. iii. p. 430.
In the exterior of the building, we seek in vain for
grandeur of proportion, propriety of distribution, or ele
gance of decoration: but the whole must be allowed to
possess a certain picturesque effect, resulting perhaps from
the want of those very qualities which conduce to the per
fection of a work of art. To discover towers where they do
not seem to belong — to perceive a variety and even discord
ancy in the design ; extensive flat surfaces, mixed with in
tricate, multangular figures ; and ponderous masses of ma
sonry, with minute perforations — are circumstances cer
tainly favourable to picturesque arrangement, though in
no way conformable to just principles of architecture.
The west front presents a large flat surface, without
much relief: it is approached by a double flight of steps,
leading to a large platform, with semicircular ends, under
which is an extensive vault for interment. On each side of
the great central doorway are two Ionic pilasters, with an
appropriate entablature: above this is the tower, which is
oblong in its plan, and on the east and west sides has deep,
square recesses for windows without mouldings. On the
north and south are massive buttresses. Crowning the western
front is an octangular turret or tower, with square projections
at the angles, which are finished by enriched vases. On

st. george's in the east. 97
each side of the body of the church are two projecting
staircases, forming the entrances to the galleries, through
doorways exceedingly high and narrow. These are sur
mounted by domed turrets of heavy appearance, the effect
of which is not diminished by perforations entirely through
the masonry. The east end, like the west, presents a large
mass of wall, relieved by a semicircular projection in the
centre, and crowned by a pediment, which is disfigured by
breaks and incongruities wholly inconsistent with archi
tectural propriety. The upper tier of windows round the
church have semicircular heads, without mouldings or orna
ments of any kind ; and those of the lower range are square,
with key-stones of such overwhelming magnitude that
they seem in danger of falling into the void. The whole
church is built of Portland stone, and the masonry is ex
ceedingly good. As may be inferred from the plan and
elevations, we find the interior appearance heavy and
gloomy. Four Doric columns, with their entablatures, sus
tain flattened elliptical arches, ranged in a parallel direction.
The central space is groined with a boss in the middle,
from which hangs a lamp. Beyond these are square piers,
with pilasters on each side, on which the entablatures rest,
and are continued to corresponding pilasters against the
wall. At the east end is a painted curtain of a very
theatrical appearance, which surrounds the semicircular
projection before mentioned. Round this are five windows,
the glare of which completely obscures the altarpiece be
neath, which is of the Corinthian order, and has a painting
of the Agony of Christ in the Garden of Gethsemane, by
 Clarkson. The recess is covered with a hemisphe
rical vault, the excessive decoration of which is extremely
inconsistent with the nakedness of the walls. The galleries
are very heavy, and appear to want support, being really
vol. i. H

98 EDIFICES OF LONDON.
sustained by small columns situated so far back as not to
be readily discerned. The quantity of light admitted into
the body of the church is insufficient for the intended pur
pose ; but the obscurity is increased by the small size and
ill disposition of the windows, and the general effect is that
of gloom, approaching to darkness, with frittered dazzling
lights scattered throughout the whole.
To the east of the building is a spacious cemetery,
around three sides of which are rows of trees. Among the
numerous monumental stones with which the area is nearly
covered, may be particularised the memorial of Henry
Raine (1738), the founder of two charity schools, and of a
fund for rewarding industrious females of this parish.
Another commemorates Joseph Ames (1759), the author of
a very useful work, entitled " Typographical Antiquities,"
who was a ship-chandler at Wapping.
In Prince's Square, within the parish of St. George, is
situated the Danish Church, built from a design by Caius
Gabriel Cibber, in 1696, at the expense of Christian V.,
King of Denmark. In it are the monuments of the archi
tect and his wife, the latter of whom was the daughter of
William Colley, Esq., of Glasson, in Rutlandshire.
In the Swedish church, in the centre of Wellclose Square,
partly in this parish, lies buried the celebrated Baron Swe-
denborg, founder of the sect called Swedenborgians, who
died in 1772. Lysons' " Environs of London," vol. ii. p.
426, and " Supplement" to the first edition, p. 160.
References to the accompanying Engravings.
Plate I. — A, plan of the church, of which the lower
portion a, represents the ground plan, or floor, with its
pewing ; c c, side entrances ; d, western entrance, steps,
and platform; e, vestibule under the tower; f, vestry;

ST. GEORGE'S IN THE EAST. 99
g, altar end, or tribune ; h h h h, staircases to the galleries,
&c. ; i, pulpit; k, pews: — b, plan of the gallery floor;
m m, line of section, in Plate III. — B, elevation of the
south side of the church.
Plate II. — Elevation of the west end, or principal
front of the church, with the whole of the tower.
Plate III. — A, elevation of the east end of the church ;
B, section of the east end, through line m m, in plan, showing
the crypt, the altarpiece, the pews, galleries, a section of
one staircase turret, and an elevation of another.
H. A.

Had the architect deviated still, further than he has
done from usual practice, so as to get rid of what now
seems taken at random, and arbitrarily patched a design
emanating from his own conceptions, he might have pro
duced something clever, and even masterly in its way,
although not classical. As it is, he appears to have
stopped short at the very point when he ought to have put
forth his powers as an artist, endeavouring to mould his
mass into harmony and consistency ; instead of which, he
has left it a medley of the most offensive and conflicting
discords. One of these consists in placing the tower against
the pediment-shaped roof; another, in applying an Ionic
order, or, indeed, any order at all, to the lower part of it,
when its summit is so singularly at variance with any re
miniscence of columns or pilasters. Something might have
been made of the four lesser towers, containing the stair
cases ; but they are so brought in as to appear excrescences,
while their doors are of superlative ugliness in themselves,
and out of keeping with every thing else, except the small
square windows, which seem by comparison a degree less
offensive than they else would be. Had there been no
h 2

100 EDIFICES OF LONDON.
doors here — and it will be seen by the plan they might
have been dispensed with, with some improvement to the
staircases — even that omission alone would have given some
repose and breadth to the design of the side elevations.
Some mode of rusticating, too, would have afforded a very
suitable species of embellishment to a structure of this mas
sive character. Perhaps it will be thought that it would
be making a church assume the air of a prison ; and such
certainly might be the case, were the requisite dissimilitude
between the one and the other unattainable by any other
characteristic distinction than what arises from the applica
tion or the omission of rusticated work. When tastefully ap
plied, it may be made to impart, not only relief and sparkle,
and a certain picturesque richness of surface to a building,
but also a character of studied elegance. Of this we have a
proof in that particular mode of it which has been employed
in the garden elevation of the Travellers' Club-house, and
the piers in front of the College of Surgeons. EDITOR.

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ST. MARTIN IN THE FIELDS.

The first church of this parish was of high antiquity,
and stood, as the present adjunct to the name then strictly
imported, " in the fields." It is however probable that the
first building was only a chapel for the use of the monks
of Westminster, when they visited their Convent {Covent)
Garden, which then extended to it ; and it is almost need
less to observe, that the endowments of the church fell a prey
to Henry VIII., in whose reign a small church was built
here at the king's expense, the poverty of the parish not
enabling them to perform such a duty. This, from the in
adequacy of its size, was enlarged in 1607, by the addition
of a spacious chancel, erected at the cost of Prince Henry,
and many of the nobility. After many expensive repairs
and additions, it was taken down in 1720-21 : shortly after
which was laid the first stone of the present edifice ; and,
from the subjoined inscription on the frieze of the portico,
it appears that the church was finished in 1726.
D.SACRAM. ,EDEM. S. MARTINI. PAROCHIANI. EXTRVI.
FEC. A.D. MDCCXXVI.
It was consecrated, immediately after its completion, on the
20th October, 1726. In pursuance of an act of parliament,
the cost of its erection was defrayed by the freeholders and
housekeepers of the parish, the former paying one-fourth,
the latter one-fifth of the expense. The total expenditure

102 EDIFICES OF LONDON.
appears to have been £36,891. 10s. Ad., whereof the detail is
as follows : — £. s. d.
Artificers for building  33,017 9 3
Re-casting the bells and additional metal  1,264 18 3
The organ (given by the King)  , 1,500 0 0
Decorations and altering the communion plate  1,109 2 10
£36,891 10 4

The sum which parliament authorised the parish to levy
was £33,450. The remainder was supplied by royal bene
faction, subscription, and the sale of seats in the church.
The architect of the building was James Gibbs, a native of
Scotland, who was born in 1680, and about the year 1720
was in very extensive practice as an architect. Walpole, in
his superficial manner, says, " Gibbs, like Vanbrugh, had
no aversion to ponderosity, but not being endued with much
invention, was only regularly heavy. His praise was fidelity
to rules ; his failing, want of grace." Walpole, however,
would have sacrificed all the artists he ever commemorated
for the sake of an antithesis, or a pretty turn in a period.
Ralph's wish respecting this church* is now accom
plished. His words are — "I could wish too that a view
was opened to St. Martin's church ; I do not know any one
of the modern buildings about town which more deserves
such an advantage. The portico is at once elegant and au
gust, and the steeple above it ought to be considered as one
of the most tolerable in town :f if the steps arising from the
* Critical Review of the Public Buildings, 1734.
-f- The horrible deformities called steeples, which are, perhaps, in some
measure, necessary in these sectarian days, in order to distinguish the
buildings of our Establishment from those of the conventicle, are unfor
tunately ever introduced in such situations as to ruin the effect of the por
ticoes over which they stand, by an arrangement which in most cases inter-

ST. MARTIN'S IN THE FIELDS. 103
street to the front could have been made regular, and on a
line from end to end, it would have given it a very consi
derable grace : but, as the situation of the ground would
not allow it, this is to be esteemed rather a misfortune than
a fault. The round columns at each angle of the church
are very well conceived, and have a very fine effect in the
profile of the building : the east end is remarkably elegant,
and very justly challenges particular applause. In short,
if there is anything wanting in this fabric, it is a little more
elevation, which I presume is apparently wanted within,
and would create an additional beauty without. I cannot
help thinking too that, in complaisance to the galleries, the
architect has reversed the order of the windows, it being
always usual to have the large ones nearest the eye, and the
small, by way of attic story, on the top."
Ralph's criticism is sufficiently correct, his observations
as to the windows only excepted ; indeed it is so just that it
even precludes the necessity of many additional obser
vations.feres with the leading lines of the main feature. The Italian campanile is
preferable, and the artists of the Continent are surprised at our perverse-
ness in this respect. In the Encyclopedie Methodique (Architecture, art.
Gibbs), the writer, speaking of the portico of St. Martin's Church, as
compared with that of St. Mary-le-Strand, says, " La premiere presente a
l'exterieur un assez beau peristyle d'ordre Corinthien, qui feroit sans doute
un effet plus satisfaisant pour l'ceil et pour la raison, si, suivant un usage
trop commun en Angleterre, le clocher, bati en forme de tour, et se
trouvant dans le frontispice de l'eglise, au lieu d'etre place a l'extremite
posterieure, n'ecrasoit pas la masse du portique en colonnes isolees." This
is a point well worthy the notice of the Commissioners for building the new
Churches, especially as they will now be shortly charged with the super
intendence which the recent Parliamentary grant will create. It is much
to be desired that, for the credit of our taste with foreigners, they should
give this subject due consideration.

104 EDIFICES OF LONDON.
Theoretically as well as practically considered, the lower
windows are of proper form : nothing is more offensive than
the practice of making long windows, and cutting them into
two heights, which the gallery floor would have done in this
instance, had Gibbs been of Ralph's opinion,
The length of the church, including the portico, is equal
to twice its width. About one-third of the total length
is occupied, westward, by the portico and vestibule, or
pronaos, and the remainder by the nave, aisles, and altar,
with its adjacent staircases and vestries at the north-east
and south-east angles. The western entrance is under a
Corinthian hexastyle portico, surmounted by a pediment.
The intercolumniation adopted is of two diameters and a
half, and the projection of the portico of two intercolum
niations. The sides of the portico, where they join the main
building, are flanked by antse, one diameter and a half distant
from the receiving pilaster. The north and south elevations
are in two stories, separated by a fascia, with rusticated
windows in each. Between the windows the walls are
decorated with pilasters of the same order and height as
the columns of the portico, four diameters apart ; but at
the east and western ends these elevations are distinguished
by columns insulated and coupled with antse, which pro
duce a delightful variety, and give great relief to the
other parts.
The interior of the church is divided into three unequal
parts by a range of four Corinthian columns and two
pilasters on each side, standing on tall pedestals of the height
of the pewing. From the top of the entablature, over each
column, a semi-elliptical ceiling rises to cover the central
space, or nave ; it is formed by arcs doubleaux, between
which the vault is pierced transversely in the spaces above
the intercolumniations by semicircular arches springing from

ST. MARTIN'S IN THE FIELDS. 105
column to column. At the back of the entablature of each
column semicircular arches, similar to those last named, are
turned over, and received on consoles attached to the north
and south walls. By the junction of these, pendentives
are evolved, and circular coved ceilings obtained behind
each intercolumniation above the galleries.
The nave terminates eastward, in an altar recessed in
a large niche, formed of two quadrants of circles, whose
radius is less than one-quarter of the whole width of the
niche. Its ceiling is a semi-elliptical vault, parallel to the
great one over the nave. There are galleries on the north,
south, and west sides of the church : on the two first-named
sides they extend from the walls to the columns, against
which the continuity of their mouldings is broken.
The interior is richly ornamented, perhaps with more
profusion than taste ; and the introduction of windows
over the sides of the altar, together with the effect of the
eastern doors, make it a little too gay and theatrical for
Protestant worship ; but, notwithstanding all its faults, the
work, as a whole, deserves the celebrity it has acquired,
and reflects the highest credit on the architect, who, it must
be conceded, derived no small advantage from the exquisite
church of St. James, Westminster, to which he is indebted
for his arrangement of the vaulting.
The tower and spire stand on a square pedestal rising
out of the roof behind the portico. They are by no means
remarkable for their elegance, and may be sufficiently un
derstood by reference to the plates.
The total superficies of the church is 12,669 feet, of
which its points of support occupy 2,803. The ratio, there
fore, of the former to the latter is as 1 to 0.220. There is
no extraordinary skill evinced in the construction of the
fabric. The roof is 38 feet span in its centre bearing, with

106 EDIFICES OF LONDON.
common king-post framing. It stands on posts whose
proximate supports are the interior columns. The roof is
lengthened at each side by lean-tos therefrom, over the
galleries, so as to form on the outside one continued inclined
plane on each side of the ridge.
Gibbs does not appear to have been guided in the
proportions of the leading features of the work by any
series of ratios between them and the length or breadth
of the whole. The only point in which we can perceive
such an intention, has already been mentioned, viz., the
length from the plinths of the columns of the portico to
that of the east front, which is just double the width of
the church measured at the same level ; and it may almost
be doubted whether the architect was aware of this circum
stance, for no person can examine the design of this church
without perceiving that all the parts, exterior and interior,
are made subordinate to the portico, the roof of which is
continued through the building, except where truncated by
the interception of the pedestal of the steeple tower. In the
buildings of Wren, we are invariably struck with his devotion
to proportion. In this respect his theory and practice went
hand in hand ; for, in his first tract,* he says, " There are
natural causes of beauty. Beauty is a harmony of objects,
begetting pleasure by the eye. There are two causes of
beauty, natural and customary. Natural is from geometry,
consisting in uniformity (that is, equality) and proportion.
Customary beauty is begotten by the use of our senses
to those objects which are usually pleasing to us for other
causes, as familiarity or particular inclination breeds a love
to things not in themselves lovely. Here lies the great
occasion of errors ; here is tried the architect's judgment :
* Parentalia, page 354.

ST. MARTIN'S IN THE FIELDS. 107
but always the true test is natural or geometrical beauty."
And it is well said by a French architect* of considerable
ingenuity, " C'est dans la concordance matMmatique des
masses de l'edifice, entre elles, que reside essentiellement le
type de la beauts architectonique : son principe est invisible :
et ses rapports intellectuels; avant d'etre rendus sensibles
a l'ceil, ils doivent etre apercus par l'esprit ; mais, il est
raisonnable et vrai de dire : que pour echapper, d'abord,
a nos sens, ils n'en sont pas moins ordonnes et constans."
J. GWILT.

Had admiration been confined to the portico alone of
this church, it might have been assented to ; but when we
find the entire edifice extolled in terms of unqualified praise,
as a masterpiece of its kind, as if it were replete throughout
with first-rate beauties, and wholly free from defects, the
commendation so bestowed becomes almost valueless, be
cause it argues want of discrimination. Whether the beauty
it possesses more than counterbalances all its defects put
together, is another question ; but that it has defects, cannot
be disputed by any one who is not disposed to surrender up
all pretension to taste, since they are so very glaring that they
may be discerned by the most " bat-eyed" of critics. Apart
from the portico, what is there in the rest of the design that
any architect would feel flattered by having imputed to him ?
Indeed, had it not been for this single feature, it may be
doubted if the building would have obtained any notice from
criticism at all. Even this feature is far from being what a
little more regard to unity and classical taste would have
rendered it ; for the admiration excited by the first glance
* Le Brun, Theorie de 1' Architecture, &c, folio, Paris, 1807.

108 EDIFICES OF. LONDON.
at the columns and pediment, is greatly chilled when we
discover how much the back-ground of this Corinthian pro
style is cut up and disfigured by doors and windows of the
most uncouth design, and not bearing the most distant affi
nity to the style indicated by the order. In this respect, this
portico is decidedly inferior to that of St. George's, Hanover
Square, which, although not perfectly unexceptionable, is a
very tolerable composition ; and one thing in which better
taste is there shown is, that the centre-arched door is loftier
than the two square-headed ones. In St. Martin's, on the
contrary, the middle doorway looks mean and depressed in
comparison with the other two, owing to its imposts being
below the level of their lintels, whereas, if there was to be an
arch of any kind in that situation, it ought to have been con
siderably wider, and its imposts level with the strong-course
or fascia above the doors. Such an arch, with a bold archi-
volt fully enriched agreeably to the order, would have pos
sessed some dignity, provided, however, it had been accom
panied only by side doors, and those divested of their ugly
rustic blocks. If there is anything that can reconcile us to
the unmeaning panels — which do not appear at all to belong
to masonry — and the hideous windows, it is that all within the
portico is at present in such grotesque and barbarous taste,
that it is not worth while cavilling about particular deformi
ties, since the whole would require to be recomposed. The
side elevations, and that of the east end, are equally bad, pre
senting the most grating discords, for even Gothic windows
would have been, though more palpably contradictory, only so
far less at variance with Corinthian pilasters and entablature
than those we are compelled to behold, which, unlike Gothic
ones, have not the merit of being agreeable objects in them
selves. Ralph's encomium on the east end of the church
has been quoted; how far it is merited, the reader can judge

ST. MARTIN'S IN THE FIELDS. 109
for himself, by the elevation given of it, unless he prefers
taking its " elegance" for granted, upon that writer's ipse
dixit, to entering on the hopeless task of detecting it.
As regards the interior, some observations touching it
have already been made in speaking of that of St. James's
church, page 84. Referring to what is there said, it may be
observed, in addition, that the whole is in a heavy, tawdry
style, without any repose or breadth of effect, and without
either elegance or correctness in the architectural forms.
Yet, although over-decorated in some parts, there is a want
of richness upon the whole, but certainly no deficiency of
flitter and flutter, particularly at the altar end, which seems
to have been made up of architectural scraps.
Doubtless much of the bad taste this church exhibits,
both internally and externally, belongs to the period at
which the architect lived. Still it is not a whit the less bad
taste on that account, and it is all the more incumbent upon
criticism to point it out in buildings that have obtained a
sort of standard reputation, because silence in regard to
defects is apt to be mistaken for unqualified approbation,
and is therefore injurious, since it misleads those who most
require to be instructed and to be put upon their guard.
If this church has gained something by being laid open
to Trafalgar Square, it likewise, in some degree, suffers by
the alteration, for in a general and distant view, it loses
much of its former relative importance, and still presents
the most imposing appearance when viewed at a short dis
tance in front of it, or obliquely from St. Martin's Lane.
The spire, which Mr. Bardwell says ought to be removed,
may be allowed to be in quite as good taste as anything else
the architect has tacked to his portico. EDITOR.

ST. PETER-LE-POOR, BROAD STREET.

The time of the original formation of a church on this
site is uncertain, but it must have preceded 1181, as the
building is mentioned in a record of that date. According
to Stowe's conjecture, it derives its distinctive epithet, le
Poor, from the mean condition of the parish in ancient
times. " If so," says Maitland, " that epithet may at pre
sent be justly changed to that of rich, because of the great
number of merchants and other persons of distinction in
habiting there."*
The church which preceded the present structure was a
building of uncertain antiquity. It was considerably en
larged at the expense of Sir William Garway, or Gar-
raway, citizen, who died in 1625, and was buried here.
In 1616-17, it was again repaired and beautified; and in
1629-30, a turret and gallery were erected at the west
end, and the bells were new cast and hung.
From projecting considerably beyond the line of the
adjoining houses, the old church obstructed the passage
of the street. It was therefore determined to take it down
and rebuild it somewhat further back on its cemetery. An
act of parliament was consequently passed for that purpose
in 1788 ; and the re-building, soon afterwards commenced,
was completed in 1791, at an expense of more than four
* Maitland's Hist, of London, vol. ii.

EDiriCES of LOUDON-.— CHURCHES.

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thousand pounds. Of this sum four hundred pounds were
subscribed by the City of London, and the remainder was
raised on annuities, in the parish. The architect of this
edifice was Jesse Gibson.
J. M. MOFFATT.
Description.
Although certainly not very important for either its
extent, or the character of its architecture, this subject has
been selected as an example of a circular plan and arrange
ment adapted to the purposes of a modern place of worship.
No advantage has been taken of this form externally, the
body of the church being quite shut out from view by the
adjoining houses, so that until he enters the building a
stranger is not aware that it is a rotunda. The facade towards
the street is small, and might be taken rather for that of a
chapel than of a parish church, were it not for its bell turret,
or tower. Yet, without being a striking architectural object,
or possessing any particular merit, or originality of character,
there is a simplicity and an elegance in its design that deserve
commendation, and which we certainly do not meet with in
any of the older churches in the city. The tower, however,
by no means corresponds with the rest of the elevation ;
being not only disproportionably heavy, but far from grace
ful, either in its general form or in its embellishments.
Steeples do not combine very advantageously with the
Roman or Grecian style: they may rather be termed the
crux architectorum ; for it seems that when here left entirely
to their own discretion, unfettered by any authorities from
ancient buildings, our architects are less successful than in
any other part of their designs. We do not allude to those
by Sir Christopher Wren, since none of his churches have
any regular facade, to the effect of which such an addition

112 EDIFICES OF LONDON.
can prove detrimental. His towers rise at once from the
ground without being " perched" upon either a portico or
roof. We speak only of the more recent examples of the
kind, which have been attached to structures, in every
other respect, of an avowedly Grecian character. But if
steeples themselves are somewhat an anomalous solecism
in edifices of this class, they are not rendered less so
by the clock-dial* invariably to be found in them, and
which, however useful, is certainly not a classical object;
nor in the present instance is its appearance much im
proved by the heavy festoons of drapery attached to it.
A light turret rising immediately from the socle above
the pediment, would have been preferable to this steeple,
which is by no means well-proportioned to the rest of the
elevation. The interior of the church is simple, its principal de
coration being a coved ceiling with a lantern; yet, al
though so destitute of embellishment, it has a pleasing
and cheerful appearance — at the same time it must be
confessed it has more the air of a lecture room than of
a church. It is more indebted too, for whatever beauty
it possesses, to mere form than to any other architectural
excellence. A rotunda is always a pleasing figure, parti
cularly when, as in St. Constanza, and St. Stefano della
Rotonda at Rome, and some other edifices, there is a peri
style of columns considerably advanced from the walls ; but
there being nothing of the kind here to produce any play
of light and shade, and the walls being perfectly plain,
* Messrs. Inwood, in the steeple of St. Pancras, and those of some other
churches, have deviated somewhat from the usual mode of placing the clock
dial ; but although they have shown much taste in this respect, it is by no
means a very elegant feature : it would be less objectionable were the dial
bronzed.

ST. PETER-LE-P00R, BROAD STREET. 113
this form is very far from being so effective as otherwise
it might be. Neither is the roof so pleasing to an eye
accustomed to classical forms, as it would have been, had
it approached more to a hemispherical vault, with a sky
light instead of a lantern ; the latter being now dispro-
portionably large, and forming an unpleasing angle with
the ceiling, which is in fact little more than a mere cove,
and for which it appears too heavy : this heaviness, too,
is increased by the balustrade below the windows. We
are, besides, of opinion that this lantern might, without
any disadvantage, have been somewhat less spacious, as
the building would still have been sufficiently lighted.
It is evident that the architect was restricled as to deco
ration; but this can be no excuse for the mean altar-
piece and diminutive columns which he has placed in
the semicircular tribune or recess, so as totally to destroy
the simplicity and congruity with the rest of the structure,
which this feature would otherwise have possessed. It is,
however, but justice to observe, that this may not have ori
ginated with him, but have been obtruded into his design
by others. However this may be, it is certain, that had the
walls of this recess been painted with an imitation of dra
pery, suspended in folds from its cornice, the effect would
have been incomparably better.
The chief merit of this building consists in its plan,
which was, no doubt, suggested by want of space, and
which is extremely economic, inasmuch as it is not only
exceedingly compact, but gives almost the only tolerable
arrangement that could have been adopted, without extend
ing the building considerably to the west.* Another circum-
* The altar, it will be observed, is here at the west instead of the east
end — or rather side, of the church.
VOL. I. I

114 EDIFICES OF LONDON.
stance deserving of commendation is, the entire omission
of side windows, which are certainly anything but orna
mental or appropriate in modern churches. In the pointed
style, they are highly characteristic and decorative features,
but quite the reverse in the Grecian, not to mention the
disadvantage arising from their admitting the view of un
sightly objects. Of late years, indeed, this defect has been
obviated by adopting ground glass, yet the effect is cold
and unpleasing : it would be an improvement if the glass
were slightly tinged with some warm hue, particularly
when, as in St. Pancras church, a border of deep-stained
glass surrounds the windows. As to external architectural
effect, it is almost unnecessary to remark how much would
be gained by the omission of lateral windows, especially of
smaller ones, beneath the galleries of churches. The num
ber of these apertures interferes sadly with classical chaste-
ness of design. EDITOR.

EDIFICES of LONDON — CHURCHES.

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ST. PAUL'S, COVENT GARDEN.

This precinct, which was anciently a part of St. Martin's-
in-the-Fields, was made an independent parish, by the first
act of parliament, of a local nature, that was passed after
the restoration of King Charles II., in 1660. Most of the
ground which it occupies was, in former times, an exten
sive garden belonging to the abbot and convent of West
minster, and thence named Convent Garden, from which
the present term is an evident corruption. On the dissolu
tion of religious houses, in the reign of Henry VIII., it
came into the possession of the crown, together with other
contiguous lands of the abbots, which were originally called
Elms, and afterwards Seven Acres, and Long Acre. Ed
ward VI. granted these estates to his ill-fated uncle,
Edward Seymour, Duke of Somerset ; after whose attain
der, a grant of them was made to John, Earl of Bedford.
Shortly after which the earl built a mansion, chiefly of
wood, for his town residence, near the bottom of what is
now called Southampton Street, the former habitation of the
Russells being on the other side of the Strand, and called
from its prior owners the Bishop of Carlisle's Inn ; the new
fabric remained till the year 1704 ; it was enclosed by a
brick wall, and had a large garden extending northward, to
the site of the present market-place.
Francis, fourth Earl of Bedford, greatly improved his
estates by new buildings and granting leases; and from
I 2

116 EDIFICES OF LONDON.
one of these, which has been quoted in Strype's edition of
" Stow's Survey of London," we may infer that the period
of the original foundation of this church was about 1631.
The new church, or more properly speaking, in reference
to the time of its erection, chapel, was designed and built
by Inigo Jones, at an expense, according to Walpole,
of £4,500, which was defrayed by Earl Francis, who ex
pressly intended it for the accommodation of the inhabi
tants of the new buildings in the vicinity. Through a dis
pute, however, respecting the right of patronage, which
arose between the earl and the Rev. Mr. Bray, the paro
chial vicar, it remained for " some years unconsecrated ;"
as was stated in a petition, signed by upwards of one hun
dred of the inhabitants of Covent Garden, that was read
before the Privy Council at Whitehall, His Majesty being
present, on the 6th day of April, 1638. Both parties were
then heard in support of their respective rights, and after
mature deliberation, the king, " finding that legally the
new intended church must remain as a chapel of ease un
der the parish church of St. Martin, until by act of parlia
ment it were made parochial, &c, did at the instant give
his royal and forerunning assent, that the said intended
church should hereafter be made parochial, when a parlia
ment should be holden, and an act prepared for that pur
pose. " That in the mean time it should remain subordinate
to the vicar of St. Martin's, who should nominate a curate
with an annual salary of 100 marks ; but inasmuch as the
earl had not only erected the church, but likewise a dwel
ling-house for a minister, for whose better maintenance he
designed to allow £100 per annum, " it was by His Majesty
appointed that the earl should, for his voluntary bounty
and devotion to God, therein showed, as also the heirs of
the earl, from time to time, have power to elect and place

st. Paul's, covent garden. 117
such a preacher there as he should like best, the same
being first allowed by the lord bishop of the diocese." In
consequence of this decree, articles of agreement were sub
sequently entered into between the earl, the vicar, and
others ; and on the 26th of September, in the above year,
the earl signed his act of donation of the church, &c. ; the
plot of ground connected with it being described as 251
feet in length, from east to west, and 145 feet three inches
from north to south. On the following day, the church
was consecrated and dedicated to St. Paul the apostle.
There has been a remarkable diversity of opinion re
specting the architectural merits of this church, which
is built in the Tuscan order, as described by Vitruvius ; and
it may be regarded as the most complete specimen of that
order in the world, as no ancient building of the kind is
now remaining, either in Italy or elsewhere. It stands on
the western side of a spacious market-place, and though
not of any considerable altitude, it forms a striking object
from different aspects. On the east and principal front is
a lofty portico, which consists of two massive columns,
and two piers of a similar character, supporting an angu
lar pediment, as represented in the accompanying print:
all the pillars diminish considerably as they approach the
capitals. The simplicity of the design of this fabric, the depth of
its portico, and the vastness of its roof, which, from the
great projection of its cantalivers, protrudes far beyond the
walls, give it a very peculiar, and even an imposing air ;
the uniqueness of its character, if the phrase be allowable,
having sometimes misled the judgment even of the intel
ligent and the judicious. For instance, Ralph, the archi
tect, in his " Critical Review of Public Buildings," has thus
extravagantly praised this edifice : — " The church here is

118 EDIFICES OF LONDON.
without a rival ; one of the most perfect pieces of architec
ture that the art of man can produce ; nothing can be pos
sibly imagined more simple, and yet magnificence itself can
hardly give greater pleasure. This is a strong proof of the
force of harmony and proportion ; and at the same time a
demonstration that it is taste, and not expense, which is
the parent of beauty." We are told also, by Walpole,
that the enthusiasm of the Earl of Burlington, the British
Palladio, for the works of Inigo Jones, was so active, that
" he repaired the church of Covent Garden, because it
was the production of that great master." This was about
the year 1757.
Walpole's opinion was very different from that of Ralph.
Speaking of the piazza and church of Covent Garden, he
says — " Of these structures I want taste to see the beauties.
The barn-roof, over the portico of the church, strikes my
eyes with as little idea of dignity or beauty, as it could do
if it covered nothing but a barn." He adds, in a note, that
in justice to Inigo, it must be owned the " defect is not in
the architect, but in the order;" and he corroborates his
own judgment by repeating an anecdote which was related
to him by the Speaker Onslow, namely : — When the Earl
of Bedford sent for Inigo, he told him that he wanted a
chapel for the parishioners of Covent Garden ; but added,
he would not go to any considerable expense: in short,
said he, " I would not have it much better than a barn."
" Well, then," replied Jones, " you shall have the hand
somest barn in England !"
If this anecdote be true, it may be remarked that Inigo
fully redeemed his pledge; for, notwithstanding the ex
tent and elevation of the portico, and the excellent propor
tions of the whole building, the projections of the roof, the
gable-like pediments, and the excessive plainness of the ex-

ST. PAUL'S, COVENT GARDEN. 119
terior, produce a very homely and barn-like effect on the
eye accustomed to the graces of classic architecture. From
the great distance between the front wall and the massive
pillars before described, there seems reason to conclude
that the architect intended the portico to form a continuous
part of the grand piazza which he had designed to erect
around the market-place, but the building of which was
put a stop to by the breaking out of the civil wars. There
might, perhaps, have been another reason for the great
projection of this front ; that is, from the necessity felt by
the artist of obtaining relief by broad and deep shadows,
under an aspect so directly to the east.
Beneath the portico are apparently three entrances, but
those at the sides only are doorways, the altarpiece being
erected against the middle part of the interior wall. In
the centre division is the following inscription : — " The
church of this parish having been destroyed by fire on the
xvnth day of September, a.d. mdccxcv., was rebuilt and
opened for divine service on the Ist of August, a.d.
mdccxcvhi." The roof is covered with slate, and over the
west end is a clock turret or cupola : the latter differs con
siderably from that erected by Inigo, which was a mere
bell turret. The principal entrance is in the west front ;
which, except the portico, is similar in design to the east
front. At this end, on each side, is a uniform wing, but
not of considerable dimensions ; that on the south is used
as an entrance to the church, &c, the other as a vestry.
The inner walls of this edifice are of brick : but in the
year 1788, when the entire building was put into a state of
complete repair, at the expense of the parishioners, a casing
of Portland stone was substituted for the exterior plaster
with which it had previously been covered ; and, although
a few alterations were then made for the greater convenience

120 EDIFICES OF LONDON.
of the congregation, the original simplicity of the outline
was strictly preserved. At the same period, the rustic
gateways, which Inigo Jones had imitated from Palladio,
and which, like the church, were of brick and plaster, were
taken down, and rebuilt of stone : the same design being
faithfully retained, but a more decided form given to the
profiles. Within a few years after this extensive reparation, the
whole church was reduced to a mere shell by a fire, that
originated in the cupola, on Thursday, the 17th of September,
1795, through the culpable negligence of some plumbers
who had been employed in that part of the building. The
parishioners, notwithstanding the very heavy charge which
they had so recently endured, determined, with the most
commendable liberality, to restore the church, as nearly as
circumstances would admit, to its former design and cha
racter. Mr. Hardwick, the ingenious architect who had
directed the previous repairs, was again employed on this
restoration ; and it is but just to affirm that he has perfectly
succeeded in giving to the internal arrangements that sim
plicity of effect which so well accords with the general style
of the building.
The proportions of the interior are very pleasing, and
the fittings up are neat and judicious. The ceiling is flat
and stuccoed ; in its middle division is the word Jehovah
surrounded by a glory, with clouds. On the north, west,
and south sides, are handsome galleries of wainscot, sup
ported by fluted Tuscan pillars : the area is neatly pewed.
At the east end is an altarpiece, chastely designed in the
Corinthian order, and divided by pilasters into different
compartments, which contain the Tables of the Law, Belief,
and Lord's Prayer: over the former is the sacramental cup ;
and on the apex of the pediment is an urn and pedestal,

st. Paul's, covent garden. 121
with an angel reclining on each side : these figures were
from the classic chisel of the late Tbomas Banks, R. A. The
pulpit and reading-desk are both uniform, and of oak. In
the western gallery is a good organ. The font consists of a
small basin of white marble, placed on a shaft of variegated
red marble.
Against the side walls, beneath the galleries, are various
sepulchral tablets of white marble, neatly sculptured; among
which is one in memory of Charles Macklin, the come
dian, who died on the 11th of July, 1797, aged 107 years.
He was buried in the churchyard, where many other thea
trical performers of much eminence have likewise been
interred. Sir Peter Lely, the great painter, was buried
within the church, where, previously to the fire, was his
bust and monument. He died on the 30th of November,
1680, aged 63 years.
In the accompanying print is delineated the eastern
elevation of this edifice, and a section of the interior, look
ing towards the altar, on the line marked A. B. in the ground
plan. The principal dimensions of the building are figured
on the plate.
The following judicious architectural observations on
this church have been communicated by Mr. Papworth,
architect. Nothing is more likely to perplex the feelings of the
public on works of art, than the conflicting criticisms of
men of talent ; when, delivered like mere opinions, they are
unaccompanied by the reasons which have governed their
decisions, and given as though taste was altogether intuitive,
and not amenable at the bar of common sense and of sound
judgment. Ralph's unqualified praise and Walpole's censure are
alike injudicious, and so at variance with each other, that it

122 edifices of London.
may be well to consider them as prejudices hastily formed,
and again inquire into the claims that Inigo Jones has,
justly, upon the approbation of the public on account of this
building. In this investigation it is proper to refer to the
degraded state into which our architecture had fallen about
that period; our national Gothic was abandoned, a Ger
manized Italian style had been encouraged by Elizabeth, and
had been made worse by the northern peculiarities intro
duced with James I.
The patronage of the next reign, and the genuine taste
of Jones, qualified him to seek the pure sources of classic
architecture ; and by consulting the works of Vitruvius, and
the remains of other ancient masters, as well as the practice
of Palladio, he introduced to England a system of architec
ture unknown to it at any former period ; and in this church
particularly he exhibited a bold confidence in his correctness,
by erecting an edifice on the plan and proportions of ancient
Grecian and Roman temples, and divested of all ornaments
¦ — when ornament, and even meretricious ornament, was
considered to be essential to the beauty of architecture, as
is manifested by its contemporary works.
That suitableness to its application, stability, and eco
nomy, were primary considerations in the mind of the
founder of this edifice, is apparent to every intelligent ob
server. How well Jones has succeeded in effecting these
objects is equally manifest : but as an architect it became
him, nevertheless, to superadd as much of the graces of his
art as might be consistent with rigid economy.
For this purpose he reverted to the practice of the Tus
cans, who had tastefully given to many of their simple,
though larger edifices, arrangements and proportions, not
imitated from the elaborate temples of the Greeks, but
possibly from those plain and yet earlier temples, the pre-

ST. PAUL'S, COVENT GARDEN. 123
cursors of the noble works produced under the influence of
Pericles, by the genius of the highly-gifted Phidias.
The Tuscan practice, according to Vitruvius, allowed the
frieze to be dispensed with, and all the embellishments of
stone-work usually above it ; thence avoiding a considerable
cost, and permitting the roof to advance so far as to protect
the walls from injury by wet, and producing an effect of
shadow, essential both on account of usefulness and beauty ;*
an effect that is obtained in the best Grecian temples, only
at the great cost of executing the peristyle with which they
are usually surrounded ; and without which relief of shadow,
the sides of such buildings, however ornamented, will always
appear mean and insipid.
Having, by the adoption of the portico and the over
hanging roof, obtained as much of the means of picturesque
effect as strict attention to economy would allow, the archi
tect endeavoured to possess his building of the charms of
eurithmy, or just proportion, as well as to design all the
subordinate parts in a style consistent with the simplicity,
and, if it may be called so, the rusticity of the order ; and it
will be found, upon examination, that the form of its outline
— the relation and proportion of its parts to its aggregate
quantity and to each other — has produced a dignity of mien
in this building, that, except in the ancient temples, is rarely
* Perhaps it is worthy of inquiry, if this form of roof, produced with us
by double principal rafters, was not similar to those of the very early Greek
temples, as well as to others of later times, when, cutting off the projecting
eaves, the roof made way for the refined entablature of the Doric order
without any alteration in its construction, which probably differed from
that of the present day, as much as did the roof applied by Inigo Jones,
which was entirely without that arch-like principle of construction
exhibited in the plate, and added after the fire, in 1795, by Mr. Hard-
wick.

124 edifices of London.
found in sacred edifices of the same size, whether devoted to-
Pagan or to Christian purposes.
Having accomplished in this work all that he intended,
combining with economy suitableness, stability, force of
effect, and the beauty that results from propriety and just
proportion, and, as it exists, an unique and chaste example
of an ancient and neglected order, the building is surely
entitled to the suffrages of the public ; particularly as it
has increased in reputation as the works of the Greeks have
become better known to the connoisseur, and he has im
proved in architectural acumen ; and perhaps it will not be
valued the less as being an interesting subject of curiosity
to enlightened foreigners, and certainly possessing their
approbation.
E. W. BRAYLEY.

The hyperbolism of encomium, in which Ralph has
indulged, is in some measure excused by the comparative
purity and classicality of taste displayed in this edifice,
when considered with reference to the general architecture
which prevailed, both during the period when it was de
signed, and that when it was so egregiously extolled.
Undoubtedly it possesses certain qualities that render it
attractive to the painter's eye — boldness of outline, breadth of
composition, vigour of shadow, and the play of perspective,
naturally arising from a deeply recessed loggia, partly closed
up at its ends. And if no higher merit be claimed for it
than that of displaying those qualities, which, be it ob
served, are perfectly compatible with marked homeliness of
character and expression, such praise may fairly be conceded.
It pleases ; but then it is spite of the rudeness and imper
fection of its style, and not by any inherent beauty in it ;

st. paul's, covent garden. 125
for the style, regarded merely as such, must be pronounced
uncouth — a mere abozzamento, exhibiting the first rudi
ments towards a finished order. It is classical architecture
en deshabille, exactly that mode of building which is adapt
ed to a public market, or some similar place, when nothing
more is required than shelter and supports for the roof.
Beauty of detail, or of secondary forms, there is none ; the
contour of the columns is anything but beautiful ; yet their
deficiency, in this respect, is certainly in keeping with the
entablature and pediment; for, had they exhibited more
refinement, both the latter would have required to have it
extended to them likewise. In other respects there are
many things altogether matters of taste, which might have
been for the better, without at all intrenching upon eco
nomy. Had the faces of the anta?, for instance, not been
diminished, while they would have been more appropriate
in themselves, their outline would have contrasted with that
of the columns. The principal doorway within the portico
does not very well accord with the style indicated by the
entablature, and the circular window above it might very
well have been spared, there being, in fact, no aperture there
at all. On the contrary, instead of this superfluous appear
ance of windows, there ought to have been the appearance of
a door, and not a mere walled up doorway, as at present. It
may also be observed, that although the small side doors
afford some excuse for the portico, which would else contain
no entrance into the building, internally they are very ob
jectionably placed, because so exceedingly near to the altar.
In addition to these remarks, and those previously given,
the reader will find a more minute critique on this building
in one of the series of papers entitled " Strictures on Struc
tures," which appeared in the " Printing Machine." EDITOR.

ST. MARY-LE-BONE.

At the beginning of the last century, St. Mary-le-Bone,
or, as it is generally pronounced, Mary-Bone, was a mere
country village, about a mile distant from any part of the
metropolis. The manor included the chief part of Mary-
Bone Park, the entire site of which is now occupied by that
noble example of modern improvements, the Regent's Park,
and its magnificent neighbourhood.
Lysons informs us, in the third volume of his " Environs
of London," from the " Braybroke Register," that in the
year 1400, Bishop Braybroke granted a licence to the
parishioners to remove the old church, — which, from its
lonely situation near the highway, was subject to the
depredations of robbers, who frequently stole the images,
bells, and ornaments, — and to build a new one near the
place where a chapel had been then lately erected, and
which chapel might in the meantime be used.
The ancient church had been dedicated to St. John the
Evangelist, but the new one was consecrated in honour of
the Virgin Mary. Lysons conjectures, that from its being
built near the Aye Bourne, or Brook, rising to the south of
Hampstead, it might have been called " St. Mary at the
Bourne ;" and that the present name of this parish is a corrup
tion from that phrase. There is, however, a more obvious
source for its modern designation than has hitherto been
noticed, namely, St. Mary Aye-bourne, which, in a rapid

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ST. MARY-LE-BONE. 127
discourse, would easily glide into St. Mary-le-bone, and
Marybone. This second church, becoming from lapse of time ex
tremely ruinous, was taken down in the year 1741, and
a new one, now called the Parish Chapel, erected in its
place. It stands near the upper end of High Street, Mary-
bone, and is a small oblong fabric, with galleries on the
north, south, and west sides, but has no architectural fea
ture worthy notice.*
From the vast augmentation in the population of Mary-
bone during the course of the last century, the old church
had long become inadequate to receive the parishioners;
in consequence of which several chapels were erected in
various parts of this extensive district, at different times,
and by different speculators. Previous to the year 1800,
there were eight private chapels, independently of several
dissenting chapels, in this parish, belonging to the Church
of England, viz.: — Oxford Chapel, built before the year
1739; Portland Chapel, about the year 1766; Bentinck
Chapel, in 1772; Tichfield, now Welbeck Chapel, about
1774 ; Portland Chapel, about 1779 : Quebec Chapel, about
1788; Margaret Street Chapel, in which the established
liturgy was first used in 1789; and Brunswick Chapel,
erected about the year 1795. St. John's Wood Chapel, a
spacious fabric, on the north-west side of the Regent's Park,
was built in the year 1814.
The necessity of providing increased accommodation for
divine service had often been felt by the parishioners ; and
even so long ago as the 10th of Geo. III., anno 1770, an
act of parliament had been obtained for building a new
* " The middle of the old church," says Lysons, " is shown in one of
Hogarth's plates of the ' Rake's Progress.'

128 edifices of London.
church, making a new cemetery, and for other purposes
therewith connected. That act was amended and enlarged
about two years afterwards ; but the intended church was
yet in embryo, when, in the 46th of the same reign, anno
1S08, a third act was passed, empowering the vestrymen
to provide an additional cemetery, erect a chapel therein,
&c. A plot of ground was accordingly purchased and en
closed, but little more was effected till after the passing of
a fourth act, on the 10th of June, 1811 (51st of Geo. III.),
by which all the former acts were repealed, and new powers
were given to the vestrymen and their successors (who de
rive their authority from an act of the 35th of Geo. III.),
to purchase lands not exceeding ten acres, for the purpose
of erecting a new parish church, two or more chapels, a
minister's residence, &c, and for other purposes.
Under that act, the ground formerly purchased for the
cemetery was vested in the vestrymen, who were authorised
to appoint a treasurer, architect, and other officers ; make
contracts ; raise money, either by annuity or tontine, to de
fray the expense of the intended buildings, and levy a rate
not exceeding four-pence in the pound, to assist in dis
charging the same, in addition to the rents of pews, &c. ;
determine the burial fees, but not to reduce them to less
sums than were already payable ; appoint the salary of the
minister ; to set out and appropriate, in the new church and
chapels, a certain number of seats for the gratuitous accom
modation of the poor ; and, generally, to carry all the pro
visions of the statute into execution. The new church,
when consecrated, was to be named the Parish Church of
St. Mary-le-bone, and have all the rights of the old one,
which thenceforth was to be called the Parish Chapel.
Notwithstanding the building of so many proprietory
chapels, the old church was utterly incompetent to ac-

ST. MARY-LE-BONE. 129
commodate even a tithe of the increased population of its
immediate vicinity. It was therefore resolved by the select
vestry, in the beginning of 1813, to erect a chapel of ease
upon a plot of ground between High Street and the New
Road, directly fronting to the Regent's Park. A design
was accordingly laid before the vestry by their architect,
Thomas Hardwick, Esq., which conformed to the extent
and shape of the ground, upon the south side of which a
row of houses was intended to be erected. In consequence
of the confined limits, and irregular form of the ground-plot,
the wing building at the south-east end was projected to
terminate the avenue, and to form an entrance facing High
Street. The foundation was laid on the 5th of July, in
the above year, and the fabric was proceeded with nearly
to its completion. At that period, however, the work was
stopped, and the vestry came to a resolution to convert the
intended chapel into a parochial church. This occasioned
a considerable alteration to be made in the original design,
and particularly in regard to the exterior of the building.
The principal front, next the New Road, underwent a
very important change, as a more extended portico and a
steeple were substituted for the former designs, which con
sisted of an Ionic portico of four columns, surmounted by a
group of figures and a cupola ; and other alterations were
made in order to give the edifice an appearance more analo
gous to the character of a church. It is to be regretted,
however, that the appropriate bas-relief, which was evidently
intended by the architect to have filled the panel at the back
of the portico, and which was proposed to represent the entry
of our Saviour into Jerusalem, should not have been placed
there ; as an ornament of that kind, well vexecuted, would
have added much to the grandeur of this front. The vestry
did not think it advisable to have any alteration made in
VOL. i. k

130 EDIFICES OF LONDON.
the interior ; but the erecting of houses on any part of the
ground surrounding the church was abandoned, and the
whole area was laid out' in handsome and convenient ave
nues to the building : some portions of it have since been
planted, and others disposed into garden plots.
The general design of St. Mary-le-bone church consists
of a parallelogram, ranging north and south, having an
hexastyle portico, with lateral projections or wings on the
north or principal front; and additional buildings, diago
nally disposed, at the south-east and south-west angles.
The portico, which is raised on six steps, is composed of
Corinthian columns (supporting an entablature and pedi
ment), imitated from the Pantheon at Rome ; and the same
style of architecture is continued round the building, which
is crowned by a balustrade. In front, the portico has six
columns; and behind are two others, with corresponding
antse : there are, also, two columns in front of each lateral
projection, with antse to correspond behind them, as well as
on each of the returns. Within the panels, or caissons,
beneath the roof of the portico, are expanded flowers,
stuccoed, and^other ornaments; and in a panel imme
diately over the middle doorway, is the following inscrip
tion : —
THIS CHURCH WAS ERECTED AT THE EXPENSE OF THE PARISHIONERS,
AND CONSECRATED VI. FEB. A.D. MDCCCXVIII.

THE DUKE OF PORTLAND,)
_,„ „ > Churchwardens.
SIR JAMES GRAHAM, Baet. )

GRORGE ALLAN,) > Sidesmen.
JOHN RUSSELL, )

Over each of the two other doorways is a large semi
circular-headed window ; and the intervening space is the

ST. MARY-LE-BONE. 131
vacant panel, intended for a bas-relief as already men
tioned.* From the roof over the vestibule, a steeple is carried up
to the height of about 75 feet, or, from the ground, of 120
* The following judicious remarks on the general situation of porticoes,
and of that of St. Mary-le-bone in particular, are from the pen of Mr. J. B.
Papworth, architect, by whom they were communicated to the " Repository
of Arts," &c, and printed in October, 1816 : —
" The very ancient custom, in Christian countries, of placing the en
trance to the west, and consequently the opposite end, appropriated to
the communion-table, to the east, has in this instance been violated, and
not without a great sacrifice of architectural beauty, that will be lamented
by every man of taste as long as the church retains a vestige of its portico;
which, however elegantly beautiful in form and arrangement, — and what
portico is not so, that is judiciously composed from the fine authorities of
ancient architecture ? — must always fail to delight, because there is a total
absence of that brilliant and diversifying combination of light and shade
which it ought to have, and has not, by being placed to the northward.
In this aspect a portico loses also much of its fitness, being originally
rather intended as a protection from the rays of the sun, than from wind
or rain, and here it is never visited by its beams in the winter ; and even
in summer, the beauties arising from reflected light, which the interior of
a portico receives in every other aspect, is here obtained in a very limited
degree. Thus, instead of delighting by varied effects of light, a picturesque
display of shadow, and beautifully modified reflected tints, a portico, so
situated, becomes statelily sepulchral, gloomy, cold, damp, and cheerless.
One document of antiquity certainly presents an example of a portico so
situated, but that is the Pantheon at Rome, originally, perhaps, a Temple
dedicated to Fire and the Sun, and its entrance so placed from some reason
suitable to the tenets of the superstition : the portico was subsequently
added, but the first approach retained ; and although the great beauty of
the portico is acknowledged, that it is so situated has always been lamented
— notwithstanding the portico projects considerably, and the building is
circular, both circumstances greatly in its favour. The error in placing the
church of St. Mary-le-bone in this position, originated in the endeavour to
thrust a large building into a piece of ground in all respects very inadequate
K 2

132 EDIFICES OF LONDON.
feet. There is an evident want of accordance between this
and the portico; but the circumstance reflects not the least
discredit on the judgment of the architect; who, being
obliged to make his designs conform to the new arrange
ments for converting his building into a church, after it
had been nearly completed for a chapel, could neither
extend his basement nor elevate his work sufficiently for
magnificent effect and harmonious proportion. The steeple
consists of a sub-plinth and pedestal, 20 feet square, enclosing
the clock, &c, and supporting a peristyle of ten Corinthian
columns, which sustain a corresponding entablature. Above
this rises a second story, of an octagonal form, surrounded
by eight female statues, or caryatides, and surmounted by
a cupola and weathercock. Two rows of semicircular-
headed windows on each side, and a large Venetian at the
east end, enlighten the interior. Over each doorway, in the
middle of the angular buildings, to the south-east and
south-west, is an ornamental niche ; the antse of these
projections are similar to those in front of the church. The
main entrance from the High Street is approached by five
steps, which rise to the general level of the basement.
The interior of this edifice is capacious, and its dispo
sition and arrangements are, probably, unique. It is mag
nificently fitted up ; yet, from the peculiarities which will
presently be noticed, it assimilates, perhaps, more closely to
the character of a theatre than is generally thought to be
consistent with the appropriation of a Christian church.
This effect is produced by the galleries being in a twofold
tier ; by the diagonal recesses at their southern extremity ;
to the object in view. A spot on the opposite side of the road would have
given a proper aspect and greater space ; and, being considerably more
elevated, would have rendered this church doubly ornamental to the
metropolis, and honourable to the parish."

ST. MARY-LE-BONE. 133
and by the singular combination of the decorations of the
sacrarium with those of the organ-case, which is placed
immediately over, and unites with the altar part : it has, in
the centre, a large transparent painting, by West, of the
heavenly choir appearing to the shepherds; the words
" Glory to God in the highest, on earth peace, good-will
towards men," are seen in the flood of light at the top of the
picture. At the sides are Corinthian pilasters supporting
an entablature, on which is a statue of an angel with a lyre.
The gilt pipes of the organ, with their terminating clusters,
which are disposed convexly, and are surmounted by urns,
form wings to the transparency ; beneath which is a paint
ing of the holy family, also by West, by whom it was pre
sented to the parishioners : at the sides, in panels, between
Corinthian pilasters, having gilt capitals, &c, are the De
calogue, Lord's Prayer, and Belief. All this part is of rich
mahogany ; as are likewise the pulpit and the reading-desk,
which are designed with great taste and finely wrought;
the former is sustained by a short fluted column, rising
from a hexagonal plinth and base, and expanding into
acanthus leaves and cherubim. At the sides of the organ
are galleries for the charity schools. The area is hand
somely pewed with wainscot; and the double range of
galleries, which extend along the east, west, and north
sides, are constructed of similar materials. The galleries
are sustained by slender shafts of cast-iron, enriched with
gilt capitals ; but to the eye accustomed to the more grace
ful forms and larger dimensions of regular columns, these
shafts appear extremely slight and deficient: it must be
acknowledged, however, that where the saving of space, as
in this instance, is an object of regard, such a mode of
support is strictly appropriate. In front of the upper
northern gallery are the royal arms and supporters of

134 EDIFICES OF LONDON.
George IV., neatly carved in oak. The side galleries ter
minate circularly towards the south; and ranging with
each tier, but having distinct entrances, are the large re
cesses, or rather apartments, in the diagonal buildings
before mentioned. These are neatly fitted up, and furnished
with chairs, tables, and fire-places. The ceiling at the sides
is slightly coved, and ornamented with a kind of cornice,
displaying open roses and other flowers, within a guilloche
bordering, &c. The middle part, which is horizontal, is
disposed into panelled compartments, both square and
circular ; and in the centre panel is a large and handsome
expanded flower.
Against the side walls, in various parts, are sculptured
memorials, chiefly tablets of white marble, several of which
are neatly, and even classically, designed. One of the most
recent is a very handsome monument, by Westmacott,
under the north gallery, in memory of the late Richard
Cosway, Esq., R.A. Here, within a concave circle, sur
rounded by small figures of angels, is a large medallion of
the deceased, in bas-relief: scroll ornaments are sculptured
at the sides of the pedestal, which is thus inscribed : —
To the Memory of Richard Cosway, R.A., Principal
Painter to His Royal Highness George Prince of Wales. He
died July the 4th, 1821, aged Eighty Years. His widow,
Maria Cosway, erects this Memorial.
The columns and ornamental parts of this fabric are of
Portland stone ; the walls are of brick, coated with Roman
cement. The expense of the building, including the costs
incurred by the alterations from the original design of a
chapel, was about £60,000.
In the accompanying print is represented the elevation
of the north front of this church, with its lateral projections;

ST. MARY-LE-BONE. 135
and the ground plan, in which the different staircases to
the galleries, &c, are distinctly exhibited; together with
the situation of the robing and vestry rooms, disposition
of the pewing, forms of the vestibules, &c. The body of
the church is 86 feet 6 inches in length, and 60 feet in
breadth. Its exterior height, to the coping of the balus
trades, is 52 feet 5 inches ; its breadth, to the middle of the
flanking columns, is 96 feet.
E. W. BRAYLEY.

The remarks made by Mr. Papworth, and given in the
preceding note, extend no further than to the aspect of the
portico, which is certainly the reverse of favourable, yet
the disadvantage attending it might have been to a certain
extent counteracted by making a break in the hind wall of
the portico, with two columns supporting the architrave, so
as to form a recess for the centre doorway ; by which means
the depth of shadow so produced would have served to give
relief to the rest. This would perhaps have rendered some
further modification of the plan necessary, inasmuch as it
would have required the tower to have been set back the
width of an intercolumn, or the depth of the recess ; a cir
cumstance, however, that would have proved rather favour
able than not to the portico itself. But besides the disad-
vantageousness of aspect, for which the architect is of course
not answerable, there are faults in the design, which he
might easily have corrected. One of these consists in the
three doors being all of the same height, whereas, had the
centre one been made loftier, so that its cornice coincided with
the string-course above it, not only would the monotony now
observable have been avoided, but that doorway would have

136 EDIFICES OF LONDON.
acquired the importance due to it as a central feature ; and,
at the same time, the greater height thus bestowed upon it
would, by breaking the present horizontality, have occa
sioned an agreeable contrast to the lines of the entablature,
and likewise an accordance with the outline of the pediment.
The tablet placed over that door goes but a veiy little way
towards remedying the defect here adverted to, for if at first
it seems to give something like increased height to the ge
neral form, it causes the doorway itself to appear overloaded
and depressed. Equally, or still more objectionable, are the
windows over the side doors, both as regards the character
given them, and their situation in the composition. In conse
quence" of their being arched, they clash very disharmoniously
with the style aimed at in the portico ; and in the next place,
they have the effect of causing the centre of the upper part
of the wall to appear blank, and the spaces corresponding
with the extreme intercolumns, where both repose, and an
expression of solidity are desirable, to look both crowded up
and cut up, besides very disagreeably breaking the line of
the lower level of the capitals of the columns, and producing
higher points than elsewhere, in situations the very reverse
of where they ought to be. Neither are they at all excusable
on the plea of necessity, since these windows could just as
well have been placed at the returns of the front, or it would
have been still better to have dispensed entirely with side
windows to the gallery staircases, and to have lighted those
parts of the interior from their ceilings. EDITOR.

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ST. PANCRAS.

From the great interest of the subject, and the consi
derable degree of public attention which this church has
obtained, it has been thought advisable to narrate a few
historical particulars of the parish of St. Pancras ; and also
to give a short account of the ancient Athenian temples
which suggested the form, arrangement, and general en
richments of the edifice here illustrated.
This extensive and very ancient parish is in length,
from south to north, or from the lower end of Tottenham
CourtRoad to Ken or Caen Wood, near ProspectHill, Hamp
stead, four miles and a quarter ; its breadth from west to
east, or from Primrose Hill to Maiden Lane, is rather more
than one mile and a half; and its circumference is upwards
of eleven miles and a half.
Within the last fifty years the houses and population of
this parish have received a vast augmentation ; and it may
rationally be assumed, from the great and progressive ex
tension of the metropolis towards the north, and from other
circumstances, that the whole of its expansive site, which
includes upwards of 3,000 acres, will be entirely occupied
by buildings and garden-grounds, before the close of
another century. The hamlets of Kentish Town and of
Highgate, about one-third of the latter of which is in this
parish, are of remote origin, though both of them, and par
ticularly the former, have been greatly enlarged within the

138 EDIFICES OF LONDON.
last hundred years ; but those of Camden Town, Somers
Town, and almost the whole of Tottenham Court Road,
with the new streets and squares on the Bedford, South
ampton, and other estates, in the vicinity of the New Road,
may be said to have grown up during the last forty years ;
and the buildings in this, as well as in various other parts
of the parish, are still in a state of rapid increase.
There is a vulgar tradition that St. Pancras church was
the mother-church of St. Paul's Cathedral ;* and it is a
curious fact that there are four prebendal stalls in that
cathedral which derive their names from manors or estates
in this parish, viz. : — St. Pancras ; Cantelows, Kaunteloe,
or Kentish Town ; Tothele, Totenhall, or Tottenham Court ;
and Ruggemere, the site of which is not at present known,
although Norden, so lately as Queen Elizabeth's reign,
mentions it as a seat of one of the prebendaries. The corps
of the prebend of St. Pancras consists of about 70 acres
within this parish ; and the rectory, in very remote times,
belonged to it, the old church being situated within the
prebendal estate.
In 1801, this parish contained 4,173 inhabited houses,
which were occupied by 7,376 families, of whom 3,779 were
chiefly employed in trade, manufactures, &c. The number
of houses uninhabited was 253, The population amounted
to 31,779; of whom 14,009 were males, and 17,770 females.
In 1821, the inhabited houses had increased to 8,824,
which were occupied by 16,382 families, viz., 377 families,
who were chiefly employed in agriculture ; 8,752 in trade,
* St. Pancras has been erroneously reputed to be the first church in
which the Catholic rites were solemnized in this country ; most probably
through some mistake in connecting its history with that of St. Pancras
chapel at Canterbury, wherein St. Augustin is said to have first celebrated

ST. PANCRAS. 139
&c. ; and 7,223 not comprised in the two preceding classes :
there were 181 houses building, and 400 uninhabited. The
total number of persons was 71,838; of whom 31,796 were
males, and 40,042 females.
From these statements it will be seen, that both the
buildings and the population had been more than doubled
within twenty years ; and they are now probably increasing
in a still greater ratio.
Until the commencement of the present century, all the
parochial affairs of St. Pancras were adminstered by officers
chosen by the inhabitants in open vestry ; but as the parish
became more populous and more affluent, the upper classes,
by their superior influence, obtained an act of parliament
in the year 1804 (which was amended and enlarged in
1805), vesting the general management of the parish busi
ness in 103 directors, who, with the exception of the vicar
for the time being, and of two nominees appointed by the
Lord of Totenhall, or Tottenham manor, were to hold their
places for life, and the vacancies to be filled up by them
selves. Under these acts the parish was principally go
verned till 1819, in which year, May the 19th, the remain
ing rights of the inhabitants, generally, were by another
act of parliament transferred to a select vestry of the
parishioners. In the year 1812, an attempt was made by the late vicar
and other persons, to obtain an act for the erection of a
new church ; but from the opposition of a part of the
directors, &c, that attempt proved unsuccessful. The
necessity of some increased accommodation was, however,
obvious, for the old church would not conveniently contain
more than 262 persons ; and it was more particularly urged
by the higher classes of parishioners, who, residing, in the
neighbourhood of the new squares, wished for a more

140 EDIFICES OF LONDON.
dignified and capacious structure in their own immediate
neighbourhood. In July, 1815, therefore, a meeting of
nearly 200 principal housekeepers assembled, and formed
a committee, with instructions to propose, and proceed to
obtain an act of parliament for building a new parish
church, and a new parochial chapel, and for other measures
relating to the same.
The necessary course being pursued, an act for the
above purpose was finally passed on the 31st of May, 1816,
by which act the trustees were empowered to raise the sum
of £40,000 on mortgage, annuity, or otherwise , and to levy
rates for the re-payment of the same, but not exceeding the
sum of four pence in the pound ; to appoint architects and
other officers, — make contracts, — purchase ground, not ex
ceeding three acres, for the new church and chapel, and to
have vaults or catacombs made under them (but no graves*),
with authority to sell the same, " as freehold of inheritance
in fee-simple," and to fix the fees or rates of burial in the
vaults; to let pews, &c. The new church, when conse
crated, to be called the Parish Church of St. Pancras, and to
be vested with all the rites of the old church, which is
afterwards to take the name of the Parish Chapel : the new
chapel to be called Camden Chapel, but not to be commenced
till after the completion of the church. The vicar and his
successors to appoint assistant ministers for the said chapels,
with annual salaries of not less than £150, nor not exceeding
£200, which salaries are to be paid by the trustees: no
christenings to be permitted in the chapel without the spe
cial leave of the vicar, who is to appoint the respective
* The practice of interring human bodies within churches, and in
contiguous cemeteries, in such a metropolis as London, is injudicious and
lamentable. The clause in the above act is therefore hailed with pleasure
and hope, as a prelude to the entire abolition of the practice.

ST. PANCRAS, 141
clerks, the salaries of whom are to be fixed and paid by the
trastees. Free seats to be set out in the galleries and body
of the new church and of the chapels for the use of the
parishioners ; which seats are not to be less than one-third
of the total amount of sittings, including those appropriated
to the charity and free schools. No vestry or other meet
ing to be held in either church or chapel.
The expenditure of the whole sum appointed to be
raised by the above act, and by other circumstances, led to
a second application to parliament, and on the 6th of April,
1821 (1st and 2nd Geo. IV., c. 24), another act was passed
for altering and enlarging the powers of the former act.
Under this the trustees are empowered to increase their
number by the election of four more persons duly qualified,
although not resident within the parish; and the select
vestrymen to appoint ten persons as trustees, but not of
their own body, in addition to the other trustees, and with
similar authority.
Soon after the passing of the first act, in 1816, a com
mittee of the trustees was appointed to procure a proper
site for the intended church ; and early in the year 1818, a
plot of ground on the east side of Euston Square, and south
of the New Road, containing one acre and eight perches,
was purchased for the sum of £6,695, of the trustees of
Lord Southampton. In April following, designs were
advertised for, and premiums offered for the three best.
On the 21st of May thirty designs were presented, and on
the 1st of June three of them were selected for the pre
miums ; namely, 1st, Messrs. W. and H. W. Inwood, £100 ;
2nd, Mr. Bedford's, £50 ; 3rd, Mr. Rickman's, £30.
On the 6th of June, the Messrs. Inwoods were appointed
architects for the new church ; and on the 11th of July, a
building committee of nineteen persons was formed to

142 EDIFICES OF LONDON.
superintend the execution of the design. On the 3rd of
May, 1819, the architects' estimate of expenses for the
building (including sundry alterations and improvements
on their original plans) was presented and approved of.
In the ensuing months of April and May, contracts were
entered into with the following persons : — £ s. d.
Mr. Isaac Seabrook, for building the church  42,253 0 0
But this was eventually increased, for alterations

,,..,,., 3.513 10 0
and additional work, in the sum of
Making together  £45,766 10 0*
Messrs. Brown and Young, for scagliola columns]

, 742 16 2
at the east end, interior .
Messrs. C. and H. Rossi, for terra-cotta orna-1 1 4,300 0 0
mental work ... Amount of contracts  £50,809 6 2

In excavating for the foundations, it was discovered
that the upper layer was of gravel to the depth of about six
feet, then a stratum of yellow clay about two feet in thick
ness, and under that a remarkably fine and hard blue clay,
which, it is probable, extends to the depth of seventy feet
before there is any water.
The building was commenced on the 1st of May, 1819,
and on July the 1st, the first stone was laid by the Duke of
York. The whole of the foundations, up to the level of the
portico paving, were completed during the same year. The
* Viz :— For the building, £42,253 ; for wainscot pews, instead of
deal, £1,079; for additional work to the western doorways, £180; for
two stone staircases, instead of oak, £186; for alteration to free seats
£175; for varnishing pews, £137; for men attending furnaces and
fires, £99. 10s. ; for iron railing and stone curb to enclose the ground,
£1,657.

ST. PANCRAS.

143

walls, up to the roof, were built in 1820. In the following
year, the building was roofed in, the tower and portico
completed, the catacombs formed, and the interior consi
derably advanced. All the works were finished in the
month of April, 1822 ; and on Tuesday, the 7th of May fol
lowing, the new church was consecrated by the Bishop of
London, the sermon being preached by the Rev. Dr. Moore,
Vicar of St. Pancras. The expense of the consecration was
£272. 14s. Id*
General Particulars of Charges for Erecting and Fitting up
St. Pancras Church. £ s. d.
Expense of ground  6,695 0 0
Railing and curb, enclosing same  1,657 0 0
Building expenses, including)

drains, andforminggrounds J
Deduct drawback on excise
and custom duties 

£66,904 18 1
3,653 11 7

63,251 6 6

1,025 18 2
154 12 0
567 17 1

Fittings up : — Upholsterers'
and cabinet work 
Gilding 
Velvet hangings to pulpit
and reading-desk 
Organ, by Mr. Gray  1,050 0 0
Clock and bells  973 12 5
Warm-air stoves  305 0 0
Register stoves, fenders, and
fire-irons 
Gardeners' work, laying out
ground 
Communion plate 

£71,603 6 6

50 10 6
251 0 0
697 11 0

5,076 1 2

£76,679 7 8

* Three parochial chapels are now built — viz., Camden Chapel, in the
New Road, between Camden Town and Kentish Town, which has a semi-

144 EDIFICES OF LONDON.
The design of St. Pancras church having been formed
on ancient examples of Athenian architecture, it may not
be uninteresting to preface our description by a few parti
culars respecting the buildings which were chosen by the
architects for its immediate prototypes, viz, the Erechtheum,
a double temple, on the Acropolis of Athens, dedicated to
Minerva Polias, and Pandrosus; and the octagon Tower of
the Winds, near the Acropolis, but in the lower part of the
city of Athens.
The Erechtheum is divided nearly equally into two parts :
the eastern wall, as being from its aspect the most sacred,
was appropriated to the goddess Minerva, in her character
of protectress of the city ; and the western part to the
nymph Pandrosus. Vitruvius describes it as ingeniously
varying in its plan from the usual parallelogram, namely,
in being extended and enriched by lateral porticoes to the
right and left of the main structure. It is the most ancient
temple of the Acropolis, and is admitted to have been built
when Ionic architecture was at its meridian. Its most
remarkable features are, — the rich hexastyle portico on the
east, or principal front j the remains of a magnificent door
way under the northern portico ; and the lateral portico on
the south, which is peculiarly characterised by its highly
enriched entablature, sustained by female statues of dis
tinguished Athenians, in imitation (probably) of the statues
circular portico ; one in Regent Square, adjoining Sidmouth Street ; the
third in Somers Town. That in Regent Square is " Grecian Ionic," with
an hexastyle portico, presenting, in its columns at least, a singular and
singularly beautiful specimen of that order. The bases, shafts, and capitals
of the columns, differ materially from all other varieties. The flutings of
the shafts is rather produced by ridges forming the fillets, than by channels
forming the flutes, consequently the shafts may more correctly be termed
striated. — Edit.

ST. PANCRAS. 145
of priests, so used by the Egyptians to support entablatures
in their sacred buildings.
This temple, which furnished the model for the cella
or body of the new church, was originally consecrated to
Neptune, but subsequently to Erechtheus, one of the first
kings of Athens, who dignified his reign, and benefited his
country by useful institutions. The eastern division was
more particularly used for sacrifices to Neptune, Erechtheus,
and Minerva Polias, the protectress of Athens; and the
statue of this goddess, in olive wood, was preserved there.
Its floor was eight feet above that of the Pandroseum, or
western division, with which it communicated ; and which
was so called from having been dedicated to Pandrosus,
one of the three daughters of Cecrops, the founder of
Athens. Within the Pandroseum was the olive-tree, fabled
to have been produced by Minerva when contending with
Neptune for the patronage of the city. The portico on
the south had a staircase in it leading down to the Pan
droseum, and a doorway at the bottom of the stairs, opening
to the temple.*
The temples of the ancients were almost, without devia
tion, devoid of any surmounting building or crowning story.
Pausanias, the Grecian topographer, however, mentions a
very ancient temple of Venus, at Sparta, which had another
building raised upon it, as it should seem, for the purpose
of making it additionally ornamental. But though there
* Various interesting details relating to this temple will be found in
Stuart's " Antiquities of Athens ;" and further illustrations, by H. W. In-
wood, have been published in a folio volume, entitled the " Erechtheion."
It also forms the subject of a long architectural and archaeological disser
tation, accompanied by fourteen engravings, in Wilkins's " Prolusiones
Architectonicae," Part I. — Edit.
VOL. I. L

146 EDIFICES OF LONDON.
is nothing in Grecian architecture of a character corre
sponding with the tower or steeple of a Christian church,
that appendage has become such an essential feature in our
sacred edifices, that no design, however elegant, would ob
tain favour wherein it was omitted. The architect, there
fore, who forms a composition on examples of Greek or
Roman origin, has the great difficulty to encounter of
making the prevailing lines of his building, which are
necessarily horizontal, assimilate with the vertical lines of
the tower. Notwithstanding this, he is obliged to conform
to what long-established custom has rendered necessary,' at
the hazard of destroying the lineal harmony of his design
by discordant associations. The only Grecian building
that bears any analogy to the towers of our churches, is the
Athenian Tower of the Winds, which is of an octagonal
form, and has been adopted, in its general character, for
that of the present edifice. It is principally remarkable for
the simplicity and plainness of its elevation, crowned with
an enriched deep frieze and an ornamented circular roof;
the frieze is sculptured with volant figures of the eight
principal winds. On two sides, in the lower part, are small
porticoes, formed of an order of the simplest species of
Corinthian ; the same, it would appear, as the Corinthian
order invented by Callimachus.
The plan of this church bears a close affinity to that of
the ancient temple; and, like that, it is raised on three
steps, for the purpose of giving it an appearance of stability
and foundation. On its western, or principal front, is a
hexastyle portico, sustaining an angular pediment, and in
cluding, like the original temple, the whole extent of the
elevation in its range ; the colonnade, also, is projected in a
similar proportion ; and the enriched doorways, under the

ST. PANCRAS. 147
portico, are faithfully constructed in imitation of the eastern
and northern entrances to the ancient fane.*
The upper windows on the sides and eastern front of the
church are of the same proportion and form as those of the
ancient temple ; and the whole of the entablature, the orna
ments, and the mouldings of the antse, terminating the angles
of the eastern and western fronts, are continued along the
sides of this edifice exactly as in the original. There is a
variation, however, in the lateral porticoes towards the east,
which in the original are essentially different from each other,
both in design and extent ; circumstances that may be partly
accounted for by the inequalities in the level of the rock
whereon they are built : here, they are both uniform, and
made to correspond with the southern portico of the Pan
droseum. Four statues of females of colossal size, on each
side, stand on a continued stylobate, in the middle of which
are folding-doors of iron, closing the entrances to the vaults
or catacombs beneath the church; each figure bears an
ewer or water-jug in one hand, and has the other resting
on an inverted torch, the common emblem of death.f The
cornices are studded with lions heads, and within each
portico stands a large sarcophagus.
The eastern front has a semicircular termination, and in
* Permission was obtained at Athens by Mr. H. W. Inwood, one of
the architects of St. Pancras church, to take complete casts of all the
ornaments of the above-mentioned doorways ; which casts, together with
several marble fragments of the eastern doorway, that were discovered
on excavation, were brought by him into this country, and from them the
western doorways of the new church were designed, in exact conformity
to those of the ancient temple.
f The above figures are of terra cotta ; they were formed in pieces, and
cemented together round pillars of cast-iron, which in reality support the
entablatures.
L 2

148 EDIFICES OF LONDON.
that respect it varies from the ancient temple ; it is orna
mented by semi-columns and antae, but the capitals of the
latter are not continued, as on the side walls ; the angular
termination of the roof is similarly enriched to that of the
pediment. Imitations of Greek tiles, in terra cotta, are
ranged along the coping of the side walls, as well as round
the circular part of the east end.
Two principal compartments form the design of the
tower, each consisting of an octangular peripteral temple,
composed, as already stated, on the general model of the
ancient Tower of the Winds. The lower temple rises from
an elevated sub-basement, which is continued up from the
walls of the pronaos, or centre vestibule of the church : its
cella encloses the bells, and has openings, with ornamental
louvre-stones, for the egress of sound, towards the four
cardinal points. The exterior columns are placed at the
angles of the polygon ; and on the western entablature is a
clock-dial, with surrounding Grecian ornaments. The cella,
by its continuation considerably above the colonnade, forms
the sub-basement of the small upper temple, which, with
the exception of having a continued portico or peristyle
going round it, and of a variation in the enrichment of its
frieze and crowning ornaments, bears a very near resem
blance to the Tower of the Winds ; in lieu, however, of the
triton and wand in the original, the symbolical representa
tion of the wind, which terminated the composition, a cross,
the great emblem of Christian worship, has been here
substituted. The interior of this edifice is approached by three door
ways only, all which are ranged under the western portico,
for the purpose of preventing cross draughts of air within
the building, as well as contrary currents of persons. The
two side doorways open into vestibules for the use of the

ST. PANCRAS. 149
galleries and side aisles of the church ; a large and hand
some expanded flower, stuccoed, forms the central ornament
of each ceiling. The middle doorway opens into a lofty
octagonal vestibule, presenting the internal effect of the
Tower of the Winds : it is lighted by small windows, par
tially glazed with tinted glass. The door-cases are very
highly enriched, their different members being ornamented
with the rose, lotus, honeysuckle, and other classic adorn
ments. The principal entrance into the body of the church
opens from this vestibule.
The interior, which is 60 feet wide, and 117 feet in
length, is designed in imitation of the general plan of an
cient temples ; but with some alterations, for the purpose of
adapting it to opposite customs, and to a different mode
of worship. A peristyle, of eight columns on each side,
with six additional columns flanking the approach from the
west, support the galleries, which are continued along the
north, west, and south sides. The altar part, or sacrarium,
consists of a tribune, resembling the half of a circular Ionic
temple, enriched with six scagliola columns, which are raised
on a sub-basement, and support an architrave and ceiling
above : on the latter are reliefs of the sacramental cup and
Grecian ornaments, splendidly gilt. The columns are formed
of timber, covered with scagliola, in imitation of verd antique
marble, the interior columns of the Erectheum having been
found to be of marble of that description. Beneath the
windows are the Decalogue, Lord's Prayer, and Belief, in
scribed on plain tablets of statuary marble. This recess
has three windows. The ceiling of the church, which is
horizontal, is divided into numerous panelled compartments,
or caissons, ornamented with expanded flowers, in plaster ;
some of them in bold relief, and others deeply sunk within
the panels : this was designed as an imitation of the manner

150 EDIFICES OF LONDON.
of decorating the timber ceilings of ancient temples. In the
western gallery is a large organ, and in front are the royal
arms of George IV. At this end, in recesses, elevated over
the side vestibules, are the seats for the parochial free-schools,
which are approached by small private staircases, in order to
prevent an interference with the principal staircases. The
sashes, casements, &c, of the window openings, are all of
cast-iron, glazed with ground glass ; and within each is a
rim of coloured glass, ornamented with the Grecian honey
suckle. The pewing of the galleries, as well as in the area,
is of wainscot ; and the organ case is also of the same wood.
Both the pulpit and the reading-desk, though dissimilar, are
designed in a style of chasteness and simplicity ; they stand
opposite to each other, between the easternmost columns on
each side of the church, and are remarkable from having been
constructed out of the remains of the Fairlop Oak :* the wood
is finely grained, and has been highly polished. The church
contains convenient sittings for 2,500 persons.
On each side of the church, at the east end, are small
doorways communicating with the lateral buildings; that
towards the south is appropriated to the use of the minister,
as a robing-room, &c. ; and that on the north for the cele
bration of marriages, christenings, and other religious cere
monies : in the latter, which is a tetrastyle, or four-columned
room, are closets for the safe keeping of records, plate, and
other valuables : both these apartments have entrances from
the exterior.
* This_ memorable tree stood in Hainault Forest, in Essex, about one
mile from Barking side. Gilpin, in his " Remarks on Forest Scenery,"
acquaints us, that " the tradition of the country traces it halfway up the
Christian era." Its roughly-fluted stem was about nine yards in circumfer
ence ; and it had eleven vast arms, spreading somewhat like those of a
beech, and shadowing an area of 300 feet in circuit.

ST. PANCRAS. 151
The church is warmed and ventilated on Silvester's prin
ciple, by which heated air is admitted by apertures in an
ornamented skirting under the pews. The sepulchral vaults,
within the sub-structure, are precisely the same as those in
similar situations ; they are entered by granite steps, from
the outside, as shown in the ground plan, leading into a
vestibule, or chamber, painted black to accord with its des
tination, in which the last ceremonies of burial are admi
nistered, previous to the final removal of the dead to the
allotted vaults. A circulation of air is maintained through
them by means of exterior openings and circular gratings
of cast-iron. These catacombs range under the whole ex
tent of the building, and are calculated to contain 2,000
coffins. The body of this edifice is built with brick, and com
pletely faced with Portland stone, of from five to seven
inches in thickness. The portico, and the tower above the
roof, are wholly of Portland stone ; so also are the sarcophagi.
The roof is covered with lead. The capitals to the columns
and antee, and all the external ornaments, enriched mould
ings, &c, are of terra cotta. Between five and six tons of
wrought-iron, in chain bars, and other necessary ties, be
sides strong copper cramps, and joggles of great weight,
were used in the construction of the tower. The shafts and
bases of the six small fluted columns, under the west gallery,
the cores, three inches in diameter, of the columns of the
other galleries, and the doors to the strong rooms, or closets,
are all of cast-iron . From twelve to fourteen tons of wrought-
iron were likewise used for straps, ties, bolts, nuts, &c, in
the different parts of the building, where such securities
were deemed necessary.
The accompanying prints will clearly exemplify the forms,
proportions, arrangement, and architectural enrichments of

152 EDIFICES OF LONDON.
the church. Plate I., A., shows the longitudinal section
from east to west, looking south. B., the elevation of the
north side, with only the basement of the tower. C, ground
plan of the whole church, on which some of the principal
measurements are figured. The steps, at the two wings at
the north-east and south-east comers, are the approaches to
the vaults or catacombs, which are ventilated by six circular
apertures, with iron gratings, on each side of the church,
and five at the east end, — these are indicated in the ground
plan. Plate II., A., shows the section of the east end,
cut through the wings, with the steps to the vaults. B.,
exterior elevation of the same end. Plate III., elevation
of the west end, with the wings at the east end. This plate
displays the form, proportions, and character of the portico,
and also those of the tower : the tympanum of the pediment
is plain, but the trustees of the church have had it in con
templation to ornament it with appropriate sculpture.
E. W. BRAYLEY,

Whatever may be alleged against some of the combi
nations it presents, this church stands unrivalled as a correct
example of the richest and most graceful variety of the
Hellenic Ionic style ; we say style, in preference to order,
because it embraces so many distant modes, some of which
have little else in common than their family characteristic,
the voluted capital, and even that marked by striking differ
ences, both in its mass and details. Previously to the
erection of this building we had, with the exception of that
at the India House, hardly a single Ionic portico of any
note in the whole metropolis — certainly no instance of one
applied to a church — since for such purpose preceding ar
chitects seem invariably to have had recourse to the Doric

ST. PANCRAS. 153
or Corinthian, in which, perhaps, they showed their judg
ment ; for the Ionic known to us before that from Greece
was introduced here, was the most insipid and inelegant of
the orders, although complimented with the epithet due
only to that from which it proved its descent, by its egre
gious falling off from it.* But were it on no other account,
this church would stand pre-eminent among its predecessors
and contemporaries for the classical air of its portico, in
which no quotidian features are allowed to obtrude them
selves ; while the three doors are of such exquisite design
and admirable execution, that they serve as a climax to the
beauty of the whole facade. They are, in fact, specimens of
the most refined taste in detail and embellishment. Would
that a tithe of the praise could be extended to the side ele
vations, where, had there been no more than the upper range
of windows, that might have been tolerated ; but the small
oblong ones beneath them are decidedly injurious to the
design, marring its Grecian physiognomy. The east end
presents both a pleasing and appropriate deviation from the
ancient temple plan, and the roof of the projecting hemi-
cycle combines agreeably with the pediment ; still the
effect would have been all the better had there been only
the three centre windows. The low square wings, attached
at the angles, give play and variety both to the plan and
elevation ; at the same time, they do not interfere with the
outline of the principle mass. In themselves, these features
are exceedingly beautiful, and a very commendable adap-
* Robert Adam was, we believe, the very first who forsook the
degenerate and meagre Italian voluted capital, and made some approach
toward luxuriant development of form, exhibited in Grecian specimens.
Yet he himself has told us, that he considered the latter as somewhat
" too heavy ;" and, therefore, adopted a medium character between those
of the respective styles.

154 edifices of London.
tation of one of the choicest architectural relics of classical
antiquity. The chief thing to be objected against them is,
that the architect has not connected them with the body of
the edifice, by carrying on the mouldings of their antse as
a sort of string-course along the side elevations, and resting
the windows upon it, which would have required these
latter to be raised but a very little higher than what they
now are. EDITOR.

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ST. PHILIP, REGENT STREET.

The erection of edifices for public worship, according to
the established religion, was among the foremost of the im
provements suggested by the plans for the new street, or
that general line of communication reaching from Pall Mall
to Portland Place. Indeed, the portions of London and
Westminster in that neighbourhood were then so deficient
in dignified sacred buildings, and so sparingly decorated
with towers, spires, or turrets (the outward characteristics
of the Christian piety of a people), that a stranger, viewing
its nakedness at a distance, might be tempted to conclude
that religion had not yet visited their abodes, as no sufficient
indication was raised to mark its observances. He might,
at the same time, as reasonably doubt if taste were not also
an alien there, because every architectural means of beauty
were absent that give grace and splendour to cities; and
without which, all would appear to be mere accumulations
of dwellings, unvaried in themselves^ and destitute of the
power of exciting interest or admiration.
These deficiencies had long been considered as disgraceful
to this westward portion of the metropolis, otherwise ho
noured as it is by the residence of our chief nobility, and by
men of the highest respectability and of the greatest wealth :
when, happily, legislative policy joined issue with the op
portunity of the new street improvements, and which were
further encouraged by the fostering influence of the crown.

156 edifices of London.
Thence parochial churches and chapels have sprung up
before our eyes, towards rescuing the reputation of its in
habitants from the merited stigma, and to which it was the
more obnoxious, because opportunities had occurred, and
had not been seized, by some parishes that were well enabled
to profit by them, in erecting suitable manifestations of their
religious observances — of their veneration for architectural
beauty, and of their respect for the architectural reputation
of the metropolis.
St. Philip's Chapel is situated on the western side of
Regent Street, between Charles Street and Jermyn Street,
and, being in connexion with other buildings, presents its
entrance elevation only to the spectator. It was erected
under a warrant from the crown, at the recommendation of
the Lords Commissioners of His Majesty's Treasury, and
completed without the assistance of parochial rates ; and,
consequently, without the cost becoming at all burdensome
to the parish. To effect this desirable purpose, the chief
parishioners advanced money to the amount of about £6,500,
which sum was to be repaid by instalments out of the pro
ceeds of the pew rentals. A farther sum was also raised by
granting leases of several of the pews ; and, as it was in
tended to accommodate the public by a greater proportion
of free seats than was afforded by any similar building, the
Church Commissioners appointed by Parliament granted the
addition of £2,000 ; and on the completion of the edifice, its
funds were further increased by several donations, as re
corded on tablets within the chapel. Its entire cost was
about £15,000.
The first stone of this edifice was laid on the 15th of
May, 1819, and the building consecrated on the 4th oi
July, in the following year. It was erected from the
designs, and under the superintendence of G. S. Repton,

ST. THILIP, REGENT STREET. 157
architect, with the exception of the tower, which is a copy
from the Choragic monument of Lysicrates at Athens, and,
by desire, substituted for the cupola of the original design.
Being a parochial chapel in the parish of St. James, to
which saint the church is dedicated, it was suggested,
that, as in the calendar St. James's day is also devoted
to St. Philip, the chapel should be dedicated in honour to
his name.
The elevation consists of a portico executed in Bath
stone, of four fluted columns, an entablature, and a pedi
ment, the cornice of which is continued along lateral, or
wing additions, and which are finished by an attic conceal
ment of the roof, ornamented by symbols of ancient sacri
fices. The bases of the columns, and a portion of the
shafts, are externally of cast-iron, intended to prevent the
injury to which they would otherwise be liable, and these
are erected upon sub-plinths of granite : a series of steps
is placed between the columns by which the level of the
chapel is approached, and which is necessarily somewhat
above the pavement of the street, on account of the arched
vaults beneath the building. The tower rises in the centre,
but is wholly in the rear of the portico, and with the
exception of these, the chapel is chiefly executed in brick
work, and the east front coated with an oil stucco, com
monly called mastic, or Hamlin's cement. The tower is
constructed of timber framing, covered with sheet iron, on
which the cement or stucco is laid; and being so con
structed, the area of the chapel is not encroached upon by
the foundations necessary to a more solid and weighty
superstructure. The interior of the chapel, which is capable of con
taining nearly 1,500 persons, is about seventy feet square ;
added to which, upon the plan, are the portico, staircases,

158 edifices of london.
robing-room, and the loggia. It contains two principal
side galleries, and one to the eastward, opposite the altar,
above which, is the organ and children's gallery. There are
also galleries for free seats over those of the sides, and of a
corresponding width.
In point of accommodation this chapel is, in some re
spects, peculiarly arranged ; — the pulpit and reading-desk,
situated on each side of the communion-table, so that the
view of the service there is as little interrupted as possible,
are approached from the robing-room by doors on the right
and left, immediately at the end, on each side of the altar :
indeed, the pulpit stairs commence in the clergyman's pew,
so that he has not even to enter an aisle to arrive at the
pulpit; and the robing-room has a passage way on the
outside of the building.
As the building is only separated from others, on the
north and south, by areas of a few feet wide, it was not
possible to light it adequately by windows merely ; the
architect has therefore added a circular skylight in the
centre of the building, which being of ground glass, and
flat, so as to become part of the plafond of the ceiling,
it is decorative, and combines naturally with the general
design. The construction of the roof is simple, the area being
divided into three parts, both in length and width, the
beams finding support in their intermediate stations, at
distances not exceeding forty feet, besides the additional
aid obtained from iron pillars concealed within the columns.
The chapel may be said to be composed in three divisions
or heights ; the. first being a sub-order, the cornice of which
forms a portion of the gallery front, and which is completed
by the continuation of a dwarf pedestal, whereon the Corin
thian order is placed ; this is of Palladian proportions and

159
style of embellishment, admirably executed. The columns
are of scagliola, in imitation of Sienna marble, and support
an entablature and balustrade, which become the front of
the gallery of free seats, above which elliptical arches are
thrown, forming the third division and openings into the
body of the chapel ; which being repeated at the east and
west ends, sufficient space is afforded for the organ, and for
the Palladian and other windows, above the altar. By
springing these elliptical arches from the four internal piers,
and by uniting them with spandrells suited to their forms,
a large circle is produced in the centre of the chapel,
crowned by an enriched cornice; from which springs a
dome, also elliptical in its curve, and from its centre the area
is chiefly lighted.
There is a picturesque effect arising from these simple
and chaste associations, from the play of curved lines in
cidental to the design, and from the varieties of light, shade,
and colour, thrown around them, that has proved very gra
tifying even to the most experienced observers, and has
given a reputation to the interior of St. Philip's chapel that
is highly honourable to the architect. J. B. PAPWOETH.

In point of design, the facade of this church is rather
too much of a medley, wherein two distinct styles — the
Palladian and Grecian — are brought into contact, without
either of them borrowing anything from the other, so as to
be blended and assimilated with it. As far, too, as compo
sition and character are concerned, were it not for the belfry,
it would present little indication of being a place of worship,
owing to the number of its windows, and particularly to the
mezzanine ones within the portico, of which, besides those

160 EDIFICES OF LONDON.
shown in the elevation, there is one at each end. Perhaps
it will be said that the mode of glazing the windows, here
adopted, namely, of small panes set in lead, create suffi
cient distinction, and prevent the building being mistaken
for any private or secular one. This may be admitted;
yet why should so very rude and mean a mode of glazing be
selected for a class of edifices, in which we might reasonably
expect to find some kind of architectural decorum and con
sistency kept up ? Classical it certainly cannot be called ;
while, in itself, it partakes of a beggarly shabbiness, that
would exclude it from being applied in a modern stable.
Neither, indeed, are sash windows particularly classical or
antique-looking ; yet surely that mode is not the only alter
native, nor would it be difficult for an architect of any
taste and invention to devise some design for the glazing
of his windows, that should accord with the other orna
mental forms he employs. After all, too, in a case like the
present, it would, we conceive, be far preferable to omit
windows altogether, giving rather more depth to the portico,
and making the staircases to the galleries to form a kind of
continuation of it, screened off merely in the lower part, and
open to it above. By this means a very considerable effect
would be thrown into the whole portico, as beheld in pass
ing by it, besides getting rid of awkward and insignificant
features, injurious moreover to suitableness of character.
It would be absurd to say that convenience would thus be
sacrificed to mere effect, because why should the staircases
require to be entirely shut up any more than the portico itself,
the only difference of purpose between them being, that the
one serve as entrances to the galleries, the other to the
lower part of the building ? Were it proposed to place the
staircases on the outside, and exposed to the weather, that,
indeed, might fairly be scouted as a very absurd suggestion.

ST. PHILIP, REGENT STREET. 161
As in nearly all other modern churches and chapels in
the same style, so in this, the columns are insignificant in
comparison with the space within which they are introduced.
They do not occupy above a third of the height of the inner
elevation or section, while the spaces between them would
be rather wide intercolumniation, even were the columns
increased in diameter, and carried quite down to the floor.
The paucity and meagerness of these supports give to the
whole a disagreeable resemblance to playhouse architecture;
nor is the resemblance diminished by the upper galleries,
which rise in tiers of seats one above the other. Never, it is
greatly to be feared, can any, even tolerable degree of archi
tectural effect be accomplished in our churches, so long as it
shall continue the custom to estimate their capaciousness by
their walls as well as their floor, and to pile up persons in
them to their very ceiling — at least such is the case in the
chapel under consideration. EDITOR.

VOL. I.

M

ST. LUKE, CHELSEA.

The parish church of St. Luke, at Chelsea, is consi
dered to be one of the most successful specimens of modern
Gothic architecture, and is said to be designed in imitation
of, or founded on the principles of, our venerable, diversified,
and, in general, profoundly scientific Christian edifices of
the middle ages. In its general features it may be said to
be imitative of the style of architecture which prevailed in
the religious buildings of the fifteenth century ; but, strictly
speaking, it is rather an adoption of the forms and members
which then entered into such designs, than a copy of any
one or more specimens. The architect has treated his sub
ject in the spirit of a true artist, profiting by his prede
cessors, but boldly venturing to select and combine those
features which best pleased his own judgment, and trusting
to public candour for indemnity. That it possesses many
beauties and merits, will be readily admitted; but that
it also contains some blemishes, its well-informed archi
tect will be as candid to acknowledge and to regret as
any other person. Perfection is not the attribute of man —
he approaches it by slow degrees ; and by the time that his
judgment and taste are nearly ripened, the common course
of nature seals up his faculties and knowledge in the silent
tomb. The monastic architects of former times progressively
advanced their designs in magnitude and enrichment ; and

LOND-OW EDIFICES  CHlTRCHES .

HAnsted d<_l

Jas Savage Arcli1:
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ST. LUKE, CHELSEA. 163
had many of our modern architects the same opportunities
and similar means, we are persuaded that they would
manifest equal capacities and talents. Then there were no
church commissioners, with their agents — no vestry com
mittees — no periodical critics ;* but the architect was shut
up in his own cloister, exempt from the cares and varied
taxations of a splendid and complicated government, and
enabled to devote all his mental energies to the one subject
on which they were fixed. Labour and materials were
easily procured ; for wbenever these were withheld, or tar
dily supplied, the artifice of presumed supernatural agency
was often employed to intimidate and control the refractory
and idle workmen. It is not fair, therefore, to make com
parisons between the relative conditions and situations of
the modern and the ancient architects, for there is little
analogy. The large parish of Chelsea, with a population of
23,000 persons, as ascertained by the census of 1819, and
since greatly increased, had only one established church,
calculated to accommodate 450 of those persons, in the year
above named, when it was deemed advisable to provide
another of larger dimensions, and better adapted to the
customs and character of the age in which we live. Among
many designs made upon the occasion, those of James
Savage, Esq., were approved, and he was appointed the
architect of the newly proposed edifice. The first stone
* So far from meddling with architecture, the periodical critics seem
generally to eschew it, as a sort of noli-me-tangere, both to themselves
and their readers. Au reste — critics, like the members of most other profes
sions, may be divided into two classes, the intelligent and the stupid.
Now, unless we suppose that the latter greatly outnumber the former, it
is not very apparent wherefore criticism should be regarded as mischievous
whenever architecture is concerned. — Edit.
M 2

161 EDIFICES OF LONDON.
was laid October 18, 1820, and the area was required to
accommodate 2,000 persons, one-fourth of whom were to
have free seats. The Government first agreed to advance
£6,666. 13s. Ad., but afterwards gave £2,000 more. The
estimated cost of the building was £20,000. The church
was consecrated on the 18th of October, 1824.
The annexed engravings will clearly and accurately dis
play, though on a small scale, the general form, proportions,
design, and architectural features of the church. On one
plate is shown a longitudinal section, from east to west, A ;
an elevation of the exterior of the south side, B ; and a
plan C, indicating one-half of the ground-floor, at/; whilst
the other half, at e, displays the gallery story, with its pew
ing, and the disposition of the ribs, or groining of the
arched ceiling. The other plate represents an elevation of
the western or principal entrance front, at B, with the
tower, the porches, or rather arcade in front, the flying but
tresses, &c. At A, is an elevation of the exterior of the
east end ; and at C, a section of the interior of the same.
It will be readily seen from these delineations, that the
church consists of a central space, which may be called the
choir, and two side aisles, an arcade at the west end, formed
by the tower in the centre, open at three sides, and com
prising the two lateral porches. This is certainly a novel
and also a very pleasing design ; and had not two but
tresses, with their pinnacles, been placed in the centres of
the said porches, thereby interrupting and cutting upon the
doorways below and windows above, we should view this
feature with more gratification. Had the lines of the string
courses, the parapets, and the flying buttresses, been ar
ranged more in unison, and mitred immediately with other
lines in the tower, we are persuaded that the effect would
have been improved. Beneath the arcade are three door-

165
ways, communicating with a vestibule, and thence to the
choir and to the side aisles, as well as by stairs to the
galleries. The north and south sides of the church, exter
nally, are alike ; the design of which may be understood by
the annexed elevation, B. This shows that the side is
divided by buttresses into nine portions, both in the clere
story and in the lower story. Each of these is occupied by
seven windows, and blank compartments at the extremities.
The walls of the aisles and the nave are crowned with per
forated parapets ; that of the latter being additionally orna
mented by a series of crocketed pinnacles. Flying but
tresses, as shown in the elevations of the east and west ends,
connect the upper walls of the nave with those of the aisles,
and serve to support and strengthen the former against the
lateral pressure of the stone roof of the interior. Small pin
nacles terminate each angle of the aisles, and two ornamental
octagonal turrets finish the eastern angles of the choir. The
design of the east end is fully illustrated by the elevation
and section annexed, A and C, the latter of which shows
the slope and construction of the roofs of the choir and
aisles, also the form of the arched ceiling, the position and
disposal of the galleries, the fitting up of the altar end, the
forms of the flying buttresses, and the aisle buttresses, &c.
At the east end, as indicated in the plan, and shown in the
elevations and section, is a commodious and handsome ves
try, 28 feet square, with a coved ceiling, and an appropriate
fire-place. The western tower, projecting before the body of the
church, is raised on four piers and four arches. In its ele
vation it exhibits five divisions. At the base is, 1st, a large
pointed arch, with a lofty pedimental moulding and tracery ;
2nd, a tall window, with mullions, transoms, and tracery ;
3rd, a small plain division, with the clock-dial in the

166 EDIFICES OF LONDON.
centre ; 4th, a belfry window, with mullions, tracery, and
finished by an architrave moulding, adorned with crockets,
and a bold finial ; the 5th, or upper story, is highly en
riched with a perforated and embattled parapet, panelled
tracery on the walls, and also with angular pinnacles,
which are finished with crockets and finials. It will be
seen, by the annexed elevation, that the octagonal turrets
are divided into nine parts by string mouldings, between
the surbase and the weather cornice. In thus subdividing
these turrets into so many parts, it is thought that the
architect has injured the simplicity and effect of his design ;
and had some of the bands been larger and bolder, they
would have improved the appearance. To adorn the sum
mit of the tower so profusely, although justified by ancient
and generally approved specimens, we are persuaded is in
compatible with the canons of good taste ; for whatever is
remote from the eye, should be comparatively plain and
simple, whilst the ornaments and details near the spectator
ought to be rich, delicate, and minute. »Who, for instance,
would think of hanging miniatures at the top of a gallery,
and large pictures parallel to the eye? If the architect
plead, in justification, the examples of the towers at Taun
ton, Boston, Magdalen at Oxford, &c, we would reply,
that the artist of true genius will profit by and avail him
self of the merits of his predecessors, but endeavour to
guard against their errors.*
* As the object of this work is rather to impart correct information
than to enforce speculative opinions, the writer hazards his own always
with diffidence. Good sense and good taste are alike promoted by fair
and liberal discussion ; he, therefore, most cheerfully gives place to the
following arguments by the scientific architect himself, in opposition to
the opinion above stated, and in justification of the design of the tower
here alluded to : —

ST. LUKE, CHELSEA. 167
Whatever may be the exterior forms, ornaments, and
even beauties of an edifice, if the interior fail to answer
its destined purpose — to afford every accommodation and
comfort for which it was designed — if it be deficient in
" Perceiving that you consider the adorning the summit of the tower
so profusely as incompatible with the canons of good taste, I will sub
mit some reasons for my differing from you. In the first place, your
comparison of that architectural arrangement with the disposition of
miniatures at the top of a gallery, and large pictures parallel to the eye,
I think not at all applicable ; because the pictures are objects evidently
placed for separate inspection, and it is obvious that miniatures can
only be understood by a close examination, whereas the large pictures
require a greater distance to be viewed with advantage.
" Common sense is, therefore, contradicted by such an arrangement,
but not so in the architectural examples you quote ; and although I
could be well content to bear any charge of error or want of taste,
shared with the architects of the towers of Taunton, Boston, Magdalen
at Oxford, &c, I will attempt to place their justification and my own
upon a much broader basis than that of authority, and endeavour to
show that the arrangement is that of common sense and propriety.
" I think it will be readily admitted that the lower part of a building
should be the strongest, and that as the building rises it should become
lighter. This very lightening produces a character of ornament ; and
as the character of plainness is most in unison with that of strength, so
is the character of ornament most in unison with lightness.
" Good sense should, of course, control every part. The plainness
of the lower part should not be allowed to become baldness or insipidity ;
nor should the ornament of the upper parts degenerate into feebleness,
fritter, or unintelligible minuteness.
" In the tower of Chelsea church, the lower part is generally plain,
but the principal entrance is decorated so as to give it its due share of im
portance. As the building rises, it increases in lightness and in decora
tion ; and the parapet is said to be profusely rich : but this effect is
chiefly obtained hy a perforated battlement, to which additional value
is given by a series of blank panels underneath the cornice. The cor
nice is bold enough to be well marked, and is decorated with grotesque

168 EDIFICES OF LONDON.
harmonious proportions and judicious adaptation of the
parts to the whole, and of ornaments to the parts, the
critical eye will be dissatisfied, and the architect will rather
suffer than profit by a critical investigation. As " time
heads and flowers, as are the other main cornices of the building. The
octagonal turrets at the angles of the tower, rising still higher, are
finished with still more lightness and decoration, having diminishing
stories, which are also panelled ; and in the upper stories the panels are
perforated, and the whole crowned with open panelled octagonal pin
nacles, decorated with carved crockets and finials. But throughout the
whole of this there is nothing but what is easily understood and properly
seen from below, it therefore bears no analogy to the supposed case of
hanging miniatures at the top of the gallery.
" The character aimed at in the tower has been plainness and sta
bility in the base, lightening gradually as it rises, and finally going off
against the sky with a feathery lightness and delicacy.
" This arrangement appears to me to be dictated at once by the
necessary principles of physical construction, as well as by the natural
march of sentiment, which always reserves the most ornamental and the
most delicate for the closing period, or the crowning object.
" The contrary arrangement, viz., where the lower parts of the build
ing should be rich, delicate, and minute, and the upper parts compara
tively plain, broad, and simple, appears to me to suggest weakness
below, and heaviness and hardness above.
" In architecture, I conceive, equally as in painting, in order to give
fulness, the extremities should be finished with delicacy. And the
works of nature afford, by analogy, an additional presumption of the
justness of these principles. Observe a tree, with its massive trunk
below, and throwing off first large branches, and then smaller and
smaller to the top ; which branches, as they extend, become more and
more attenuated, until at length the extremities are so delicate as to be
moved by the lightest breath of heaven.
" Examine also the most admired examples in architecture, and the
arrangement now contended for will be found constantly to prevail.
You have already quoted some admired examples in Gothic architecture.
Take also the examples of Bow steeple, which commences with a lofty

169
trieth truth," so time decides the positive and relative
merits of the architect. Internally there is much to ap
prove, and even to admire, in the church now under notice,
and the parts that are defective may probably be ascribed
rather to the limitation of funds, or private control, than to
the skill or taste of the architect. As shown in the plan,
the area consists of three divisions ; viz., a lofty choir and
two side aisles: the latter of which, for the purpose of
accommodating a number of persons, are provided with
galleries of proportions equal to the aisles. The architect
was required to furnish sitting-room for 1,500 persons in
private pews, and 500 more on public forms, or benches.
The choir is separated from the aisles and galleries by
seven lofty pointed arches on each side, springing from
clustered columns, one of which is continued about half
basement, very plain ; the next story is slightly decorated ; the deco
ration increases, and the building becomes lighter as it rises, until the
upper part goes off with great richness and delicacy.
" I will also cite, as another instance, that beautiful example, the
Choragie monument of Lysicrates. A plain square pedestal supports a
peristyle of columns, crowned with a rich entablature and a highly deco
rated roof, supporting thereon ornaments of the greatest delicacy. This
architectural gem shows the nicest gradation in ornament, and ends in
a perfect climax.
" It is a considerable presumption in favour of the truth of a princi
ple when we find it prevailing in such various and different styles of
architecture. " Furthermore, this arrangement is peculiarly appropriate for eccle
siastical buildings, and in perfect unison with the general expression of
Gothic architecture. The peculiar forms of this style naturally lead the
eye upwards ; and by a physical necessity the thoughts and the imagina
tion become elevated also." To the above satisfactory reasons may be
added, that increased richness above does not necessarily require a cor
responding degree of finish in the execution, but merely such as shall
be requisite for the effect.

170 EDIFICES OF LONDON.
way up the clerestory, where it supports a series of ribs,
which diverge across the roof. By referring to the section,
A, the elevation of one side will be seen ; and it is apparent
that the gallery abuts against and rests on the shafts of the
columns, thus apparently cutting them in two parts, and
that their bases are resting on the pews, instead of being
placed on the floor. Between the points of the arches and
the sills of the clerestory windows is a triforium, or rather a
series of small and shallow arches. By the exterior eleva
tion, B, it seems that the aisle windows communicate both
to the gallery and to the space beneath ; but by the section
A, it is seen that there are not any windows to the ground-
floor. The vaulting of the choir is entirely of Bath stone,
ornamented with ribs and bosses, and, both in design and
construction, confer great credit on the architect. Had his
means enabled him to have rendered it more in unison with
the style of the columns, arches, and window-mouldings, he
would have afforded more satisfaction to the architectural
antiquary. At the eastern and western ends, over the altar
and the organ, the vaulting varies in form and in its ribs,
the latter being arranged in straight lined panels, and not
oblique groining. In this the architect has followed the
example of Bath Abbey Church, although he has been
censured for adopting a " conceited novelty."
In the designs of the organ-case, pulpit, reading-desk,
font, and chandeliers, Mr. Savage has been eminently suc
cessful. The latter, in particular, is worthy of the most ac
complished architect of the age of Heniy the Sixth. One
of them is accurately represented in Shaw's " Examples of
Ornamented Metal Work."
The principal walls are built of brick, cased both exter
nally and internally with Bath stone ; and the organ-screen
and altar-screen, both richly adorned with panelling, crockets,

ST. LUKE, CHELSEA. 171
&c, are wholly of the latter substance. Beneath the floor
of the church is a spacious, dry, and well-arranged crypt,
forming a series of catacombs for interment. An open area
surrounds the basement, separated from the cemetery by a
low parapet wall. The foundation is about 15 feet below
the floor of the church.
References to the Plan. — a, Tower — b, open arcade, ex
tending along the whole front — c ccc, stairs to galleries, both
at the east and west ends — d, the staircase in the south-east
pier of the tower, leading to the organ loft, upper gallery,
and tower — e, plan of one side of the gallery floor—;/", plan of
one side of the ground-floor — g, vestry — h, open area round
the church, to give light and air to the crypt. J. BRITTON.

To the general merits of this church, Mr. Wightwick
has borne his testimony in his " Sketches by a Travelling
Architect," where he observes, " as that of St. Pancras is the
truest Greek, so is Mr. Savage's church at Chelsea the
most genuine Gothic ; for we have there the stone vaulted
ceiling, and the evidence of a talent which, with means at
hand, would afford us another Westminster Abbey."
Bating this last compliment, the praise is tolerably just;
and that Mr. Savage possesses true feeling for, and compre
hension of, the asthetic department of his art, is proved by
the note to the present article, wherein he has ably vindicated
the course he pursued in regard to decorating his structure.
It may further be observed, that ornamental detail, when
placed at a considerable distance from the eye, does not
require to be highly finished up, but to be little more than
sketched out, accordingly as it is placed more remote from

172 EDIFICES OF LONDON.
the spectator ; it being quite sufficient that it shall produce
the effect of richness and delicacy. At all events it savours
of inconsistency, as well as hypercriticism, to cavil at a
practice certainly sanctioned by abundant examples in the
same style, while such a structure as the spire of St. Bride's
is not only tolerated but admired, notwithstanding that the
columns in the uppermost tier are only half as high as those
attached to the doorway in the lower part of the steeple !
EDITOR.

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ALL SOULS, LANGHAM PLACE.

Considering the church in Langham Place as one mem
ber or portion of a great design, the Regent Street, we shall
better estimate its character, than by taking it as a single,
insulated edifice. The architect evidently meant it to be so
regarded ; and its external arrangement was doubtless sug
gested by the peculiarity of the situation to which it was
adapted. Placed immediately in an obtuse angle formed
by the Regent Street and Langham Place, it was desirable
that it should constitute an appropriate termination to the
elegant vista of the former, and at the same time not disfigure
the latter by an inharmonious projection. Both these requi
sites are provided for by the adoption of a circular peripteral
portico, almost detached from the body of the edifice, the
cella of which is continued to a considerable height above
the parapet of the portico and of the church, where it sup
ports a Corinthian peristyle, terminated with an open balus
trade, which surrounds a multangular spire. This spire is
novel in design, being polygonal, with each side fluted, and
is terminated in an acute point. The lower columns are of
a modern Ionic order ; but the projections and ornaments
of the entablature do not accord with the elegant boldness
of the capitals.
The interior of the church, as may be seen by the annexed
plan, is nearly square within the walls, but oblong in the por
tion which claims the attention of the spectator. The galle-

174 edifices of London.
ries are supported by octangular piers, which finish in squares
at the base and capital ; above these is a series of Corinthian
columns, supporting a coved ceiling. The capitals of the
columns are similar to those in the Temple of Jupiter Olym-
pius at Athens, and are remarkable for the acute angles of
the abaci. Each extremity of the building is divided into
three compartments, by coupled columns of the same descrip
tion : between those at the west end is the organ, and the
corresponding space, at the east wall, is occupied by a picture
from the pencil of Richard Westall, Esq., R. A., representing
Christ crowned with thorns.
The body of this church is built of brick, with an ashlar
of Bath stone, whilst the columns and spire are wholly of
the latter. The whole was executed by Robert Streather,
builder, from the designs of John Nash, Esq., at the expense
of Government. The contract price was £15,994. Some
alterations, with warmers, &c, were made to the church, at
the expense of the parish, amounting to £1,719. 10s.
The annexed print shows an elevation of the principal
front, with a plan, on which the lower half displays the
ground-floor, with the pews, and the upper side marks the
gallery story.
H. A.

Of this building Mr. Wightwick says—" The church of
All Souls, in Langham Place, has been thoughtlessly abused.
To be sure, the insipid mass of blank wall, and the insig
nificant side doors" — he might have added, and the insig
nificant centre door — " contrast most extravagantly with
the peripteral colonnades of the porch and spire ; but still
the whole is picturesque, and decidedly the best exterior

ALL SOULS, LANGHAM PLACE. 175
which Mr. Nash has produced." The paltry windows in
the circular wall behind the colonnade are horrible blem
ishes ; it is to be regretted that that part was not also left
blank; but as to the blankness complained of as being
insipid, it rather tends to give relief to the colonnade, and
repose to the whole composition. EDITOR.

ALL SAINTS, POPLAR.

The extensive parish of Stepney being divided at the
commencement of the present century, the hamlet of Poplar
was made a distinct parish, and the church here described,
erected from the designs of Mr. C. Hollis, at' the cost of
£33,077, including the parsonage-house, cemetery-wall, &c.
The first stone was laid March 22, 1821, and the edifice
consecrated July 3, 1823.
Though partaking of the Grecian character, the design
may be said to be derived from some of our best London
churches. The portico, whose order is the Ilyssus Ionic, is
approached by a flight of granite steps ; and the side en
trances to the gallery staircases, each of which has a flight
of circular steps, partake of the same character, having
similar columns and antae. Each side of the church has a
series of circular-headed windows in the upper part, rest
ing on a string course, and finished with architrave mould
ings. The five lower windows have similar but square
architraves. Near the east end of the side are pilasters of the same
character as at the west end, whilst the frieze and cornice
of the entablature are carried round the building : the whole
is surmounted by a blocking and parapet, having a light
balustrade at intervals.
The bell tower, at the west end, arising from a rustic base,
is square, and ornamented on its four sides with columns and

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ALL SAINTS, POPLAR. 177
pilasters of the Corinthian order ; and the peristyle above is
of the Composite order, supporting a light octagonal spire.
The whole height of the spire from the ground is 161 feet.
The construction of the building is of brick, with an external
casing, or ashlaring, of Portland stone, upon a granite plinth,
or base. The foundations are placed upon a frame work, or
cradling, of oak sleepers and planking ; and the walls of the
tower are laid in the foundation with Roman cement, upon
which spring, from the four angles, inverted arches to equa
lize the pressure upon the whole foundation.
The character of the interior may be said to be rather
neat and plain than ornamental. The galleries are sup
ported by cast-iron columns, with a series of open segment
arches, which give it an air of lightness. The arrangement
of the pewing has been restricted by the act, by which it is
required that twenty feet in the centre of the church shall be
appropriated for free sittings ; the other parts were set out for
pews and aisles. The gallery is fitted up in the usual manner
with pews and passages. The side walls are faced by a series
of coupled pilasters, with moulded caps, which mouldings
extend round and support a coved ceiling. The commu
nion-table, at the east end, is placed in a recess, domed
over, and approached by a series of steps, enclosed within
an ornamented railing, and a screen of columns and pilasters
of the Corinthian order, with an entablature and an open
segment arch above. The columns and pilasters are of
scagliola, in imitation of Sienna marble : a single circular-
headed window at the back of the recess is ornamented
with painted glass, representing our Saviour, by Collins.
Beneath the church is a crypt for interments. The
church and churchyard are enclosed with a neat iron rail
ing upon a granite plinth ; and the west end, or principal
entrance, has a carriage sweep to the portico. Opposite to
VOL. I. N

178 EDIFICES OF LONDON.
the west end of the church, enclosed with railing of a simi
lar pattern, is the parsonage-house, erected by the parish as
the residence for the rector.
The annexed print shows elevations of the west front
and south side of the church, with a ground plan.
H. A.

Hardly need we animadvert upon the incongruous
taste displayed in the design of this church, on the prepos
terous farrago of the spire which overtops an a la Stuart
portico, or on doors and windows sufficiently ugly in them
selves, and rendered still more extravagantly so by what has
been borrowed by the architect and misused. These faults
are sufficiently glaring to speak for themselves. How such
a specimen came to be admitted it is not easy to say ; but as
the plate was given in the first edition, it has been consi
dered proper to let it remain in the present one. Neither
will the subject itself be found perfectly valueless, because,
in the first place, it is sufficiently curious ; and the next,
an admirable exemplification of that pseudo-Grecian style,
which the architect ought to study, in order that he may

know how to avoid falling into it himself.

EDITOR.

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HANOVER CHAPEL, REGENT STREET.

This chapel is one of those erected for the additional
accommodation of the parishioners of St. George's, Hanover
Square, according to the act of the 58th of George III.
The ground was given to the parish by the crown, at the.
solicitation of the commissioners of the new street ; and the
first stone was laid June the 6th, 1823, and the chapel was
consecrated June the 20th, 1825. The building cost £16,180,
under the direction of His Majesty's Commissioners for
Building of New Churches, who defrayed one-third of the
expense, and was designed and superintended by Charles
Robert Cockerell, Esq. It is built of Bath stone, and will
accommodate nearly 1,500 persons ; — one-third of the sit
tings is devoted to the public.
Iij the leading avenues of a capital, where every foot of
ground acquires an excessive value, it can seldom happen
that an unencumbered site can be afforded even for a building
of a sacred and public nature. Numberless obstructions,
arising from its locality, or the surrounding property, will
ever limit the design, and thwart the intentions of the archi
tect ; the scheme and proportions, therefore, of his compo
sition are rather the effect of over-ruling circumstances
than of choice ; and his success should not be measured so
much by their merits abstractedly, as by a due reference to
the difficulties which have been combated in the execution
of it. The ordinary spectator will not take these into ac-
N 2

180 EDIFICES OF LONDON.
count, nor should he be called upon to do so, for he is to
judge of the work as it is ; but the judicious critic will
admit them in extenuation of the defects ; he will under
stand the circumstances of the case, and appreciate the
resources of the inventor ; and if a seeming difficulty has
been converted to an advantage, and a happy combination
has been won from fortuitous contrarieties, he will applaud
the victory, and rejoice in the occasion which has given
rise to it.
These observations occur upon the present subject more
especially, — for a site less favourable for the purpose than
that of Hanover Chapel can hardly be found, the western
end being so much contracted by the premises on the south,
and by a right of carriage-way on the north, as to give
to the ground the form rather of a wedge than a paral
lelogram : the buildings also by which it is surrounded
preclude, in a great measure, the power of obtaining light
from the sides. The commissioners having required that
the communion-table should be placed at the east end (the
only access to the chapel from the street), another impedi
ment to effect, as well as to distribution, was occasioned.
Thus restricted, the architect has adapted to the widest
part of the interior the Grecian atrium, a cube of about
forty-three feet, supported by four columns and as many
pilasters, the sides of which, extended, give to the plan
the form of the cross. These parts so produced, being sub
divisions of the atrium (by the intersecting trabiation of
the ceiling), connect the whole into one harmonious figure,
as shown in the subjoined vignette.
The ceiling, addressing itself perspicuously to the view
of the spectator, will at all times be the best index of the
design, as respects the geometrical arrangement of the
edifice, and consequently it becomes of primary considera-

HANOVER CHAPEL, REGENT STREET.

181

tion to the architect in the beauty and proportion of his
plan.

This disposition accommodates itself extremely well to
that most difficult architectural problem, the Protestant
church ; for it is highly convenient as an auditory, and
allows each part of the service to be seen from every seat,
with the fewest possible obstructions to the view. The
collocation of the columns and pilasters determines the
situation of the respective galleries; the lower advancing
to the columns, the upper to the pilasters ; and by thus
receding, the theatrical appearance produced by double
galleries is effectually obviated.
Corresponding to the impluvium, in the centre of the
atrium, is a feature of equal beauty and utility, since it
unites the lantern and the dome, with a most ornamental
effect, externally as well as internally; but especially to
the latter, to which it gives an extraordinary loftiness and
space. The windows, pierced in the sides of the dome,
convey much more light through a given opening than the
perpendicular-sided lantern, and at the same time admit of
its being equally well closed against the admission of air.
Sir C. Wren employed a similar expedient in the Ana
tomical Theatre of the College of Physicians, in Warwick

182 EDIFICES OF LONDON.
Lane, by piercing the sides of the spire ; but we have no
example of the dome so contrived : and for the many
advantages of ornament, space, and light, which it affords,
it is deserving the attention of the connoisseur.
The order of the interior is Corinthian, from the decora
tions of the Golden Gate of Justinian, at Constantinople.
The columns have eleven diameters, and are lifted on pe
destals equal to the height of the pewing. The entablature
is also of proportions equally light, without diminution of
the dignity of the order. It seems indeed obvious, as well
as consonant to the practice of the best architects, that
those proportions which are deemed just, externally, should
be lightened when employed internally, and brought close
to the eye of the spectator, where there is so much less
effect of light and shade to diminish them.
The organ is placed over the communion table, forming,
with the Decalogue, and the decorations of the altarpiece,
one entire composition ; and though this arrangement was
necessitated, by the limited space, yet it is attended with
some beauty of effect, and a great practical advantage, since
it places all the objects of attraction before the eyes of the
congregation. We cannot recommend this interior more strongly than
by stating, that it has frequently been compared with that
of St. Stephen's, Wallbrook, one of Sir C. Wren's most
admired works. The style throughout is, indeed, of a
noble character, and the decorations, which are suited to
the serious purpose of the edifice, are calculated to aid its
impression; each presents a symbol associated with our
religion ; the flowers of the frieze over the altar comme
morating its divine founder and the Virgin ; the dove and
the palm-branch, in lieu of the common-place enrichments
of the order, compose the capitals of the pillars ; a choir of

HANOVER CHAPEL, REGENT STREET. 183
cherubim adorn the lantern, and the triune symbol is placed
at the highest point of elevation.
These embellishments are of a higher order than mere
ornament : to say that they are so many helps to devotion,
would perhaps offend the Protestant austerity ; but, view
ing them in the light of innocent symbols, we have yet to
learn that such decorations are at all incompatible with the
doctrines or discipline of our national church.
The limited circumstances of the site not admitting the
usual ecclesiastical distinction of the tower, the architect
has ventured to employ the practice (novel indeed in this
country, but so frequent in the continental churches) of the
double belfry, at the extremities of the front: nor is it to
be regretted that he has been constrained to this resource ;
for no practice can be less consonant to sound principles of
construction and good taste, than that of placing a tower
on the roof. In the centre, a bold and capacious portico
extends across the pathway ; and the dome rising above this
considerably, gives to the whole elevation much grandeur
and variety from differents points of view.
The order of the exterior is the Asiatic Ionic, chiefly
from the temple of Minerva, at Priene; its peculiarities,
hitherto superseded by the graceful examples of Attica, are
worthy of regard and imitation, as well from the richness
and style (suited to the larger scale), as for the originality
of their source, and the great size and celebrity of the tem
ples in which it was employed. The general proportions
are copied from the tetrastyle portico of Minerva Polias, at
Athens. The order is placed on a podium, or plinth of
granite, raising it above the injuries of common traffic, and
giving grandeur to the elevation. The order and entabla
ture extend through the whole facade, the external pilasters
supporting the belfry, and uniting with them in one pro-

184 EDIFICES OF LONDON.
portion, separated, in a measure, from the portico by distinc
tions in the capitals and bases. The doorway, in conformity
with the Vitruvian precept (too rarely observed), is propor
tioned to the whole frontispiece, and reigns alone within
the portico ; and its imposing grandeur is a striking illus
tration of the value of classical example. A high stylobate
divides the intercolumniation, regulating the lateral doors
and windows; and a remarkable breadth and solidity is
given to the whole front by the paucity of these openings.
A rich dentilated cornice surmounts the order ; the dentils
under the belfrys, however, being less prominent, conform
ably with the Palladian practice. They are wholly omitted
in the raking cornice of the pediment, the tympanum of
which is advanced, to obviate the extraordinary depth
which the soffit of the cornice might otherwise have ; an
expedient which escapes detection, and avoids effectually
the necessity of the dentils over the tympanum, which is
always attended with a crowded and graceless effect. The
magnitude and order of the stones composing the masonry
(always an interesting source of impression on the spectator)
will not fail to be remarked ; — it is one that is especially
recorded of the most sacred of architectural examples in the
Third Book of Kings ; and is also one on which, by the
existing remains, as well as by the accounts given us in
Vitruvius, the architects of Greece materially relied. The
architraves of the portico are in single stones, some of them
fourteen feet long; that forming the lintel of the door
weighs six tons.
There are many other peculiarities, which will not fail
to attract the professional observer, especially in the com
modious arrangement of the pewing, and the obtaining
light under the galleries, by enclosing the area on either
side, and lighting the space so taken in by sky-lights ; as

HANOVER CHAPEL, REGENT STREET. 185
also the mode of ventilating by the windows and airing the
chapel. Throughout the work, indeed, the greatest study
of the subject, and diligence of execution, are evinced.
At a time when the extravagant and corrupt style of
Louis XIV., or the early architecture of our less cultivated
ancestors, engage by turns the taste of the public, we hail,
with the utmost satisfaction, every endeavour to naturalise
to our climate and our uses the purer taste displayed in the
Greek buildings, and to render the few models we possess
from that favoured country idoneous and consonant to our
uses and materials. We do so, because we feel that much
of their merit is incontrovertible, and because we want
only the opportunity of seeing the best examples happily
applied, to give Grecian architecture the pre-eminence de
served.
C. R. C

This is certainly one of the most successful specimens
of the classical style, as applied to modern church architec
ture, which have yet been produced. Not only is the
portico well treated in itself and in excellent taste, but the
rest of the facade is made to harmonize with it, and the
two belfries seems to belong to the building, being suffi
ciently of a piece with the rest. So far, too, from its being
any disadvantage to this church that it is enclosed by
houses, it is a circumstance that was rather in its favour,
since, were it not for this, the architect must either have
made his design much plainer, or totally disregarded all
due keeping between the front and the sides of the build
ing, unless the entire cost had very greatly exceeded the sum
now expended. In their side elevations, every one of the
recently built churches in the same style are more or less

186 EDIFICES OF LONDON.
unsatisfactory — not excepting even that of St. Pancras — as
has been already remarked in the account of that building.
In the interior of the chapel here noticed, the dome is
not only ornamental, but eminently serviceable in lighting
it. It is only to be regretted that the architect did not
light the whole entirely from the ceiling, and thereby get
rid of the side windows at the back of the galleries, which,
if on no other account, are objectionable as tending to ex
pose the building to greater danger in case of fire breaking
out at the rear of the adjoining houses on either side. EDITOR.

ST. DUNSTAN'S IN THE WEST,
FLEET STREET.

Encroaching, as it did most inconveniently, upon one
of the most frequented thoroughfares in the metropolis,
the former church pointed itself out very markedly to be
an obstruction whose removal would be a public advan
tage ; and, fortunately, there was nothing whatever in the
structure itself that could make any one, hardly the most
inveterate antiquarian of the Pennant tribe, to regret its
loss ; it being, in point of architecture, a medley of unre
deemed uglinesses — such a jumble of styles, or rather bar
barous imitations of them, that one would imagine it must
have undergone the process of church-wardenizing pretty
frequently; and, indeed, it would have furnished a very
appropriate illustration for that pleasant little architectural
satire, entitled " Hints to Churchwardens." Even among
the caricature effusions in that publication, there is hardly
anything so unique as was the rusticated piece of wall
above some windows of carpenter's Gothic, and surmounted
in its turn by battlements, above which, again, peered a
sort of capacious sentry-box, containing the far-famed clock,
with its two savages as big as life, who were wont to strike
the chimes, to the great wonderment of gaping errand boys
and country-cousins, and to the no small profit of pick
pockets and other cozeners. When the church was taken

188 EDIFICES OF LONDON.
down, and the materials disposed of by auction, this clock
was purchased by the present Marquis of Hertford, who has
had it erected at his villa in the Regent's Park.
Without at all deserving the epithet of venerable, this
church was of decent antiquity, having been conjectured to
be upwards of four hundred years old ; yet, like Sir John
Cutler's silk stockings, it had been so frequently patched
up and repaired, as to be sadly worsted thereby, notwith
standing that some would fain persuade us it was " covered
with a handsome finishing on the outside the walls." Such
as it was externally, it did not belie its interior, which had
the gloom and air, not of solemnity, but of dismalness, and
was needlessly disfigured by much that was intended as or
nament, yet was so ill-applied and so uncouth in itself as to
prove quite the reverse.
Of the present fabric the foundations were commenced
in 1830, and the whole was set back so as to range with
the houses adjoining the east end of the former church,
which there made an angle with them, jutting out consider
ably, and suddenly contracting the street. By this means an
additional breadth of about thirty feet was given to the lat
ter, thus rendering it sufficiently spacious and commodious.
Neither was this the only alteration of the kind adopted ;
since, in order to accommodate the locality, instead of the
church being made to stand east and west as before, the archi
tect has placed it north and south, whereby the entrance
porch and tower above it now immediately adjoin and face
the street, and constitute the principal architectural portion
of the exterior. In fact, it is the tower, with the parts at
tached to it below, which alone obtain attention, the body
of the church standing so much in the rear of it, as to be
nearly shut out from view ; for, as may be seen by the sec
tion, the upper or octagonal division of it is quite insulated

ST. DUNSTAN'S IN THE WEST, FLEET STREET. 189
and detached from the tower itself. With the exception of
the doorway — which is not very important in regard to size
— and the shields and panelled string-course above it, there
is nothing in the lower part of the structure that makes any
pretensions to design, all that comes in contact with the
tower being little more than blank wall, not of the same
material, but of white brick with stone copings. Owing,
however, to the tower being brought forward so much more
prominently than the rest, and treated as an independent
composition, the nakedness of the mass behind it does not
prove offensive to the eye — perhaps in some degree serves
to point out the steeple as exclusively intended to be consi
dered the facade of the building, and all the rest merely
background to it. What is far more exceptionable is, that
instead of gradually progressing in richness as he carried it
upwards, the architect should, in the next division above
the doorway, have introduced the very small and entirely
plain window, which, too conspicuously placed to be over
looked, is a blemish to the whole, and bespeaks not so much
economy, as downright niggardliness ; not that the window
itself requires to be larger, yet, without extending the
aperture, it would have been possible to render it an orna
mental feature in the design by means of a variety of ex
ternal mouldings, or by treating it after the manner of a
canopied niche. Even the compartment in which the clock-
dial is placed is not very much better. From hence upwards
the whole is a picturesque composition, with no extraordi
nary richness indeed of embellishment, far from it, but with
that expression of richness which is derived from variety
and contrast. An octagon, or rather polygon, on the summit
of a tower, can hardly fail to produce a pleasing effect in
the Gothic style, the boldness and playfulness of such tran
sition in plan being congenial with its character. It pre-

190 EDIFICES OF LONDON.
sents more faces to view as it ascends, and these being nar
rower, are of loftier and lighter proportions than a square
object of the same altitude would be. In the tower of St.
Dunstan's, much of the vigour and sparkle of effect attend
ing the lantern is attributable to its windows being en-
glazed, a circumstance which, besides being characteristic
and appropriate in itself, eminently assists relief, by depth
and variety of shadow on the sunny side, and by the
opposite kind of contrast as to light and shade, when
the building is viewed against the sun. While it gives
an air of great lightness, and serves as a rich finishing
to the whole, the open parapet accords well with the
character of the rest of the lantern, in whichever direc
tion it be viewed; but both this and the open windows
render it more particularly a pleasing and striking ob
ject, when the sun is to the west of it, and the spectator
views it as he is coming along Fleet Street towards Tem
ple Bar. And it fortunately so happens, that owing to the
bending of the street, he then sees it directly before him in
the very centre of the view. Were it not for the circum
stance just described, it would at that time of the day define
itself only in outline, as a mass of shadow against the sky,
whereas now the perforated parts also display themselves
very picturesquely.
The plan of the interior may be described as a square
of sixty feet, reduced to an octagon of fifty feet in diame
ter, each of whose sides forms an arched recess, the four
in the angles of the square being deeper than the others,
and exhibiting five sides of an octagon. The four re
maining recesses are rectangular in plan ; and that on the
north side, which contains the altar and the window above
it, is. deeper than the others, being almost a square. The
window just mentioned is the only one in the lower part

ST. DUNSTAN'S IN THE WEST, FLEET STREET. 191
of the edifice, which is lighted by eight windows in a
clerestory above the arches in the sides of the octagon.
Not only has the whole arrangement something in it as
pleasing as it is uncommon, but from its compactness is
exceedingly well adapted to a Protestant church, where it is
desirable that all the congregation should be placed so as to
hear the minister distinctly. In an oblong area, except it
be of moderate dimensions, this can rarely be effected ; that
is, supposing the plan to be a triple square, or nearly so, less
than which would not give the relative proportions between
length and breadth, which the Gothic style demands. If
the plan at all approaches to a square, it would be better that
it should be a perfect one ; yet although such form may do
for a mere chantry or chapel, or other moderate-sized room,
it is one not at all adapted for the space requisite for a
church. The octagon, on the contrary, while it admits of
being made sufficiently capacious, is a form peculiarly
favourable to the display of Gothic architecture, as is
evidenced by the very numerous examples which we meet
with both of that and similar plans in our ancient chapter
houses. Without its being in imitation of any structure of the
class just named, it is probable that the architect of St.
Dunstan's derived the general idea of his interior from
them. Still, captivating as the form itself is, it must be
acknowledged that in the lower part the architecture is not
only exceedingly plain, but meagre likewise in its charac
ter. In the upper, the windows, in combination with the
arches of the roof, produce a satisfactory degree of deco
ration, especially as the windows themselves are filled in
with tinted glass, thereby diffusing a mellow and subdued
light over the interior, while shadow is supplied by the
recesses. Both from its form, and owing to there being no

192 EDIFICES OF LONDON.
other windows, since that within the altar recess serves
rather as ornamental painting, than to admit any addi
tional light, this clerestory partakes of the character of a
spacious lantern to the building, and it were to be wished
that the designers of our modern churches would have
recourse to some similar mode of introducing their win
dows ; for nothing can have a poorer effect than windows
placed, as we generally find them, at the back of deep
piled up galleries, which, be it observed, are utterly un
like anything coming under the denomination of gallery,
in our ancient church architecture, and most discordant
and anomalous features in themselves. Whether, if our
architects were to bestow sufficient attention on those parts,
galleries might not be so planned and designed as to become
pleasing and harmonious features in a church, instead of
interfering with the architecture, and giving the whole
place a squeezed, crammed-up appearance, as they now
almost invariably do, is another matter ; but there is cer
tainly nothing to show that such study has at any time
been given to the subject, notwithstanding that it is one of
considerable importance.*
The bad effect of galleries manifests itself more than
could be desired in this church, where they are introduced
* The blame by no means rests entirely with architects themselves,
since much of it must deservedly fall on the Commissioners for Building
New Churches, many of their conditions being unnecessarily arbitrary and
cramping, and tending rather to check and discourage all originality of
design, instead of in any degree promoting it. The main consideration
with them appears to be, to have buildings in which the greatest number
of persons shall be packed together, at the lowest cost. The great in
crease of churches, therefore, which has taken place of late years, has fur
nished considerable employment to architects, yet done very little indeed
for architecture itself.

ST. DUNSTAN'S IN THE WEST, FLEET STREET. 193
in the two recesses at the angles on the south side, the only
ones where access could be obtained to them from the
staircases attached to the tower. Within the other recesses
are some of the monuments and tablets removed from the
old church. That which contains the altar, has also the
window already mentioned, which is entirely filled in with
compartments of painted glass, executed by that able artist,
Thomas Willement, F.S.A. In the lower part of it are
represented the four Evangelists, standing beneath rich
Gothic canopies. St. Matthew is habited in a scarlet tunic,
with blue sleeves; St. Mark, in a green robe with red
sleeves ; St. Luke, in a blue robe with a white mantle ; and
St. John, in a grey robe with a white cope. The upper
compartments, and those formed by the tracery in the head
of the window, consist of various ornamental devices and
patterns of the richest hues, admirably contrasted so as to
relieve each other. Powerful and varied as the colours are,
the effect is not only harmonious but solemn. For this
splendid piece of decoration to the church the parish is
indebted to the liberality of Messrs. Hoare, the bankers, as
is briefly recorded in a scroll forming a margin at the
bottom of the window, on which is inscribed — "Deo et
Ecclesiae Fratres Hoare dicaverant A0 . mdcccxxxi."*
The edifice was designed by the late John Shaw, Esq.,
architect of the New Hall of Christ's Church Hospital, and
erected principally under his superintendence.
W. H. L.
* The " Gentleman's Magazine," for July, 1835, contains a coloured
engraving of this window.

VOL. I.

THE ROMAN CATHOLIC CHAPEL,
MOORFIELDS.

As a successful effort of modern art in the erection and
embellishment of structures for the Catholic worship, the
chapel in Moorfields decidedly deserves pre-eminence. The
situation of the old chapel, in White's Alley, Moorfields,
was obscure and inconvenient, and many leading Catholics
had previously expressed regret at not possessing a metro
politan edifice more appropriate for the display of the im
posing service of their religion, and better adapted for the
respectability and numbers of its adherents in the capital.
On the approaching expiration of their lease, therefore, it
was resolved to erect a new chapel in Moorfields. Plans
and estimates were prepared by John Newman, Esq., ar
chitect. On the 5th of August, 1817, the foundation stone was
laid ; and so rapidly was the building proceeded with, that
the whole was covered in about the end of the November
following. At the recommendation of the architect, a sus
pension of the work then took place, in order that he and
the committee might have sufficient time to devise the most
eligible plan for fitting up and decorating the interior of
the chapel, so as to accord both with the improved taste of
the age, and the respectability of those for whose accommo
dation it was chiefly intended.

EDIFICES OF LONDON

John Wcals-ArvhitectitriaZZibrary. SS.lfiffh JLnlb^rn

THE ROMAN CATHOLIC CHAPEL, MOORFIELDS. 195
In this stage of the undertaking, a Catholic gentleman
very liberally proposed to have the principal ceiling and the
altarpiece painted in fresco, at his own expense, with a
selection of scriptural subjects from the New Testament;
and the committee having received his offer with warm ap
probation, he was induced also to contract with Signor
Comolli, a celebrated sculptor at Milan, for the columns,
steps, and table, that were designed to constitute the deco
rations of the altar.
Shortly afterwards, the architect, who had determined
to spare neither expense nor personal exertion in rendering
his edifice consistent, in all respects, with the sacred pur
poses of its destination, resolved on a journey to the Conti
nent, in order that he might there study the best examples
of ecclesiastical embellishment; and the idea which he
had previously formed, of admitting light to the altarpiece
without exposing the means, was confirmed by instances of
similar contrivances at the churches of St. Roche and St.
Sulpice, at Paris.
On his return, after an absence of several months, he
found that Signor Aglio, an Italian artist, had nearly pre
pared the working designs for the decoration of the ceiling
and altarpiece ; and early in the following year operations
were commenced, and the whole was carried on, uninter
ruptedly, until its completion in the spring of 1820. On
the 20th of April, in that year, the new chapel was conse
crated, and dedicated to the Blessed Virgin Mary, by the
Rev. Dr. Poynter, the Catholic bishop.
This edifice, in point of size, ranks in the second class
of Catholic churches. The expenses of building and em
bellishing amounted to £26,000. The recessed portico,
towards the east, exhibits four pilasters of the Corinthian
order, and two columns supporting an entablature and
o2

196 EDIFICES OF LONDON.
pediment. In the tympanum of the latter is an alto-relievo
of Faith and Piety supporting the cross.
The interior is certainly very impressive ; but it is re
markable that the altar is situated towards the west, con
trary to long-established Catholic usage. It consists of a
nave, two aisles, and a sanctuary ; the latter of which ter
minates in the segment of an ellipsis. The entire length
of the chapel is 1 25 feet ; that of the nave and aisles is 98
feet. The width of the nave is 38 feet, and its altitude to
the vertex of the ceiling is 52 feet. The width of each aisle
is 12 feet, and the height 33 feet. On each side are six
large semicircular-headed windows, which, being glazed
with ground glass, preserve a due subordination to the
magnificent panoramic effect of the grand altarpiece.
Were these filled with painted glass, as designed by the
architect, and the piers and side walls also ornamented
to correspond with the ceiling, the effect would not only
be greatly enhanced, but rendered splendid and sumptuous.
The nave is separated from the aisles by seven lofty
square piers on each side, sustaining semicircular arches,
from the cornice above which the elliptical curve of the
main ceiling takes its rise : the latter is continued over the
entire body of the chapel, each extremity being terminated
by a semi-dome, or shell, of the same curvature as the cen
tral part. This ceiling is finely painted in fresco, in vari
ously formed panelled compartments, by Signor Aglio. The
subjects are scriptural, and associated with the more pecu
liar tenets of the Romish church, of which the principal
division represents the Assumption of the Virgin. The
Virgin appears surrounded by the heavenly choir, and the
four Evangelists (with their respective symbols), &c, are
introduced in postures of adoration. There is much. ability
displayed in the foreshortening of the figures, and the

THE ROMAN CATHOLIC CHAPEL, MOORFIELDS. 197
whole is skilfully executed. Within the extreme compart
ments, at the angles, are depicted the four most celebrated
doctors of the church. Four smaller divisions succeed each
other on either side, occupying the remainder of the curve
down to the cornice, wherein are represented, and beauti
fully executed in chiaro-scuro, the Nativity — the Adoration
of the Magi — the Infant Saviour disputing with the Doc
tors — Christ walking on the Sea — the delivering of the
Keys to Peter — the Entry into Jerusalem — the Agony in
the Garden — and the Last Supper. The end compartments
represent the Holy Dove descending amongst groups of
cherubim. The semi-dome over the sanctuary is painted,
on a rich blue ground, in panels, which are ornamented
with wreaths of the vine and wheat, in chiaro-scuro, highly
relieved. That over the organ gallery is decorated with the
emblems of sacred music, and similar wreaths are introduced.
The side walls and the piers of the nave are perfectly
plain, and form a striking contrast to the imposing splen
dour of the sanctuary, which, being lighted (after the plan
of the magnificent altar of St. Sulpice, at Paris) without
the means employed for the admission of the light being
discovered, has an aspect at once mysterious and sublime.
Here, also, the religious ceremonies are displayed with far
more striking effect than in Protestant churches, in conse
quence of the more exalted situation of the altar.
The sanctuary, as already stated, has an elliptical ter
mination, about fifteen feet in front of which is a stylobate,
of similar form: upon this stand six magnificent fluted
columns of the Corinthian order, supporting an entabla
ture, enriched with Grecian ornaments, which unites with
the lower part of the semi-dome. These columns, which
are of Como marble, are each of one piece, eighteen feet in
height, and two feet in diameter. They were designed after

198 EDIFICES OF LONDON.
those of the Choragic monument of Lysicrates, at Athens.
Under this dome is a richly sculptured altar, in Carrara
marble, elevated upon seven spacious circular marble steps.
This altar is in the form of a sarcophagus, enriched with
foliage, finely executed ; at the angles are placed two beau
tiful figures supporting the table, representing angels with
expanded wings. Upon the altar stands a tabernacle of
the same marble, richly decorated with ornaments emble
matical of the sacrament. The altar, columns, &c, were
executed by Signor Comolli, of Milan; the former cost
£1,000. The floor, the steps, the landings, and all the
surrounding work of the altar part, are composed of the
same kind of marble. On the north side is the episcopal
throne. Six splendid candelabra are placed on the landings,
which, with the chandeliers, were tastefully executed by
Messrs. Gillow and Co. from antique models.
The great fresco painting, which is displayed with such
a fine effect on the curved wall behind the altar, was ex
ecuted by Signor Aglio in little more than three months.
It represents the crucifixion, on Mount Calvary, with all
its accessories, and is on so large a scale, that the cross
alone, to which the figure of our Saviour is attached, is
eighteen feet in height. Upwards of fifty principal figures
are introduced into this painting, which is fifty-five feet
high and thirty-three feet wide.
When the late Pope, Pius the Seventh, was informed
of the building of this chapel, he expressed much pleasure,
and, after bestowing his benediction, he presented it with a
superb chalice and patina of fine gold, valued at nearly
5,000 Roman crowns. On the chalice, which is exquisitely
chased, and ornamented with precious stones, is an inscrip
tion dictated by the venerable donor.

THE ROMAN CATHOLIC CHAPEL, MOORFIELDS. 199
The pulpit, which is of an elegant and appropriate
design, was the gift of Lord Arundel, and is made of the
finest satin and other choice woods. Here, as in the Ca
tholic chapels in Spanish Place and in Warwick Street, the
ceremonies and performances, both vocal and instrumental,
are superintended by eminent professional men ; and hence
every pious feeling is rendered more impressive and inte
resting*
E. W. BRAYLEY.
* As the execution of the principal entrance does not correspond with
the original design and opinions of the architect, it may be proper to ob
serve that Mr. Newman resigned his office. This he was induced to do,
after having prepared the necessary working drawings for this part of the
edifice, as the committee persisted in having the front executed by per
sons whom Mr. N. did not consider competent to the task. These differ*
ences of opinion between employers and professional men cannot fail of
being hostile to sound policy, to good principles in art, and to the advance
ment of science ; for it was by resigning only that the architect could pre
vent his reputation from being compromised by a defective execution of
the work, or whatever innovations a false conception of the spirit of the
design might think fit to introduce.
There is a convenient dwelling-house adjoining the chapel, where the
clergy reside, the building, &c, of which cost nearly 6,000/.

ST. MARY'S, INNER TEMPLE.

So far as authentic history extends, we can trace the
origin of this church to no earlier a period than A.D. 1185 ;
in which year it was dedicated in honour of the Blessed
Mary, by Heraclius, Patriarch of Jerusalem. At that time
the Patriarch Heraclius was entertained by the Knights
Templars, whilst on a mission from Pope Lucius III. to
Henry II., in order to invite that monarch to ascend the
throne of Jerusalem.
The order of Knights Templars was instituted about
the year 1117 or 1118, and soon taken under the patronage
of Pope Honorius, for the purpose of protecting pilgrims
on their passage to the Holy Land, and of defending and
entertaining them when there, as well as to secure the
sepulchre of Christ from all violation.
They established themselves in England about the
beginning of the reign of King Stephen, and afterwards
formed preceptories in divers parts of the kingdom. They
first settled near Holborn (Old-bourne), on the site of the
present Southampton Buildings ; where, on pulling down
certain old houses, upwards of a century ago, some remains
were discovered of their original temple, which was of a
circular form, like the more ancient part of the present
church. In the reign of Henry II. they removed to a more
magnificent structure, within the range of an extensive
plot of ground, which their increased affluence had enabled

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ST. MARY'S, INNER TEMPLE. 201
them to purchase, between Fleet Street and the Thames ;
and which, either then or afterwards, was held of the king,
in capite, as part of the Honour of Leicester. This resi
dence was distinguished by the appellation of the New
Temple, and it attained to such a rank and importance,
that parliaments and general councils were frequently held
there. The knights lived magnificently ; and in the reign
of Henry III., they very often entertained the king himself,
the foreign ambassadors, and the nobility.
As the renown of the Knights Templars became in
creased by their own valour, and their wealth by the gifts
of divers potentates, and the devotional benefactions of the
pious, the credulous, and the fearful, their arrogance and
profligacy proportionably augmented ; though certainly not
to that extent of abandoned wickedness with which they
have been charged by their enemies. Those vices, how
ever, were made the groundwork of a grievous prosecu
tion against the order, particularly in France; and they
were accused of the commission of almost every kind of
crime. The most unjust pretexts were superadded, for the
purpose of despoiling them of their estates ; and numbers
were committed to the flames under false accusations;
among these was James de Molai, grand master of the
order, who was burnt alive at Paris, in the year 1313.
The proceedings against the Templars had been com
menced in 1307, and on an appointed day great numbers
of them were seized and imprisoned throughout Europe;
and those arrests were continued till most of them were in
custody. Under the authority of the Pope's bull, which was di
rected to Robert Winchelsey, Archbishop of Canterbury,
and to his suffragans, the Knights Templars of London
were summoned to appear before Ralph de Baldock, bishop

202 EDIFICES OF LONDON.
of that see, to answer various charges of heresy, apostacy,
idolatry, &c. ; and though but little, if any, proof could be
given of the verity of the accusations, the knights were
eventually dispossessed of all their property, and subjected
to perpetual penance in different monasteries. William de
la Moore, the grand prior or master of England, was as
earnest in defence of his order as De Molai had been,
though, happily, his fate was not so disastrous; for no
Templar was put to death in England, nor was any torture
employed to elicit a confession of presumed offences.
In the year 1312, on the 6th of the nones of May, the
order of the Knights Templars was provisionally suppresed
by the Pope, in a private consistory; the Council of Vienne
having previously declared, in opposition to his wishes, that
so illustrious an order ought not to be dissolved until the
grand master and other knights had been heard in its
defence. But their ruin had been determined on, and the
provisional suppression became immediate and final.
Edward II., in the 6th year of his reign, granted the
Temple and its appurtenances to Aymer, or Audomar de
Valence, Earl of Pembroke, by the description of the
" whole place and house called the New Temple, at
London, and the ground called Fiquet's Croft, and all the
tenements and rents, with the appurtenances, that belonged
to the Templars in the city and suburbs of London ; and
the land called Flete Croft, part of the possessions of the
said Templars." Two years afterwards, the king, having
otherwise satisfied the claims of the above earl, re-granted
the premises to his uncle, Thomas, Earl of Lancaster, on
whose attainder they reverted to the crown. In the 17th
of the same reign, all the unappropriated estates of the
Templars in England were granted by the king and Parlia
ment, in compliance with the injunctions of a second

ST. mary's, inner temple. 203
council, assembled at Vienne, in 1324, to the Knights
Hospitallers of St. John of Jerusalem ; whose order had
been instituted for nearly similar purposes to that of the
Templars, and was then held in great repute for the extraor
dinary valour which the knights had displayed in expelling
the Turks from the Isle of Rhodes, a few years previously.
The Knights Hospitallers were settled in England
early in Henry I.'s reign, and they had already a large
establishment at Clerkenwell, including the spacious church
of St. John and the precincts of St. John's Square. Shortly
after the above grant, the prior and his brethren appear to
have been compelled, by undue influence, to convey the
New Temple and its appurtenances to Hugh le Despencer
the younger, and his heirs ; but, on his attainder and execu
tion, they reverted to the crown. Edward III., in his
second year, granted the custody and revenues of the Tem
ple possessions to William de Langford, for ten years, at
the annual rent of £24. But in the next year, " the church
and places sanctified and dedicated to God" were restored
to the Knights Hospitallers, " by reasons whereof William
Langford was abated £12. 4s. Id. of his said rent." After
Langford's interest had expired, the same king, in his 12th
year, " for £100, promised by the prior towards his expedi
tion into France, did grant the rest of the manor and lands
not sanctified, to the prior and friars of the said Hospital of
St. John, and his successors, together with the church,
churchyard, and cloisters."
Some years afterwards, the Knights Hospitallers leased
the Temple, and its appurtenances, for a rent of £10 per
annum, " to a society of students of the common lawe,"
who removed thither from Thavies Inn, in Holborn ; and
the members having greatly increased, formed themselves,
early in the reign of Richard II., into two societies, viz.,

204 edifices of London.
those of the Inner Temple and of the Middle Temple, yet
still possessing a general interest in the premises. About
that period (anno 1381), according to Stow, the insurgents,
under Wat Tyler, " destroyed and plucked downe the
houses and lodgings of this Temple, tooke out of the church
the bookes and records, that were in hutches, of the appren
tices of the law, carried them into the streetes and burnt
them; the house they spoiled and burnt, for wrath that
they bare Sir Robert Halles, Lord Prior of St. John's, in
Smithfield." On the dissolution of the order of the Knights Hos
pitallers, in the 32nd of Henry VIIL, the Temple reverted
to the crown, but was still continued to be held on lease
by the law professors till the time of James I., who by his
letters-patent, dated at Westminster, on the 13th of August,
in his 6th year, granted the whole, by the description of
" Hospitalia et Capitalia Messuagia cognita per nomen de
Inner Temple, sive Novi Templi Lond.," &c, to Sir Julius
Caesar, knt., and the treasurers, benchers, and others of
this house, and their assigns for ever, " for the reception,
lodging, and education, of the professors and students of
the laws of the realm," at a rent of £10 yearly from each
society. Stow, after mentioning the original dedication of the
Temple church by Heraclius, in 1185, says, " this temple
was againe dedicated, 1240; belike also newly re-edified
then." But the appearance of the present fabric, when
considered in connexion with the state of architecture at
the above periods, would seem to warrant a somewhat dif
ferent hypothesis ; namely, that the western or round part
was that which the Templars, in order to give celebrity to
their new foundation, had had consecrated, 1185, by the
Patriarch Heraclius ; and that the eastern part, to which in

ST. mary's, inner temple. 205
fact the other can only be regarded as a vestibule, was built
subsequently, and dedicated, on its completion, in 1240.
The pointed style of architecture was then generally preva
lent; although, at the earlier period, 1185, it was frequently
blended with the circular or Norman style.
This edifice narrowly escaped destruction in the great
fire of 1666 ; in 1682, it was repaired and ornamented, and
a curious wainscot screen set up. In 1695, the south
western part, which had suffered by fire, was rebuilt.
Independently of the interest excited by its singular
plan and curious architecture, this church has engaged
great attention from the very ancient sepulchral effigies,
which lie in two groups within the circular area of the
vestibule. They have been generally reputed to represent
Knights Templars; yet as only one of them, which had
any immediate connexion with that order, has been histo
rically identified, there appears to be no sufficient reason
for that appellation having been given to the whole.
From the crowded and peculiar manner in which these
memorials of departed greatness are now arranged, there
can be little doubt of their having been removed from the
places they originally occupied ; most probably from tombs
or pedestals which once stood here, but which, at some
remote period, have been destroyed. This conjecture is
corroborated by the fact of an excavation having been
made during the repairs in 1811, under the northernmost
group, for the purpose of discovering whether any vault or
coffins were beneath, and it was then satisfactorily ascer
tained that there was neither one nor the other.
These effigies, which are ten in number, are greatly
mutilated and defaced. Together with a sort of sarcopha
gus, formed en dos d'ane, they have been disposed in two
rows, five in each, between the north-eastern and south-

206 EDIFICES OF LONDON.
eastern columns (as shown in the ground plan in the
annexed print), and enclosed by iron railings. The figures
have been sculptured out of blocks of freestone, two feet in
thickness, and are lying on platforms of similar stone.
The attitudes vary, but the figures are all recumbent, and
represent knights, armed cap-a-pie, in mail armour, with
surcoats; one is bare-headed, and wears a monk's cowl.
Their shields are of the heater or Norman form, but differ
in size ; one of them is so remarkably long, that it extends
from the shoulder to the middle of the leg. Their heads,
which, with a single exception, repose on cushions, are
mostly in hoods of mail ; two or three have flattish helmets
over the mail, and one wears a kind of cask. Most of
their swords have been broken ; in consequence of which
mutilation one of the knights has been described as in the
act of drawing a dagger, but with evident impropriety.
Five of the effigies are cross-legged, a position acknow
ledged to indicate that they were intended either for actual
crusaders, or for other knights who had assumed the cross,
and vowed to engage in the Holy War, as it was called,
against the infidels in Palestine. Only three or four, how
ever, of those persons can now be satisfactorily identified ;
and as to the remainder, even conjecture is silent.
The first figure in the southernmost group is said, by
Gough, to be that of Geoffrey de Magnaville, who was
made Earl of Essex by King Stephen, and on his creation
augmented his family arms, which were quarterly, or, and
gules with an escarboucle — a charge that is still apparent
on the shield. He died in October, 1148, having been
mortally wounded in besieging the castle at Burwell. His
body was arrayed by some Knights Templars in the habit of
their order, and conveyed to the Old Temple, from which
it was afterwards removed to the New Temple. The

ST. mary's, inner temple. 207
second figure is that of the famous William Marshall, Le
Mareschall, first Earl of Pembroke, who, dying in April,
1219, was interred in this fane. A lion rampant, forming a
part of his arms, may still be traced on the shield, and his
feet rest on a lion. On the shield of the third figure, which
represents a youthful -looking knight, bare-headed, and in a
cowl, are three water bougets, the bearing of the Ross family.
Weever applies to this effigy the following fragment of an
inscription, " insculpted on one of these cross-legged mo
numents," which he found among the Cotton Manuscripts,
viz.: — " Hie requiescit  R ... . Ep
. . . quondam visitator generalis ordinis milicie Templi in
Anglia et in Francia et in Italia ;" and which, from a pe
digree of the Lords Ross, was referred to Robert Ross, a
Templar, who died about the year 1245, having bestowed
upon his order the manor of Ribston, in Yorkshire.
Gough, however, on the authority of Bishop Tanner,
assigns this figure to the second Lord Ross, surnamed Fur-
san, who was the person that actually gave Ribston to the
Knights Templars ; and who, joining their order, was buried
here in the 11th of Henry III., anno 1227. The fourth
figure is supposed to have been intended for William Mar
shall, second Earl of Pembroke. He died in April, 1230,
and was interred near his father. The last, or coffin-shaped
memorial, has been assigned to William Plantagenet, fifth
son of Henry III., who died in his infancy, and was buried
here about 1256 ; but it is by no means likely that a full-
sized coffin should have been sculptured as a memorial for
a mere child.
Not a single figure of the northernmost group can be
decidedly appropriated; but the fifth, or that which is
cross-legged, was most probably meant for Gilbert Marshall,
third Earl of Pembroke, who was killed by a fall from an

208 EDIFICES OF LONDON.
unruly horse, at a tournament near Ware, in June, 1241,
and whose remains were deposited near those of his father
and brother, in this edifice. Camden says, that " the sta
tues of William, and his sons William and Gilbert, all
Marshalls of England, and Earls of Pembroke, were still to
be seen in this temple, cross-legged ; as were all who at
that time engaged in the crusades, or as the phrase was,
took up the cross ; " and " on one of the tombs," he con
tinues, " I have read this inscription, in letters almost
effaced, ' Comes Penbrochia ;' and at the side, ' Miles eram
Martis. Mars multos vicerat armis? " The first knight in
the group is represented with a leopard at his feet, the head
of which is pierced by his sword ; at the sides of his pillow
are sculptured roses. The fourth knight is depicted in a
spirited, though peculiar attitude, as though trampling on
a cockatrice, or dragon ; most probably in allegorical refer
ence to the Christian's triumph over Satan.
Another ancient figure in this church, which has given
rise to some discussion, is that of a bishop, pontifically ha
bited, with a crosier in his left hand, and his right hand in
the customary attitude of benediction, lying upon a plain
tomb on the south side of the chancel. This has been
assigned to the Patriarch Heraclius, who died at Acre, in
the year 1191.
The accompanying prints will clearly exemplify the
form, arrangement, and prevailing architectural style of the
Temple church. The ground plan displays the peculiar
design and form of the building ; by which it is seen that it
consists of two marked and distinct divisions, i. e. a circular
arrangement or vestibule towards the west, and a square
area or space towards the east. The former is entered by a
large doorway, beneath an arched porch, or cloister, having
four columns on each side supporting archivolt mouldings,

st. mary's, inner temple. 209
which form a receding semicircular archway. These moulds
ings, as well as the capitals and jambs of the doorway, are
adorned with foliage, lozenges, and figures, sculptured in
the stone. The circular part within is divided into two
spaces by a series of six clustered columns supporting as many
acutely-pointed arches. The form of these arches, the pro
portions and shapes of the clustered columns, with the groined
mouldings, and blank arcade, beneath the sills of the win
dows, against the outer wall, and the arcade of intersecting
arches, in the second story over the open arches, are shown
in Plate II. In this plate the organ screen, which fills up
the arch between the circular vestibule and the choir of the
church, is supposed to be removed. A section of the
church, above the ground plan, shows the junction of the
two parts of the building ; also the five triple windows on
the south side, the roofs over the arch of the circular part,
and over the centre aisle, &c. The other plate, a view of
the church, looking towards the east end, will serve to ren
der the whole interior ifrmiliar to the reader.
E. W. BRAYLEY.

[Since the above account was written, this edifice has
undergone very extensive and important repairs by Sir
R. Smirke.]

VOL. I.

WESTMINSTER ABBEY.

According to the united testimony of our ancient
writers, the original site of West-minster Abbey was called
Thorney Island, it having been " overgrown with thorns,
and environed with water ;" and it is a curious fact, that,
notwithstanding all the changes which in the course of so
many centuries have occurred in this district, that the out
line of the island may still be traced. Sulcardus, who was
a monk of Westminster, composed a short account of this
church, an ancient copy of which is yet preserved in the
British Museum. From that authority, from a passage in
Abbot Ailred's " Life of St. Edward the Confessor," and
from the current belief of the monks, the foundation of this
abbey is commonly ascribed to Sebert, King of the East
Saxons, " who having embraced Christianity, and being
baptized by Mellitus, Bishop of London, immediately (to
show himself a Christian indeed) built a church to the
honour of God and St. Peter, on the west side of the cittie
of London."* This was about the year 604 or 605.
The first church, according to Sulcardus, was but small
(Ecclesia non adeo magna), yet it did not escape the
ravages of the Danes. Until the time of Edward the Con
fessor, its possessions were very inconsiderable; such, at
least, is the information given by Stow, who, quoting
* Stow's " Survey of London," p. 377, edit: 1598.

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WESTMINSTER ABBEY. 211
T. Clifford, an earlier chronicler, says, " without the walles
of London, uppon the river of Thames, there was in times
passed a little monasterie, builded to the honour of God and
Saint Peter, with a few Benedict monkes under an Abbote,
serving Christ ; very poore they were, and little was given
them for their reliefe. Here the king intended (for that it
was neare to the famous citie of London, and the river
of Thames, that brought in all kind of marchandizes from
all partes of the worlde) to make his sepulchre ; he com
manded that of the tenthes of all his rentes, the worke
should be begunne in such sort as should become the
Prince of the Apostles."
The primary cause of King Edward bestowing his pa
tronage on this church, was his breach of a vow which he
had made of going on a pilgrimage to Rome, but which
intention he was compelled to forego from motives of state
policy. He dispatched, however, a solemn embassy to
Rome to procure a dispensation ; which the Pope, Leo the
Ninth, granted to him, under the " obligations of holy obe
dience and penitence, that he should give a part of the
money allotted for his journey to the poor, and with the
remainder either repair or erect a monastery in honour of
St. Peter, and furnish the brethren with a revenue and suffi
cient necessaries."
On commencing the re-erection of this monastery, the
king appropriated " a tenth part of his entire substance to
the work, as well in gold, silver, and cattle, as in all his
other possessions." The church was several years in build
ing; and, compared with the former edifice, was a very
magnificent structure. According to Matthew Paris, it
became a pattern much followed in the designs of other
churches. It was in the form of a cross ; to which form
the above historian alludes, by the words " novo composi-
p 2

212 edifices of London.
tionis genere" the earlier Saxon churches appearing to have
had no transepts.
Sulcardus says, " the new church was supported by
divers columns, from which sprang a multiplicity of arches ;"
and Sir Christopher Wren describes it as follows : — " The
principal area or nave of the church being raised high, and
vaulted with square and uniform ribs, is turned circular to
the east; this on each side is strongly fortified with a
double vaulting of the iles in two stories, with their pillars
and arches. The cross building, contrived to contain the
quire in the middle, and the better to support the lofty
tower, rose with a plainer and lower vaulting; which
tower, then spreading with artificial* winding stairs, was
continued with plain walls to its timber roof, which was
well covered with lead."f
In what year King Edward commenced the re-construc
tion of this church is not known ; yet if the dates in God
win's " De Praesulibus " be correct, it was probably about
1050 ; for the bishops Aldred and Herman, who conducted
the embassy to Pope Leo, are stated to have been at Rome
in that year. On its completion, the king resolved to have
it dedicated in the most solemn and impressive manner, the
ceremony being appointed for the day of the Holy Innocents,
viz. December 28th, 1065. All the prelates and great men
of the kingdom were summoned to be present ; but it is
doubtful whether Edward himself attended, as he was
seized with a sudden and mortal illness on Christmas eve.
His death occurred on the 4th or 5th of the following
January, and he was buried, with the utmost pomp, before
the high altar in the new church on the 12th of the same
month. The successive grants which he had made to this
* Quaere, artificer-like? -j- " Parentalia."

WESTMINSTER ABBEY. 213
establishment, of estates, manors, and relics, were ample
beyond all precedent ; and in signing his last charter, which,
as appears from Sulcardus, was given on the very day of the
consecration of his church, he invested the monks with
extraordinary privileges. The reputation which King Ed
ward had acquired by his piety, munificence, and miracles,
and still more, to1 use the phraseology of the times, by " his
abstraction from fleshly delights," obtained him such high
renown, that about eighty years after his decease, he re
ceived the honours of canonization from Pope Alexander
the Third. Laurentius, the then Abbot of Westminster,
who had been a main cause of procuring Edward's canoni
zation, obtained also, by his influence and gifts, the liberty
of wearing, for himself and his successors, the mitre, the
ring, and the gloves, which had been anciently esteemed as
exclusive parts of the episcopal habit. The possessors of
this privilege were, in after times, permitted to sit with the
bishops in Parliament, and enjoyed every honour and im
munity which that high situation was accustomed to com
mand. On Whitsun eve (May the 16th, 1220), Henry the Third,
at that time a youth of thirteen only, commenced the new
buildings of the abbey, by laying the first stone of a chapel
in honour of the Virgin Mary, on the spot now occupied by
the monumental chapel of Henry the Seventh. But though
denominated the founder, both by Matthew Paris and Mat
thew of Westminster, he was not the only contributor, since
the abbot and convent conferred many spiritual benefits on
several persons who gave lands and tenements towards the
completion of the work.
The reign of Henry the Third forms a distinguished
epoch in the history of this church, as a great part of the
edifice was then rebuilt in the elegant and lofty style which

214 EDIFICES OF LONDON.
still constitutes its primary character, and which about that
period was adopted in almost all the ecclesiastical edifices
throughout Europe. Matthew Paris, among the events of
the year 1245, acquaints us that the king commanded " that
the church of St, Peter should be enlarged, and the tower,
with the eastern parts, taken down, and the most skilful
artificers being procured, be then rebuilt more handsomely
at his own charge, and adapted to the residue, or western
part." Thomas Wykes, another contemporary historian,
corroborates this statement of the work having been exe
cuted at the king's own cost ; without discriminating the
parts rebuilt, he says, that " the king, with the proceeds of
his own exchequer, erected the church from the founda
tions." On the 13th of October, 1269, the new church, the east
end of which, with most of the transepts, and a great por
tion of the choir, to the first arch, westward from the tower,
were at that time completed, was solemnly dedicated, and
opened for divine service ; and on the same day the body of
St. Edward, " that before laye in the syde of the quere,
where the monkes nowe synge, was removed with vast pomp
and solemnity, into ye chapell at the backe of the hygh
aulter," and there deposited in a splendid shrine, which the
king had caused to be prepared for its reception. Henry
himself, with his sons, Edward and Edmund, and his
brother, the King of the Romans, assisted personally in carry
ing the chest, or coffin, from the old into the new shrine.*
After the ceremony of the translation was over, the king
* We are told, by Matthew of Westminster, that Benedict, a clerk of
Winchester, and John, a layman from Ireland, being p9ssessed by devils,
came purposely to receive benefit from St. Edward on the day of his
removal ; and that, on seeing his chest exalted, the devils were instantly
cast out!

WESTMINSTER ABBEY. 215
gave a magnificent feast to a great company of all ranks
and degrees of the assembled multitude. During the re
mainder of Henry's reign, the works here were continued,
though not apparently with so much celerity as before ; and
on his decease, in 1272, he committed, by his will, the com
pletion of his plan to his eldest son (who had been named
Edward, from his favourite saint), together with 500 marks
of silver, to finish the Confessor's shrine.
Edward the First carried on the work as far as the first
column westward of the choir in the nave. He likewise, in
1297, ordered the famous prophetic stone of the Scots to be
brought from Scone to this church.* Whatever was the
original destination of the chair, within the frame-work
beneath the seat of which the stone is fixed, there is every
reason to presume that it has been used as the coronation
chair of the sovereigns of England from the time of Edward
the Second.
The rebuilding of the nave was slowly executed, but on
an uniform plan, under the direction of different abbots.
Part of the old building was taken down about the 12th of
Richard the Second, that monarch having given divers sums
for proceeding with the work, together with the revenues
of the two alien priories of Stoke Clare and Folkstone.
Henry the Fifth, besides giving money with his own hands,
granted 1,000 marks annually (out of the Hanaper-office,
and customs of wool), towards the necessary charges ; and
Edward the Fourth, at different times, gave four-score oaks,
and about £250 for forwarding the work ; Elizabeth Wid-
ville, his queen, also (who, during one of the reverses of
her fortune, had taken sanctuary within the abbey), and
* For the most particular account of this stone, and of the coronation
chair, see Neale's " Westminster Abbey," vol. ii., pp. 118—136.

216 EDIFICES OF LONDON.
Prince Edward, his son (who was born within it), gave
money for the like purpose. In the time of Abbot Esteney,
who died in 1498, the west front, except the towers, was
nearly finished, the vaultings being completed, and the
great west window set up. Islip, the succeeding abbot,
carried up the towers to different heights ; but they were
never entirely completed till the reign of George the
Second, when they were finished in the manner they now
appear, by Sir Christopher Wren ; and at the same time
the whole fabric underwent a general repair, — partly at the
expense of the chapter, but principally by aid from Parlia
ment. Henry the Seventh's Chapel, which forms a magnificent
appendage to the east end of the Abbey Church, was built,
as its name implies, by that monarch, as a monumental
chapel for his own and his queen's remains. For this
purpose the old chapel of the Virgin, and other adjoining
buildings, were taken down, and the first stone of the new
fabric was laid on the 24th of January, 1502-3, by the
king himself, assisted by Abbot Islip, Sir Reginald Bray,
&c. The credit of designing this splendid example of
architectural science has been generally ascribed to Sir
Reginald Bray ; yet there is a singular passage in Speed's
" History," which seems to transfer the merit of the design
to the king himself, and Bishop Fox. After speaking of
the Savoy Hospital, and the six religious houses erected by
Henry, he says, " Of his building also was Richmund
Pallace, and that most beautiful peece, the Chappell at
Westminster, &c, which forms, of more curious and exqui
site building, he and Bishoppe Foxe first (as is reported)
learned in France, and thence brought with them into
England." In the will of Henry the Seventh, dated in
1509, the Prior of St. Bartholomew's is expressly called

WESTMINSTER ABBEY. 217
" Master of the Works of our said Chapel ;" and the " Plat"
made for the chapel, and signed with the king's hand, is
directly referred to in the same instrument, together with
designs for the " ymages, armes, bagies," &c, of the win
dows, which had been " in picture delivered" to the said
prior. This prior must have been William Bolton, who
received his temporalities in the 21st of Henry the Seventh,
and continued prior till his decease, in 1532. Stow calls
him " a great builder ;" and under his direction the chapel
was most probably finished about 1512, in which year, in
October, a contract was entered into with the celebrated
Pietro Torrigiano, for making the king's tomb.
But a few years had elapsed after the completion of
the interior of Henry's Chapel, before the monastic esta
blishment here was suppressed by Henry the Eighth ; and
Westminstei being constituted a city, the Abbey Church
was nominated its cathedral. The Abbey, with all its
possessions, was surrendered to the king on the 16th of
January, 1539-40, the revenues being then estimated, ac
cording to Dugdale, at the nett sum of £3,471 0s. 2^d.
annually ; but, according to Speed, who includes the gross
receipts, at £3,977 6*. 4f d. The bishopric of Westminster
was founded by the king's letters patent on the 17th of
December, 1540; and Dr. Thomas Thirleby, Dean of the
King's Chapel, was appointed the first bishop : he was also
the last bishop, being constrained to surrender his see on
the 29th of March, 1550 (during the Protectorate), and it
was suppressed, and the diocese consigned to the jurisdic
tion of the bishops of London, who thus obtained power
over various churches which had previously been exempt
from visitation. In the year 1556 (September the 7th),
Queen Mary reinstated the Monastery of Westminster, by
a charter, dated at Croydon. She afterwards bestowed the

218 EDIFICES OF LONDON.
abbacy on John Feckenham, who was the last abbot that
sat in the House of Lords, where, in January, 1559, in
Queen Elizabeth's first Parliament, he took " the lower
place on the bishops' form." On the 12th of July, in the
same year, the Abbey was surrendered to the queen, under
the authority of a general act of Parliament, and the abbot
and monks were removed from Westminster. In the fol
lowing year, May 2 1st, 1560, the queen refounded this
establishment as a collegiate church, to be governed by
a dean and chapter, in which state it now remains.
DESCRIPTION.
The architectural design and the skilful arrangement of
this celebrated edifice, — the scientific and ingenious con
struction of its walls, arches, vaultings, and nicely-poised
and balanced parts, are all entitled to the most diligent
study of the practical architect, and will afford both amuse
ment and instruction to the antiquary and amateur. It
will be proper always to bear in mind the common adage
of " sound as church work," and to remember that this
maxim was founded on observation and reflection. The
length of time which most of our cathedrals and larger
churches have braved the inclemency of this climate, the
neglect of their guardians, and the wanton injury inflicted
on them by fanatics and heedless persons, is a lasting proof
of the skill with which they were constructed. Contrasted
with many " modern Gothic works," they are greatly raised
in our estimation ; whilst the comparison makes the latter
sink into insignificance or contempt. Although it will be
impossible to do justice to the edifice either by the series of
small illustrations accompanying this essay, or by the de
scriptive language employed, yet they will jointly serve to
convey accurate ideas and information to the stranger, and

WESTMINSTER ABBEY. 219
render those impressions more permanent and clear, which
a daily or an occasional view of the building excites in the
mind of an inhabitant of this vast metropolis.
The Abbey Church of Westminster is one of the finest
examples of the pointed style that was ever erected in this
country ; and it is likewise the most complete and perfect
that now remains, except Salisbury Cathedral. The supe
rior skill and invention of the architect have been here
displayed in the most admirable manner, as well in the
adaptation and construction of the parts, as in the pic
turesque and beautiful effects produced by the whole.
The general form of this church, on its ground plan, is
that of a Latin cross ; but the eastern part, from the tran
sept, is surrounded by various chapels, which interiorly are
separated from the aisles by ornamental screens of a later
age. The plan, however, as will be seen from Plate 2, is
not strictly uniform ; as the cloisters, which adjoin to this
edifice on the south, occupy a portion of the space that
would otherwise have composed a west aisle to the south
transept: there is also a chapel at the extremity of the
same transept, which, with an adjoining enclosure (pro
bably the conventual prison), occupies a slip of its whole
breadth. The general arrangement of the conventual build
ings is shown in the same plate; the particular parts to
which the references relate are as follow : —
Ground plan: a, nave; b, choir; c, north transept; d,
south transept; e, St. Andrew's Chapel; f, St. Michael's
Chapel; g, St. John the Evangelist's Chapel; h, Abbot
Islip's Chapel; i, Chapel of St. John Baptist; j, Chapel of
St. Paul ; k, entrance porch to Henry the Seventh's Chapel ;
I, Henry the Seventh's Chapel ; m, Chapel of St. Nicholas ;
n, Chapel of St. Edmund; o, Chapel of St. Benedict;

220 EDIFICES OF LONDON.
p, choir ; q, east aisle of south transept ;* r, Chapter-house ;
s, chapel generally, yet inaccurately, called Chapel of St.
Blaze, but more probably of St. Catherine; t, remaining
parts of King Edward the Confessor's buildings; u, u,
cloisters; v, Jerusalem Chamber, forming a part of the
deanery; w, dining-hall of the Westminster scholars, in
which is shown the ancient open fire-place in the middle of
the floor, as common in our old halls.
The general measurements of this church are as follow.
Interior: — Length of nave, 166 feet; breadth, 38 feet 7
inches; height, 101 feet 8 inches; breadth of each aisle,
16 feet 7 inches; extreme breadth across the nave and
aisles, 71 feet 9 inches: length of choir, 155 feet 9 inches;
extreme breadth of ditto, 38 feet 4 inches; height, 101 feet
2 inches : extreme length of transept, including the choir,
203 feet 2 inches ; breadth of the middle part of transept,
39 feet; ditto of the aisles, 22 feet 10 inches; height of
transept, 105 feet 5 inches : extreme length, from west door
to the piers of Henry the Seventh's Chapel, 383 feet; ditto,
including Henry's Chapel, 511 feet 6 inches. Exterior: —
Extreme length, 416 feet; ditto, including Henry's Chapel,
530 feet : height of western towers, to the top of pinnacles,
225 feet 4 inches. The dimensions of the cloisters, chapter
house, and other monastic buildings, may be ascertained by
the application of the scale.
The general character of the exterior architecture will
be readily comprehended from the representation of the
north front, Plate 1. Here the most prominent feature is
the elevation of the transept, which, although much altered
in its minor details from what it originally was, presents a
* The south transept is popularly called the " Poets' Corner."

WESTMINSTER ABBEY. 221
very noble specimen of the diversified richness, and elegant,
yet fanciful display, inherent in the pointed style, as well in
form as in ornament. This, in ancient times, was the prin
cipal entrance to the church; and all the stately proces
sions, and pompous trains assembled to grace the corona
tions, the thanksgivings, and the burials of our sovereigns,
were ushered beneath its porch to give interest and effect to
the solemnities within.
This front consists of such a considerable variety of
parts, that it becomes difficult to describe it with accuracy,
without occupying more space than our pages will allow.
Four immense buttresses, which, from their workmanship
and disposition, are rendered very ornamental, sustain the
walls ; their several graduatory stages being sculptured into
cinquefoil-headed niches, &c, and each buttress being ter
minated by an octagonal pinnacle, of which every face is
wrought with a trefoil-headed panelling, between small
columns: a similar, but lesser pinnacle, rises over the apex
of the roof, and is crowned with a small vane, as all the
pinnacles were formerly. The corner buttresses form irre
gular octagons, including staircases, which are carried up
to the roof through the great arch-buttresses that extend
across the side aisles. This facade may be described as
consisting, vertically, of four compartments, the lower
most of which includes the three entrance porches: the
central porch opens by a very high pointed arch, forming
a deep recess, its archivolt being supported on each side by
five slender columns, having capitals of rich foliage. The
flat wall at the back of the arch, over the two doorways,
which are separated by a plain upright pier, is nearly filled
by a circle of panelling, including twelve other circles,
variously adorned; in the central one are the arms of St.
Edward the Confessor, viz. a cross patence between five

222 EDIFICES OF LONDON.
martlets. Three clustered columns on each side, similarly
ornamented, but larger than those before mentioned, sustain
all the outer mouldings of this porch, except the extreme
moulding, or water-table, which continues round both the
smaller porches, as well as over the arcade of trefoil-arches
between them and at the sides. A large finial of congre
gated foliage crowns the apex of this front. All the out
ward mouldings of these porches contract inwardly at the
springing of the great arches, from the circles having been
struck at some distance above the imposts.* A trefoil-
headed panelling extends along the whole upper part of
this division, which is terminated by a range of pierced
cinquefoil arches, and a plain parapet. The next com
partment consists of four wide and obtusely-pointed arches,
over which is an arcade of eleven pointed arches, sur
mounted by a perforated battlement: the obtuse arches
form deep recesses, extending to the windows. The arcade
arches are well proportioned, the mouldings spring from
light shafts, clustered, and each arch is divided into two
others, having trefoil heads, by a small column: within
the space above is a circle enclosing a cinquefoil. The
third compartment includes the great rose, or Catharine-
wheel window, which was rebuilt in the year 1722. This
elegantly-constructed ornament consists of a vast circle,
divided by its tracery into a small eight-leaved centrical
circle, from which expand sixteen trefoil-headed leaves,
forming the lower divisions of a similar number of large
pointed leaves, which extend to the extremity: open tre
foils ornament the spaces between the larger leaves; and
* All the external columns, arches, and new facings connected with
these entrances, form part of the repairs made by Sir Christopher Wren ;
but the work of his day by no means corresponds with the original sculp
turing, either in execution or design.

WESTMINSTER ABBEY. 223
the spandrells, which complete the design, are each filled
with a small rose of six divisions, and trefoil-headed leaves.
A panelling of sunk quatrefoils enriches the parapet of this
division. The last compartment, which extends to the
apex of the roof, is occupied by a handsome arrangement
of panelled arches, at bottom ; and three circles, a trefoil,
and other sculptured work, above. The arch-buttresses at
the sides, which spring from the great octagonal buttresses,
have sunk trefoil-headed panels, and angular weatherings.
The entire height of this front, to the top of the central pin
nacle, is 170 feet. The east and west sides of this transept
are nearly similar,* each being separated by graduated but
tresses into three divisions, containing the windows: the
piers, which rise from the angle of the aisle-battlements,
and sustain the arch-buttresses, are duplicated in a peculiar
manner. The large pointed windows are each divided by
a mullion into two principal lights, over which are circles
of six divisions, and smaller lights in the angles. The
second tier of windows may be regarded as of a peculiar
character ; their general form being that of a spherical tri
angle, enclosing a large circle, within which are eight lesser
circular divisions, besides a central one.f
The walls between the transept and the west front are
supported by nine graduated buttresses, terminating pyra-
midically; and from these a twofold range of arched, or
flying buttresses, extend to the upper part of the nave.
The parapet of the clerestory is surmounted by a battle
ment, nearly level to which there is a turretted niche in
* The windows and buttresses on the west side are now undergoing a
complete restoration in a good and substantial style.
f This mode of construction is general in all the side windows on the
same story in both parts of the transept; and also, with four exceptions
only, in all the chapels eastward of the transept.

224 EDIFICES OF LONDON.
each buttress : the four westernmost niches contain the sta
tues of Abbot Islip, James the First, and probably Henry
the Third, and Edward the Confessor; but the whole are
much damaged.* Between every two buttresses, in the
lower story, is a large pointed-arched window, of two com
partments below, and circular and quatrefoil lights, &c. at
the top. Another range of windows, each consisting of
three circles, inscribed within a triangle, extends over the
former range, and rises to the water-tables of the aisle pa
rapets. Another range, corresponding with those first de
scribed, but not so high, admits light into the upper parts
of the nave ; an embattled parapet terminates the elevation.
The choir aisles are surrounded by six chapels, viz.
three on each side, independently of Henry the Seventh's
Chapel, which forms the eastern termination of the entire
pile. These chapels are of the same era as the oldest part
of the fabric, and the architecture is of similar character,
except that of Abbot Islip, which adjoins to the north
eastern side of the transept, and was altered into its pre
sent style in the reign of the above sovereign. The four
largest chapels project octagonally, and rise to the same
height as the battlements of the aisles. The eastern termi
nation of the church itself, as seen over the chapels, dis
plays four windows on each side, and three at the end,
which finishes in a half-decagon ; these windows are more
acutely pointed than those of the upper range already de
scribed, but are of similar character and arrangement.
Proceeding to the southern division of the transept, it
must be remarked, that its facade, or front, is far less elegant
* These seem to have been the once " elegant statues " with which
Dean Williams, as we are informed by his biographer Hacket, " beau
tified" this part of the Abbey, when he so liberally contributed towards
repairing it, in James the First's reign.

WESTMINSTER ABBEY. 225
than that of the opposite extremity ; but this incongruity
is rendered of little consequence, as the library, chapter
house, and cloisters, are so immediately contiguous, that all
the lower part is excluded from the view. It is supported by
four vast buttresses, each terminating in a plain octagon
tower, crowned by a ball. All the lower part is occupied
by the Chapel of St. Blaize, or St. Catharine, as before
mentioned, which is now used as a vestry. The wall im
mediately over this chapel is pierced by a range of six
narrow-pointed windows, above which are three large win
dows, divided into two lights below, and having a circular
light in the head; the exterior masonry of all these win
dows is modern, and wholly unornamented. The next
compartment displays the great rose, or marigold window,*
which was constructed about the year 1814 by Mr. Thomas
Gayfere, the abbey mason, under the superintendence of
Benjamin Wyatt, Esq. All the ancient forms were pre
served in the rebuilding, by working from the original
parts ; but the latter, if the report made to Bishop Atter-
buryf by Sir Christopher Wren be in this instance correct,
could not have been of any great age, as he mentions this
* There is no exclusive name for the large and beautiful circular win
dows which adorn many of our cathedral and other churches, the appella
tions Marigold, Rose, and St. Catharine-wheel, being applied merely
according to the impressions or caprice of the writer. The epithet Mari
gold is used in the text as implying a window of more complicated tracery,
and a greater variety of parts, than that which is generally called the Rose,
or the St. Catharine-wheel. A geometrical representation of a portion of
this window, with details at large, is engraved and described in Pugin's
" Specimens of Gothic Architecture," Vol. II.
t This prelate contributed towards the expense of the rose window in
the northern transept, when it was rebuilt by Mr. William Dickenson, in
the year 1722 ; but whether according to the original design, or from a
new one, does not appear.
VOL. I. °-

226 EDIFICES OF LONDON.
window as having been " well rebuilt," about forty years
before the date of his report, which was drawn up in 1713.
The centre is formed by a small circle, including a quatre
foil, within which is the date, 1814; from this sixteen large
leaves extend to the periphery ; each being subdivided into
a double range of cinquefoil lights in the upper part, and a
single range below. In the head of every leaf is a quatre
foil, with smaller lights ; and in the angles between them
are trefoils. The spandrells on the outer part of the great
circle are occupied by small circles, including quatrefoils,
with cinquefoil leaves at the sides. A frieze, charged with
grotesque animals and human heads, ranges over the win
dow, and above that appears the high-pitched gable end of
the roof. Between the two westernmost buttresses a deep
and strong semicircular arch expands over the east wall of
the cloisters, and was supposed, by the late Mr. John Car
ter, to have constituted a part of the church erected by
King Edward the Confessor.
Some singular but ingenious peculiarities, arising from
the contiguity of the cloisters, are observable on the south
side of this edifice ; these arose from the means necessary
to be employed to sustain the walls, and, at the same time,
to admit of such a considerable space to intervene, as the
breadth of the cloisters, between the superstructure and the
abutments. The first six buttresses westward from the
transept have their bases within the cloister green, and are
each connected with the walls of the church by four arch-
buttresses of considerable magnitude, the uppermost of
which extends across the aisle. The three other buttresses
adjoin to the wall, like those on the north side ; and, like
those also, all the buttresses are graduated, but these are
unornamented and without niches.
The west front of this edifice consists of a central facade,

WESTMINSTER ABBEY. 227
in the pointed style, flanked by two anomalous square
towers, the modern parts of which were designed by Sir
Christopher Wren, and carried to their present height, of
225 feet, in the early part of the last century. In the mid
dle of the facade is a deeply-recessed entrance porch, with
a vaulted and ribbed roof, but the ribs are greatly decayed
and mutilated. The walls, which gradually contract to
the doorway, are wrought into compartments of panelled
tracery. Two blank shields, projecting from sunk panels,
with a large niche and pedestal over them, ornament each
side of the porch. The space above the great arch is filled
by ten other niches, separated by small buttresses, and ter
minating in cone-shaped canopies, truncated. Over the
latter is a modern cantiliver cornice, and between that and
the parapet projecting before the great west window is a
frieze, charged with various shields of arms, viz. George
the Second, Queen Elizabeth, St. Edward the Confessor,
the College of Westminster, Order of the Bath, &c. The
great window is admirably proportioned ; and its tracery,
though not complicated, is yet elegant. It is divided into
twenty-four large and fourteen small compartments, by two
principal and four inferior mullions, and four transoms.
All these divisions are filled with painted glass of the
patriarchs, &c, in brilliant colouring. On each side are
three compartments of panelled tracery, and over the win
dow is a very heavy cornice. The frieze is thus inscribed,
in reference to the completion of this front, " a. r. georgii ii.
viii. mdccxxxv." In the gable of the roof is a small trian
gular window, with tracery. The piers adjoining to the
entrance porch, and which partly sustains the towers, are
supported by massive buttresses, the several stages of which
are ornamented with canopied niches. The flanking towers
may be described as being each divided into two nearly
q 2

228 edifices of London.
equal parts by a Tuscan cornice ; and their general charac
ter may be seen by the elevations in Plates 1 and 4. In
the lower divisions are pointed windows, with blank arches
over them, including quatrefoils and circles ; and above the
latter is a second range of pointed windows, latticed, which
ascend to the cornice. Immediately over the cornice, on
each side, is a Roman pediment, with enrichments, below
which, in the north tower, are the clock dials. Latticed
windows, of a mixed character, rise above the pediments,
and with their surmounting scroll-work and panelling ex
tend to the cornices beneath the parapets, which are pierced
and embattled. The pinnacles, which crown the whole at
the angles, are octagonal, and terminate in finials wrought
like fir-apples; at their bases are ornamental trusses in
verted. The side divisions of each face, in both towers,
project beyond the central parts, and are sculptured into
successive ranges of panelling.*
All the exterior walls of this edifice have embattled
parapets; and the roofing, which is of a very high pitch, is
substantially covered with lead. The central tower, or that
rising at the intersection of the choir and transept, was
never carried up to the height which, from the ancient
work, appears to have been originally intended; and,
although it was rebuilt after the fire here in the year 1803,
which threatened destruction to the whole edifice, it has still
a dwarfish and unfinished aspect. In the reconstruction,
all the openings in the arches were filled up by brick
work ; and still further to insure security against fire, strong
* It has already been said that these towers were completed by Sir
Christopher Wren, and notwithstanding the apparent self-complacency
with which he regarded these designs, they furnish a most memorable
example of his failure in his ill-judged attempt to assimilate the principles
of classic architecture to those of the pointed style.

WESTMINSTER ABBEY. 229
iron doors were introduced at all the points of interval ; so
that the timber roofs of the transepts and of the body of
this fabric have not now the least communication with each
other. On entering this venerable edifice from the west, the
interior produces a most striking and impressive effect ; the
view from that point being more extended and unbroken,
and the architectural character of the design more apparent,
than from any other. The lights, too, are so happily intro
duced, and the arrangements and proportions of the columns
so nicely adjusted to the forms and magnitude of the arches,
and to the aerial loftiness of the vaulting, that the whole
combines into one harmonious perspective, and for a time
the spectator feels a stronger inclination to contemplate the
picture than to examine the building.
The west entrance opens immediately from the porch by
a high pointed arch ; but within that there is now a second
arch or doorway, obtusely pointed, which was erected in
1813, to sustain the monument of the Right Honourable
William Pitt. The ancient trefoil-headed panelling which,
rising from the basement-seat, extends over the lower face
of the walls, flanking this entrance, is concealed from view
by different monuments. Above the entrance is a double
tier of cinquefoil-headed panels, reaching nearly to the sill
of the great west window, the design of which, with the
other arrangements of this part of the building, may be
understood from Plate 4, C, which exhibits a section of the
building from south to north, across the nave and its aisles ;
the extent of the vaultings or galleries over the aisles, and
the manner in which both the great and the arched but
tresses are carried up, are also shown by the same print.
The areas of the west towers were once open to the aisles ;
but that towards the south is now closed and fitted up as a

230 edifices of london.
consistory court, and the other is principally occupied by
the monument of Captain Montagu ; it includes a winding
staircase leading to the leads, from which there is a beau
tiful view over the adjacent neighbourhood, as well as
more extensive prospects over the metropolis and surround
ing country.
From the longitudinal section of this edifice, Plate 3, a
complete idea may be formed of its internal arrangements
and proportions, as well as of those of Henry the Seventh's
Chapel. The nave, which is separated from the choir and
its aisles by the organ-gallery and adjoining iron gates, has
eight high-pointed arches on each side, rising from large
circular columns, each of which is surrounded by eight light
shafts. The latter, however, are not entirely detached, but
are conjoined at the back to the columns they surround
(and out of the main stones of which they are wrought),
except in the more ancient work of Edward the First's time ;
this extends to the second column westward from the choir,
and in those four of the small shafts are entirely separated
from the great columns, except at their bases and capitals.
The other columns of the nave are also surrounded in the
upright by two large bands or fillets, and the small shafts
have octagonal caps and plinths ; but the ancient columns
have no fillets, and the bases and capitals of their surround
ing shafts are circular. Another variation may be seen in
the sub-plinths, which in the ancient columns form one
massive whole, but in the others every smaller shaft has an
octagonal sub-base and plinth resting immediately upon
the pavement. The architraves display numerous bold and
deeply-cut mouldings, the labels of which spring from cor
bel heads, either animal or human. Over each of the great
arches (ranging above an ornamental string-course) are two
finely-proportioned double arches, separated by clustered

WESTMINSTER ABBEY. 231
pillars, and having circles, including cinquefoils, beneath
the apex of each, with trefoil-headed compartments below,
divided by a single shaft. These arches, which extend
completely round the church, open to the spacious galleries
over the aisles, and greatly add to the elegant lightnesss of
the whole. From the innermost pillar of each of the great
columns rises a triplicated shaft, from the coronals of which,
respectively, the ribs of the vaulting spring ; these concen
trate in a strong spine, or longitudinal rib, and are orna
mented at their intersections by sculptured bosses variously
diversified. The upper, or clerestory, windows of the nave
range immediately over the double arches, as represented
in the section.
The north and south aisles extend from the western
towers to the transept, but the communications are inter
rupted by iron gates, which have been set up on a line with
the entrance to the choir. The walls of each aisle, below
the windows, are divided into corresponding compartments,
each consisting of three trefoil-headed arches, separated by
slender shafts, rising from a basement seat ; but the whole
is much broken, by the numerous monuments which have
been erected here. In the trefoil arches of the more
ancient parts, a greater elegance prevails than in those of
later date, and there is a remarkable diversity in the vault
ing of each aisle ; the arches of those of Henry the Third
and Edward the First's time, springing immediately from
the capitals of the shafts, whilst all the others, of subse
quent construction, take their spring at some distance above
the capitals. In the south aisle are three doorways, two
of which open to the cloisters, and the third communicates
with the deanery ; over the latter is an ancient oaken gal
lery, decorated with a panelling of trefoil arches, quatrefoils,
&c. In the more eastern part of each aisle is a range of

232 EDIFICES OF LONDON.
seven ancient stone shields, sculptured with the arms of the
principal benefactors to this edifice, and apparently attached
to the walls, by bands or labels fastened to human heads,
except that of Edward the Confessor, which seems pendant
from the heads of martlets.*
The choir, which is represented in Plate 5, forms a very
interesting portion of this church ; and the eye, on entering
the avenue from the nave, under the organ gallery, is parti
cularly struck by the grandeur of the perspective which
results from the loftiness of the piers and arches, the en
riched elegance of the vaulting, and the " dim religious
light" that gleams through the coloured quarries of its
eastern windows. An enclosure of modern wainscoting,
designed and first constructed about the year 1775, by the
late Mr. H. Keene, surveyor of the works, separates it from
the side aisles and transept; on the east it is bounded by
the screen of St. Edward's Chapel, which crosses the area
* The colours on the above shields are still partly visible : the charges
are as follows : — In the south aisle, 1st, Sable, a Cross Patence between five
martlets, Or ; St. Edward the Confessor. 2nd, Gules, three Lions Passant
Guardant, Or; Henry the Third. 3rd, Or, four Pallets, Gules ; Raymond,
Earl of Provence. 4th, Gules, seven Mascles conjoined, three, three, one,
Or ; Roger de Quincy, Earl of Winchester. 5th, Quarterly Gules and Or,
a Bendlet Sable, and File of five Lambeaux, Argent ; Henry de Lacy, Earl
of Lincoln. 6th, a Lion Rampant, Gules, crowned Or, within a Border
Sable, Bezanty ; Richard, Earl of Cornwall. 7th, Gules, three Lioncels
Rampant, Argent ; Richard, Earl of Rothsay. In the north aisle, 1st, Or,
an Imperial Eagle, Sable ; Frederick II., Emperor of Germany. 2nd,
Semee of Fleurs de Lis, Or ; St. Louis, King of France. 3rd, Or, three
Chevrons, Gules ; Richard de Clare, Earl of Gloucester. 4th, Or, a Cross,
Gules; Roger Bigod, Earl of Norfolk. 5th, Gules, a. Lion Rampant,
double queue, Argent ;• Simon de Montfort, Earl of Leicester. 6th,
Cheeky, Or and Sable ; John, Earl of Warren and Surrey. 7th, Gules, a
Cross Patence, Vaire ; William de Fartibus, Earl of Albemarle.

WESTMINSTER ABBEY. 233
at the second column from the central tower. It is entered
from the nave by a flight of three steps, immediately above
which the stalls commence : these, which extend nearly to
the western piers of the tower, are thirty- four in number,
including those for the dean and sub-dean. They are of
oak, and are ornamented with canopies and pinnacles in
the pointed style, though not conceived in good taste: all
the pinnacles are of cast-iron. In front of the stalls are
rows of seats for the choristers and king's scholars on the
foundation ; beyond which are various pews and other seats.
The pulpit, which stands near to the north-west pier, is
supported by a clustered column, spreading into an hex
agon ; and the sounding-board, which is surmounted by a
finial and pinnacles, is sustained by a well-executed palm-
tree. The panels are ornamented with oval compartments
of twelve leaves, having a rose in the centre of each; at
the angles are small pillars, those in front terminating in
finely-carved cherubs. More eastward, after an ascent of
two steps, is an iron railing of rich scroll-work, immedi
ately within which is the very curious Mosaic or tesselated
pavement, which was brought from Italy by Abbot Ware,
in the reign of Henry the Third, and laid here in the year
1268. The design or pattern of this pavement is so exceed
ingly complicated that no verbal illustration can give an
adequate idea of its diversified arrangement ; and although
it has been greatly injured by wanton spoliation and acci
dent, and many thousands of its tessera taken away, it must
still be regarded as one of the most interesting works of the
kind which now remains. In a general way, it may be de
scribed as consisting of a border of circles and parallelo
grams, all intersecting each other in the guilloche manner,
and enclosing a large square, within which is another square,
placed diagonal-wise, containing a central and four other

234 EDIFICES OF LONDON.
circles, intersecting as before, and having four other cir
cles without, towards the cardinal points, all the borders
of which concentrate in that of the inner square.* Its
principal materials are marbles of different kinds and co
lours, and coloured glass. The altar screen, which is a
very elegant composition in the pointed style of architec
ture, has been recently restored, as nearly as could possibly
be ascertained, to its original form, with artificial stone, by
Bernasconi. It includes a fine assemblage of canopied
niches, pinnacles, arched panelling, &c, and has two door
ways (ornamented with rich foliage, deeply pierced, and
other sculpture), which open into St. Edward's Chapel.
On the south side of this part of the choir is the dilapi
dated monument of King Sebert, erected here about the
last year of Edward the First, and still displaying the very
earliest examples of oil-painting known in this country, in
three full-sized figures at the back, on oak panelling, of
Sebert, Henry the Third, and an ecclesiastic in episcopal
vestments, probably intended for Bishop Mellitus. On the
same side is the tomb of Anne of Cleves, the divorced con
sort of Henry the Eighth; and on the opposite, or north
side, are the very curious monuments of Aveline, Countess
of Lancaster ; Edmund Crouchback, Earl of Lancaster, se
cond son of Henry the Third, her husband; and Aymer
de Valence, Earl of Pembroke. Since the coronation of
George the Fourth, in July, 1821, the whole choir has been
refitted, and the wainscoting on each side, between the
great piers of the tower, carried out two feet : the monu
ments have also been repaired, and other improvements
made. ' The above piers, which are of immense magni-
* Vide Neale's " History, &c, of Westminster Abbey," in which is a
very particular account of the pavement ; vol. ii., pp. 39 — 43.

WESTMINSTER ABBEY. 235
tude, are each surrounded by sixteen shafts wrought out
of the main stones; but the columns more eastward are
encircled by four shafts only, all which are detached, ex
cept at their bases and capitals, where they are bonded
by fillets. The mouldings of the double arches exhibit a
singular variety of foliage, deeply under-cut, and other
sculptured ornaments. The great arches of the tower
are more obtusely pointed than those which spring from
the smaller columns : this arises from the piers having been
carried up to twice the height of those columns, for the
double purpose of giving lightness to the fabric, and of
establishing sufficient abutments to resist the lateral pres
sure. Besides the entrance from the nave, there are en
trances on the north and south from the transept.
The south end of the transept, an elevation and section
of which are represented in Plate 4, bears the general name
of the Poet's Corner, from the numerous monuments of
poets and men of genius who have either been interred or
commemorated here. It consists, principally, of a middle
and one aisle on the east, separated by four very high
pointed arches, having numerous deep mouldings, which
spring from the capitals of the large columns, as delineated
in section B, in which also the general forms of the win
dows, panellings, double arches, &c, are distinctly shown.
On the west side, open to the church, and immediately over
the roof of the cloisters, is a kind of gallery with a brick
flooring, in which many ancient records belonging to this
church are kept : there is, likewise, a small room, on the
northern wall of which are the remains of an ancient
painting of a white hart, couchant. Several figures, in
full relief, including angels scattering incense, ornament
the spandrells of the middle tier of windows, but are much
broken. Nearly all the walls above and between the arches,

236 EDIFICES OF LONDON.
to the height of the basements of the upper windows,
are sculptured with a kind of light chequered work, re
presenting expanded flowers within small squares; and
this mode of enrichment is general throughout all the
ancient parts of the church. The chapel, which forms
the end of this transept, and which has received its name
both from St. Blaize* and St. Catharine, was, most pro
bably, dedicated to St. Faith, a whole-length figure of the
latter saint having been delineated on the eastern wall.
This is a dark and gloomy place, but deserving inspec
tion on several accounts: it seems probable that it had,
originally, a communication with the crypt of the ancient
chapter-house, now used as a depository for exchequer and
other records. A, in Plate 4, represents the eastern exte
rior of the transept, together with the east end of Henry
the Seventh's Chapel.
In its general character, the northern division of this
transept resembles the part already described; but there
is an additional aisle, as shown in the plan, though both
the side aisles are almost separated from the central one,
by walls which have been erected to support the different
monuments. The north end of the middle aisle is, altitudi-
nally, divided into five compartments, of unequal height,
the lowermost of which includes the two great entrances
from the central porch, which open under obtusely-pointed
arches, ornamented with roses, &c. In the spandrells are
alto-relievos, representing Sampson tearing asunder the
lion's jaws, and other sculptures, all which are too greatly
mutilated to admit of accurate designation. An arcade,
of six pointed arches, with trefoil heads, resting on triple-
* The chapel of St. Blaize stood in this transept, near the spot where
the Duke of Argyle's monument has been erected : it was taken dbwn
about sixty years ago, by the elder Gayfere, master mason to this church.

WESTMINSTER ABBEY. 237
clustered columns, forms the next compartment, through
which is carried the ancient narrow gallery, or passage of
communication, round the church. The third compartment
consists of a range of six lancet-shaped windows, having
slender shafts at the sides and in front; and under the
soffits of each arch are four circles of foliage, including
busts of angels, most of whom are playing on musical
instruments : these medallions (twenty -four in number)
were unquestionably intended to represent the heavenly
choir praising the Almighty. The sculpture is extremely
curious, from displaying such a variety of forms of ancient
musical instruments. In niches, at the outer side of the
end windows, are full-length statues of two sovereigns, pro
bably intended for St. Edward the Confessor and Henry
the Third. The fourth compartment includes three finely-
proportioned double arches, separated by clustered shafts,
and having quatrefoils in circles below the apex. The
fifth, and uppermost compartment, includes the rose win
dow, described before (page 222), which is filled by painted
glass, representing the Holy Scriptures in the centre, sur
rounded by a band of cherubim, &c; and in the larger
divisions of the greater circle are full-length figures of
the Evangelists and Apostles, in recumbent positions. The
east aisle of this transept was formerly separated (by screens)
into the three chapels of St. John the Evangelist, St. Mi
chael, and St. Andrew : the latter occupied the north end,
which has a panelling of trefoil-headed arches ; the span
drells are sculptured with two alto-relievos, now much
damaged. Immediately behind the choir is the chapel of St. Ed
ward the Confessor, the eastern part of which includes the
monumental chapel of King Henry the Fifth. Its common
entrance is by a flight of steps from the north aisle ; but

238 EDIFICES OF LONDON.
there are two others through the enriched doorways of the
altar screen ; these are used at coronations, at which times
this chapel is fitted up as a withdrawing room for the
sovereign. Near the middle is the Mosaic shrine of St. Ed
ward, whose thrice-translated remains now repose within
an iron-bound chest in the upper part ; and along the frieze
of the altar screen is a very curious display of sculpture in
alto-relievo, representing the principal events, both real
and legendary, of the life of that monarch. Adjacent to
the shrine are the coronation chairs of the English sove
reigns, the most ancient of which was constructed in
Edward the First's time, and has enclosed beneath its
seat the Prophetic Stone (reputed by the monks to have
been Jacob's pillow), which was brought from Scone, as
before stated. Surrounding this chapel are the monu
ments of Henry III., Edward I., and his consort, Queen
Eleanor ; Henry V., Edward III., and Queen Philippa ;
and Richard II., and Anne of Bohemia, his first queen. The
tomb of Henry V. is within an arched recess, over which is
a spacious chantry, now merely used as a repository for
models of buildings and monuments ; this is entered by two
staircases, within octagonal towers, ornamented with cano
pied niches, statues, and pierced tracery : and at the head
of the chapel, above the altar part, is an extremely rich
composition of screen-work, in the decorated pointed style,
including several large statues of saints and kings, and
numerous small ones, within elaborately-wrought niches.
On the outer sides of this chapel also (crossing the ambu
latory) are other ranges of statuary and sculpture, includ
ing alto-relievos of the respective coronations of Henry V.,
in England and in France. The casque, or helmet, worn by
that monarch at the battle of Agincourt, is fixed on a
wooden bar between the entrance towers ; and his shield

WESTMINSTER ABBEY. 239
and war-saddle, now almost reduced to the bare wood, are
fastened 'against the great columns at the sides. The pave
ment of St. Edward's Chapel is wrought with tessera in
stars, circles, triangles, and other figures, let into large
slabs of bluish coloured marble. In the three upper win
dows, at the east end, are some very interesting specimens
of ancient stained glass, principally of the kind called pot-
metal, from the colours being incorporated with the glass,
whilst the whole is in a state of fusion, by which means the
stain pervades the entire mass. Each window is divided
by a mullion into two principal lights ; and in each of the
latter is a whole-length human figure, nearly seven feet
high, standing in a niche under a high canopy. These
figures represent our Saviour and the Virgin Mary; St.
Edward the Confessor, and his chosen patron, St. John the
Evangelist ; and St. Augustine, and Bishop Mellitus. Much
of the colouring is particularly rich and brilliant ; and there
is a great spirit and elegance both in the design and execu
tion ; but, during the long course of years during which
they have been exposed to the ravages of time and accident,
they have not escaped without considerable injury. Every
figure is composed of a multitude of small irregular pieces,
cut to particular forms, and fixed in lead. The faces alone
have been each painted on a single piece, forming the
largest in the whole figure; but most of them are now
starred or cracked. That of St. Edward is fifteen inches in
length, including the beard.
Of the chapels without the choir, nothing particular
need be said, except of that altered by Abbot Islip into its
present form, in the reign of Henry VII. This is a very
pleasing specimen of the enriched pointed style ; and the
screen, which separates it from the north aisle of the choir,
is very elegant. Nearly adjoining to it, over the entrance

240 EDIFICES OF LONDON.
to the small chapel of St. Erasmus, is a beautifully-deco
rated niche (of alabaster), which was also the work of the
same abbot; but the fine tracery at the back has been
shamefully mutilated to make room for a commemorative
tablet for some Bishop of Londonderry. At the base is a
panelling of quatrefoils, in squares, and other ornaments ;
and the whole is surmounted by a triple-headed canopy,
enriched with pierced work, and of very elaborate design.
The sides of the niches are flanked by double buttresses,
without which, on each side, is a large § with an 5, going
through the centre ; an eye, with a hand holding a slip or
branch, and the word islyph.
Chapel of Henry VII.
The Chapel of Henry the Seventh is constructed in the
most florid style of pointed architecture ; and every part,
both externally and internally, is covered with sculptural
decoration, either in panelling or other forms. According
to Holinshed, the charges for erecting it are said to have
amounted to £14,000 ; which, compared with the present
value of money, would be fully equal to the sum of £200,000.
Even the late general repairs and restorations of parts of
this structure (chiefly of the exterior), which were com
menced in 1809, under the superintendence of the late
James Wyatt, Esq., and completed by Mr. Thomas Gayfere,
the abbey mason, in 1822, cost upwards of the sum of
£42,000, which was defrayed at the national expense, by
successive grants from Parliament.
This edifice consists of an entrance porch or vestibule, a
nave, two side aisles, and five small chapels, surrounding
the east end, which may be inscribed within a semicircle, as
shown in the ground plans in Plates 1 and 6. The vault
ing and roof are supported by fourteen octagonal buttress-

'EDIFICES of LONDON- CHAPELS.

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WESTMINSTER ABBEY. 241
towers, viz., six on each side and two eastward ; between
which are thirteen lofty windows ; those of the aisles being
embowed, and those of the chapels projecting in three an
gles, the central one forming an acute point. The arched
or flying buttresses, which, extending over the aisles, sus
tain the superstructure of the nave, are elegantly pierced
(as represented in the transverse section, Plate 6), into cir
cles, quatrefoils, and other forms; and, on all the upper
weather mouldings, Henry's supporters, the lion, the dra
gon, and the greyhound, are sculptured in full relief, as
creeping downwards. Similar sculptures adorn the boldly-
projecting cornice below the parapet, intermixed with the
portcullis, the rose, and the fleur-de-lis ; and those badges
are repeated, in alternate succession, in the lower range of
panelled quatrefoils, surrounding the plinth. All the but
tress-towers rise to a considerable height above the parapet,
and are each crowned by an octagonal cupola of a graceful
form ; along the angles of which run crockets of foliage,
terminating in a richly-clustered finial. The upper part of
every buttress, below the cupola, is elegantly wrought into
a series of either three or four canopied niches, in which
statues formerly stood, as may be inferred by the representa
tions in old prints, as well as from other circumstances : on
each pedestal is an inscribed label, in black letter, contain
ing the name of some prophet, apostle, or saint. The soffits
are enriched with elegant tracery- work ; and a profusion of
minute sculpturing, involving roses, and other expanded
flowers, branches of foliage, leaves, animals, monsters,
human heads, &c, is spread over many parts of the fabric.
The interior is approached by a flight of twelve steps,
ascending through the porch, or vestibule, beneath a cen
tral and two smaller lateral arches, of equal height, from
the ambulatory which goes round St. Edward's Chapel.
vol. i, B

242 edifices of london.
An elegant arch, or rather vault, of stone, about 1 7 feet in
the span, forms an embowed roof to the porch (which
measures 28 feet 4 inches, from north to south), the entire
soffit and side walls of which are beautifully wrought into
panelling tracery, including numerous ornaments of roses,
fleurs-des-lis, &c. ; embattled transoms ; Henry's supporters,
badges, and arms; circles, quatrefoils, and other figures.
The steps ascend to a platform, from which, at the sides,
are small entrances to the aisles, and, in front, three pointed
arched doorways, opening into the nave ; the latter are fur
nished with ponderous double gates, framed of massive oak,
covered with thick plates of brass, richly gilt, and perfo
rated into numerous oblong compartments, including divers
royal badges, and other ornaments, which are raised in
similar relief, on both sides. The general forms of these
gates, with the intervening buttresses, and the enrichments
over them, are shown in the tranverse section, Plate 6
(taken on the lines marked A and B, in the ground plan),
together with the western extremities of the aisles, the great
west window, the vaulting, the roof, and the surmounting
cupolas ; and at the bottom is a section of the royal vault
under the nave, which was constructed after the decease of
Queen Caroline, in 1737.
On entering the nave (to which there is an ascent of
two steps from the platform, and a third just within the
gates), the spectator is immediately interested by the eleva
tion and grandeur of the vaulting, the airy elegance of the
architecture, and the exuberancy of the sculptural decora
tions ; illumined, as it were, by the flood of light which pours
through the finely-proportioned and expansive windows.
The nave is separated from the aisles by four arches on
each side, obtusely pointed, which spring from slender pil
lars formed at the angles of the intervening piers. Similar

WESTMINSTER ABBEY. 243
arches, but varying in dimensions, rise from the more mas
sive piers at the east end, and separate it from the five small
chapels which surround that extremity of the building. A
broad and vast arch also crosses the eastern part of the
nave, and greatly contributes to its security and beauty, the
whole of the soffit, as well as the entire face of the great
piers which support the arch, being elaborately wrought
into panelled tracery, and other sculptural decorations, in
termixed with statuary, and the royal arms and supporters.
Immediately over the arches described, and going en
tirely round the edifice, is a range of demi-angels, crowned,
in full relief, but in various costume ; some being covered
with feathers, and others clad in drapery. Between every
two of them is a rose, a portcullis, or a fleur-de-lis, crowned,
which they support with uplifted hands. Above these
figures is another continued range of sculpture, which ex
tends to the sill of the clerestory windows, and consists of a
series of niches elegantly designed, filled with statuary, ex
cept in a few instances, where the figures have been taken
away. The niches are separated from each other by con
joined triplicated buttresses, having pinnacles which rise to
the canopies ; the latter, as well as the pedestals, are orna
mented with sculptured work. The statues, whicli are
each about three feet high, and upwards of seventy in
number, represent the principal saints, martyrs, and confes
sors, of the Romish church; many of them are wrought
with considerable skill and gracefulness, and they display
both correctness of form and strong characteristical expres
sion, a leading circumstance in the life or legend of each
being made a distinguished feature in almost every fio-ur'e ¦
thus, St. Anthony is characterised by his pig, St. Hubert by
his stag, and St. Dunstan by his triumph over the " foul
fiend," who lies prostrate at his feet, vainly striving, with
r 2-

244 EDIFICES OF LONDON.
his claws, to unloose the forceps, with whicli the saint has
firmly grasped him by the nose.* The clerestory windows
are well-proportioned ; the sills and transoms are embattled,
and the tracery, though not complex, is very handsome.
In the small chapels, towards the east, both the architec
ture and ornaments are in unison with the general character
of the pile, the panelling being disposed into pointed arches,
circles, quatrefoils, and other forms, charged with the royal
badges, &c, and the vaulting into a rich display of fan-like
tracery, the extreme lines of which extend to the large
circle that bounds the central compartment, and has within
it eight smaller circles surrounding quatrefoils, and a dia
gonal square charged (in the different chapels) either with
a rose, a portcullis, or a fleur-de lis, in high relief. The
windows project in three different angles, and are each
separated into forty-eight divisions, by mullions and em
battled transoms. The walls of the three easternmost
chapels are, on both sides, decorated with a range of three
saintly statues, as large as life, standing within niches, most
elaborately and richly canopied, and crowned either by a
lion, a dragon, or a greyhound; in each of the other chapels
there is only one range of statues, the western walls being
sculptured into panelled divisions. From the section of the
north side, Plate 7, a very accurate idea may be formed of
the superb character of this interior, and of the general
style of the sculptural decorations ; but, in addition to the
latter, the two westernmost chapels were originally fronted
by rich screen-work, as shown in the section; all above the
* The costume, action, and emblems, of all the statues, are particu
larly detailed in Neale's Westminster Abbey, Vol. I., and the proper
name given to each, as far as could be ascertained. The curious carvings
beneath the seats of the stalls, Sec, are also particularized and described
in the same volume.

WESTMINSTER ABBEY. 245
doorways and basements has, however, long been destroyed.
It is presumed that the vacant niche in the middle chapel
was formerly occupied by a statue, either of Henry VII. or
Henry VIII. ; the initials ®. U., involved by a knot, be
tween a pomegranate and a rose, having been sculptured
on the base of the pedestal.
But the most superb feature of this edifice is the main
vaulting, which has been truly characterized as a prodigy
of art, profound geometrical knowledge being here com
bined with the utmost practical science, and the power of
gravity effectually counteracted by professional skill. It
consists of two principal divisions, viz. that of the nave,
and that of the east end, the great arch, already mentioned,
forming a line of separation between them ; — but to de
scribe it intelligibly, without graphic illustrations, is per
haps impossible, its tracery, pendant decorations, and other
ornaments, leaving it without a parallel in architecture. It
is entirely of stone, and of great solidity, though appearing
to hang in air with graceful lightness, and overspread with
sculpture like a web of exuberantly and elegantly wrought
net-work. In the nave, the main ribs spring from the ca
pitals of triplicated columns, worked on the face of the side
piers, and they unite in the middle of the vaulting, thus
forming a line of pointed arches. Every rib appears to go
through the centre of a vast circular pendant, which, ex
panding from an octagonal point (about twelve feet below
the general surface), extends the rich embroidery of its ra
mifications, in fan -like progression, till the extreme circles
of each pendant meet in the central line of the vault, all
the intermediate spaces being filled by ornamental panel
ling. The stones composing the pendants have the effect
of key-stones ; and as the ribs which intersect them, and,
indeed, form a part of the general mass, abut against the

246 EDIFICES OF LONDON.
arched buttresses, or cross-springers, which stretch over the
aisles from the exterior towers, the whole vaulting is, by
that means, made " steadfast and immoveable." Ranges of
perforated masonry, intersected by crossbands, or stays, &c,
occupy the spaces between the haunches of the ribs and the
side piers, to prevent any spreading of the former. Nume
rous cinquefoil-headed radiations, the outer point of each
terminating in foliage, ornament the under part of the ribs
and great arch. At the angles of the piers, between the
ribs and the clerestory windows, are half pendants; and
from the apex point of the arch above each window, a
secondary division of the vaulting takes its rise, which
spreads over all the interstices between the outer circles
of the great pendants, its projecting lines meeting at the
apex, and being there conjoined into smaller pendants
(each about four feet in diameter at the top), which key
the whole together. The display of sculpture in the eastern
part of the vault is still more elaborately complex than in
that of the nave. Here the groins, which extend from the
side piers, do not cross the vault, but are terminated in six
large pendants, similar to those above described, which go
round the interior, and are conjoined with each other at the
upper extremities. In the middle space between these pen
dants, and immediately over the splendid tomb of the royal
founder and his queen, is a smaller pendant, surrounded
by eight diagonal squares, charged with Henry's badges, in
full relief.
On each side of the nave, upon a raised flooring, is a row
of oaken stalls surmounted by clustered canopies, wrought
into open work in the pointed style, of most elaborate design
and execution ; in front, are reading-desks ; and before the
latter, on the pavement, are rows of seats. The under-seats
(which turn back on hinges) display a very curious assem-

WESTMINSTER ABBEY. 247
blage of historical, grotesque, and other carvings, the ge
neral character of which is whimsical and humorous, though
in a few instances approaching to the verge' of grossness.
These stalls, &c, have been appropriated to the occasional
use of the Knights of the Bath and their esquires, and all
installations of the knights have taken place in this chapel,
since the revival of the Order of the Bath by George I.
On the canopies are placed the shields, helmets, crests, and
swords of the knights ; and over them are large silken ban
ners, painted with the arms and names of all those who be
longed to the order at the period of the last installation, on
June the 1st, 1812.
The aisles are both arranged and decorated on a uni
form plan ; except that, at the west end of the north aisle,
there is a small enclosure called the Oratory (probably used
by the officiating priests as a sacristy or revestry), and in
the south aisle a doorway leading to the roof and to the ex
terior: there are also some variations in the minor orna
ments. Each aisle is separated into four divisions, by the
great piers, which take the general form of a semi-octagon ;
and every division includes an embowed window, with
smaller lateral projections, of a similar form. Over each
window is a flat ornamental compartment, having in the
centre a clustered arrangement of Henry's badges. The
walls are entirely covered with panelled tracery, in nume
rous compartments ; and at the eastern termination of each
aisle, independently of the panelling, is a range of sculp
tured niches and saintly statuary, similar to what is in the
eastern chapels. The vaulting of the aisles, though not so
exuberantly rich as that of the nave, is very elegant : it is
separated into four compartments, by the panelled arches
which spring from the inner faces of the piers. At each
angle is a slender shaft, from the octagonal capitals of

248 EDIFICES OF LONDON.
which a fan-like progression of tracery spreads over the
groins of the vault, and unite their outer lines in a central
compartment, occupied by rich pendants : the side divisions
are ornamented with orbicular and circular divisions ; the
latter being studded with the founder's badges in high re
lief. At the west end of each aisle is a low pointed-arched
window, enriched with embattled transoms and tracery, as
shown in the section in Plate 6.* The royal monuments of
Henry the Seventh, Queen Elizabeth, and Mary Queen of
Scots, in this chapel, are particularly deserving of inspec
tion; as are those, also, of Margaret, Countess of Rich
mond, mother of Henry VII.; and Margaret Douglas,
grandmother of James the First, and mother of Lord
Damley. That of Henry the Seventh, with its brazen
enclosure (originally intended for a chantry chapel), is one
of the most interesting specimens of art in this kingdom.
The recumbent figures of Henry and his queen, and the
circular compartments in bold relief at the sides of the
tomb, display the talents of Torregiano, who designed
them, in a most masterly point of view. The marble
sculpturing is likewise executed in a free and graceful
style.
E. W. BRAYLEY.
* The elevations and sections which illustrate the above description
have been copied, under the friendly permission of Mr. J. P. Neale, from
those executed by that gentleman for the " History," &c. of this church,
already mentioned; but the perspective view of the choir is original.

EDIFICES of LONDON— HALLS.

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WESTMINSTER HALL.

[This and the two following subjects (both of which are — or were incorpo
rated in the same general mass of buildings as the hall itself) are intro
duced in this place immediately after Westminster Abbey, as closely
connected with that pile by their locality, although they certainly do
not belong to the same class, but must be considered as forming a small
section by themselves, which could not very well be brought into any of
the other divisions of the work — at least not at all more conveniently or
suitably than they are now placed.]

As a large and singular edifice — as a specimen of sci
entific construction — as a spacious apartment illustrative
of the customs and fashions of the age when it was de
signed — and, lastly, in its historical relations and asso
ciations — the palatial Hall of Westminster is unrivalled
in this country, and perhaps in Europe.*
The annexed prints will serve to show its general style
and character. Externally it possesses but little of archi
tectural adornment or beauty of design. The two sides are
now — and probably always have been — nearly obscured by
contiguous buildings, and the south end is also entirely shut
out from view by parts of the House of Commons. The
north, or principal front, displays a recessed porch, on each
* The great hall of the Palazzo di Ragione at Padua, which is also
without columns, is however considerably more spacious, its dimensions'
being stated at 240 feet by 80.— En.

250 EDIFICES OF LONDON.
side of which is a series of canopied niches, intended for
statues : above, in the centre, is a large window, with se
veral perpendicular mullions, and much tracery; on the
sides are embattled towers, with two tiers of windows, the
lower of which are placed between niches similar to those
beneath. The gable over the centre window has foliated
crockets at the sides, and is terminated by a turret with ca
nopied niches, and a pinnacle. This, as well as the whole
of the front, is modern, but said to be built in strict con
formity to ancient examples. The groined porch is sur
mounted by a quatrefoil parapet, continued laterally to the
towers on each side. In the eastern spandrell of the door
way is a stone shield, charged with the armorial device of
the founder, Richard II. This is supported by three angels,
with a chained hart, couchant, under a tree. In the western
spandrell is placed another shield, with the arms of Edward
the Confessor. Devices of the same armorial insignia are
finely sculptured at the extreme ends of the label, or wea
ther moulding, to the great central window. The exterior
roof was formerly covered with lead, for which tiles have
been substituted. A lantern turret is placed on the ridge
towards the south end, and the southern gable terminates
in a turret. The great height and extensive dimensions of
this roof contribute much to the grandeur of the building.
But the interior of this structure chiefly demands admi
ration for the display of architectural skill and richness of
carving. An uninterrupted open space, nearly equal to the
size of a large cathedral church, is presented in one view ;
and the roof gratifies the scientific spectator, by the elabo
rate and artist-like arrangement of its timbers ; serving at
once the purposes of utility and decoration, and uniting the
seemingly opposite qualities of massive solidity and airy
lightness. The following judicious description of this roof,

WESTMINSTER HALL. 251
by Mr. E. J. Willson, of Lincoln, is so apposite and accu
rate, that Ave cannot do better than transfer it to the present
place. " The angle of the roof is formed on what country
workmen still term common pitch, the length of the rafters
being about three-fourths of the entire span. The cutting
off the girders, or the beams, which, crossing from wall to
wall in common roofs, restrain all lateral expansion, was
the first circumstance peculiar to this construction. To
provide against lateral pressure, we find trusses, or prin
cipals, as they are technically designated, raised at the dis
tances of about eighteen feet throughout the whole length
of the building. These trusses abut against the solid parts
of the walls, between the windows, which are strengthened
in those parts by arch-buttresses on the outside. Every
truss comprehends one large arch, springing from corbels
of stone, which project from the walls at twenty-one feet
below the base line of the roof, and at nearly the same
height from the floor. The ribs forming this arch are
framed at its crown into a beam, which connects the rafters
in the middle of their length, A smaller arch is turned
within this large one, springing from the base line of the
roof, and supported by two brackets, or half arches, issuing
from the springers of the main arch. By this construction
of the trusses, each one acts like an arch ; and by placing
their springers so far below the top of the walls, a more
firm abutment is obtained; subordinate timbers co-operate
to transfer the weight and pressure of intermediate parts
upon the principals ; and thus the whole structure reposes
in perfect security, after more than four centuries from its
first erection.*
* "Specimens of Gothic Architecture," by A. Pugin, vol. i., p. 21.
Mr. Willson, in this work, suggests that the roof was " probably supported
by two ranges of pillars, no roof of that period being capable of covering

252 EDIFICES OF LONDON.
Westminster Hall stands on a part of the site, and may
be considered as a relic, of an ancient royal palace. The
origin of such a structure may be traced back at least as far
as the age of Edward the Confessor ; for Ingulph of Croy-
land, and other historians, inform us, that Edward often
held his court at Westminster ; where he appears to have
passed much of his time, to be in the vicinity of his favourite
monastic establishment, the church of which he rebuilt;
and where he ended his life. His Norman successors con
tinued to inhabit the same spot. Stow says, " it is not to
be doubted, but that King William the First, as he was
crowned there, so he builded much at this palace, for he
found it farre inferiour to the building of princely palaces
in France."* William Rufus, however, is usually regarded
as the founder of Westminster Hall, because he is the
earliest of our monarchs whose erection of it is distinctly
recorded by historical writers. He is supposed to have
so great a breadth in one span. The hall of the episcopal palace, at Lin
coln, was so divided between two rows of stone arches, with columns of
Purbeck marble. It was erected in the reign of Richard I. The hall of
the ancient royal palace at Eltham, in Kent, resembles this at Westminster,
but is much smaller. The next age reduced the pitch of their roofs to a
much lower angle. The roof of the refectory built by Cardinal Wolsey at
Oxford, is the finest specimen of the low pitched roof. That of the hall
built by King Henry VIII., at Hampton Court, rises with a steep pitch,
but is cut orT obtusely ; such a form was contrived to gain internal capa
city, without extravagant height. The decorations of that roof are more
florid than those of any other in the kingdom. The hall of the Middle
Temple, raised in the time of Queen Elizabeth, has a lofty roof, in the an
cient style, but finished with Roman mouldings. At Lambeth Palace is
a hall, with a roof in imitation of that of Westminster, built in the reign
of Charles II. ; and it is a fine piece of work, though spoiled, like that of
the Temple, by incongruous ornaments." — " Specimens,'' vol. i., p. 20.
* " Survey of London," edit. 1618, p. 884.

WESTMINSTER HALL. 253
built it about 1097,* as Matthew Paris informs us that at
Christmas, 1099, William Rufus having returned from Nor
mandy, held his first court in the new hall at Westminster ;
and entering to inspect it with a multitude of military atten
dants, when some one remarked that the hall was too large,
the king replied, that it Avas not large enough by half, and
that it was only intended for a bed-chamber to the palace
Avhich he designed to erect. From this circumstance, it is
inferred by Mr. Hawkins that William Rufus built this
hall to free himself from the inconvenience of having the
courts of law held in his palace, as had previously been
customary ; that he intended to re-edify the whole palace
by degrees ; and that this apartment was not only appro
priated for courts of law, but also for holding of parlia
ments, and for coronation feasts, and other entertainments.
" In short, it is to be considered as the great hall of the
old palace, rebuilt on a larger scale, and not on the same
spot, perhaps, and as a part only of what he intended, rather
than as a complete building, as it noAv is."f StoAv refers to
MattheAv Paris for the assertion that " a diligent searcher
might find out the foundation of the hall Avhich he had
purposed to have builded, stretching from the river Thames
to the common highway."
William Rufus's plan of rebuilding the Avhole palace, is
supposed by some authors to have been adopted, and partly
executed by King Stephen, who is mentioned as the foun
der of the Chapel of St. Stephen, now the House of Com
mons.;]; The palace of Westminster, about 1163, Avas in such a
* " Survey of London," edit. 1618, p. 884.
t " Antiquities of Westminster," by J. S. Hawkins, Esq., and T.
Smith, p. 81.
X Smith's " Westminster," p. 52.

254 EDIFICES OF LONDON.
state, says Stow, that it " was ready to have fallen down ;"
and it was that year repaired, with exceeding great celerity
and speed, by Thomas a Becket, Chancellor of England.
Some repairs were also executed here in the reign of King
John, and works were carried on at Westminster under
Henry III. ;* but it does not appear that they extended to
the hall, which probably underwent no material alteration
till the time of Richard II. Repeated notices occur of
royal feasts and splendid entertainments given in this grand
apartment during the intervening period. On new-year's
day, 1236, six thousand poor people were feasted in the hall
and the adjoining apartments of the palace, by command of
Henry III., whose banquets here on other occasions are
recorded by StoAv.f
The palace of Westminster was destroyed, or very much
injured by fire, in 1 299. It began in the lesser hall, to the
south of the present building ; but the great hall, it is pre
sumed, remained uninjured. J About a century afterAvards,
Richard II. rebuilt, or so far repaired this structure, in the
style of the fourteenth century, as to constitute it a new
edifice. " This great hall," says StOAv, " was begunne to
be repayred in the yeere 1397, by Richard the Second, who
caused the walls, windoAves, and roofe, to be taken downe,
and new made, Avith a stately porch, and divers lodgings of
a marvailous Avorke, and with great costs. This hall being
* Smith's " Westminster," p. 52.
t Stow's " Survey," p. 885. ¦¦ Of all the royal entertainments," says
Maitland, " that ever were given in this hall, or perhaps in any other, that
(if a certain monk may be credited) given by the same king, at the nup
tials of his brother, Richard, Earl of Cornwall, anno 1243, was the most
sumptuous ; for, according to my author, the number of dishes at that feast
amounted to about thirty thousand."
$ Smith's " Westminster," p. 53.

AVESTMINSTER HALL. 255
finished in the yeere 1399, the same king kept a most
royall Christmas there, with dayly justings, and runnings
at tilt." In the course of these repairs, or rather re-erections, the
side walls were raised two feet higher than before, and the
present timber roof Avas constructed. " The whole was to
be done according to a model made by the advice of Master
Henry Zeneley. This Henry Zeneley is most probably
Henry Yevele, a citizen and mason of London, who, with
Stephen Lote, another citizen and mason of London, was
employed in the same year in the mason's work for the tomb
of Ann, Richard the Second's queen."*
One of the chief purposes for which this hall was an
ciently designed and appropriated, was the holding of par
liaments. " It appeareth," says Stow, " that many parlia
ments have been kept there ; for I find noted, that in the
yeere 1397, the great hall at Westminster being out of re
parations ; and therefore, as it were, new builded by Richard
the Second (as afore showed), the same Richard in the
meane time having occasion to hold a parliament, caused
(for that purpose) a large house to be builded in the middest
of the Palace Court, betwixt the clocke tower and the gate
of the old great hall.
" The old great hall being new builded, parliaments
were againe there kept as before ; namely, one in the yeere
1399, for the deposing of Richard the Second. A great
part of this palace at Westminster was once againe burnt
in the yeere 1512, the fourth of Henry the Eighth ; since the
which time it has not been re-edified."
On the western side of this hall, and communicating
with it by seven large doorways, is a series of courts, with
* Smith's " Westminster," p. 53.

256 EDIFICES OF LONDON.
numerous convenient apartments, appropriated to the chief
law officers of the country. They belong to the courts of
common law and of Chancery, and are respectively occupied
for trials before the Lord Chancellor, Vice- Chancellor, the
Judges, and the Barons of the Exchequer. The whole of
these works were some feAv years ago planned afresh, and
rebuilt by Sir John Soane.
The three accompanying plates Avill exemplify the ge
neral style of the architecture, with the form and construc
tion of Westminster Hall. By the ground plan it may be
seen, that there are six buttresses remaining on the western
side, attached to every alternate pier ; and these buttresses,
or abutment piers, are now built up in, and incorporated
Avith, the new Avails in the modern courts. This is com
mendable in the architect of those courts, as Avell calculated
to preserve them from future dilapidations. When the old
courts were removed, the buttresses, as well as the flank
Avail of the hall, were found to have been shamefully and
wantonly cut into and mutilated ; by which the stability of
the hall was endangered. On the opposite side there ap
pears to be only three of the buttresses left standing, and
we cannot but wonder that the building remains secure.
Besides tAVO large Avindows at the extreme ends of the hall,
there are twelve others on each side, at the height of tAventy-
five feet from the floor. These windoAVS are small, and
afford very insufficient light for such a large apartment;
Avhence another series of dormer windoAvs were inserted on
each side of the roof at the time of the late coronation.
The present floor is supposed to be at least four feet above
that of the original level. The facing, or ashlering, of the
interior wall, is a work of modern times, and not in harmony
with the old parts. It is hoped that all future additions
and restorations may be executed with scrupulous attention

WESTMINSTER HALL. 257
to ancient examples. The foundation of the walls is said
to be eighteen feet beneath the present flooring.
The transverse section shows the timber work and
construction of the roof, its high pitch, and an elevation of
the modern lantern at No. 1, the tracery of which is of
cast-iron. The form, proportion, and construction, of one
of the buttresses, with the measurements, are shown ; and
at the south end of the hall, above the string-course, are
six canopied niches, with statues, as they were supposed
to have been when perfect- These, as well as the cen
tral doorway, are inserted from conjecture; for this end
of the hall has been so much injured, that very little of
its original architectural members can be described.* The
lateral doorways appear to be in their original places, but
the situation and appropriation of that in the centre are
doubtful. In the plan, the east side, at No. 3, shows the side
Avail, with the series of windows perforating it; whilst
No. 2, shows that to the west, with the buttresses. The
two towers, with the porch at the north end, are probably
parts of King Richard's additions. See plan and elevation
of them, Plate 2. The various measurements are engraved
on the plates.
The third plate represents an interior view of the
HalLf J. BRITTON.
* Mr. Cottingham has published three large and elaborate prints of
elevation, section, and details of the hall ; and took very laudable pains to
ascertain the foundations, the style of the doorways, and various other
architectural facts.
f This structure was in eminent danger of falling a prey to the flames
during the conflagration of the night of October 16th, 1834, which com
pletely destroyed the two houses of Parliament, extended itself to the
VOL. I. S

258 EDIFICES OF LONDON.
Painted Chamber and adjacent Royal Gallery, and at one time threatened
to spread northwards, and sweep away the Hall, together with the Law
Courts, on its west side ; owing, however, to extraordinary exertions made
to save this ancient edifice, it escaped with comparatively little damage
and injury to the windows at the south end. It has since been put in
thorough repair, under the direction of Sir Robert Smirke, the internal
walls having been refaced with ashlaring of Huddlestone stone, the corbels
and other sculptures renovated, and the great south window, together
with all the lower ones on the east and the west sides fully repaired.
Besides which the floor has been entirely repaved, after being lowered
about a foot.
During these repairs several carved stone fragments were met with,
that had been used for ashlaring, and enough of the early Norman work
was discovered, to show very distinctly the precise style and design of the
interior as originally constructed. A paper on the subject by Mr. Sydney
Smirke, accompanied by a section showing a restoration of the east side,
has been published in the " Archseologia," Vol xxvii., Part I.
A comparison of some of the principal apartments of the kind will be
facilitated by exhibiting their dimensions in a tabular form : —
Length.
Palazzo di Ragione, Padova  240
Westminster Hall  238
Guildhall, London  153
Christchurch, Oxford  115
Hampton Court  108
Middle Temple  100
Trinity College, Cambridge  100

Width
... 80

Hcig

... 68

 85

... 48

 55

... 40

 50

... 40

 45

... 64

... 40

 50

EDITOR.

i I

* -I
M i3

THE LAW COURTS AT WESTMINSTER.

When we know the mortifying situation in which an
architect is placed who undertakes a public building, like
that now under notice, we do not envy him either the profits
or fame that may accrue from his designs. He has not
only to please his direct official employers, but judges,
counsel, barristers, attorneys, juries, clients, reporters, and
the many-minded public. Critics, within doors and with
out doors — in the House of Commons and House of Lords
— start forth from every post and pillar, fully prepared to
find fault, and animadvert on real or imaginary defect.
The difficulties of situation and application, Avhich the ar
tist had to contend with, are either unknown or disregarded,
and the conflicting opinions and tastes he has been doomed
to hear, consult, and endeavour to please, are beneath an
amateur critic's notice.
How far the architect of the Law Courts of Westminster
is deserving of blame or worthy of commendation, in de
signing and executing this original series of apartments,
Avill be easily determined from the plan, views, and descrip
tion, now offered to the reader.
The annexed ground plan will convey a better idea of
the arrangement, proportions, extent, relative situations and
sizes, of the different courts and their appendages, than can
be imparted by words, or even by a cursory inspection of
s 2

260 EDIFICES OF LONDON.
the place.* This plan shows that the architect was not
only limited to a small plot of ground, but was encumbered
with irregular and discordant masses of old buildings, to
which he had to unite and amalgamate his new works.
* References to the annexed Ground Plan.
A Court of King's Bench. m Vice-Chancellor's Robing-room.
B Bail Court. n Usher's Room.
C Court of Equity. o, p, q, The Grand Inquest Jury.
D Court of Exchequer. r Lord Chancellor's Attendants.
E Court of Common Pleas. s Lord Chancellor's Robing-room.
F Vice-Chancellor's Court. t Barristers' Robing-room.
G The High Court of Chancery. u Sealer's Room.
v Library for Masters in Chancery.
a The Judges' Retiring-room, K.B. w Barristers' Retiring-room.
b Judges' Clerks' Room. x Secretary's Room.
c Barons' Clerks' Room.
d Barons' Retiring-room. 1 Passage from Hall to K.B.
e The King's Remembrancer's 2 Staircase to Robing-rooms.
Office. 3 Vestibule to K.B.
f Masters in Equity. 4 Ditto.
g The Judges' Retiring-room, C.P. 5 Passages.
h Court Keeper. 6 Stairs to Basement and Upper
i Sergeant's Room. Floors.
k Judges' Clerks' Room, C.P. 7,8, 9, 11, 12, Passages to Courts.
1 Vice-Chancellor's Attendants. 10 Water-closets.
Measurements of the Courts.
King's Bench Court — 35 ft. 6 in. long, 30 ft. wide, and 26 ft. 6 in. high.
Bail Court— 30 ft. 6 in. long, 28 wide, and 23 ft. 6 in. high.
Court of Exchequer — 52 ft. long, 31 ft. 7 in. wide, and 26 ft. high.
Court of Equity — 31 ft. long, 23 ft. 7 in. wide, and 24 ft. high.
Court of Common Pleas — 41 ft. long, 33 ft. wide, and 24 ft. high.
Vice-Chancellor's Court — 36 ft. long, 25 ft. wide, and 29 ft. high.
Lord Chancellor's Court — 36 ft. long, 33 ft. wide, and 28 ft. high.
Lord Chancellor's Robing-room — 28 ft. long, 16 ft. wide, and 20 ft. high.

LAW COURTS AT WESTMINSTER. 261
Even the ponderous buttresses of the vast hall were so
many obstacles to symmetry and systematic arrangement.
It will be seen that these are now so completely incorpo
rated with the new walls, that they form integral parts of
the recent building, and are strengthened and supported by
it. By the plan it also appears that the seven chief laAv
courts of England are noAV all in intimate connexion with
each other, and that the colossal hall forms a sort of vesti
bule or lobby to the whole, as well as a passage of commu
nication with the houses of Parliament. This association
and continuity must be of great convenience to the judges
and to the most eminent counsel, as they have often occa
sion to be in attendance on the houses of Parliament and
on the law courts at the same time. An easy and free
communication is also provided between all the different
courts, whereby judges, counsel, lawyers, and the public,
may proceed from one to another, and hold ready inter
course with all. Those who remember what the law
courts formerly were — how they were situated, and the
accommodations or non-accommodations they afforded, will
be well qualified to appreciate those now provided.
Of the style and manner in which the public courts
have been executed, every person will form his own opi
nion and make his own inferences ; but the impartial and
discriminating critic only will be likely to do justice to the
architect. Trammelled as he was by space, and by the per
manent buildings which were to be scrupulously preserved
— opposed, in many respects, by the conflicting and inex
perienced, but dogmatic opinions of persons in authority, or
who arrogated authority — the liberal critic will not only
make allowances for faults, or apparent faults, but will ex
ercise his functions with lenity. On the present occasion,
however, he finds but slight claims on his forbearance or

262 EDIFICES OF LONDON.
indulgence : on the contrary, he sees much to admire- and
to commend. The seven different courts are admirably
adapted to their respective and distinctive uses — they seve
rally display much science in their construction, and much
of art in design. Each is varied from the others in the
mode of lighting, in the fittings-up, in its whole features ;
and each, if insulated, would be regarded as a handsome
court. In height, width, design of ceiling— seats for the
chancellor, vice-chancellor, barons, and judges- — there is
evident and ingenious variety ; whilst the lantern-lights are
still more diversified, and more distinctly eminent for their
architectural merits. In the corridors, or passages of com
munication, the architect found the greatest difficulty, as he
was cramped for space, and almost deprived of light. The
former could neither be commanded nor augmented, but it
has been used and applied to its smallest portion; the
latter has been admitted and directed in various ways, and
by novel contrivances, which manifest much study and prac
tical experience. The union of lantern and sky-lights have
been employed here. The different modes adopted for light
ing the numerous apartments, staircases, and corridors of
these courts, should be studied by every young architect.
Those of the King's Bench and Court of Chancery are
partly shown in the annexed prints. Were we to give a
full description of these and their appendages, this essay
would extend to several pages. We must therefore limit it
to the following statement, which has been drawn up by
the architect himself, and illustrated by plans and views.
Of the volume in which these are contained, only a few
copies have been printed for private circulation. The ar
chitect says —
" I was directed by the Lords Commissioners of His
Majesty's Treasury to prepare plans for new law courts, to be

LAW COURTS AT WESTMINSTER. 263
erected on the space betAveen the north-west turret of the
stone building in St. Margaret's Street, and the north-west
tower of Westminster Hall ; the new edifice to project into
New Palace Yard, as far as the buildings erected in the
reign of Queen Elizabeth. To make a plan, combining
together seven distinct courts of judicature, and all their
numerous complicated appurtenances, in a space not much
larger than the area of the adjoining hall, trammelled with
the immense buttresses of that building, the irregular pro
jections of the old stone buildings, and with other obstacles
not less formidable, was a task of great difficulty, and
seemed almost impossible, unless the new buildings pro
jected as far into New Palace Yard, and abutted on the
flank of the north-west tower of Westminster Hall, as they
were proposed to do in the late Mr. Wyatt's design, made
under the direction of a select committee in 1808, and as
far as those erected in the time of Queen Elizabeth. In
1794, I gave a general design for connecting together all
the buildings adjacent to Westminster Hall. In another
design, of 1820, I preserved the same line of projection
into New Palace Yard, but separated the courts from the
north-west tower of Westminster Hall by a large space, so
that the whole of the flank of that tower is left entirely free.
I could have wished that this majestic pile should have
been insulated, but the site of the new courts was too
limited to admit of so great a sacrifice. Westminster Hall,
to be duly appreciated, must be seen with the feeling of the
painter and the mind of the poet. With these lights, the
architect created this bold and mighty monument of na
tional glory, which, like the sublime and terrific concep
tions of Michael Angelo, strikes the beholder with awe and
admiration. No other building should abut on West
minster Hall. The new courts to the Avest, and a cone-

264 EDIFICES OF LONDON.
sponding building to the east, must be considered merely as
frames to the grand picture, formed by the northern en
trance into that unique and superb structure. To make
the interior of Westminster Hall correspond with the mag
nificence of the exterior, the modern pavement is to be
lowered, if practicable, to the surface of the original floor ; all
the other modern alterations to be removed, and the walls
made to assume the same appearance they formerly had ;
the south window, and the south end of the hall also, are to
be restored to their ancient state. Immediately under the
side AvindoAVS of the hall, and corresponding with them in
every respect, seven large apertures, or doorways, have
been made, leading to the different courts; and if the
spaces between the buttresses of this superb building had
been sufficiently capacious to admit of constructing the
new law courts within them, like so many chapels, West
minster Hall would then have assumed the appearance of a
magnificent and solemn temple.
" The site proposed for the new courts having been
considered sufficient, and plans prepared, it then became
an important question to decide in what style and character
the exterior ought to be composed :— either in the Roman
manner, to assimilate with the old stone building in St.
Margaret's Street, or after the ancient manner, to corre
spond with the exterior of the northern entrance into West
minster Hall.
" To compose a design in the same style as the latter,
when limited in expense, and to construct such an exterior,
when restricted in time, and when the new building, unless
internal convenience is sacrificed, must consist of many
small parts, is too arduous and hazardous a task to be un
dertaken, except from absolute necessity. On the present
occasion, after mature consideration, I judged that the

LAAV COURTS AT WESTMINSTER. 265
magnificence of Westminster Hall, composed of simple
parts, would be best consulted by keeping the new building
as distinct as possible from the old, and by making the ex
terior thereof in a character entirely different from the
northern entrance into that venerable structure. With this
view of the subject, the exterior of the new law courts
was designed in imitation of Palladio's celebrated Basilica,
at Vicenza ; and the building was afterwards constructed
in such a manner that, if at any time it should be required
to make the exterior of the law courts in the Gothic style,
such alteration might be made without disturbing or re
moving any part of the internal arrangements of the new
buildings. Indeed, before the commencement of the works,
I had contemplated the probability that, at some future
time, it might be required to give the exterior of the new
courts a Gothic character ; and it would have been very
easy to convert the five Venetian apertures into Gothic
windows, the balustrades into battlements, the columns at the
curvilinear extremities of the facade into Gothic buttresses ;
or the curvilinear extremities might be easily formed into
square or octagonal towers, and the remainder of the ex
terior of the stone building in St. Margaret's Street might
be continued to the front of the House of Lords in the
same character. The exterior of the new law courts
being composed in imitation of the architecture of Pal-
ladio, the interior finishings and fittings of the high Court
of Chancery and the Court of King's Bench, with the
other courts and their appurtenances, were designed to
partake of the same character, so as to make one uniform
structure. " The designs for the new courts having undergone
various alterations and " improvements, suggested by the
judges and other competent authorities, had been submitted

266 EDIFICES OF LONDON.
to his Majesty, approved by the judges, sanctioned by the
Lords Commissioners of the Treasury, and the estimated
expense of the work voted by Parliament in July, 1820: —
I was honoured with the directions of the Lords Commis
sioners of his Majesty's Treasury to lose no time in erect
ing them. In obedience to these orders, the works were
immediately commenced, and carried on with all the expe
dition in my power until March, 1824, when the buildings
were suspended ; and in June following, I was directed to
cause the whole of the projection in the front of the Court
of King's Bench, next New Palace Yard, to be removed
with as little delay as possible.
" The building forming this projection contained a law
library for the use of the Courts of King's Bench, Ex
chequer, and Common Pleas, with places for the reception
of a large part of the records, now in Westminster Hall.
There were likewise, for the use of the Court of King's
Bench, consulting-rooms and robing-rooms, for the king's
counsel and other gentlemen of the bar; also rooms for the
solicitors and their clients, a retiring-room for the jury,
accommodation for the jury and witnesses in waiting, a
room for the judges' clerks, a place of confinement for per
sons brought up to receive the final judgment of the court,
a private entrance (next New Palace Yard) for the judges,
another for the king's counsel and other gentlemen of the
bar ; also two entrances into the basement story, other dis
tinct accesses to the coffee-rooms, and accommodations for
the use of the public, without interfering with the judicial
affairs of the courts, or the general accommodation of the
barristers and others."
The building containing these various essential rooms
has been entirely taken away, although the whole of the
apartments Avere necessary appendages to the courts —

LAW COURTS AT WESTMINSTER. 267
although the plans and elevations had been approved by
all the constituted authorities — and although the architect
had reported that the sacrifice Avould be made at an ex
pense of several thousands of pounds. Without regarding
either the extravagance of the act, or the abolition of so
much useful accommodation, the whole was levelled to the
ground ; a new elevation was designed and erected, which,
unfortunately, neither assimilates with the grand northern
front of the hall, nor with the Italian building in Parlia
ment Street. J. BR1TTON.

At the same time that the interior of these law courts
must be allowed to display novelty, variety, and ingenuity,
particularly in the different modes resorted to for lighting
them, it must be confessed that they also exhibit not a few
anomalies in design, together with not a little that is ex
ceptionable in its taste. Undoubtedly there are several
good ideas, yet being for the most part merely ebauchis, in
stead of being consistently worked-up and matured, they are
rather valuable as hints for others, than satisfactory for the
application the architect himself has here made of them.
These courts are visibly enough impressed with the stamp
of the late professor of architecture, but then it is by the
decided mannerism they manifest, and by the no less offen
sive than singular intermixture of finical embellishment in
some part, and poverty-stricken nakedness and want of finish
in others, which pervades so many of his buildings ; and
which renders some of them at once extravagant and feeble
— contradictions made up of showiness and meanness — a

268 EDIFICES OF LONDON.
miserly conflict of penuriousness and ostentation. Hence,
although the more advanced architect may profit by a study
of his works, by no means are they models to be followed
indiscriminately by the student, who will meet Avith in
them as much that he ought to shun as to imitate. EDITOR.

& H

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S'CALA lEGLi.
]Sew ZatraneefoTHer Xajestv-mtothelloiise oflords.
John VPealc: Architectural Library. Sff.IfufhJfoZbarn,.

LOifDOIT "EDIFICES.

Join Sofuic Esq.F/RJLJircli1:
3ROTAIL YE SI1 31 SUSIE.— IE® UTS 31 ©;
John, Whole, ArclritecttiraLZibrazy, 69.JfighSolborn/.

ROYAL ENTRANCE TO THE HOUSE
OF LORDS.

Without explaining the various and numerous altera
tions that have been made at different times, and under the
direction of different architects, to the pile containing the
two houses of Parliament, we can only point out the latest
and most distinguished for architectural merit. The Gothic
elevation, facing the east end of Henry the Seventh's Chapel,
and arrogantly placed in competition with that gorgeous
display of Christian architecture, is almost too puerile for
comment ; for it has neither beauty, grandeur, nor construc
tive skill, to recommend it. Yet to this sad specimen of
the late Mr. James Wyatt's taste, but which his friends dis
claim, was the architect of the Scala Regia required to
unite and assimilate part of his recent works ; hence the
origin of the cloister, or Gothic passage, which connects
the former arcade in Old Palace Yard to the present stair
case. The Porte Cochere, or covered gateway for the royal
carriage, is quite in harmony with these Gothic features,
but has little connexion or unity of style with the elegant
design represented in the annexed engravings. The stair
case was commenced by Mr. Soane in the summer of 1822,
and finished in January, 1823. It is but justice to remark,
that the architect's original design was for a temporary, or

270 EDIFICES OF LONDON.
moveable aAvning, in place of the present carriage arcade,
Avhich appears to have been directed by higher authority.
At the top of the staircase was the Prince's Chamber, and
other old rooms connecting it Avith the Painted Chamber.
These being in a ruinous state, were all taken down, and
foundations were laid for the Royal Gallery, &c, in October,
1823 ; and, by almost unprecedented exertions and zeal, this
was finished on the 1st of February, 1824. Subsequent to
that time, several additional apartments have been built in
unison with the above, but plain and simple in their finish
ings and fittings-up. They are applied as committee-rooms
and a library for the House of Lords, committee-rooms and
a library for the House of Commons, offices for clerks, and
fire-proof rooms for Parliamentary papers and records. All
these new works constitute portions of one large and splen
did design ; and if the whole be carried into effect, and the
Great Hall, Painted Chamber, and St. Stephen's Chapel,
be also restored to their pristine forms and finishing, as
recommended by the architect, our Parliament will possess
an edifice worthy of their own enlightened and independent
character, and of the great nation they represent.
Of the Scala Regia and Royal Gallery, the accompany
ing engravings will convey some idea to the stranger.
The former is displayed by a section, showing the whole of
one side, the lantern-light, the style of the inner roof, &c,
whilst the view defines and characterises the whole scene
from the bottom. One striking characteristic of this stair
case cannot be shown by an outline print or drawing, that
is, the picturesque or painter-like effect produced by the
lantern-light, Avith its stained glass and large side window.
On the top of the stairs are recesses to the right and left,
Avith arched openings to a decorated vestibule, which is
adorned Avith eight Scagliola columns, supporting four gal-

ROYAL ENTRANCE TO THE HOUSE OF LORDS. 271
leries. To the left, between four columns, is a large open
ing to the Royal Gallery, which may be considered as
divided into three compartments, each of which has a lan
tern dome, fitted with stained glass. These divisions are
varied not only in dimensions and embellishments, but in
construction ; and thus exhibit novelty in design, as well
as various scenic effects. The whole surface of the ceiling,
and parts of the walls, are adorned with flowers, flutings,
scrolls, &c, whilst the lantern-lights are vaulted, highly
enriched, supported by columns, and additionally decorated
with candelabra, &c. The whole of this approach, from
the bottom of the stairs to the Painted Chamber, exhibits a
succession of architectural beauties adapted for royal pro
cessions; for the display of pomp and stately ceremony;
and is eminently calculated to give to, as well as receive
splendour from, those assemblages of ladies, nobles, and
military officers, which usually attend the monarch in his
visits to the House of Lords. J. BRITTON.

The fire on October 16th, 1834, greatly damaged the
north end of the Royal Gallery, destroying nearly the
whole of that compartment adjoining the Painted Chamber,
the door into which is the one shown in the accompanying
vieAV. Yet had it remained untouched it would not have
been preserved, as it must, together with all the rest, in a
short time be swept away, in order to give place to the new
structure by Mr. Barry. This gallery and staircase are
thus spoken of in an article in the 21st number of the
" Printing Machine:" — " In examining what Sir John Soane
has here performed, we ought to look at it rather as an in
dependent work, than as intended to accord with any other

272 EDIFICES OF LONDON.
portion of the buildings — as an anomaly, indeed one of a
cluster of anomalies— -as one of the fragments of what was
in itself a most discordant, heterogeneous, and planless
mass. Regarding it in this point of view, we must admit
that the whole line of approach from the Royal Entrance to
the Painted Chamber, displayed a rather imposing succes
sion of architectural scenery ; perhaps somewhat more osten
tatiously fanciful than was altogether fitting its purpose, yet
cleverly managed, and certainly captivating. The architect
seems to have made the utmost of the space allowed him ;
and, whatever objections may be made to particular parts,
and to certain peculiarities or even oddities of style, it
must be admitted that there was striking effect in every
part, a happy playfulness in the plan that greatly aided
and enhanced the accidents and combinations of the per
spective ; a glow, a brilliancy, a certain festivity of expres
sion throughout, which, if they did not actually blind the
eye of criticism, to faults of detail, and ton ot a few solecisms,
still caused delight to preponderate over dissatisfaction. In
congruous as were many of the parts, finical as were many
of the ornaments, the whole was finely blended into con
cord, and many things which would have been noted as
mean or insignificant by themselves, here seemed to con
tribute to the piquancy of the entire scene."
Among the meannesses suffered to obtrude Avhere deco
ration is in many respects carried almost to excess, are the
exceedingly plain and even ordinary-looking chimney-
pieces ; neither is the entablature, or rather substitute for
a regular entablature, to the columns at all happily con
ceived. Another very unpleasing caprice on the part of the
architect, was that of rusticating the lower part of the stair
case, and that in unequal courses, occurring at unequal in
tervals ; a mode of decorating a surface of a Avail, not at all

ROYAL ENTRANCE TO THE HOUSE OF LORDS. 273
applicable to interior architecture, and in this instance jar
ring most disagreeably with minute and highly wrought
embellishment of almost all the rest. Taking the staircase
and gallery together, there is however much beauty of plan
and outline ; and not least of all in regard to the expansion
of the spaces at intervals, and also the variety displayed in
the domes, and different heights of the several compart
ments. As the only dimensions which can be gathered
from the plates are those of the height and longitudinal ex
tent of the staircase, it ought here to be stated that its
general width, exclusive of recesses, is 11 feet, till it expands
on the upper landing to 26 feet. The dimensions of the
gallery are 81 feet by 24, or including the ante-room, which
is separated only by columns, 108 by 24, and in some parts
33 feet in width. And the height to the summit of the
centre lantern or dome is 45 feet. EDITOR.

VOL. I.

THEATRES.

PRELIMINARY REMARKS ON THE ARCHITECTURE OF
THEATRES.
In hardly any one single particular does the difference
between the ancients and the moderns — their habits and
tastes, and their practical application of art, display itself
more decidedly than in their theatres. With the exception
of the name alone, there is hardly a point of resemblance
between an ancient and a modern theatre, which does not
also constitute a point of very essential disparity. In little
else do they agree than in being intended for dramatic re
presentations. Those of the ancients were attended with
sufficient solemnity and pomp, but must have been greatly
deficient in scenic effect and illusion. This cannot be
questioned, Avhen it is considered that their dramatic per
formances took place in the open air and in broad daylight,
and that the actors were obliged to have recourse to the
awkward expedient of wearing huge masks, and heighten
ing their stature by means of cothurni in order not to
appear absolutely diminutive. In fact their theatrical
pieces were rather poetical recitations than dramas, accord
ing to our modern notions of what is essential to such pro
ductions and their proper effect ; for though of poetic art
there was much, of scenic artifice there was little if any*
* In his " Athens and Attica," the Rev. Christopher Wordsworth not
only overlooks their defects, but is disposed to regard as a favourable

THEATRES. 275
Compared with the stage of our days, that of the Greeks
was what an antique bas-relief is to a well-composed and
well-executed picture, wherein we behold not form alone,
but the local colour of each object, with the full accompa-
peculiarity what we conceive must, except in very particular cases, have
proved totally adverse to vraisemblance of locality and unity of place : —
namely, that in addition to the scene on the stage, the spectators had a
view of the natural scenery around the theatre itself.
" To the dramatic poets of Athens," says he, " not as inventors merely,
but as addressing an audience for great moral and social purposes, the
position of the theatre gave great advantages. To select one : being
placed immediately under the Acropolis, being seated, if we may so say,
on the very steps of that great natural temple — for such to the Athenians
their Acropolis was — the audience were thus immediately connected with
what was most sacred and beautiful in the Athenian city. They were
themselves consecrated by such » union. Just above them was the tem
ple of Minerva, and the statue of the Jupiter of the citadel, &c. How, in
the confinement of a modern theatre, could we imagine a Trygseus soaring
above the sea, in an aerial excursion ? There his journey would be reduced
to a mere mechanical process of ropes and pullies, and would be inexorably
baffled by the resistance of the roof. But in the Athenian theatre the sky
itself was visible" (tant pis) " whither he was mounting, and in which he
was placed by the simple machinery of the imagination of the spectators,
to which free play was given by the natural properties of the theatre
itself." Now, in our poor opinion, the case would be quite the reverse of
what is here represented, for it would surely be easier for the audience in
a modern theatre to imagine that the actors on the stage could behold a
man hovering in the air over their heads, though too high up to be visible
from the seats in the house, than for the Athenians to have imagined they
beheld Trygajus soaring aloft, when, had he done so, he must have been
visible to them. It is moreover but a very strange sort of compliment to
the Athenian theatre, to point out how much was necessarily left to the
imagination of the spectators, owing to the want of contrivances for pro
perly exhibiting it. And even their imagination seems to have been rather
sluggish upon occasions, for we afterwards read — " How (i. e. in a modern
theatre) could the clouds come sailing on the stage from the heights of a
T 2

276 EDIFICES OF LONDON.
niment, of background and accessories to the figures them
selves. There are some Avhose ideas are so ultra-classical,
not to say pedantical, in taste, that they would fain persuade
us the scenic exhibitions of the ancients were far more im
pressive, magnificent, and imposing, than any of the kind
witnessed in modern times; and undoubtedly they must
have been in a high degree impressive to those who at
tended them, inasmuch as they partook not a little of the
character of a public ceremonial. Yet, however splendid
and dignified they may now be made to appear in descrip
tion, they would not, could such trial be made, prove very
satisfactory to a spectator of the present day, except with
regard to his curiosity. On the contrary, there must have
been much that, in comparison with the present modern
stage, would strike us as being coldly formal and conven
tional. In fact, the drama of the Greeks can have been
scarcely more than a poetical recitation by different inter
locutors, with about the same degree of verisimilitude to
nature, as in the regular opera ; and probably the dialogue
neighbouring Parnes ? How, in such a position, could the future minister
of Athens have surveyed from the stage, as he did, the natural map of his
own future domains, the Agora, the harbours, and the Pnyx, and all the
tributary islands lying in group around him ?" Most assuredly it does not
say much for the imagination of the audience, if it were necessary that
the objects alluded to by the characters on the stage should be visible
both to them and to themselves. Neither can we make out how the
" islands" should have been discernible, when the view of them must
have been intercepted by the walls and seats of the theatre itself, unless
the eyes of the Athenians were like the Irishman's gun, which could shoot
round a corner. As to the " mere mechanical process of ropes and pul
leys," that is a " mere" paralogism, by adopting which we might as easily
convert the " statue of the Jupiter of the citadel" into a mere piece of
stone, and all the works of the finest masters into mere pieces of canvass
covered over with paint.

THEATRES. 277
was rather intonated than spoken. Indeed, were not such
the case, it is difficult to conceive how the actors could ren
der themselves audible to those on the remoter seats ; not
so much on account of the spaciousness of their theatres, as
from the circumstance of their being unroofed, and conse
quently mere enclosures, or open courts filled with rows of
seats. This must have been attended with another very
sensible disadvantage, because, besides being highly adverse
to scenic effect, and histrionic disguise and masking, shadoAV
more or less would inevitably be thrown upon the stage
itself, from one side of it or the other ; while, whenever the
awnings were stretched over the theatre, the whole must
have been thrown into a sort of demi-jour or twilight, in
cluding the stage itself. Again, the expedients resorted to
for magnifying the stature and features of the actors, must
have had a particularly clumsy effect, since, if sufficient to
attain the purpose aimed at, it must also have made them
appear more or less misshapen and ill-proportioned.
True, things of this kind might have been overlooked
and regarded as irremediable inconveniences, which had
always existed ; just as we are now reconciled to the foot
lights of our own theatres, notwithstanding they cause ap
pearances we witness nowhere else. There is, however,
one circumstance in the arrangement of an ancient theatre,
which certainly might have been different from what it was,
and in itself does not appear, calculated to afford the most
favourable view of the stage. We allude to the disposition
of the seats in concentric curves, instead of being, like
those in the pit of our playhouses, all made to face the
stage.* Hence those who sat nearest, being placed sideways
* This absurdity has been imitated not only by Palladio, in his cele
brated Teatro Olimpico, which seems to have been intended as a correct
pattern of all the defects and want of contrivance belonging to an ancient

278 EDIFICES OF LONDON.
to it, could not have seen it otherwise than by looking
quite to the right or left, in which respect they were far
more inconveniently situated than the spectators in our side
boxes, because these latter have invariably the stage be-
theatre ; but also by Quarenghi, in the private theatre of the Hermitage,
at St. Petersburgh. If indeed the chief object was to make the house
present a striking picture, as viewed from the stage„such an arrangement of
the audience would be highly commendable and effective, not else. That
single yet great error excepted, Quarenghi's design is picturesque and well
imagined, the seats being confined to the pit and an upper prcBcinctio, and
around runs a semicircular colonnade of twelve Corinthian columns, 22
feet high. The spectatory is a perfect semicircle (60 feet diameter within
the columns), extended only by a rich double proscenium, 25 feet in depth.
The larger diameter bounded by the hinder wall of the colonnade is 84
English feet.
Quarenghi appears to have had a decided predilection for seats ar
ranged as concentric gradini within a semicircle, as among his edited designs
are two other theatres similarly planned, one of them a private theatre,
the other a public one, for which purpose it is still less adapted. This
last-mentioned design is a proj'et for a theatre intended to have been
erected at Bassano in Italy ; and considering the very moderate size of
the place, it must be allowed to have been upon a very magnificent scale,
the dimensions of the general plan being 300 feet (English) by 165, ex
clusive of two prostyle, octastyle porticoes on the longer sides. In magni
tude, therefore, it would greatly have exceeded the very largest of our
London theatres, as will be seen on comparing the plans given in this
work with the above dimensions. The house itself, however, was not so
enormously large as the exterior would indicate, a great proportion of the
space being allotted to saloons, of which there were to have been no
fewer than four, the largest 94 feet by 56, with a range of columns along
each side. The spectatory itself would have been 53 feet in breadth, by
66 in depth before the curtain, having its seats disposed as above men
tioned in six gradini, which would not however have occupied the whole,
but left an open space of 16 feet between them and the proscenium.
Above there was to be a peristyle of twenty Ionic columns, behind which
would have been two tiers of boxes, except within the larger central inter-

THEATRES. 279
yond, although on one side of them ; whereas, in the other
case, part of the audience would have to sit considerably in
advance of that end of the proscenium and stage, which
would of course be behind them. On the other hand, those
who occupied the seats abutting against the walls, extend
ing on either side from the proscenium, could have seen
very little of the stage itself, shallow as it was, nor even
the actors, unless they advanced quite to the front of the
pulpitum, but merely the orchestra. Nevertheless, obvious
as are these disadvantages — and any one may satisfy himself
as to them, by turning to any plan of an ancient theatre —
hardly ever have they been adverted to : on the contrary,
those who have spoken of the theatres of the ancients seem
to have been of opinion that they could not extol them too
column appropriated as a state box, and enclosed within an arch. No
doubt such an arrangement, presenting one large order with its columns at
a very moderate distance from each other, would have had a rich and
classical architectural effect, and produced a highly scenic view, when be
held from the scena or stage itself. But the boxes would have been con
verted into so many private cabinets, partitioned off from each other,
and open only in front, whence their occupiers might look out upon the
stage. These boxes were exclusive of the dimensions above stated, for
reckoning them also and the colonnade, the depth would be increased to 76,
and the breadth to 73 feet ; and it deserves to be remarked that the boxes
would have extended along the straight sides quite up to the proscenium,
although the seats in the pit did not approach it by a considerable interval,
which latter circumstance can be accounted for only by supposing that
had they been continued, the spectators on those nearest to the stage
would have been too much below its level. This, however, is left to con
jecture, there being no longitudinal section through the spectatory and
stage, but only a transverse one, showing the former as seen in front of the
stage. Notwithstanding its obvious defects, such as that of placing a large
proportion of the persons in the pit actually sideways to the stage, and en
closing the boxes behind a colonnade of large pillars, we are told that this
arrangement was adopted as being " la piu econornica a la piu commoda."

280 EDIFICES OF LONDON.
highly, and to have agreed to keep all their defects and
disadvantages as much as possible out of sight.
The above remarks will hardly be deemed altogether
unnecessary and irrelevant to our present subject, because
they tend to prove that we have not much reason to be
dissatisfied with our own theatres as greatly inferior to
those of the ancients, except as regards extent and dura
bility of construction. In every other respect they have
decidedly the advantage of the latter, and not least of all
in being lighted artificially, Avhich, as a clever French
Avriter has observed, at once announces to us that we are
transported into an ideal world, where we behold not the
realities of life, but merely images and pictures of it. At
the same time it must be confessed that our theatres are
susceptible of much improvement, being so planned at pre
sent that many of the audience can neither hear nor see
properly. This has been erroneously attributed to the large
size of some of our houses ; for in the very largest of them,
all might both see and hear distinctly, were it not that ac
commodation in the way of mere sitting is made for a
far greater number than can possibly be accommodated in
regard to the purpose for which, it is to be presumed, they
come thither — namely, to enjoy the performance. Many
are placed, not at too great a distance, but much too near
¦ — thrust quite close upon the proscenium and up to the
actors themselves ; some directly on one side, so that
they can see the stage only obliquely ; while others are ele
vated so much above it, both in front and on the sides, as
to look quite doAvn upon it, and obtain almost a bird's-eye
view of it. These inconveniences are increased when, as is
the case at Covent Garden and in many foreign theatres,
the house expands from, or in other words, contracts
toAvards, the stage, so that those in the side boxes cannot

THEATRES. 281
obtain even a side view without turning very considerably
to the right or left. Besides which, every variety of such
form, the oval, or elliptic, is architecturally disagreeable
in itself, being attended with a degree of irregularity offen
sively perceptible to the eye.
The semicircle is unquestionably the best figure, be
cause it brings all the spectators, even those placed at the
extremities of its chord, facing towards, though not exactly
in front of, the stage ; for it in fact cuts off Avhat can pro
perly be termed side boxes, or such as are at right angles,
to the diameter or chord. Yet a simple semicircle Avould
be objectionable on more than one account, because the
stage would then be placed on the longer side of the area of
the spectatory; consequently, as the diameter would give the
width of the proscenium (which would be double the depth
of the house, measured from the orchestra to the front of the
centre box), either the latter must be very great in regard
to breadth, or the house itself of small dimensions, or even
if not small in itself, yet confined and contracted in com
parison with the proscenium and opening of the stage.
Which inconveniences would bring others along with them,
since, were the height of the house to be proportioned to
the width of the proscenium, it would become excessive, in
comparison with the dimensions in the other direction, and
cause the spectatory to appear still more contracted and
squeezed-up. On the contrary, were it to be regulated by
the depth of the house, or semi-diameter, the proscenium
would be rendered much too low. This will be apparent
to any one, if he turns to any of the plans of theatres here
given ; by applying his compasses — to that of Covent Gar
den, for instance, and taking the line separating the
orchestra from the pit, for a diameter — he will perceive it
would be reduced to half its present depth, whereby, as he

282 EDIFICES OF LONDON.
Avould see on consulting the section also, the height would
become preposterous in comparison with such a contracted
area. Still, as the semicircle is by far the most advantageous,
it ought to be retained for them, as might easily be done,
should the house itself be equal to an entire circle, or some
what more (as is the case at Drury Lane) ; and to effect this
nothing more would be requisite than to omit boxes en
tirely between the chord of the semicircle and the prosce
nium. Were this done, there would hardly be a seat in any
of the boxes that would not command a sufficiently favour
able view of the stage ; while, in an architectural point of
view, all the space so given up or lost, as perhaps it will be
considered, would be a decided gain, because it would
afford ample field for decoration in connexion with and
continuation of the proscenium, so that the whole might be
made to form a rich architectural framing to the stage ;
Avhereas, according to the present mode, the connexion be
tween the boxes and proscenium is too abrupt, and can
rarely be well managed ; and whenever the boxes adjoining
the stage are comparatively empty, they present a forlorn
appearance, which does not at all reconcile us the better to
their being in themselves a drawback on the general de
sign. There would be another advantage arising from the
system here recommended, namely, that as far as the boxes
are concerned, there would be a sort of neutral territory
between the audience and the stage, highly favourable to
scenic effect and illusion. Every one in the boxes would
then be seated where he would behold the stage and per
formance not only conveniently, but from a proper distance
station. The stage ought to be considered as a picture upon
a large scale, and when a man looks at a picture of any
dimensions, he neither pokes his nose against it nor does

THEATRES. 283
he place himself on one side, so as to view it askew, but in
such a manner that he can distinctly behold it. In regard
to the stage, however, such certainly is not the case with a
very large proportion of the spectators in the boxes. Many
of them are obliged to take up with places where they can
not possibly see the scene ox flat, as it is technically termed,
at all, let them twist their necks as much as they will,
though en revanche they see a great deal more between the
wings and side scenes than is either necessary or proper.
Probably we shall be told that it is quite hopeless to
expect any reform of the kind, or to the extent here sug
gested; since the receipts of a house constructed upon such
a plan, would not be adequate to its expenses, unless the
prices of admission were to be considerably raised. That
is a question not for our consideration, or to be discussed
in this place. How far it would answer in a financial
point of view is what .we do not undertake to decide, our
object being merely to show that in itself it would be
highly advantageous. At the same time, Ave are of opinion
that a theatre so planned, if put upon a different footing
from others, and entirely adapted to a superior class of
visitors, might answer very well. We see no reason why
there should not be one theatre in such a metropolis as
London, where the prices of admission should be such as
to repay the management with a limited audience. Abolish
all gallery — let there be no distinction of prices, no half-
price, any more than at the doors of a concert-room — let the
time of performance, now frequently protracted to tedious-
ness, be abridged to three hours — and let it not commence
until nine or even later, so as not to interfere with the
" present late hour of dinner."
To break off from what will most probably be con
sidered a digression, and altogether a hors 'd'ceuvre, we

284

EDIFICES OF LONDON.

shall here put together a few particulars relative to some
of the principal theatres hitherto erected; not with the
expectation of satisfying the reader, but rather of inducing
him to prosecute the object further by his own researches ;
and the following table, it is presumed, will be found both
interesting and useful, as exhibiting a comparative and
synoptical view of several of the most important structures
of this class : —

O
.as « o
¦CM
513 o <&

O "-¦ >j>
n) tu
£ o
¦effl
is

u O

55 1
fa

si
"" o
bo O
¦— O

a
oo
"3CO

Feet.

Feet.

Feet.

Feet.

Feet.

Feet.

London. — Opera House

102

75

40

35

" Covent Garden -
73
63
32
59
54
56x19
Drury Lane
70
70
32
48
60
90X26
New English )
Opera \
57
55
32
Paiis. — Opera
78
52
40
52
96
Theatre Feydeau
52
64
48
Cirque Olympique
86.6
83
44
Bordeaux*
64
62.6
39.6
70
57.6
Milan. — La Scala
94
78
44
, .
75
100X24
Naples.' — San Carlo -
90
76
49
76
80
82X20
Venice. — La Fenicef
72
67
42
45
49
56X32
St. Petersburg!] j
102
96
52
99
92
125X30
Berlin -
61
58
38
43
Hamburgh
69
68
39
. .
56
Mentz -
65
58
38
, ,
43
New Orleans -
73
71
44
66
129X26
Dublin
64
62
33
Birmingham §
44
45
28
Turm§
66.6
52
40
98
Ghent||
68
60
37
••
••
82X40
* This theatre, which was built by Louis, and completed in 1780, is
no less remarkable for the magnitude and imposing character of its ex-
THEATRES, 285
From this it will be seen that the London Opera House,
although of the same extent as the Great Theatre at St.
Petersburgh, measured on a line from the curtain to the back
terior than for its internal arrangement and accommodation. It is quite
insulated, and forms a parallelogram of 284 by 149 feet. The principal
front, which is at one of the ends, or shorter sides, consists of an advanced
Corinthian colonnade of twelve pillars. The same order is continued in
pilasters along the sides of the building, and occupies the height of two
floors, above which is a third. The vestibule and staircase are very
spacious, and rich in display ; the former having four ranges of pillars in
one direction, and two extending from end to end ; and the other having
Ionic columns forming a gallery on the upper part of each side, and one
intercolumn extended, so as to form a corridor opening to the colonnade,
in such manner that with the corresponding one on the opposite side, it
gives the entire width of the building to that part of the staircase. The
auditory is remarkable for having a single order of large columns, not
enclosing the boxes, but attached to the wall forming the back of the
boxes, while these latter project out between the columns ; which cer
tainly does not produce a good effect, because the boxes not only have
the appearance of so many detached balconies, overhanging the pit, but
cut up the architecture and prevent the columns from showing themselves
distinctly. t This theatre, built by George Antonio Selva, about 1790, was burnt
in 1835, but has been since restored.
J The Bolshoi Teatr, or Great Theatre at St. Petersburgh, was
originally erected in 1782-3, by Tischbein, a German architect, who died
at St. Petersburgh in 1806 ; but the facade, which was not commenced till
1803, was built after the design of Thomond, to whom the whole struc
ture has therefore been generally but erroneously ascribed. It appears,
from an article in the " Khudozhestvennaya Gazeta," a Russian periodical
on the fine arts, that Thomas Thomond was born at Nancy, December
21st, 1759 ; but that during the disorders of the revolution he quitted
France, and made his way to St. Petersburgh, where his talents as an
architect obtained for him employment under the imperial government.
AVhen he was first commissioned to improve the exterior of the theatre,
jt was intended to do no more than to make a few alterations, and bestow

286 EDIFICES OF LONDON.
of the boxes, is considerably less in its other dimensions,
and consequently very different in its proportions ; it being
narrow in comparison with its average breadth, owing to
Avhich, and to the contraction towards the stage, the greater
part of the persons in the boxes are not placed even at right
angles to, but actually turned obliquely from, the stage ;
as will be seen by the plan of it, and still more palpably
by the section, which shows a considerable extent of the
side boxes, whose fronts would not be visible in such re
presentation Avere they at right angles with the curtain.
Another great defect is the absence of proscenium, the
boxes coming quite up to the opening of the stage, in
consequence of which preposterousness in the plan, all
some additional embellishment ; he succeeded, however, in prevailing
upon those from whom he received orders, to be permitted to rebuild the
principal front, with a magnificent octastyle Ionic portico, crowned by a
pediment. The whole facade, extending about 150 feet, of which the
portico occupies 90, possesses much dignity, and is in a comparatively
pure style, although partaking rather too much of the French school in
the doors and windows. The intercolumniation is also faulty, for unless
the columns had been of greater diameter, there ought to have been ten
instead of eight. The building is entirely insulated, and is about 270 feet
in depth, exclusive of a projecting centre at the end corresponding with
the principal front. Among other edifices built by Thomond, are the
Imperial Birzha, or Exchange, on the Vassiliostrov; the Theatre at Odessa;
a monumental building to the Emperor Paul, at Pavlovsky ; and a monu
ment to commemorate the battle of Pultava. Several of his designs were
published by him, in 1808, in a 4to. volume. He died August 23rd, 1813.
§ The measurements here given do not include the depth of the boxes.
|| This edifice, not yet quite completed, is from the designs of
Roelandt, one of the most eminent architects in Belgium. The facade
extends considerably beyond the body of the house itself, 300 feet in
length, and contains on the upper floor an oval vestibule, 91 feet by 59,
with sixteen coupled columns ; communicating with this is at one end
the foyer, at the other a concert-room, making altogether a line of 270 feet.

THEATRES. 287
architectural expression and propriety are destroyed, and a
disagreeable flimsiness takes place, giving to the whole
house the appearance of having been hurriedly fitted up for
some temporary purpose. Besides which, this immediate
contact of stage and boxes would render it almost impos
sible to cut off the flames from communicating to every
part, should a fire break out among the scenery. In
Schinkel's new theatre at Berlin, the proscenium is formed
by exceedingly massive walls; and the spectatory itself
has the advantage of not being extended greatly beyond a
semicircle. Covent Garden partakes in some degree of
the faulty plan adopted in the Opera House, as the boxes
between the semicircular portion and the stage are carried,
not at right angles to the latter, but sloping towards, and
consequently inclined from it. Had the boxes been con
tinued on the sides for no more than a third of their present
extent, this would have been of comparatively little moment;
but as these sloping sides are protracted to such a distance
that an entire circle might be described between the centre
box and the proscenium, the spectators in the boxes nearest
the stage are better stationed for reconnoitring the audience,
than for viewing the scenery or the performance. There
fore, at least three of the boxes on each side should have
been shallower than the rest. The plan of Drury Lane is
decidedly preferable in every respect to that of Covent
Garden, as well in the arrangement of the vestibule, stair
cases and approaches, as in the form of the spectatory
itself. It would indeed have been better had it not ex
ceeded a perfect circle, that is, had the distance from the
centre box to the curtain been no more than the diameter of
the pit. Yet, notwithstanding that the general form itself
is good, it exhibits an adherence to the erroneous practice
of continuing the boxes beyond the semicircle facing the

288 EDIFICES OF LONDON.
stage. We Avill not be so rigorous as to insist that they
should in no degree be suffered to extend beyond that
diameter or line, but most assuredly, the less they were to
do so the better.
The theatre at Hamburgh, which like that of Berlin was
designed by Schinkel, approaches still more closely to a
circle, which is the form of the ceiling ; but there also the
side boxes are carried too near to the stage.
The circle predominates in Mikhaelov's plan for the new
Petrovsky Theatre at Moscow, erected subsequently to
1825. How far his designs were afterwards followed we
are unable to say, but if the edifice Avas executed according
to them, and upon the scale proposed by him, its dimen
sions would exceed those of many exhibited in the pre
ceding table. Like that at St. Petersburgh, it would be
entirely insulated, and a good deal resembling it in its
facade and external form, having an octastyle Ionic portico
to its principal front, but much loftier, the columns being
nearly 7 sazhenes or 49 feet English high, and the width of
the portico 143 feet. The exterior would have been 210
feet by 250, or including the narrower facade, projecting
from the rear 50 feet more. Within were two saloons,
measuring 150 feet by 34 (greatly exceeding the dimensions
of any of those specified in the table), and the house itself
or spectatory was 92 feet from the back of the boxes to the
curtain ; the width of the curtain 75, and the breadth 74,
or including boxes 90 feet ; extreme height from centre of
floor of pit, to the summit of the flat dome, 84 feet. For
these particulars relative — we cannot say to the actual
building, but to Mikhaelov's design, our authority is the
drawings of it and the article accompanying them, in the
Zhurual Izyashtnikh Izkhustv, or St. Petersburgh Journal
of the Fine Arts, from Avhich we shall here quote one or

THEATRES. 289
two of Professor Olenin's, President of the Imperial
Academy of Arts, remarks on theatres, which coincide very
much with our own opinions. " It is astonishing," he says,
" to observe what great diversity of form is given to the
interior of theatres, notwithstanding that the most fitting —
whatever it may be, ought to be adhered to on every occasion.
Does not this very circumstance clearly prove that archi
tects have proceeded nearly at hap-hazard, without any set
tled principles, and probably guided by nothing better than
mere fancy, and the aim to produce what shall appear a
pleasing or ingenious form of plan when shown upon
paper. Hence, as it appears to me, have originated all
those exceedingly inappropriate shapes, such as those of
the horse-shoe and lyre, which many architects have ap
plied to the purpose. Yet I will ask any unprejudiced and
reasonable person, what avails it for a spectator in one of
the boxes to knoAv that he is sitting in a line which forms
some portion either of a horse-shoe or lyre, if at the same
time he finds that he is in consequence so placed as to be
able neither to see nor to hear the performance. Such un
fortunate spectator, I am fain to believe, would prefer
having the line of boxes turned in such direction as would
enable him to view the stage, and hear the actors distinctly.
An intelligent architect will above all take especial care
that no one shall be able to classify his boxes after the
mode in Avhich an acquaintance of mine has done those
of a certain theatre, in which he says, " we find three
different sorts of them : the first is, those where people can
see, but not hear ; the second, where they can hear, but not
see ; and the third, where they can do neither the one nor
the other." The professor then goes on to explain what he
recommends as the best form of plan, which is a perfect
circle bounded by the wall at the back of the boxes, the
vol. i. n

290 EDIFICES OF LONDON.
curtain making a tangent to it, after which he proceeds to
suggest, what he himself says will be considered a very
bold idea, that instead of the boxes at the sides being made
all upon the same line as at present, the front of each
should be a little lower than that of the one next it off
from the stage, so that those in each range would gradually
rise one above the other as they receded from the stage,
with the same degree of inclination as the seats of the pit.
No doubt the spectators would thus be enabled to see over
the heads of those in the boxes between them and the
stage, on their side ; yet it is to be apprehended that the
effect of such arrangement Avould prove anything but
agreeable to the eye ; neither would it tend much to benefit
those in the boxes nearest the stage, which are the most
unfavourably situated of any in the house ; Avhile those
within the semicircle facing the stage would hardly require
such disposition to be adopted on their account, because
they command a sufficiently distinct view Avithout it. There
is but one mode of satisfactorily solving the problem, which
is to get over the difficulty by not encountering it, and by
giving up the idea of boxes or side seats of any kind,
between the semicircular portion of the spectatory and the
stage; letting that be considered, so far, as belonging en
tirely to the proscenium.
The theatre at Mentz, built by Moller (author of the
large work on German Gothic Architecture), and opened in
1832, is allowed to be, externally as Avell as internally, one
of the best structures of the kind yet erected, although not
to be put upon a par with some others in point of extent
and splendour. There are very few buildings of this class
that distinctly announce themselves as such to the eyes,
except as far as their purpose is explained by a mere in
scription, else by statues or other sculptures allusive of the

THEATRES. 291
drama. That they are public buildings may be guessed by
their size ; further than that there is seldom any of that
character which would at once denote what they really are.
Whatever else may be objected to, this is not the case with
the one at Mentz, since the architect has made it describe
itself very intelligibly by showing the form of the specta
tory in the principal front, where, with its corridor, it ad
vances in a semicircle of 130 feet in diameter. Like the
theatres at St. Petersburgh, Moscow, Berlin, and Hamburgh,
the building is insulated, and its extreme length, or rather
depth, including the parts projecting beyond the rest of
the plan, is about 190 feet (or somewhat less, according to
English measure), exclusive of the semicircle, which is
about 230 by 130 feet, the semicircle being on one of the
longer fronts. The spectatory forms a perfect circle, into
which project two tiers of boxes, the lowermost of which
is advanced beyond the other ; but as they have no pillars
of any kind, nor are divided off into separate boxes, they
assume the character of what in any other place would be
called galleries. The wall behind these seats serves as a
stylobate to a Corinthian colonnade of some magnitude,
behind which are upper galleries. This order is continued
quite up to the proscenium, but is open only the extent of
the semicircle, the remaining intercolumns on each side
being closed, and filled up with niches and panels. The
style of decoration is tasteful and rich, and at the same
time in accordance with architectural character : the most
objectionable circumstance — and indeed it amounts quite
to a blemish — is that the columns of the proscenium are
not carried down to the stage, but are raised on a lofty
stylobate on the same level as the top of the breast or
podium of the first tier of boxes, while their capitals come
on the same level as the boxes of the columns form-
u 2

292 EDIFICES OF LONDON.
ing the upper colonnade. The house is said to be ex
ceedingly Avell contrived for sound, notwithstanding that
the colonnade around the upper boxes forms a very deep
recess ; which is, uo doubt, to be ascribed to the boxes
being merely projecting galleries, consequently not forming
recesses on a line Avith the stage, and also to the concavity
of the ceiling being in the form, not of a dome, but a flat-
tish cone.
It is rather singular that this theatre should be planned
contrary to the principles laid doAvn by Wetter, in his
" Untersuchungen iiber die Wichtigsten Gegenstande der
Theaterbaukunst," published at Mentz in 1829, the same
year in Avhich Moller's building was began. That writer
condemns not only every variety of the horse-shoe and
ellipsis as unsuitable, but asserts that the circle — i.e. apian
whose curve comprises three-fourths or any other portion
of a circle greater than the half — is the most disadvanta
geous of any. But then he presumes that the boxes are to
be continued quite up to the proscenium, a system Avhich
we ourselves are desirous of seeing broken through and
abandoned, as one that must inevitably be attended with
more or less inconvenience, even supposing the semicircle
to be extended by lines parallel to the axis of the theatre
and stage.
According to Wetter, it was Saunders' Avork that first
brought up Avhat he himself considers an unfortunate pre
judice, and a mere prejudice, in favour of the circle for the
general plan of a theatre. He moreover charges him Avith
being both incorrect and inconsistent in his theory. For
the same reasons he equally disapproves of that of Wein-
brenner, the architect of the Carlsruhe theatre,* whose Avork
* This architect died March 1st, 1826, in his sixtieth year, having
been born November 9, 1 766. He erected a very great number of build-

THEATRES. 293
Ueber TJieater in Architektonisher Hinsicht, displays, he
contends, a thorough ignorance of acoustics. He farther
says that Weinbrenner has merely adopted Saunders' no
tions, although he has endeavoured to give an air of origi
nality to his book, by pretending that his system was
altogether founded upon that adopted by the ancients ; and
by seeking to define the extent and proportions of the
spectatory by means of a certain number of squares, one of
which coincides with the opening of the stage : — a piece of
puerile pedantry, Wetter remarks, because plain common
sense, and the particular circumstances of his building, will
direct an architect infinitely better. Nay, not content with
such degree of methodical operation, Weinbrenner pushes his
theory still further, establishing it as a rule that the depth
ought to be regulated by the larger quadrate or square em
ployed to ascertain the extent of the boxes, with which mea
sure it ought to agree ! In short, Weinbrenner seems in this
instance to have taken up with a species of architectural
mysticism, apparently profound and ingenious, but in
reality only fantastic and chimerical.
Not very long after the appearance of Weinbrenner's
work, another on the same subject was published by Ober
ings, both public and private ; for besides the theatre, he built the follow
ing at Carlsruhe alone : — The Chancery, Synagogue, Infantry Barracks,
Catholic Church, Lutheran ditto, Cavalry Stables, the Etlinger Gate,
the Mulhburger ditto, the Museum, Town Hall, Mint, the Margrave s
Palace, General Beck's House, Staatrath's, Meyer's ditto, and many other
private houses. The theatre at Leipsig, the Conversationshaus, or Ridotto
at Baden, the church at Scherzheim, another at Langensteinbach, the
Riding-house at Heidelberg, General Miloradovitch's Seat in the Crimea,
were also designed by him. Nor are his publications much less numerous,
for they amount altogether to about twenty. The architects educated by
him, among whom were both Moller and Heger, amounted to many times
that number.

294 EDIFICES OF LONDON.
Hoftbauinspector Langhans, of Berlin (Ueber Theater, &c,
Berlin, 1810, 4to.), in Avhich he examines into the various
forms employed for theatres, and discusses the merits of
those recommended by Saunders and Weinbrenner. Al
though he admits that the circular form is somewhat ob-
jectionable in regard to sound, he considers it so decidedly
preferable to any other, in regard to seeing, and also for its
own intrinsic beauty, that he does not scruple to recom
mend it as the most eligible ; censuring Weinbrenner not
for having adopted that form, but for having carried his
boxes beyond the semicircle and up to the proscenium.
He is also of opinion that Avhere such form is adopted
mouldings and ornaments in relief Avould be found rather
advantageous than the contrary, as tending to prevent any
sensible degree of echo, or vibration of sound.
Mr. Wyatt, the architect of Drury Lane, is also strongly
of opinion that the circle — namely, a plan approaching
more or less to that figure — is the very best of any, not only
in regard to vision, but sound also. " Its advantages," he
says, " are so evident that they need not be detailed. The
theatre at Bordeaux is exactly of the form Avhich I have
chosen ; and that theatre is always quoted as one in which
the voice is better heard than in almost any theatre in the
Avorld." He also mentions the theatre at Parma, " which
is particularly celebrated both for sound and vision," as
being remarkable for having a space of 40 feet between the
termination of the spectatory and the opening of the stage,
in order that the nearest spectators may command a dis
tinct vieAv. And as the Avidth of the curtain or stage open
ing is 39 feet, the distance betAveen the nearest boxes and
stage may be considered precisely the same as the Avidth of
the latter, the difference between them being merely a foot.
No doubt this would be generally considered a very great

THEATRES. 295
sacrifice of space ; yet its advantages, except in a mere pe
cuniary point of vieAv, are so self-evident as not to require
to be insisted on.
As far as seeing alone is concerned, the defects or ad
vantages of a plan may be easily enough ascertained before
hand ; but the case is widely different in regard to hearing,
the science of acoustics being infinitely more difficult than
that of vision — for optics it cannot be called ; since what
can be seen by, or what Avill be concealed from, a station in
any part of the plan, will be apparent on merely drawing a
line ; whereas a plan is of no assistance to those who are not
acquainted with the theory of acoustics, which is not a little
abstruse in itself, and hardly to be depended upon for prac
tical purposes in architecture, except with very great lati
tude, and merely as far as certain general maxims may
be useful. Mr. Wilkins, indeed, gave it as his opinion in
his evidence before the Committee on Dramatic Literature,
that pure air is essential to distinct sound, and that so far
the ancient theatres, which were without roofs, or hypaeth-
ral, were decidedly better than ours ; and if so, it would
seem to follow that the larger and better ventilated a
theatre is, and the fewer it is made to accommodate in pro
portion to its actual extent, the more favourable will it be
for sound. He also stated it as his belief, that the perfect
conveyance of sound may be secured by scientific methods.
The evidence of Mr. Beazley, on the contrary, by no means
tended to corroborate such statement, he giving it as his
opinion that " in general the doctrines of acoustics are per
fectly inapplicable, and if you attempt to build a new
theatre upon those principles, the object may be defeated at
last. It Avas the case with the theatre at Lisbon, which
Avas considered the best in Europe, yet after a short time
they found that the sound was lost, Avhen it was discovered,

29(j EDIFICES OF LONDON.
that it was in consequence of certain passages having been
stopped up ; and when they re-opened them, the sound re
turned." One radical defect in all modern theatres — at the same
time one, which so far from being incurable, is perfectly a
matter of choice — arises from the practice of carrying the
side boxes quite up to the proscenium, or rather to the
stage ; because, wherever the boxes termiuate, there will the
walls of the proscenium commence, although the same may
not be the case with its floor, as the pit may be continued
much nearer to the stage than the boxes. Let the general
form of the theatre be ever so favourable in itself, so long
as this practice continues to be persisted in, those in the
side boxes, between the centre of the pit and stage, must
always be more or less disadvantageously placed with re
gard to the stage, and the inconvenience will be the greater
in proportion as they are raised above it ; for in the upper
tiers, even those in the front seats are obliged not only to
look obliquely, but also to look down ; the consequence is,
that in a moderately filled house, those seats are either quite
deserted, or occupied by disreputable visitors, who go for
something else than to see the performances. Upon this
and other defects the late Mr. Hope has animadverted very
justly, and no less strongly, in his essay on the Structure
of English Theatres, printed in Landseer's " Review of
Publications of Art." " Our playhouses," he says, " still
uniformly present a very elongated oval,* or rather a purse
like rotundity, whose curve, contracted at the opening of
the stage, swells as it recedes towards the opposite extre
mity. By this means the width of the scene is a great deal
too narrow for the diameter of the house ; and the place
# It should be stated that this was written in 1809.

THEATRES. 297
allotted for the performance, instead of solely and entirely
occupying the sight, only obtains, in the distracted eye, a
small portion of that space, the remainder of Avhich is filled
by the audience itself. I need hardly observe how irregu
lar, how lame, how distorted, this form is, considered in
itself, and abstracted even from all reference to the stage.
It presents every one of its divisions in an oblique, a fore
shortened, and a different point of view ; it allows none of
its parts to meet the eye, regularly and fully ; but it is,
above all, most defective with relation to the scene. It
throws most of the spectators at a considerable distance from
the stage; makes half the boxes exclude from the other
half a view of the performance ; and of those comparatively
few spectators whom it allows to obtain a sight of the
scenery at all, it only permits the greatest proportion to be
hold it in a lateral and oblique direction, by distorting their
spines and dislocating their necks." After making columns
to support the boxes, and to prevent their presenting
" the equally terrific and mean appearance of so many
huge shelves stowed full of human bodies" a sine qua non,
he proceeds to consider the proscenium, observing : — " If
the feAv entirely motionless and entirely imitative objects,
that compose a design on canvass, still require the assistance
of a frame, to prevent their being confounded with the sur
rounding realities, how much more must the numerous,
partly motionless and partly moving objects, partly imitative
and partly realities, which together form the vast and intricate
picture on the stage, require the relief and setting-off which
they may derive from such an enclosure." — " The Opera
House," he afterwards continues, " whose architecture
ought to have been more pointedly than that of any other
theatre, designed with a vieAV to impress and to court the
sight, because many of its exhibitions profess no higher

298 EDIFICES OF LONDON.
aim than the gratification of the eye, so far from offering
the substance, does not even present the shadow of that
essential part of theatrical architecture, the proscenium.
Avarice has, by repeated encroachments, made the boxes
protrude to such a preposterous degree beyond the opening
of the stage, as almost to drive away the scenery from the
boards, and to cause a very considerable portion of the spec
tators themselves to form the background to the actors."
The absurdity of such an arrangement is so very self-
evident, both as destroying scenic illusion to the spectators
generally, and as placing a considerable number of the
audience where they cannot possibly be spectators, that
preposterous as it is, there is no hope of seeing it abandoned
for one more reconcileable with common sense, it being
equally self-evident that common sense is not permitted to
have any voice in the matter, or the error would never have
been permitted at all. Conjecturing a priori, it might be
expected that whatever might be the case with other
theatres, the utmost architectural display Avould be studied
in the Opera House, and that such amplitude would be
given to the proscenium as to produce a striking air of
grandeur and spaciousness ; instead of which, it is in every
respect the most paltry fitted up place of the kind in the
whole metropolis. Its only merit is that of being the
largest, at the same time it exhibits such penurious econo
my in the appropriation of every square inch of its area,
that many a theatre in a country barn is princely in com
parison with it. Indeed the class of theatres just men
tioned are in one respect models for their betters, because
in them there are no boxes at all at the sides, but all the
seats, by Avhatever name distinguished, are placed directly
fronting the stage.
While it afforded no scope for architectural design in its

THEATRES. 299
general plan, an ancient theatre utterly excluded all deco
ration save that belonging to the proscenium itself. Here
again, therefore, the architect is left to his own resources,
unfettered by precedents derived from antiquity ; and not
withstanding that it presents some difficulties, especially as
regards the columns supporting the boxes, which must not
only be slender and short, but placed so far apart as to pro
duce oblong divisions, whose width exceeds their height,
it must be confessed that the interior of a theatre allows
free scope for decoration ; and when we take into consider
ation the circumstance just alluded to, it becomes a question
whether some varieties of the Gothic* or Moorish styles,
in both of which very slender columns may be appropriately
introduced, would not afford better models than ancient
architecture, were it only for the sake of occasional variety.
Hardly can it be objected to them that they are deficient
in fancy or variety ; neither can it be urged that they would
be too expensive, as requiring a profusion of elaborate
detail, because all of it must necessarily be executed by the
pencil alone. The Moorish style recommends itself more
especially by the splendid colouring, and rich inlay work,
of which it affords specimens ; not that gaiety and variety
of colouring may not be indulged in, even in the Greek style.
So very far from its excluding that species of embellish
ment, it has lately become known to us that variety of
colouring, and even of the most brilliant and strongly con
trasted hues, was deemed essential to the architectural
finish of their buildings by the Greeks themselves. Such
application of colouring, or, as it is termed, oipolychromy,
has never yet been ventured upon by ourselves, although
the Ionic monopteral temple, erected by Klenze in the Eng-
* This style has been adopted by Ottmer, in the new theatre in the
Duke of Brunswick's Palace at Wolfenbuttel.

300 EDIFICES OF LONDON.
lish garden, at Munich, exhibits a modern, and it is said,
a highly successful specimen of it. Yet whatever doubts
may be entertained of its propriety or suitableness for the
exterior of buildings, more especially for any in this
climate, there can be none as to its eligibuity for the decora
tion of a theatre. Surely a proscenium displaying both
Grecian architecture and polychromy — especially Avere the
drop-scene made to continue the design of the proscenium
itself — would produce an effect far more novel and striking
than has been hitherto produced by any thing of the same
kind; and would be desirable, if only as an experiment,
of such style of embellishment.
Having thus far adverted to the leading particulars
belonging to the body of the house, or spectatory of a
theatre, we may, before concluding, here throw out a
suggestion, which although not at all likely to be acted
upon, will at least serve to obviate, in some degree, an ob
jection Ave foresee will be made to the system advocated in
these pages. It will no doubt be urged against it, that
whatever recommendations it may possess in itself, it is
almost next to impracticable, because, were the proscenium
to be so extended and so many side boxes suppressed in
consequence, either the whole area must be greatly en
larged, or the receipts of the house greatly diminished —
perhaps at least one-fourth. Granted: yet, although in
order to afford room to the same number of spectators the
area before the curtain must be considerably enlarged, it
does not follow that such enlargement would be attended
with the inconvenience now experienced in the largest
theatres, where a great portion of the audience are placed
where they can hardly see anything of the performance,
OAving not to their distance from the stage, but their un
favourable position in regard to it. Still less does it folloAV

THEATRES. 301
that such enlargement would call for structures at all ex
ceeding the limits of those we now have, or more costly
in their first erection. This will be tolerably obvious to
almost every one on inspecting the plan of any theatre,
Avhen he considers how much space is given up to other
purposes than the mere accommodation of the audience, and
not only that, but what expense is frequently incurred in
decorating the space so lavishly appropriated. It has been
stated that the staircase alone at Drury Lane cost £50,000.
This may be an exaggeration ; but there can be no doubt
that a very considerable proportion of the cost of a theatre
goes to providing and fitting up some parts, indispensably
necessary in themselves, yet that would bear to be abridged ;
others altogether superfluous, and even Avorse — positive
nuisances. To the latter belong Avhat are technically
termed saloons,* whose thresholds, as they are at present
* " The necessity of saloons," says Mr. Wightwick, in his Remarks
on Theatres (Arnold's Magazine of Fine Arts), " or anything more than
handsome approaches to the several divisions of the theatre, must not be
admitted by any one who advocates the drama as a rational and moral
means of entertainment." In fact, these highly disreputable appendages
to our theatres are provided expressly, though not avowedly, for the accom
modation of most disreputable visitors. Consequently they invite the very
class of persons whom it is desirable should be kept away ; while it is a
most flimsy excuse to pretend that were there no such places allotted,
the Babylonians, as Byron phrases it, would mix with the company in the
boxes ; that one person's money is as good as another ; and that it would
be impossible to place either a cordon sanitaire, or a system of passports,
at the doors. No doubt those who pay have a right to enter and see the
performance, but then they would be compelled to behave decently, or else
submit to be turned out sans ceremonie, even though they should happen to
be " grander than duchesses, and finer than peacocks." In short, they
would find themselves in " the wrong box," and that a playhouse was no
place for them as professionalists in their vocation.

302 EDIFICES OF LONDON.
constituted, cannot be passed by any woman who makes the
slightest pretension to decency. No doubt they are found
to answer Avell enough in bringing custom to the house,
since it is not to be imagined that theatres would willingly
incur the infamy of providing such profligate accommoda
tion were there no gain attached to it. They stand ex
cused upon " the bawd's plea," and no other. Yet even
admitting for a moment that there is nothing whatever ob
jectionable in them on the score of morality — nay, that
people merely retire thither for the laudable purpose of
getting by heart the ethic lessons they have just derived from
the stage — they would nevertheless be nuisances, if only
because they tend to occasion interruption to those who
really go to see the performance ; for instead of remaining
stationary when once seated, a great number of persons are
passing and repassing to and from the boxes, opening and
slamming doors, and clattering about. Why saloons should
be a more indispensable appendage to a theatre than to a
concert room, it is not easy to say ; neither is it easy to
judge with what reasonableness they are privileged to
escape the virtuous indignation of that same most virtuous
play-going public, which was so scandalized at the impro
priety of ante-rooms to private boxes when the present
Covent Garden Theatre was first opened ! — unless it be that
the suspicion of vice is even worse than the notoriousness
of it. However, the morality of the playhouse, Avhich is
quite independent of that of the drama itself, is a question
Ave leave to be discussed and inquired into by others, it
being quite enough for the purpose of this work to point
out where retrenchment might be made, and space thereby
gained, so as to enlarge the audience part of the house,
Avithout requiring buildings at all larger, perhaps not even
so large, as our present theatres.

THEATRES. 303
Those who desire further information on the subject of
theatres, are referred to Piermarini's designs of that of La
Scala ; Louis Salle de Spectacle de Bordeaux ; and to the
treatises of Morelli, Beccega, Landriani, Appuzzo, Wyatt,
Weinbrenner, Wetter, and other recent writers, including
the designs for similar edifices to be met with among those
of Schinkel, Moller, and Ottmer.
Here we might lay down the pen, yet would first say a
few words regarding the stage itself, which, notwithstand
ing the great perfection to which both scenery and me
chanism have been brought, appears to be susceptible of
further improvement. In pieces of spectacle, where the
utmost extent of the stage is frequently required, the nu
merous wings generally operate very unfavourably, even
Avhen beheld from the most advantageous point of view,
while to a great portion of those who are seated on the sides
of the house they are all that are visible, owing to the flat
or scene itself being so very far back, and the stage becom
ing narrower as it recedes from the curtain. This gradual
narrowing of the stage inwards has been thought to con
duce to perspective effect ; but it is frequently at the ex
pense of verisimilitude, because such forced perspective
uniformly produces an avenue-like vista, which, though it
may occasionally be appropriate enough, is very frequently
quite the reverse. Another inconvenience resulting from
the constant monotonous range of trees on each side, is
that the scene itself looks confined and insignificant, in
comparison with the side screens ; so that the grandeur and
effect sought by giving the utmost extent of stage, are at
least, as far as scenery goes — especially when it represents
external prospect — almost neutralized. This defect might
be to a very great extent obviated, by reversing, whenever
the subject of the scene should require it, the obliquity of

304 EDIFICES OF LONDON.
the wings ; that is, instead of bringing each one more
forward than that next before it, to draAv it further back, so
as to make the stage gradually grow wider, and expand
inwards ; which it might do in such a manner that a person
on the hinder seat of the centre box should see only the
first wing on each side, and the back scene. Yet although
such mode would be practicable enough in itself, there are
many objections that militate against its adoption, even did
it not require much greater space than is now provided on
the stages of any of our actual theatres : for it would be
requisite that the scenes employed on such occasions should
be double their present width, consequently attended with
great increase of expense, and great difficulty in shifting
them ; besides which, owing to the wings being so far off, it
would be no easy matter to throw sufficient light on the centre
of the back scene. Nevertheless, the mode here suggested
might in some degree be folloAved and kept in view, were
it only to the extent of making the back scene (supposing
it landscape) a few feet wider than the opening of the cur
tain, instead of at all narrower; the object being not to dis
play the side scenes, as is now done, but the principal one,
as the others are, in fact, no better than make-shifts ; and,
therefore, the less conspicuous and obtrusive they can be
rendered, the better for the general effect.
Our final remark, is to express our regret that after
having served a temporary purpose, even the very best and
most striking scenery is suffered to disappear entirely with
out any record of it being preserved — in this country at
least ; although many productions of the kind are far more
worthy of being perpetuated by some transcript of them,
than a great number of things Avhich do obtain that disr
tinction. EDITOR,

EDIFICIES OF LONDON— THEATRES

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THE ITALIAN OPERA HOUSE.

The first Opera House in England was built on the
site of the present edifice, by Sir J. Vanbrugh, in 1704,
and opened to the public in the April of the following
year, under the name of the Queen's Theatre. Musical
pieces in English, with the occasional introduction of some
Italian singers and the regular drama, became the usual
entertainments ; and in this way, chiefly under the manage
ment of Sir John and Congreve, the speculation proceeded
heavily, and with precarious success; nor was it until
the year 1720, that the Opera assumed the promise of form
and stability ; at which time his majesty George I. coun
tenanced the subscription of ;£50,000 by a liberal con
tribution, which cheering example was followed by the
court. As the science of music became better understood, it
was the more admired and proportionately encouraged ;
and as the jealousies and opposition made by conflicting
interests subsided, the Italian Opera became established
in England, and the edifice itself profited by its success.
From this time the theatre submitted to various and
repeated changes, under the direction of its architects, as
improved knowledge, or the preponderance of fashion,
made it needful or politic to venture upon them, until
the whole was re-arranged by Robert Adam, the architect :
the changes were not, however, the most judicious, and
VOL. i. x

306 EDIFICES OF LONDON.
the house again underwent considerable alteration by M.
Novosielski, whose qualifications were considered to be
ample from his intimate acquaintance with the economy
of the stage.
In the year 1789, the edifice was accidentally burnt to the
ground, and in the following year the foundations were
laid for a neAV building, from designs also by M. Novo
sielski, who, taking advantage of the space now cleared
for his exertions, increased the area of the house, which
heretofore had been too narroAV and incommodious, and
adopted for its internal shape the horse-shoe form, at that
time a novelty in British theatres, but practised by the
Italians in their edifices.
Since that time the changes in the interior have not
been considerable, and the plan represents the body of the
house very nearly as left by M. Novosielski. He obtained
some approbation in building this theatre, from the cir
cumstance of its form and suitableness to the conveyance
of sound ; but was censured for advancing the stage so
far into the arena, or pit, by which several of the boxes
are thrown into the rear of the spot usually occupied by
the chief performers. Certainly much of the praise was
intimately dependant on the very cause by which the
censure was incurred : in fact, the building is so deep that
it was found necessary to sacrifice a part, to benefit the
more valuable and available portion of the house.
So much as belongs to the internal of the theatre and
its enclosing walls, as before stated, was erected by M.
Novosielski ; — not so the outside : that is almost altogether
a late erection, for his design was never carried into full
effect ; and fortunately so perhaps, for the portion that was
erected failed of producing an appearance commensurate
Avith its intention and its cost. But it must be understood

THE. ITALIAN OPERA HOUSE. 307
that the Opera House was enveloped with other buildings,
and that a limited facade only appeared towards the Hay-
inarket, and over which alone the architect then had control.
His design was in the Italian style of architecture, consist
ing of a basement, the proportions of which are yet pre
served, and a superstructure of the Roman Doric order,
finished with a balustrade. As the order was very deficient
in height, the parts were small and ineffective ; and after
the lapse of some years, the proprietors adopted an entirely
neAV design, except as related to the rustic basement, which
underwent no change. This alteration was also begun,
but soon arrested in its progress, and portions of both
continued until lately to disgrace the establishment and the
country. In making the vast improvements in 1820, under the
control of the New Street Commissioners, and according
to designs and arrangements made by Mr. Nash, the
external of the Opera House underwent a very important
change. By continuing Charles Street across Regent Street into
the Haymarket, a spot before occupied by old dwelling-
houses, it afforded the opportunity of treating the whole
mass, insulated by that circumstance, as one entire build
ing ; accordingly the plan was so arranged and executed,
as shown in the annexed engravings.
In viewing these edifices, therefore, it should be re
membered that the design embraces the double object of
making an imposing whole, and of accommodating a large
portion of it to street and private dwellings ; for without
this arrangement the Opera House would yet have ex
hibited an abridged elevation toward the Haymarket only,
unaided by its contiguous buildings, whereas it now ap
pears to occupy the entire area, surrounded by the Hay-
x 2

308 EDIFICES OF LONDON.
market, Pall Mall, Charles Street, and the western
arcade. This necessarily prevented the introduction of larger and
more imposing features in the architectural decoration :
the object of seeming unity has therefore been obtained
by arcades and colonnades, which are made to surround the
whole. By these means the spectator is scarcely permitted
to doubt the singleness of its appropriation, beyond the
disposal of some spare rooms beneath, for the accommo
dation of respectable trades.
As at this spot the Haymarket declivity forms a slope
nearly six feet high on the base line of the building, it
presented a difficulty to the architects, which they have
ingeniously overcome by employing arcades at the ex
tremes of the centre building, which admit an easy altera
tion in their proportions, and the opportunity of breaking
the level of the cornices.
The Roman Doric order was adopted by Messrs. Nash and
G. Repton as the architectural embellishment of the build
ing, and the columns are executed in cast iron, each being
the result of a single casting. The entablature is of Bath
stone, and the body of the building of brick, covered with
Roman cement stucco.
The basso-relievo of the centre, executed by Mr. Bubb,
is of lithargolite, or artificial stone, and represents the
progress of music, from the earliest attention to sound,
through the stages of examination and improvement, to
its ultimate perfection in the present day. Into the groups,
dancing is interwoven, as associated with its advancement
from the rudest ages to the extraordinary accomplishments
of the ballet. Apollo and the Muses occupy the middle
of the subject.
The ground landlord of the Opera House, at the time

THE ITALIAN OPERA HOUSE. 309
of the improvements, was the late Thomas Holloway, Esq.,
of Chancery Lane ; and upon his renewing with the com
missioners of the crown property, they granted him the
additional proprietory of the ground towards Pall Mall,
Charles Street, and Market Lane, then a dirty avenue, but
now the Arcade. This was granted by the commissioners,
on the express condition, that the building should be
finished so as to form an imposing feature in the metro
polis ; and that the public should be accommodated to the
utmost extent in the new arrangements, and should be
convenienced by a covered way round the Avhole building.
To effect all these improvements, Mr. Holloway employed
the united talents of Mr. Nash and Mr. G. Repton, the
architects, whose professional practice was at that time
occasionally united.
The plate which exhibits the east front of the theatre
also represents its plan, shows the portions of ground
occupied by private dwellings, and contains an index
explanatory of the apartments on the level of the principal
floor. The body of the theatre is fitted up with six tiers
of boxes, that gradually recede from each other to admit
a free progress to sound. The whole theatre is lined with
thin wood, as being best suited to conducting of sound,
and the lengths of the pieces are preserved as long as
possible : indeed, at the time of its erection, those points
were particularly attended to, and many experiments were
made at various times, at, and soon after the last erection
by Novosielski, in attempts to improve the house for that
purpose ; and particularly in the orchestra, the whole floor
of which was at one time suspended entirely by strong
framings prepared on purpose at the sides ; in the expecta
tion that the effects of its freedom might add to the power
or melody of the instrumental assemblage. That it did

310 EDIFICES OF LONDON.
not succeed may be inferred from its abandonment; but
these experiments, and the suitableness of the house for
the conveyance of sound, have afforded useful practical
hints for the fitting up of later theatres, and advancing
the knowledge of a science now more generally under
stood. Great care was taken to avoid projections on the sur
face of the ceiling, as on every other part, and they were
consequently decorated entirely by paintings in distemper.
The Concert Room is situated on a level with the
principal boxes, and communicates with the corridor
around them : it is fitted up with great attention to its
object, both as a concert room, and as an occasional acces
sary to the theatre.
The principal entrances are beneath the colonnade in
the east front, and the chair entrance, formerly so called,
beneath the westward arcade ; but the corridors, halls, and
staircases, have undergone considerable alterations since
the erection of the building. The staircase to the gallery
was then circular on the plan, and consisted of double
spiral flights of steps, one of which conducted to the lower
most part of the gallery, and the other to the top of it;
so that of tAvo persons separating, and mounting the
different staircases, one would find himself near the front
seats, whilst the other, having many more steps to ascend,
would arrive quite at the rear of the gallery. This was
attended with great inconvenience, in consequence of the
preference soon given to the shorter flight, and by which
that approach to the gallery became croAvded, and the
access at the entrance of it obstructed by the persons who
had taken seats.
The roof over the pit is constructed on very simple
principles, and contains spacious rooms for painting the

THE ITALIAN OPERA HOUSE. Sll
scenery ; and there exists a space between them and the
boarded ceiling, that is considered highly beneficial to both
the vocal and instrumental performances of the theatre.
The scarfing of the tie-beams, and the insertion of the
braces to the king-posts over the stage, are represented at
an increased scale.
J. B. PAPWORTH.

COVENT GARDEN THEATRE.

In 1730, on the site of the present house (the ground
being taken of the Duke of Bedford at a rent of £100
per annum), was built, and in 1733 opened (by John Rich),
the first theatre erected in Covent Garden; which held,
before the curtain,* about £200 ; the longitudinal diameter
of the auditory part, from the commencement of the stage
to the back wall of the boxes, being 54 or 55 feet. The
above receipt was thought very considerable in 1750 ; but
to augment it, the custom was to build numerous seats
upon the stage, Avhere a veiy large body of auditors was
accommodated ! !
In 1767, Messrs. Colman, Harris, Powel, and Ruther
ford, purchased the theatre of Rich's heirs (for the sum of
£60,000) ; each had a quarter-share, but the management
was confided to Colman : and, about seven years after,
Colman sold his quarter to his copartners jointly, and the
management devolved upon Mr. Harris ; who even
tually purchased Leake and Degge's shares, and became
thereby the principal proprietor — PoAvel alone retaining
a share. In 1792, the theatre Avas partly rebuilt, from a design
* In Shakspeare's time .£20 was a good receipt. In 1747, says Cibber,
in his Apology, Mrs. Rich said she was always contented if the receipt
reached three figures.

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COVENT GARDEN THEATRE. 313
of Mr. Holland, the architect ; tOAvards the expense of
which proceeding the late Duke of Bedford lent the pro
prietors £15,000, granted them a new lease, and raised the
ground-rent to £940 per annum: — at present, 1824, it is
above £2,000. At the opening of the new theatre, the
price of admission to the boxes was raised from five shil
lings to six shillings.
About 1803, Mr. John Kemble purchased of Mr. Harris
a sixth share of the whole property, for the sum, as reported,
of £22,000. He was soon constituted stage-manager, in
stead of Mr. Lewis, the celebrated comedian ; who had
filled that post for several years, with great credit to himself
and advantage to the concern.
In the night of September 20, 1808, the theatre was
burnt to the ground. The play of Pizarro had been per
formed, and it was conjectured that the calamity originated
from the ignited wadding of the guns, used in the piece,
lodging in some inflammable part of the decorations of the
stage. The company, during the remainder of the season,
performed at the Opera House. The proprietors, embaiv
rassed but not discouraged by so heavy a misfortune, used
such energy and perseverance, that a new theatre (from a
design by Mr. R. Smirke, architect) was erected and
opened within a year.
On December 31, 1808, His Royal Highness the Prince
of Wales honoured the proprietors by laying the first stone
of the new edifice : and such was the indefatigable atten
tion of the architect, and the exertion of the builder, that
the new theatre was opened on the 18th of September,
1809, with the tragedy of Macbeth.
The proprietors, in order the more speedily to cover
their loss, had appropriated a larger portion of the audi
tory than had been customary, to the purpose of private

314 EDIFICES OF LONDON.
boxes ;* and had increased the prices of admission to the
boxes and pit, the former to seven shillings, the latter to
four shillings. These circumstances, which were consi
dered as an attempt at imposition, excited so strong a spirit
of indignation in the public mind, that the consequence
was a systematically conducted riot, which, commencing
on the first night, continued with unabated violence for
about two months ; during which time the proprietors were
playing under the oppression of a very serious loss .
The Temple of Minerva, in the Acropolis at Athens,
suggested the design for the portico of this edifice, — the
order of Avhich is pure Grecian Doric. The principal front,
in Bow Street, measures 220 feet from one extremity to
the other ; the Hart Street front and its parallel (which
is approached by piazzas from Boav Street and Covent
Garden), are in extent 178 feet, or nearly so. The Bow
Street front presents a magnificent portico, with four
columns of the Doric order very large, fluted, and without
bases ; supporting a pediment, and elevated upon a flight
of steps. The Avhole front is enclosed by iron rail- work ;
and the upper part is decorated by basso-relievo represen
tations of the drama, ancient and modern, which are
sculptured in long panels, separated by the portico. On
that side nearest to Hart Street, in the centre of the sculp
ture, sit three Greek Poets — namely, ^Eschylus, the father
of tragedy, his face towards the Hart Street corner ; and
Aristophanes and Menander, the fathers of ancient and

* These boxes were sumptuously fitted up, with elegant rooms behind
them ; and the popular notion was, that they were designed to favour
secret assignations ; and, during the disturbances subsequently described,
no female could appear in any one of them without being subjected to
the grossest insult from the pit and galleries.

COVENT GARDEN THEATRE. 315
modern comedy : the tAvo latter face the portico ; and
Thalia, Avith the crook and mask, is inviting them to
imitate her sprightly example. Polyhymnia and Euterpe,
with the greater and lesser lyres; Clio, with the longer
pipe ; and Terpsichore, indicative of action or mime, fol
lowing her. Three nymphs, crowned with fir pine, suc
ceed, attending Pegasus. Minerva is placed opposite to
iEschylus, who appears attending to her dictates ; and
between them, leaning on his fawn, is Bacchus, typical
of tragedy having been invented in honour of " the wine-
giver." Behind Minerva is Melpomene, with a sword and
mask : two Furies succeed, pursuing Orestes ; the latter
imploring the aid of Apollo, who appears in his chariot.
In the centre, on the other side of the portico, sits our im
mortal bard, the emblems of dramatic poetry lying around
him. He is summoning, with his right hand, Caliban,
laden with wood ; Ferdinand, sheathing his sword ; and
Miranda, with Prospero, whom she is entreating : Ariel is
above, seunding enticing airs on his pipe : their backs are
towards Shakspeare. This side of the group is filled up
by Hecate, in her car, drawn by oxen (at the extreme) ;
Lady Macbeth, with the daggers ; and Macbeth, turning
with horror from the dead body of Duncan. The space
from Shakspeare to the portico is occupied as follows : —
Milton seated is contemplating Urania, who surmounts,
but faces him; and Samson Agonistes is chained at his feet.
Behind them are the two brothers, driving Comus and
three bacchanals before them, the enchanted sister being
seated : the sculpture is terminated by two tigers, emble
matical of the brutal transformation of the devotees of
sensuality. The figures of Tragedy and Comedy, in
niches, occupy, the former the south, and the latter the
north, extremity of the building. Comedy has a crook on

316 EDIFICES OF LONDON.
her right shoulder, the mask in her left hand ; and Tragedy
exhibits the mask and a dagger.
The grand entrance to the boxes is under the portico
in Bow Street ; and laterally with it, towards Hart Street,
is the entrance appropriated to the private boxes.
The grand entrance opens to the vestibule, where, at
the right extremity, a large stove is placed ; and two boxes
for money-takers, and another Avhere free admissions of all
kinds are registered, present themselves, immediately upon
passing through the folding-doors from the portico. Near
each money-taker's box is a Grecian lamp, elevated upon a
column of porphyry. The grand staircase is to the left,
central in the hall; divided longitudinally, by two rows
of large Ionic columns, in porphyry, with a superb Grecian
lamp suspended between each. This staircase leads to the
ante-room, which is ornamented by pilasters of porphyry,
and contains a large statue of Shakspeare, executed by
Rossi, in yelloAv marble. To the right, from hence, are the
folding-doors that lead to the auditory, and to the princi
pal saloon, which is supported by pilasters in porphyry,
and contains several plaster statues upon pedestals. The
extremity to the right leads to a confectionary, where re
freshments are supplied to the company; and there is a
place provided for the same purpose at the opposite ex
tremity. On the entrance side of the saloon is a large
staircase leading to it, right and left, from the first circle of
the boxes. This room is superbly lighted, and provided
with crimson seats. There is, also, another saloon in a
higher story, which was originally appropriated to the
private boxes. It is supported by four massive columns of
porphyry, with a recess at each end, in which are stoves ;
and over the mantlepieces are semicircular looking-glasses :
refreshments are provided here also. The sides of this

COVENT GARDEN THEATRE. 317
saloon are occupied by crimson seats, and statues of hea
then deities on pedestals, alternately placed. There is
another entrance to the boxes from Covent Garden, which
is handsome, but not so elegant as that from Bow Street ;
it has two flights of stairs. The entrances to the pit and
galleries are from Covent Garden, and on that side of the
theatre which angles (in Boav Street) with the grand front.
The Hart Street front contains the entrance to the stage
(or stage door), which opens to a large and convenient
porter's hall On the right is an ante, or waiting-room.
To the left is the door leading, on the right, to the cellar
(or all that part of a theatre under the stage, where traps,
and rising machinery, &c, are worked), and on the left
to a stone staircase, with iron balustrades, leading up to
the stage, and the rooms appropriated to the principals of
the different departments in the theatre, as well as to the
painting room. At the extremity of this part of the front,
and laterally, is the royal entrance, which is a square
called Prince's Place, three sides of which are formed by
the walls of different parts of the premises, and the front by
lofty iron rails and gates, through which the royal car
riage proceeds to the entrance door on the left, whenever
majesty honours the theatre with its presence. Adjoining
to the gates, and terminating the Hart Street front, is a
handsome building containing the box-office, the house
keeper's residence, and other private apartments connected
with the theatre.
The form of the auditory is compounded of a semicircle,
protracted by its extremities being continued sloping inwards
towards the stage. The width, at the extremities, is 51 feet
2 inches ; and the depth, from the front lights to the front of
the boxes, 52 feet 9 inches. There are three tiers of boxes,
each containing twenty-six, including those in the pro-

318 EDIFICES OF LONDON.
scenium ; and there are seven boxes on each side above
them, and parallel Avith the lower gallery.. The number
of private boxes are twenty -six, situated as follows : — three
on each side in the proscenium; one on each side even
with the orchestra ; five on each side of the first circle ; and
four on each side of the second circle ; amounting to thir
teen on each side. Over the boxes in the proscenium, on
each side, is a semicircular appearance of a box, with a
crimson enclosure. To the principal private boxes are
attached private rooms, with fire-places. The width of ther
lower gallery is 55 feet, the depth 40. The width of the
upper gallery is 55 feet, the depth 25.
The appearance of the house is very imposing ; the
colour is a subdued yellow, relieved by white, and superbly
enriched with gilding.* Around the dress circle are
wreaths enclosing the rose of England, in burnished gold ;
the first circle displays the thistle of Scotland, and the
second circle the shamrock of Ireland; and these three
emblems are alternately placed, with fancy deviees, in rich
borderings, &c, in every part of the auditory ; which, from
the reflection of the lights, gratifies the prevalent taste for
splendour with one blaze of refulgence. The back and
sides of the pit are decorated by the representation of dark
crimson drapery, as are the interiors of all the boxes;
which produces a very effective contrast to the brilliancy
of the front. The boxes are supported by small iron co
lumns, fluted, and gilt. The ceiling, over Avhat is called
the slip boxes, exhibits panels of blue, relieved by white,
and enriched with gold. The middle part of the ceiling is

* This description applies to the house as at first decorated ; for the
details have since undergone some change whenever the theatre has been
repainted and embellished afresh.

C0\TENT GARDEN THEATRE. 319
circular; in the centre of which, from a richly-gilded glory
surrounding a circle of golden lyres, &c, is suspended a
chandelier of glass, of the most superb description, illu
mined by two circles of gas lights ; the remainder of the
ceiling is a light blue sky, relieved by delicate white clouding.
The cove of the proscenium, in the segment of a circle, con
tains the moiety of a rich gilded glory, and sky to match the
ceiling, surrounded by a bordering of gold ; in which, as
well as round the ceiling, either fancy flowers are intro
duced, or representations of those national emblems, the
rose, &c. The proscenium is supported by four pilasters,
painted to imitate Sienna marble. Stage doors are wholly
dispensed with. The top of the proscenium, from whence
the curtain descends, is an arch of about 38 feet wide and
3 feet deep ; surmounting a superb drapery border of crim
son, white, and gold, elegantly disposed upon a transverse
bar of gold, terminating on each side with a lion's head ;
in the centre of this drapery are the royal arms. For the
green curtain is substituted a drop, representing a luxuriant
profusion of drapery ; crimson, white, and gold (to match
the borders), drawn up by cords and tassels, and disclos
ing part of the interior of a palace, supported by numerous
Ionic columns; which has a most imposing appearance.
There are also pilasters, imitative of Sienna marble, which
slide backward and forward, in order to widen or contract
the stage. FT. IN.
The width of the proscenium in front is  42 6
Width at pilasters  38 8
Height to the centre of the arch  36 9
Ditto, at spring of arch  33 3
Depth of stage, from the front lights to the sliding pilasters 12 3
The number of cut-glass chandeliers, Avhich are hung

320 EDIFICES OF LONDON.
round the auditory, is fourteen; with three gas lights in each.
The royal box is always fitted up on the left of the au
dience, in the dress circle, and occupies the extent of three
or four of the boxes.
The public, or open boxes, will contain about  1,200 persons.
The pit  750 —
Second gallery  ,  500 —
First gallery  350 —
2,800 —
exclusive of standing-room, Sac. The private boxes are
let, some by the year, some nightly.
The stage is large and commodious. On the right of
the auditory, or left of the stage, are the passages which
lead to the superior and inferior green-rooms ; the former
of which is handsomely fitted up ; at one end is a stove,
and opposite to it a large looking-glass for the performers
to adjust their dresses by, previously to going on the stage.
The seats for the performers are covered with crimson, and
the windows are decorated by crimson curtains ; the room is
handsomely carpeted, and there is a large chimney-glass
over the stove, with a portrait of the late T. Harris, Esq.,
so many years proprietor of the theatre. Performers re
ceiving under a certain salary are not allowed to enter this
room but on particular occasions. The inferior green-room
is up a flight of stairs, and is neatly fitted up ; and here is a
piano-forte for the singers to try their songs, and for the
choristers to learn their music. Beyond the best green
room is the manager's room, and the passage leads on to
the coffee-room, property room, and others appropriated to
the business of the theatre. The scene-rooms, carpenter's
shop, &c, are in this part of the building. The stage is
principally lighted by gas.

21 0

COVENT GARDEN THEATRE. 321
FT. IN.
The stage measures from the front lights to the back wall 68 6
Width from wall to wall  82 0
The height of the flat (or flat scene), which stands^
transversely on the stage  *
Width of ditto (14 feet each half)  28 0
Height of wings, or side scenes  21 0
Width, about  4 0
The flies, or that part of the theatre surmounting the
stage, are in size corresponding with the rest of the theatre,
and consist of two stories. These are filled with the
machinery used in lowering the curtain, drops, wheels, bor
ders, clouds, &c, &c. ; and adjoining them is the painting-
room, which is furnished with sky-lights, and measures in
length seventy-two feet, and in width thirty-two feet.
REFERENCES TO THE PLATES.
The accompanying engravings will exemplify and ren
der familiar the preceding descriptive letter-press. By the
architect and builder these sections and plans will be in
stantly understood, as pointing out readily and clearly the
relative situations, forms, and arrangement, of the different
parts of this complex and extensive edifice. They also in
dicate the proportions and position of the walls, timbers,
and open spaces ; and thereby show how the Avhole is com
bined. Few buildings demand so much skill and science
in construction as theatres ; before the curtain they require
an ample open space for the auditory; great strength in
timbers and iron, for joists, beams, cantalivers, &c, with
apparent lightness and elegance in aspect. The floorings
must be solid and level, the ceiling strong, with the least
possible weight of material ; whilst the complicated nature
of the stage, flies, and various connected rooms, puts in
vol. r. Y

322 EDIFICES OF LONDON.
requisition all the art of the architect and skill of the car
penter. An examination of the annexed prints will verify
these remarks, and may induce the reader, who has never
had an opportunity of examining the whole interior of a
theatre, to analyze its component parts, and study its
anatomy. When we consider the extent of the edifice now
under notice — its complexity of parts — its strength and
solidity — with its numerous subdivisions — we cannot but
feel some degree of astonishment and admiration at the
skill and labour that jointly co-operated to complete the
whole in one year.
Plate I. — Plan of the theatre, showing the forms and
situations of the following apartments, &c. : — A, Hall, or
vestibule of approach to the boxes. B, Grand stairs of
ascent, with four columns on each side ; a view of which
staircase is given in Plate V. C, Ante-room to corridors,
D D D. At the angles of these are flights of stairs, E E,
to the upper tier of boxes. F, Staircase to boxes, from
the piazza side of the house. G, The Royal staircase.
H, The Royal saloon. J, The RoyaI*box. K, Store-room.
L L L L, Ladies' dressing-rooms. M, Committee-room.
N N, Scene-rooms. OOO, Actors dressing-rooms. P,
Manager's-room. Q Q, Green-rooms.
Plate II. — Transverse section of the theatre, on C, D,
in the ground plan. — a a a, Various subterraneous stables
and rooms; some of Avhich are arched with brick, and
others are covered with boarded floors. b, Portico in
Bow Street, c, Hall or vestibule, marked A in the plan.
d, Committee-room, e, Gentlemen's wardrobe, f, Dressing-
room, g, Orchestra, h, Private box. k, Royal box, and
ante-room to the same, m, Entrances to private boxes.
n, Passage, o, Ladies' Avardrobe. p, Carpenters' work
shop, in the roof, q, r, and s, Private boxes.

COVENT GARDEN THEATRE. 323
Plate III. — Longitudinal section, a to b, on the plan. —
a b, Scene-rooms, c, Painting-room, d, Stage, e, Mezza
nine floor, f, Cellars beneath the stage, g, Orchestra,
with open arch space beneath, at h, intended to increase
the sound of the band, j j j, Stables, &c, under the pit.
k, Vaulted passages. 1, Room under the vestibule, m, to
pit. n, Corridor round the pit. o, Box lobby, p, Lower
saloon to boxes, q, Upper saloon to ditto, r, Lobby to
gallery, s s, Carpenters' workshop, t, Flies.
Plate IV. — A, Elevation of the principal front in Bow
Street, with its portico, &c. — B, Section through saloon, or
ante-room, to boxes ; staircase to the same, and entrance
hall, committee-room, &c. C, Transverse section through
the staircase.
Plate V. — Principal staircase to the boxes.
Plate VI. — Interior of the theatre from the stage.
E. W. BRAYLEY.

y 2

DRURY LANE THEATRE.

The Cockpit was built in 1617 ; and on the 4th of
March, in the same year, was demolished by the mob;
of the exact cause for which I am not in possession. Its
site was opposite to the Castle Tavern, Drury Lane ; it was
rebuilt, and performed in, in 1629. During the sway of
Puritanism, in Charles I.'s time, this theatre (anno 1640)
was suppressed; but in 1658 it was re-opened, and as
sumed a more regular dramatic form than before.. In 1660,
Charles II. granted patents to Sir William Davenant and
Killigrew ; the latter of whom built a new theatre upon
nearly the site of the present edifice, in Drury Lane, which
Avas opened in 1 663 ; the company being called " the King's
Servants," as Davenant's Avere " the Duke's Servants." In
1672, the new house was burnt down; but rebuilt by
Sir Christopher Wren, according to some authorities, and
opened in 1674. In 1684, " the Duke's Servants" joined
" the King's Servants," and they both played together in
Drury Lane Theatre ; of which Christopher Rich, who was
bred to the law, became a proprietor, he having purchased
Sir William Davenant's patent of his heirs.
Previously to the opening of the theatre in 1776, Gar-
rick made several alterations, external and internal, and
took into it some part of the Rose Tavern, adjoining*
* Of this house — and it might almost have been mistaken for a dwel
ling-house — the front is preserved to us among the designs of Robert

EDIFICES OF LONDON;  THEATERS

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DRURY LANE THEATRE. 325
In 1791 the theatre was pulled down to be rebuilt.*
Yet this new edifice Avas not of very long duration, for on
the evening of February the 24th, 1809, it was burnt to the
ground, not more than five months from the time of the
destruction of that of Covent Garden.-f
Adam, of whose style it bore the most unequivocal stamp, partaking
largely both of flaunting flimsiness and meanness.
* The dimensions of the new theatre were — length, from east to west,
820 feet; breadth, from north to south, 155 feet; width of roof, 118 feet.
The roof was surmounted by a colossal statue of Apollo.
The boxes held 1828 persons, the pit 800, first gallery 675, second
gallery 308 — total 3611, sitting. Receipt, when completely filled, £771
6s., at the respective prices of 6s., 3s., 2s., and Is., for each person.
There were eight private boxes on each side of the pit, and six on each
side of the stage ; two tiers of complete boxes, and half-tiers parallel with
the gallery.
t It is singular that there were placed in the upper part of the theatre
two immense reservoirs, sufficient to inundate the house ; yet, whether it
were owing to the suddenness of the conflagration, and no one being in
attendance to set the water free, or whether they had been neglected and
were empty, the purpose for which they were constructed failed ; and a
large iron curtain, which divided the auditory from the stage (meant, in
case fire broke out in either part of the building, to prevent the consuming
element communicating with the other part), had been removed a few
months previous to the fire, it being so rusted that it was impossible to
work it. — B.
However well-contrived for its purpose, no dependence whatever can
be placed upon any apparatus of the kind, for unless kept constantly in use,
it is not likely to be ready upon an emergency. The curtain's having
been taken away made no difference, for as the fire did not break out until
all the attendants had left the house, it would hardly, it is to be presumed,
have worked of its own accord, even had it been in no wise disabled by
rust. But had the proscenium been formed by very thick party walls, and
the iron curtain (which might have been in two pieces, made to slide within
the wall, by means of machinery beneath the stage) been closed to every
night as soon as the performance was over, then, in case of tire breaking out

326 EDIFICES OF LONDON.
The consternation of the proprietors, renters, and all
concerned in the interests of the theatre, was such, that
they appeared unable to make any effort to surmount the
calamity; for the embarrassed state of the establishment
seemed to bid defiance to the hope of raising money for the
purpose of replacing the theatre on the appalling ruins,
which were contemplated with despondency by the patentee,
and with commiseration by the public. At length the late
Mr. Whitbread, with a spirit that did honour to humanity,
roused them from their apathy, undertook to arrange their
affairs, and projected the plan of a new theatre. For this
purpose a bill was carried into Parliament and passed (in
the session of 1810), " for enabling the proprietors of the
Theatre Royal Drury Lane to form a joint stock company,
for the purpose of rebuilding the theatre by subscription,"
during the night, no matter in what part of the house, the progress of the
flames would have been arrested, and time thereby afforded for rescuing
one-half of the edifice from destruction. Besides which, did the audience
know that such a curtain was in constant use, and capable of being worked
as promptly as any of the other machinery, upon any alarm of fire being
given, they would feel assured that they themselves were in no immediate
danger. The Theatre Favart, at Paris, which was burnt down on the 14th
January, 1838, was also provided with an iron curtain, but different from
that at Drury Lane, and intended merely to protect the audience in case
a fire should have occurred during performance.
As to old Dame Drury's blunder with her rusty curtain , it ought not
to prevent the experiment's being repeated with a little more nous. But
an iron curtain would avail very little, unless accompanied with thick
party walls, continued below the stage floor. Or still better would it be,
were there, instead of one wall, two of tolerable thickness, with a space
of about two feet between them, so as in fact to cut off all communication
between the two divisions of the theatre, and further to carry up those party
walls quite through the roof, so as to arrest the flames there also  Edit.

DRURY LANE THEATRE. 327
and the proposals were no sooner made public, than the
shares were all disposed of.
Mr. B. Wyatt was the architect ; the first stone was laid
on the 29th of October, 1811, and the new theatre opened
on the 10th of October, 1812. It was partly built upon
the plan of the great theatre at Bordeaux, supposed to be
the best theatre in Europe for the accurate conveyance of
musical sound.
About 1818 the proscenium of the theatre underwent a
considerable alteration ; when, among other improvements,
stage-doors were introduced, there having been none in the
original building; large tripods, with lustres, occupying
the place appropriated to those almost universally adopted
characteristic of a theatre. Previously to the season of
1822-3, the interior of the theatre was completely new-
modelled, and a new auditory substituted for the old one ;
executed by Mr. Peto, from the designs of Mr. S. Beazley,
the architect, who superintended the whole. Mr. Elliston
is said to have expended in this alteration ^£21,000, and in
consequence of frequent complaints that the nobility and
gentry were incommoded by rain, when going from their
carriages into the theatre and returning, Mr. Elliston also
built a porch at the grand entrance in Brydges Street.
Among the preparations for the season 1824-5, a re-decora
tion of the auditory was included, and various alterations
were made for public convenience.
The general form of this edifice is that of a parallelo
gram; its extent from north to south being 131 feet, and
from east to west 237 feet, independently of the scene-
rooms, &c, extended 93 feet further eastward. The walls
are almost wholly built of brick, but they are stuccoed on
the principal front in Brydges Street. The chief entrance
is approached by a flight of steps under the porch above

328 EDIFICES OF LONDON.
mentioned, and which has a flat roof, surmounted by a
statue of Shakspeare. In the central part of the edifice, in
the second story, are three large windows, having angular
pediments ; and at each extremity are two lofty antae, sup
porting entablatures, the members of which are continued
along the whole front. Below each entablature is a large
window, and a semicircular-headed recess, or panel. Four
large tripod lamps, on high pedestals, ornament the steps ;
two of them being near the ends of the building, and
the others betAveen the three doorways to the entrance
hall. The north front, in Russell Street (to Avhich a low
Ionic colonnade Avas added in 1830), exhibits a uniform
range of spacious doorways, seven in number, on the ground
floor, together with eight intervening windows, in pairs;
all of which have semicircular heads. Over them is a tier
of thirteen rectangular windows ; and on the same line, in
each projecting extremity of the building, is a semicircular
niche. The easternmost entrance communicates with the stage ;
the others in succession, with the king's box, the private
boxes, the lower gallery, and the pit. The south side, in
Vinegar Yard, or Woburn Court, corresponds in its general
elevation with the north front; but a neyv green-room,
stabling, &c, have been recently attached to it. In this
front are entrances to the pit, to the lower and upper gal
leries, and to the private boxes, but the latter entrance is
seldom used. A series of antee, Avith a continued cornice,
surrounds the roof of the stage and auditory. The eastern
extremity is masked by the houses in Drury Lane, as
likewise is a part of the south side by those in Vinegar
Yard ; some improvements in the latter place have recently
been made (October, 1824), by the erection of a circular

DRURY LANE THEATRE. 329
brick wall and iron railing, enclosing the ground belonging
to the theatre.
The entrance hall communicates, eastward, with the
rotunda and staircase to the boxes, and, on the north and
south, with the pit lobbies ; and from the latter, by winding
passages, with the pit itself. The free list officers and
money-takers, who are fenced in by iron railing, have
stations in the hall ; each end of which is crossed by an
entablature supported by two fluted columns, of the Doric
order. The rotunda and grand staircase form very beautiful
portions of the theatre; the effect is peculiarly striking;
and the entire architectural arrangement is one of the most
skilful and ingenious of modem times. The rotunda,
which is thirty feet in diameter, consists of two stories,
separated by a circular gallery, and crowned by an elegant
dome, from which is suspended a large brass chandelier, of
a classic design, lit with gas. In the lower story, fronting
the entrance, is a massive stove, surmounted by a cast
from Scheemaker's statue of Shakspeare, the plinth being
inscribed, in golden letters, with the fine characteristic line
from Ben Jonson — " He was not for an age, but for all
time." Four semicircular niches break the concave of the
walls, and on the right and left are doors leading to the
principal staircases, which are flanked by four Ionic co
lumns of dark-coloured porphyry. All the steps and land
ing-places are of stone, and the ascents are guarded by iron
railing of a fancy pattern, in blue and gold, Avith hand-rails
of mahogany. The check-takers are stationed on the first landing-
places, whence short ascents of five steps each lead to the
entrances into the lobby of the dress circle of boxes. The
second flight communicates with the stone gallery and with

330 EDIFICES OF LONDON.
the upper story of the rotunda ; the latter consists, prin
cipally, of a peristyle of eight columns, of the Corinthian
order, of Sienna marble, supporting a highly enriched
entablature and dome. Both the columns and the entabla
ture are designed on the model of the grand remains of
the Temple of Jupiter Stator, in the Campo Vaccino, at
Rome. In each alternate intercolumniation is a semicir
cular niche, containing an allegorical female statue ; these
represent Tragedy, Comedy, Music, and Dancing. The
other intercolumniations, which are open, communicate
with the saloon, the lobby of the first circle of boxes, and
the staircases leading to the second circle. The soffit of
the dome is ornamented with five circles of deeply sunk
panelling, crowned by a sky-light. The circular opening,
or well, in the centre, from which the area beneath is over
looked, is guarded by an iron railing, in blue and gold,
capped by a mahogany hand-rail. The stone floor is partly
sustained by cantalivers of cast-iron ; some of which are
pinned into the wall, and others tailed down to cross
cradles of the same metal.*
Great skill and science are displayed in the construction
of the landing-places connected with the rotunda, which
receive and sustain the entire pressure from the upper
flights of steps. They are supported by strong iron
cradling, which consists of bars, carriage-pieces, trusses,
binders, chains, tie-bolts, bolts, cramps, &c, and is addi
tionally strengthened by abutments of Portland stone, and
cross walls extending from the staircases to the external
walls of the building — a distance of ten feet. The flooring
* The section through the rotunda, &c, marked B, in Plate V., exem
plifies the details of the above description ; and the longitudinal section,
Plate IV., shows the connexion of the rotunda with the entrance hall,
saloon, and tiers of boxes.

DRURY LANE THEATRE. 331
of the stone gallery itself is constructed with joggle joints,
so disposed, that the stones of the landings " press equally
and directly upon the stones of the circular gallery in the
rotunda, which constitutes a perfect arch to sustain the
whole Aveight discharged horizontally across the landings
from the upper flights."*
The saloon has a very imposing effect, both from its
architectural character and from the richness of its decora
tions. It is a well-proportioned room, forming a paral
lelogram of 87 feet 6 inches in length, by 27 feet 6 inches
in breadth; but the extremities have been adapted into
semicircles, each of which is fitted up with a handsome
stove, having a niche over it : the height from the floor, to
the middle of the segment, that forms the cove of the
ceiling, is 31 feet. The ceiling springs on each side from
a continued entablature, supported by eight duplicated
pilasters, of the Corinthian order: these are painted in
imitation of choice marble. From the lower members
of the entablature, a profusion of blue and gold drapery
(painted) is, apparently, suspended. On the west side are
three large panels, with looking-glasses, in white and
gold frames, extending from the floor to the drapery,
protected by brass guards ; and the spaces between the
pilasters, &c, are also filled by looking-glass. The decora
tions on the opposite side are accordant, but in place of the
looking-glasses there are three folding-doors, which com
municate with the rotunda and landings of the grand
staircase. Near each end the saloon is crossed by an
entablature, supported by two Corinthian columns, painted
» Vide Wyatt's " Observations on the Design for the Theatre Royal
Drury Lane."

332 EDIFICES OF LONDON.
like the pilasters, but having gilt bases. The light is
diffused by three handsome cut-glass lustres, illumined
Avith gas ; and two others are suspended from the domes
of the refreshment-rooms, which adjoin the extremities of
the saloon. These rooms are ornamented with statues of
females (bearing lamps), looking-glasses, &c, and on each
side are two fancy pilasters, sustaining an entablature,
with surmounting archoids, from the level of the crown
of which the domes take their rise : the Avails are coloured
of a light red. The saloon is furnished with large otto
mans, covered with crimson cloth.
Over each flight of steps Avhich leads to the upper
circle of boxes, a brass chandelier, illumined by gas, is
suspended from the centre of a square-hipped sky
light: the ceilings of the staircases are diversified by
panelling. The auditory of this theatre is extremely impressive,
and there is a chasteness mingled Avith its splendour which
satisfies the judgment, whilst its richness pleases the sight.
The general tone of the colouring is a light warm drab,
profusely decorated with ornaments in gold, and in some
parts blended with a light red colour. In its original state,
as constructed by Mr. Wyatt, the auditory included three-
fourths of a circle, the diameter of which, across the pit
to the line of the breast-Avork of the dress boxes, was 58
feet ; and the extreme distance, from the front of the stage
to the back wall of the boxes facing it, was 53 feet 9 inches.
The present form, as designed by Mr. Beazley, is nearly that
of the horse-shoe ; the extremities converging from a semi
circle, of 51 feet 6 inches in the chord, into an elliptical
curve, which decreases, from the above width, to 46 feet 6
inches at its termination near the stage : from the front of

DRURY LANE THEATRE. 333
the latter to the dress boxes, the extreme distance is 48
feet.* The fronts of the dress boxes are tastefully embellished
by a series of representations, in long rectangular compart
ments, or panels, from the most popular of Shakspeare's
dramas ; and in the two extreme boxes are large looking-
glasses. The upper circles or tiers, including both the
slips and the lower gallery, are each supported in front by
fourteen slender shafts, reeded, of iron, richly gilt, and at
the back by pilasters and partitions. Grecian ornaments,
of varied design, in running patterns, with rosettes,
wreaths, &c, adorn the fasciee of the different tiers ; the
whole presenting a blaze of golden enrichments. Brass
guards are continued round the fronts of the upper boxes
and slips, and of the upper and lower galleries. From
plain gold-like brackets, attached to the bases of the shafts
in the first and second tiers, rich cut-glass lustres are sus
pended : each of four lights, having bell-glasses inverted
over the burners.t The seats of the pit are covered with
* The relative disposition and arrangements of the interior will be
readily comprehended by referring to the plans in Plate II. It will be
seen from those plans, that the auditory is nearly in the centre of the
building ; the entrance hall, lobbies, rotunda, saloon, &c, being to the
west ; and the stage, its green-rooms, scene-rooms, flies, and other adjuncts,
to the east.
f The dress circle includes twenty-six boxes, each furnished with nine
chairs ; and behind, and looking over them, are ten private or family
boxes, let nightly, with six chairs each. The next, or first circle, contains
fourteen public boxes (with six private ones, let nightly, behind them),
and four private boxes at each extreme. The second tier, or upper circle,
contains twenty-two double boxes, there being a row of boxes going round
the circle, which is separated from the front-row by a partition about
three feet high, and at each extreme are two private boxes. In the slips
there are three larger boxes, which are on the level of the lower gallery.

334 EDIFICES OF LONDON.
crimson cloth, and a rail-work back has been recently
attached to every alternate row.
The dress circle of boxes will contain — (viz. 26 boxes, 9 ~)
i a f 234
persons in each)  \
The first circle, viz. 14 boxes, 14 in each  196
The second circle  480
Private boxes, viz. 20 boxes, 8 in each  160
Ditto, family ditto, viz. 16 boxes, 6 in each  96
Proscenium boxes, viz. 8 boxes, 8 in each  ,  64
Slips  130
Pit  800
Lower gallery  550
Upper gallery  350
3060
The principal ceiling of the auditory is constituted by
a vast circle, including two lesser ones, subdivided into
numerous panelled compartments, having borderings en
riched with roses in annulets, and in the greater spaces
other ornaments of a classic design, in white and gold.
From an opening in the centre, a very large cut-glass lustre
descends, which is lit by gas, supplied from the gas-works
in Peter Street, Westminster.
The proscenium, as now arranged, is exceedingly dif
ferent from its original state, as designed by Mr. Wyatt,
and from which it has been several times altered. On each
On each side of the pit there are three private boxes, and two larger public
ones without seats. The general arrangement of the boxes, &c, is shown
in the longitudinal section, Plate III., together with the roofing of the
building, the stage, flies, &c. The roof of the auditory-is 77 feet 5 inches
in breadth, between the extreme walls : its height from the pit floor is
48 feet.

DRURY LANE THEATRE. 335
side, elevated on a lofty pedestal, forming a parallelogram,
are two demi-columns, of the Corinthian order, fluted,*
and superbly gilt, supporting an entablature, above which,
in semicircular niches, are allegorical statues of Tragedy
and Comedy. The coved ceiling is a continuation of the
circular ceiling of the auditory ; but the four panels into
which it is divided are of greater width than those of the
other parts of the circle. Beneath it, spanning over the
curtain, is an elliptical arch, from which festoons (painted)
of crimson drapery descend ; and on an inner plane, in the
centre, are the royal arms within a garter, with the sup
porters couchant, in subdued colouring. On each side,
between the columns, are three private boxes, the fronts of
which are of crimson, plaited ; the plaits of each middle
box centering in a radiant head of Apollo, gilt : there is,
also, another private box, nearly level with the stage, in
the pedestal or basement, on each side, masked by a pierced
ornamental (moveable) panel, exhibiting a lyre amidst
foliage, in dead and burnished gold. The King's box
is that between the columns, on the left of the auditory,
which ranges with the dress circle : its ante-room is a
handsome square apartment, surmounted by a dome,
sustained on archoids, which spring from a surrounding
entablature, supported by four Corinthian columns.
Between the acts, during performance, a rich drop
scene is substituted for the curtain : it was executed by
Marinari and Stanton (the figures being by the latter), at
an expense of about £700. It is a fine composition of
Grecian ruins and figures, within a highly-wrought fancy
* These columns are of wood ; they are hollow, and the apparent
flutings are real apertures, through which the performances can be seen
from the private boxes ; the capitals are of plaster.

336 EDIFICES OF LONDON.
bordering, or frame, heightened with gold.* Another
elegant drop scene, by Stanton, which is used between the
play and the after-piece, includes the Coliseum, and other
remains of classic architecture, with figures, landscapes,
&c. The weight of each of these drops, Avith the roller
and necessary adjuncts, is about 800lbs. FT. IN.
The width of the proscenium, in front, is  46 6
Ditto, at the curtain  40 0
Height of the proscenium, to the centre of the arch  43 0
Extent from the front of the stage to the curtain  12 9
The view of the interior of the house, from the stage,
possesses great interest, and particularly so when the
theatre is lit up and the audience assembled. An accu
rate idea of its general character may be conceived from
Plate VI.
In the construction of this building every care has been
taken to secure the safety of the audience in case of fire,
independently of the provision made by water-tanks,
engines, &c. All the passages and lobbies behind the
pit and boxes are of stone ; and the staircases, as mentioned
before, are of the same materials ; as are also the staircases
and landings to the galleries. They are likewise suffi
ciently capacious to contain the entire number of persons
that can, at any one time, be assembled in the theatre ; by
which arrangement a safe egress for the company is, at
all times, certain. This fact cannot be too generally
known, as it must necessarily tend to lessen the apprehen-
* In the transverse section, marked A, in Plate V., the proscenium is
shown, together with the drop scene above described.

DRURY LANE THEATRE. 337
sion and danger which a sudden alarm would otherwise
create.* The stage, although of great extent, and longer than
that of Covent Garden, is sometimes insufficient for the
convenient representation of the spectacles introduced
here, notwithstanding that a large archAvay has been cut
through the main wall, eastward, into an adjoining build
ing, originally intended for a scene-room. There is, like-
Avise, a deficiency of depth in the cellar below the mezza
nine floor, which occasionally prevents the machinery, in
pantomimes, from being worked so readily as the business
requires. The manager's room, actresses' dressing-rooms,
and various other apartments, are on the north side of the
stage ; and on the south are the two green-rooms, the
* " All the doorways throughout these (viz. the auditory) parts of the
house are from five to six feet wide, according to circumstances ; the steps
and landings of the staircases to the galleries are five feet, and those to
the boxes six. In the principal stone staircases, leading to the boxes, the
ascent is first in one flight and then in two ; and so on, alternately, to the
top ; the centre flights being exactly double the width of the side flights ;
so that the conflux of persons from the side flights never can choke or
obstruct the centre flights ; and these staircases are capable of containing,
upon their own steps and landings, a much greater number of persons
than the whole of the boxes can contain ; consequently, the ingress and
egress to and from the boxes never can be obstructed for want of room
upon the staircases. The whole of the boxes are capable of containing
1286 persons ; and the two staircases in question will jointly contain 1528
persons. The two-shilling gallery is calculated to contain 550 persons ;
and the two staircases leading to it will contain 868 persons. The one-
shilling gallery contains space for 350 spectators, and the staircase leading
to that gallery will contain 480 persons ; allowing (as in both the pre
ceding instances) as much room to each person as they are supposed
to occupy when sitting in the theatre ; and, of course, more than they
would really occupy upon a crowded staircase." — Wyatt's "Observations,"
&c, p. 40.
VOL. I. z

338 EDIFICES OF LONDON.
prompter's room, the actors' dressing-rooms, &c. In the
principal green room is a large looking-glass, in panels,
measuring 8 feet 3 inches by 4 feet 6 inches, for the per
formers to adjust their dresses by, previously to appearing
before the audience ; and on brackets, at the sides, are
busts of Shakspeare and Garrick. On another bracket,
betAveen the windows, is a marble bust of " Mrs. Sarah
Siddons," the Tragic Muse, which was sculptured by James
Smith in 1812, and presented to the green room by the late
Samuel Whitbread, Esq., in August, 1814. Opposite to
it is a cast of the bust of Edmund Kean, Esq., by S.
Joseph. The inferior green room, which contains a piano
forte, for the use of the performers and choristers, is part
of a separate building, attached to the outer wall of the
theatre. There are also ranges of stabling for twenty
horses, a large yard, &c, on this side, without the walls.
The stage is, principally, enlightened by gas, the pipes
being arranged below the flooring, and having their
extremities partially inserted in grooves, so as to admit
of their being moved in accordance with the play of the
machinery. In the winter season, warm air is conveyed
into the theatre from two large pipes, at the back of the
stage, which communicate with two furnaces in the lower
floor beneath. FT. IN.
The extent of the stage, from the orchestra to the back wall, is 96 3
Width of the stage from wall to wall  77 5
Depth from the upper floor to the mezzanine floor  8 6
Ditto, from mezzanine floor to the ground  10 0
Ditto, of the excavation called the well  3 0
Height of the flats, or transverse scenes  21 0
Width of ditto, viz. 28 feet ; each half  14 0
Height of wings, or side scenes  21 0
Width of ditto  from 5 to 8 0

DRURY LANE THEATRE. 339
The stage-floor is pierced by numerous apertures for
traps, descent and raising of machinery, &c. The floor
beneath it, to a person unaccustomed to such places, has
the appearance of a confused wilderness of wheels, ropes,
blocks, windlasses, and other apparatus, of too multitu
dinous a kind to admit of description in these pages.
Among the recent alterations was a complete removal of
the stage doors ; and all entries before the curtain were
made through a tent-like opening in a superb drop-scene,
but the latter was disused after the first season.
Over the stage are the flies, &c, in two stories, which
are wholly supported by the side walls, and by trusses
attached to the roof: these contain the windlasses, machi
nery, &c, employed in lowering the curtain, drops, borders,
clouds, cars, and other appendages to the scene. In the
line with the upper flies, over the auditory, are carpenters'
shops, property-rooms, store-rooms, &c. The painting
room, which is over the eastern extremity of the stage,
is 79 feet in length, and nearly 31 feet in height and
width. The scene room is a detached building at the north
east angle of the theatre, but having a communication
with the stage, and also with Drury Lane. Its length is
73 feet 3 inches, and its medium width about 30 feet,
exclusive of a return towards the south of 15 feet 9 inches
in width, and 26 feet 6 inches in length. Beneath it is a
tank, and a small printing office, where all the play -bills,
plays, &c, issued from the theatre, are printed : over it are
property workshops.
In a long cellar, beyond the outer wall of the stage, is
a powerful engine, on Bramah's principle, which, when
full-manned, will throw water upwards of 10 feet above
z 2

340 EDIFICES OF LONDON.
the roof of the building ; and on the roof itself are several
tanks, which are supplied from the New River.*
Among the many alterations Avhich have been made in
this theatre, since its construction by Mr. Wyatt, has been
the piercing the main walls by numerous internal door
ways ; the original communications betAveen the different
* When the theatre was rebuilt, a very expensive combination of
machinery, including pipes for the conveyance of water into every part
of the house, was constructed, under the direction of the far-famed Sir
William Congreve, for the purpose of extinguishing fire ; but as the
efficacy of the apparatus could never be tried without endangering the
theatre by drowning, its assumed utility is still unascertained ; and it is
probable, that at the present time the machinery is not in a state of
sufficient order to admit of the experiment being made. The first supply
of water was to be obtained from a cylindrical air-tight reservoir, of cast-
iron, placed under ground, at the back of the stage, and sufficiently
capacious for 400 hogsheads. This being half filled with water, and
furnished with a powerful condensing air-pump, could, by means of a
series of levers contained in a small engine-house on the outside of the
building, be so acted on by the condensation of the air in the other half
of the reservoir (equal to about six atmospheres), that the whole of the
water would be forced through the various branch-pipes to the very
highest part of the theatre, and by other machinery and branches be
directed to the precise spot that might be on fire. Even the Apollo's
head, which originally formed the central decoration of the pit ceiling,
was made the mask of a concealed pipe, 8 inches in length, having a
perforated rose at each end, through which the water was to be thrown
over the entire auditory, in a rotatory discharge, the pipe being caused
to revolve upon its centre by the force of the fluid rushing from it, on
the same principle of action as the fire-work called the Catharine-wheel.
On a small scale and model, there is no doubt but that this contrivance
was a successful one ; yet, independently of various objections that might
be urged against its applicability to a theatre, it has been said that the
reservoir never could be made sufficiently air-tight to ensure its effectual
co-operation in the moment of danger.

DRURY LANE THEATRE. 341
parts of the house having been so few and so extremely
inconvenient, that the business could not be properly
carried on. An arched passage, also, has been made
under the orchestra, which communicates, by a flight of
stairs at each end, with the private boxes on the south side
of the theatre ; the entrance to which, from Wobum Court,
being accessible only on foot, was extremely objectionable
to the company, who were obliged to alight from their
carriages in Brydges Street.
REFERENCE TO THE PLATES.
Plate I. — Exterior view of the theatre, from the
north-west, showing the Brydges Street and Russell Street
fronts. Plate II. — Plans. — The general form, interior divisions,
and principal arrangements of the building, are exhibited
in this print, viz. A, which shoAvs the ground plan of the
south side of the theatre, according to the design of the
original architect, Mr. Wyatt ; B, the stage-flooring ; and
C, the plan of the dress circle of boxes, agreeably to the
alterations made in the auditory by Mr. Beazley. The
particular references are as follow : — a, Entrance hall.
b b, Waiting lobbies, c, Rotunda, d d, Principal stair
cases to the boxes, e, Pit passage, e*, Pit lobby, e**,
Entrance to dress circle, f, Lobby to private boxes.
g, Pit. h h, Present entrance to the upper gallery.
i, Staircase to lower gallery, i*, Private communication
from dress boxes to dress circle, j, King's staircase.
j*, Upper gallery staircase. k, Box entrance from
Woburn Court, k*, Staircase to the upper gallery, now
shut up. 1, Private lobby to the King's room. 1*, Pri
vate box staircase, m m m, Mrs. Coutts's ante-room,

342 EDIFICES OF LONDON.
lobby, and box. n*, Duke of York's box. n n n n,
Private, or family boxes, o*, Private box on stage, o,
The King's room, p, The King's box. q, Dress circle
lobby, r, Orchestra, s, Proscenium and stage, t, Act
ing manager's room, with treasury over it. u u, Stair
cases to the boxes, &c. ; that on the left leads also to the
treasury, v, Private box on stage, w, Quick-changing
room, communicating with principal green-room, x,
Small property-room, y, Prompter's box. z, Principal
green-room, a, Inferior green-room. b, Mr. Elliston's
room, c, Staircase to the flies, c*, General staircase.
d, Water closet, e, Music room, f f, Property and scene
rooms ; the southernmost being occasionally used to
lengthen the stage : over them is the painting room.
g, Hall at stage entrance, h, Occasional entrance, i,
General staircase. j, Committee-room, k k k, Scene
depositories. Plate III. — Perspective view of the rotunda, from
the entrance to the lobby of the first circle, looking into
the saloon.
Plate IV. — Longitudinal section, from west to east,
looking northward, a, Entrance hall, b, Rotunda, lower
story, c, Ditto upper story, d, Saloon, e e, Pit lobbies.
ffff, Corridors to the boxes and slips, g g, Lobbies to
upper and lower galleries, h h h h, Private boxes.
i, Pit. j, Dress circle of boxes, k k, First and second
circles of boxes. 1, Slips, m, Lower gallery, n, Upper
gallery, o, Proscenium boxes, p, Orchestra, q, Arched
passage beneath ditto ; made to continue the line of com
munication across the house, r, Stage, s, Continuation
of ditto, through an arched aperture of 12 feet diameter, to
the extreme wall. t, Mezzanine floor. u u, Cellars
under ditto, v, Well, or excavation, for letting down

DRURY LANE THEATRE. 343
scenery, w w, Upper and lower flies, x, Painting-room.
y, Carpenters' shops, property-rooms, &c. z, Roof.
Plate V. — A, transverse section before the prosce
nium, a a a a, Lobbies to the pit and private boxes.
b b b b, Ditto to dress circle. c c c c, Ditto to first
circle, d d d d, Ditto to second circle. e e, Staircases
to slips, f f, Lobbies to ditto, g g, Gallery passages.
h h h h, Private boxes. i i, Dress boxes. j j, Boxes,
first circle, k k, Ditto, second circle. 1 1, Slips, m,
Carpenters' workshops, &c. — B, Section through the
grand staircases and rotunda, a a, Principal flights of
steps, b b, Entrances to dress circle, c c, Ditto, first
circle, d d, Ditto, second circle. e, Rotunda, lower
story, f, Ditto, upper story, g, Stone gallery floor.
h, Iron cradling supporting the upper flights.
Plate VI. — Interior of the auditory, as seen from the
stage, showing the general forms and decorations of the
house in 1824. E. W. BRAYLEY.
[A low colonnade of cast iron pillars, of the Ionic
order, was erected in 1830, along the north side of the
theatre, in Brydges Street.]

HAYMARKET THEATRE.

This theatre stands on the eastern side of the street
called the Haymarket, where a playhouse was first erected
in 1720-21, by a builder named Potter, who speciUated
upon the probability of letting it to companies of foreign
performers, which, at that period, were much encouraged
by the nobility, through whose patronage they procured
licences pro tempore.
In 1734-5 Fielding, the dramatist and novelist, opened
this theatre with a company whom he advertised as " The
Great Mogul's Company of Comedians ;" for whose acting
he wrote a satirical piece called " Pasquin," which con
tained very severe reflections upon the Walpole admini
stration, and was performed for more than fifty successive
nights. Fielding's company continued performing in 1736
and 1737.
In 1737 this theatre, together with that in Goodman's
Fields, was closed by authority, in consequence of the pass
ing of Sir Robert Walpole's licensing act.
In 1738 a temporary licence to open the Haymarket
Theatre was granted by the Lord Chamberlain to a French
company. This circumstance excited general indignation,
so averse were the public to the act which had expelled
the English performers from this theatre : the consequence
Avas, that the foreigners, on the first night of their appear
ance, were driven from the stage.

J^DBTTCES of LOHDOKr^ Tli&ATR£,S.

_SyIr

J. . -Boxes 
z.Ritt 
3 .Lobby tP_Bojces
4- - Orchestra, 
5 . Rroscenium, ...
6 . Stage, 
7 Scot&Roo?rv..

cu. Toriico._  _ _ _ _ ,
b. XiCl>hy._ _  _ 
C-Jlpcc Office  _
d. JUntrance- to Tit 
t. De.-  to Vpper G-aUeru
f.D?  .to Lower 2)°.. 
a. Trivate Entrance. _ 
h. Oreeri 'Jtoonv. 
i. WazttnaJlcevi 

A.Pagm. dell

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J.MASH .ATtCirT 1621.

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1TM)l,ATia,Il B8J©"3fA3L MJO'ffiALmilT,

John Wecd&,ArchUectu,raZZ^mry. SS.ffighHo&crn,.

HAYMARKET THEATRE. 345
In 1741 the theatre opened with English operas. On the
6th February, 1744, Macklin, from hostility to the patentees
of Drury Lane Theatre, brought a company here, among
whom was the celebrated Samuel Foote, justly styled the
British Aristophanes ; but Macklin 's scheme failed, and he
returned penitent and apologising to Drury Lane ; being
succeeded in the management of the Haymarket by Theo-
philus Cibber, who appears to have acted without a licence,
and to have evaded the penalty by stratagem.
In 1747, Foote commenced here, on his own account,
a new species of entertainment, written and performed by
himself; which consisted of satirical representations and
imitations of public and remarkable characters, as well as
a ludicrous exposure of the reigning follies of the day. It
was called " The Diversions of a Morning," and was at
first prohibited and suspended through the opposition of
Lacey, the patentee of Drury Lane ; but the nobility and
public in general so effectually espoused the cause of Foote,
that Lacey, fearful of the ultimate consequence of his
hostility, withdrew his objection, and Foote recommenced
his performance.
About 1766, Foote purchased the lease of the premises
of the executors of Potter, and immediately began improv
ing and enlarging the theatre ; with which he incorporated
a house in Little Suffolk Street, removed two shops which
were in front, in the Haymarket, built a portico, increased
the number of avenues and entrance doors, and added a
second gallery to the auditory.
On ceasing to be manager, in 1776, he transferred his
interest in the remainder of his lease to the late Mr. G.
Colman. Previously to the year 1820, Mr. Colman transferred his
moiety of the theatre to Mr. Morris, who, in consequence,

346 EDIFICES OF LONDON.
became possessed of seven-eighths of the property, Mr.
Winston retaining his original one-eighth ; and these gen
tlemen, at the conclusion of the season in that year, pulled
down the old theatre, and, at the distance of a few feet
southward from its former site, erected a new one, at
the cost (as reported) of a£l8,000 ; which was opened on
July 4, 1821.
This edifice (which was erected from the designs of
John Nash, Esq., architect) is partly of stone and partly
of brick ; the form is rectangular, as shown in the ground
plan, in the accompanying print ; on which also the
general measurements are marked, and references given to
the various parts of the building. The entrance, or
western front, is distinguished by a handsome portico of
the Corinthian order : the entablature and pediment are
supported by six columns, and the members of the former
are continued to the extremities of the side walls. Under
the portico are five doorways (within partial enclosures of
iron rail-work), surmounted by semicircular fan-lights ;
above which are five windows, giving light to the saloon.
The three middle doors lead to the boxes ; the outer, on
the right, to the box office; and that on the left to the
pit. In the intermediate spaces are four large lamps or
lanterns for gas. The gallery entrances are on each side,
without the portico; and above them, at the height of
about ten feet, are circular windows : two other windows,
of similar form and dimensions, are inserted over the
cornice of the entablature. In the central space, between
the pediment and the upper cornice, is a recessed panel, or
frame, forming a long parellelogram, and containing nine
circular rosette windows, which open upon pivots, to the
upper gallery : all the spandrells of the panels are filled by
architectural enrichments. A plain parapet terminates the

HAYMARKET THEATRE. 347
whole. The entrance to the stage is in the eastern front,
in Suffolk Street. The exterior width of the theatre is
61 feet; its height, to the top of the parapet, 47 feet 9
inches ; and its length 134 feet 6 inches.*
The auditory differs from those of the other theatres in
form, the sides being straight, and the centre a small
segment of a large circle ; but the fronts of the side boxes
project semicircularly.
The arch of the proscenium, and that part of the
auditory where the front and side boxes unite, are sup
ported by richly gilt palm-trees, instead of pillars, which
produce a novel and imposing effect, through their dissi
militude to customary embellishments.
The fronts of the boxes are decorated with raised
checquered or net-work ornaments of gold, on a reddish
purple ground.-)- The seats and curtains are crimson, and
the inside of the boxes morone. The ceiling is neat and
fanciful, but it has not the usual characteristic of a modern
theatre, a pendant central lustre and gas-lights. Indeed,
this is the only patent theatre in which gas is not used,
it being wholly lighted with oil, and spermaceti candles ;
the latter exhibited in a very handsome circle of cut-glass
chandeliers, holding some five and others six lights.
There are two circles or tiers of boxes, besides half-tiers,
parallel with the lower gallery. In the first circle are five
private boxes, and on the second tier eight. The saloon,
which fronts Charles Street, is elegantly fitted up, and
contains conveniences for refreshments. C. DIBDIN.
* The ground rent of this theatre is about five guineas per foot in
front, and three guineas for the back part of the premises.
f The style of decoration is now entirely changed, the house having
just been fitted up (1838) in the Louis Quatorze taste.

THE ENGLISH OPERA HOUSE.

This theatre derived its origin from a society of artists,
who, previously to the existence of the Royal Academy,
built a large room, on the site of the present theatre, for
the purpose of publicly exhibiting their productions, and
named it the Lyceum. When the Royal Academy was
established, Garrick bought the lease solely for the purpose
of re-selling it, with a proviso that it should not be appro
priated to any species of theatrical exhibition.
It afterwards came into the possession of a Mr. Ling-
ham, a breeches-maker, in the Strand, together with some
adjoining premises ; on which he erected a building, which
Avas called a theatre, and opened some time about 1790, for
" music, dancing, and such like entertainments." The first
performances consisted of recitation and songs, under the
title of " Mirth's Museum," written by the late Mr. Cross
(the dramatist) ; the music was composed by Mr. Reeve, a
gentleman to whom the public are indebted for many
popular melodies. The original " Great Room," was at
that time occupied by Mr. R. K. Porter, for the exhibition
of his panoramic pictures, the Siege of Seringapatam, and
other battle pieces.
About 1794 or 95, Lingham granted a lease of the
Lyceum to the late Dr. Arnold, who partly built a new
theatre on the ground adjoining the Lyceum, with the in
tention of opening it, under a licence from the magistracy,

THE ENGLISH OPERA HOUSE. 349
as a winter minor theatre. The proprietors of the patent
theatres, hoAvever, taking alarm at the respectability which
was likely to attach to performances so conducted in their
immediate neighbourhood, succeeded in suppressing the
licence; and Lingham received back his lease, with the
advantage of a new theatre, nearly completed, upon his
premises ; which he afterwards used or let for a variety of
exhibitions within the pale of the law, till he obtained
another licence, and then a Mr. Handy joined in partner
ship with him, and exhibitions of music, dancing, and
horsemanship, took place. About 1800, or 1801, the late
Mr. Lonsdale, a dramatist and ingenious machinist, pro
duced here a novel species of entertainment, called " Egyp-
tiana." It consisted of panoramic paintings, mechanical
transformations, and recitation; and was illustrative of
every thing connected with the history of Egypt, natural
and philosophical; its inhabitants, animals, customs, and
localities; but, from its possessing a character too chastely
classical to become popular, it entirely failed of success.
Soon after this a foreigner astonished and attracted tout le
monde, by the introduction of the first " Phantasmagoria"
ever seen in England; and, from exhibiting it, together
with some curious mechanical subjects, in two or three
seasons he realised a handsome fortune. In the year 1808,
S. A. Arnold, Esq., son of Dr. Arnold, submitted to the
late Earl of Dartmouth, then Lord Chamberlain, a plan for
the establishment of an English Opera, and, having ob
tained from him, with the sanction of his majesty, the
promise of a licence, he entered into a negotiation for the
purchase of Lingham's interest in the premises; which
treaty was not concluded when Drury Lane Theatre was
destroyed by fire in February, 1809. This event, and Mr.
Sheridan becoming a bidder for the property, induced

350 EDIFICES OF LONDON.
Lingham to advance his price so exorbitantly that, at
length, Mr. Arnold became a purchaser at more than
double the sum originally demanded. He immediately
laid out several thousand pounds in completing and deco
rating the theatre, having first afforded an asylum to the
Drury Lane Company on their own terms ; which, to their
credit be it spoken, were exactly double those originally
required by Mr. Arnold. The company acted here the
three following seasons, under a special licence granted by
the Lord Chamberlain to Mr. Arnold, Mr. T. Sheridan,
and the trustees of the new renters of Drury Lane Theatre ;
the summer seasons being occupied by the performances of
the English Operas, under the direction of Mr. Arnold, but,
on account of the season of the year, on a small scale.
On the opening of the new Drury Lane Theatre in Oc
tober, 1812, the Lyceum continued closed during the winter
seasons, in consequence of the appointment of Mr. Arnold
to the management of the neAv theatre ; but, on the death
of Mr. Whitbread, Drury Lane falling under the direction
of a different committee, the proprietor lost no time in
redeeming the pledge he is said to have given to the Lord
Chamberlain, of erecting a handsome theatre for the fur
therance of his plan, by pulling down the old house, and
rebuilding under a new lease, for ninety-nine years, from
the Marquis of Exeter, and on a much enlarged site, the
present English Opera House, the ground rent of which is
stated to be £800 per annum ; and the sum altogether ex
pended upon the building, furnishing, and decorating (ex
clusive of the original purchase money), amounting to little
less than £80,000.
Mr. Arnold announced his intention of opening his new
theatre on a considerably extended scale, and for a much
longer season, his licence from the Lord Chamberlain hav-

THE ENGLISH OPERA HOUSE. 351
ing no restriction as to duration of performance ; but the
patentees of Drury Lane and Covent Garden theatres, and
the proprietors of the Haymarket Theatre and Italian Opera,
again taking alarm, such interest was made as succeeded in
rendering Mr. Arnold's licence harmless to the winter
houses, by restricting his performances to four summer
months in the year: in consequence of which, although
the theatre has continued to open every summer since the
year 1816, with considerable success, the proprietor has
never been enabled, in so short a season, to realize the
intention with which he embarked in so hazardous an
undertaking. The front of the theatre is on a line with the houses on
the north side of the Strand. It has a stone portico, of
eight Ionic columns, in two rows, between which are sus
pended large gas lanterns. The columns are connected by
an enclosure of fancy iron-work, and support a stone bal
cony, with rounded balustrades; on the centre of which
is a large square tablet, in which is engraven the word
" Lyceum." Above this are three tiers of windows (three
in a tier), surmounted by a neat pediment ; and the second
and third tiers are divided by bands, on the upper of which
appears " Theatre Royal," and on the lower " Lyceum
Tavern." The lower part of the building, under the por
tico, contains two admission doors to the boxes and pit,
and one window. The entrances to the two galleries, and
another to the pit, are in a court communicating with the
Strand and with Exeter Street ; and in the latter street is
the stage door. A long passage and a staircase lead to the
boxes, whence there is an entrance to a long room, called
" The Shrubbery," from a large quantity of green and
flowering shrubs being placed in the centre and corners of
the room, rising pyramidically to the ceiling. The walls

352 EDIFICES OF LONDON.
are decorated with landscapes and figures, and there is at
one extremity a commodious recess for the sale of refresh
ments. There is likeAvise a handsome oblong saloon, the
walls of which are masked by plate glass, divided into
irregular compartments by the intervention of branches of
spreading trees, &c.
The auditory forms a portion of an ellipsis, whose trans
verse diameter is 35 feet ; the distance from the front boxes
to the orchestra is only 30 feet. It contains two circles or
tiers of boxes, Avith two galleries, and slips on each side
over the upper boxes ; a range of private boxes behind the
dress circle, and five on each side, above the level of the
pit. The latter possesses a great advantage over those of
the other theatres (which is an important preventive
against accidents on crowded nights), in being raised, by a
very unusual elevation, on an inclined plane ; so that, from
the front seat to the entrance door, where the money is
taken, there is no step, either upwards or downwards. The
auditory is richly decorated with composition ornaments
and scrolls, in burnished and oiled gold. The prevailing
colour is salmon, and the interior and backs of the boxes
are lined with crimson moreen ; the seats, cushions, &c,
are dark green. The centre lustre contains forty gas bur
ners ; the glass chandeliers, which are elegant and twelve
in number, are lighted by Avax.
The architect was Samuel Beazley, Esq., who has since
erected the Dublin and Birmingham theatres. C. DIBDIN.

The building above described no longer exists, nor pro
bably is there any other memorial to show what its interior
was, than the view given in this work. The Avhole edifice

THE ENGLISH OPERA HOUSE. 358
was destroyed, and the immediate neighbourhood greatly
endangered by a fire, which broke out a little before two
in the morning on the 16th of February, 1830. The flames
spread with such rapidity, that in a short time the whole
was one general blaze ; and at a quarter before four, the
roof fell in with a tremendous crash. The fire extended
itself to the buildings at the rear of the theatre, and front
ing Exeter Street, where several brothel houses were, if
not actually burnt down, converted into ruins; besides
which, there were five houses destroyed in Exeter Court.
After this, the company performed for some seasons at the
Adelphi ; for some time elapsed before the present theatre
Avas commenced, neither was the building of it prosecuted
very vigorously, so that it did not open until July, 1834.
This structure, which was also erected by Mr. Beazley, has
merely a pit entrance from the Strand, the principal front
being on the west side of the new street since formed, and
called Wellington Street North. The old theatre had,
like the Adelphi, no facade to distinguish it from the ad
joining houses, but merely a small loggia, the height of a
common shop front, serving as the box entrance from the
street; whereas its successor exhibits itself very plainly
as a public building. The centre of the front consists of a
Corinthian hexastyle, according to the number of the co
lumns, but testrastyle in its arrangment, the columns being
coupled at the angles so as to have only three intercolumns,
as in a testrastyle of the usual kind; which disposition
appears to have been adopted in order to make the inter^
columns accord with the number and the position of the
doors within the portico. As far as they are the only
opening here — there being no windows above them — these
doors give some degree of character to the building, at the
same time it must be confessed that the archivolts are by
VOL. I. A A

354 EDIFICES OF LONDON.
far too meagre and plain ; whereas, had they been well pro
nounced and suitably enriched, and had there been likewise
two figures or genii in bas-relief, above the piers separating
the doors, and supporting either a festoon or wreath, with
a lyre, over the middle door, the whole would have been
consistently and not uncharacteristically decorated. The
compartment of the front, on each side of the portico, has
the entablature carried along it, and an antae at its ex
tremity. Here there are two floors, the lower one being a
shop, above which is a single pedimented window.
The vestibule, entered from the portico, is divided into
three avenues by square pillars or orthostyles ; and beyond
this is the inner vestibule, containing the staircase, which
ascends behind arches on the sides ; above, there is an en
trance one way to the corridor of the dress circle, and the
other to the saloon, which extends over the first vestibule,
and occupies the upper part of the front, and to an oblong
mezzanine one over it. The house itself partakes of the
horse-shoe form, and measures 55 feet across the boxes, or
39 feet 9 inches across the pit ; and 57 feet from the back
of the boxes to the opening of the curtain, which latter is
32 feet wide. The pit seats are carried under the boxes
quite round the house ; and the dress circle projects for
ward, making thereby what is called the balcony, behind
which are private boxes.
The same architect has since erected two other theatres
in the metropolis, namely, the St. James's Theatre, in King
Street, St. James's Square ; the other in that part of Bishops-
gate Street, known by the homely appellation of Norton
Falgate. The first of these, which was opened in the
autumn of 1835, within a few months after it was com
menced, and was modestly designated in the play-bills
" the most splendid theatre in Europe," is not altogether so

THE ENGLISH OPERA HOUSE. 355
large as the English Opera House, but remarkable for
being fitted up in the Louis Quatorze style, the first appli
cation in this country of that style to a purpose for which it
seems better calculated than any other, it having the recom
mendation of being at any rate sufficiently fantastical and
showy. Yet, if rather dazzling, the effect is also somewhat
cold, owing to the general colour being a pure dead white,
relieved by gilding, and to the cold and heavy colouring of
the painted subjects a la Watteau, in the panels on the
fronts of the boxes. The facade exhibits something like
an attempt to indicate externally the style adopted within,
yet must be allowed to be far from a successful one, except
as far as the capricious whims and the flutter it exhibits
can entitle it to be considered expressive and characteristic
of the playhouse. EDITOR.

A a 2

THE ROYAL AMPHITHEATRE,

WESTMINSTER BRIDGE.

This theatre was built by the late Philip Astley, an
uneducated but enterprising man, with a strong mind and
acute understanding, remarkable for eccentric habits and
peculiarity of manner, who built at different periods, at his
own cost and for his own purposes, nineteen theatres. He'
was born at Newcastle-under-Line, in 1742, and came to
London with his father, who was a cabinet-maker, 1753 or
4, and worked at his father's business till 1759, when he
enlisted in the 15th, or Elliot's own light-horse. By his
scrupulous attention to discipline, and his undaunted
bravery, he became a great favourite in the regiment, and
was particularly noticed by General Elliot (afterwards Lord
Heathfield). He served seven years, during the German
war, with high military reputation, and obtained the rank
of sergeant-major ; but on the return of the army from the
continent he solicited and obtained his discharge, with a
most honourable certificate of service. Having witnessed,
while in the army, the performances of an itinerant eques
trian named Johnson, he practised that species of riding
during his service, and, when discharged, made it his pro
fession. General Elliot gave him a charger, as a testimony
of the high opinion he entertained of him ; and with this

ROYAL AMPHITHEATRE, WESTMINSTER BRIDGE. 357
horse and another he commenced his equestrian per
formances in an open field, near the Halfpenny Hatch,
Lambeth, for the gratuitous, but trifling contributions of
those who were attracted to the spot by his hand-bills. To
defray the expense of his exhibitions, he worked at the
cabinet business during the time unemployed in his new pro
fessional pursuits, and also broke in horses. In process of
time he engaged part of a large timber yard (upon the site
of which the present amphitheatre stands), enclosed it cir
cularly with boarding, erected seats for an audience, with a
pent-house roof, sufficient to protect them from the rain,
while he performed in a rope ring, under no roof but the
canopy of heaven. Here he performed during the morn
ings ; in the evenings he exhibited a learned horse, Ombres
Chinoises, sleight of hand, &c, &c, in a large room No. 22,
Piccadilly ; and his profits, through rigid economy, even
tually enabled him to lend his landlord, the timber mer
chant, £200, the whole of the yard, and the timber in it,
being mortgaged to him as a security. The borrower left
England upon receiving the money, and was never more
heard of. Astley, in due course of time, becoming pos
sessed of the property by legal investiture, sold the timber,
and, with the money thus raised, increased by £60, the pro
duce of a large diamond ring which he found at the foot of
Westminster Bridge, and which was never advertised by
the loser, he erected (1780) a roofed building, with a com
modious auditory, which he advertised to be opened as the
Amphitheatre Riding House ; that building he enlarged at
different periods, as his profits enabled him, till he covered
the whole extent of the ground in his possession. The
prices of admission were, boxes 2s. 6d., pit Is., gallery 6d.
The performances were at night. Having been informed

358 EDIFICES OF LONDON.
that the Royal Circus, which was then building, would be
opened with musical pieces and dancing, as well as horse
manship, to keep pace with his new rival, Astley added a
stage and scenery to his riding circle; but not being
licensed, he was imprisoned ; he obtained, however, both
his release and a license, through the late Lord Thurlow,
to whose daughters he taught riding. He then enlarged
his theatre, and called it the Royal Grove, from the audi
tory being painted to resemble a grove ; and, upon a future
alteration of the edifice, he again changed the name to the
Amphitheatre of Arts ; the admission prices were now, for
boxes 4s., pit 2s., gallery Is. That building, on the 16th of
August, 1794, was, during Astley's abode on the continent,
as a volunteer with the army, burnt to the ground. Unap-
palled by the calamity, although his property was scarcely,
if at all, insured, he obtained leave of absence, came over to
England, rebuilt his amphitheatre, and opened it on the
succeeding Easter Monday, 1795, under the designation
of the Royal Amphitheatre, the Prince of Wales and the
Duke of York patronising it. On September 2, 1803, this
building (very little secured by insurance) was also totally
destroyed by fire, while Astley Avas in Paris.* With his
accustomed fortitude, perseverance, and celerity, he erected
* He had an amphitheatre in Paris, and another in Peter Street, Dub
lin, for which he had a patent from the Irish Parliament. Astley built
nineteen theatres at different periods, the last of which was the Olympic
Pavilion (now theatre), in Wych Street, in 1806, which he afterwards sold
to Elliston. The patent of his Irish theatre expired several years ago,
and the property went from him. His Paris theatre was, during the
Revolution, seized and made barracks of, but the property was restored to
him during the consulate of Buonaparte ; and it is said that a rental was
paid for all the time it had been kept from him.

ROYAL AMPHITHEATRE, WESTMINSTER BRIDGE. 359
a new amphitheatre in time enough to open on Easter
Monday, 1804. He had previously leased the property to
his son, the late Mr. John Astley, who in his youth was
esteemed the first equestrian in Europe. He granted also
a lease of the new amphitheatre to his son, who continued
lessee during the remainder of his father's life. Mr. A.,
senior, went to Paris to dispose of the amphitheatre he had
built there, and died October 20, 1814, aged 72, and was
buried in the cemetery called Pere la Chaise. On the 19th
of October, 1821, his son, who went to Paris for his health,
died in the same house, chamber, and bed, where his father
breathed his last. After Mr. John Astley's death, Mr.
William Davis, who had long been joint lessee with him,
conducted the concern for himself, the widow of the late
Mr. Astley, jun., and her late husband's creditors, till the
end of the season in 1824, when the lease expired. The
rental of the last lease was £1000 per annum.
The front, which is plain and of brick, stands even with
the houses in Bridge Road, Lambeth, a short distance from
Westminster Bridge, the access to the back part of the
premises being in Stangate Street. There is a plain
wooden portico, the depth of which corresponds with the
width of the pavement, and is lighted by large gas lanterns.
This leads to the boxes and pit ; the gallery entrance is
lower down the street, and separated from the front by
several houses.
The boxes are approached by a plain staircase, at the
head of which is the lobby, which is 1 1 feet 9 inches in
depth, and about 60 feet long, with passages behind the
side boxes, from which are staircases leading to the upper
boxes ; at the back of the lobby is a fruit room. There are
long seats attached to the wall of the lobby all round, and

360 EDIFICES OF LONDON.
in the centre is a large and handsome patent stove. The
backs of the boxes, from about 5 feet above the floor, are
entirely open to the lobby, which is customary at most of
the minor theatres- The form of the auditory is elliptical,
and it is lit by a very large cut-glass lustre, and chandeliers
with bell lamps ; gas is the medium of illumination used
all over the premises.
There is one continued row or tier of boxes round the
auditory, above the central part of which is the gallery,
and there is a half tier of upper boxes on each side, with
slips over them. There are three private boxes on each
side adjoining the proscenium ; one attached to each ex
tremity of the gallery, and one at each end of the or
chestra. The floor of the ride, within the auditory, is
earth and saw-dust, where a ring or circle, 44 feet in
diameter, is bounded by a boarded enclosure, about 4 feet
in height ; the curve of which, next the stage, forms the
outline of the orchestra, and the remainder that of the
pit, behind which is an extensive lobby and a bar for
refreshments. The proscenium is large and moveable, for the con
venience of widening and heightening the stage, which is,
perhaps, the largest and most convenient in London, and
is terminated by immense platforms or floors, rising above
each other, and extending the whole width of the stage.
These are exceedingly massive and strong. The horsemen
gallop and skirmish over them, and they will admit a car
riage, equal in size and weight to a mail coach, to be driven
across them. They are, notwithstanding, so constructed as
to be placed and removed, in a short space of time, by
manual labour and mechanism. When employed they are
masked with scenery, representing battlements, heights,

ROYAL AMPHITHEATRE, WESTMINSTER BRIDGE. 361
bridges, mountains, &c. There are several very considerable
inlets and outlets to and from the stage and the stables,
which communicate with each other.
The stables, which range over a very extensive space of
ground, on one side of the stage, to the right from the
auditory, are very capacious; and when they are wholly
occupied by the numbers of beautiful horses attached to
the establishment, constitute a most gratifying exhibition.
The horses are kept in the highest order, and attended by
several experienced grooms. C. DIBDIN.

THE DIORAMA.

This very ingenious display of architectural and land
scape scenery having been exhibited with success at Paris,
Mr. Smith, an English resident there, undertook to esta
blish a similar exhibition in London, and Mr. Pugin was
employed by him to visit France and inspect the building,
in order that a new and suitable edifice should be designed,
embracing all the improvements that experience and obser
vation had suggested.
A convenient spot having been obtained in the Regent's
Park, a building was planned and erected there under the
joint direction of Mri Morgan and Mr. Pugin, and opened
to the public, October the 6th, 1823 ; the whole having
been completed in four months, at the cost of about £9,000,
including two houses, which are comprised within the
plan, and which assist in forming the facade, and occupy
frontage-ground not required for the theatre.
It may be remembered by many persons, that about
forty years before, an admirable exhibition was brought
before the public, and called the Eidophusikon, which
debghted all its visitors, consisting of pictures painted by
M. De Loutherbourg, that underwent repeated changes by
the operation of modified light on their transparent and
semitransparent surfaces, and by the intervention of opaque
and coloured material. On the same principles the Dio
rama is formed ; but the Eidophusikon was on a small

EDIFICES of LONDON"  PUBLIC BUILDING'S.

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THE DIORAMA. 363
scale, and exhibited in the evening, and by artificial light,
whereas the present exhibition is dependent on daylight
for its illumination.
The Diorama, from this circumstance, its magnitude,
merit, and means of display, surpasses every preceding ex
hibition in representing the truths of scenic nature; but
to ensure this it required the best talents of the artist
and ingenuity of the machinist, both of which have been
successfully afforded to its execution.*
The paintings are two in number, and each about
seventy-two feet long and forty-two feet wide, executed by
Messrs. Bouton and Daguere ; they are capable of being
removed, so as to admit others occasionally, and to permit
an interchange of subjects between the Dioramas of Paris
and London. These pictures are placed at distances from
the spectator proportioned to the angle at which he would
view the objects in nature ; and in the absence of means
to perceive this distance, and having no connecting objects
to operate as a scale towards the direction of his judgment
in comparing quantities, he yields irresistibly to the
magic of the painter's skill, and feels the illusion to be
complete. But it is not this successful illusion that constitutes the
whole merit of the exhibition ; it has further claim to ap
plause from the changes that occur in the pictures, so
decided and true to nature, that the mind is led to doubt
that they are the effect of art. Thus in the architectural
subject, the interior of Trinity Chapel, a part of Canter^
bury Cathedral, the whole is at one moment subdued by
gloom, seeming to be caused by the intervention of a pass
ing cloud, and so as to obscure the aisles and deep recesses
* The machinery was most satisfactorily executed by Mr. Topham.

364 EDIFICES OF LONDON.
of the chapel, until the place becomes awfully imposing ;
when, in an instant, as though the interruption had passed
away, and the sun was permitted to shine through the
windows in its full lustre, the Gothic architecture is beau
tifully illumined, the shadows projected with force and
truth, and the secondary lights produced beneath the
groinings of the roofs in all the delicate gradations of
natural reflections, dressed in the soft tones of colour
which they borrow from the pavements, and the gem-like
brilliancy of the painted glass. The landscape scene un
dergoes similar changes, in which the bursts of sunshine
are admirably executed, and particularly in the effects pro
duced in the sky and on the clouds, which continually
seem to form new combinations of light, colour, and ar
rangement. The machinery to effect all this is managed with great
ease, and the changes are produced Avith so much certainty
by the power of light on the surfaces of the pictures, that
no defect occurs in the representation.
There is a striking novelty belonging to this exhibition,
that surprises the spectator, if he is not previously aware
of it, arising from the circumstance of his being involun
tarily made to view each picture alternately, although it is
evident that both are fixed. This is effected by a revolving
motion given at stated intervals to the whole arena, its
walls, and ceiling, by which the single opening is moved
from the stage-front of one scene to that of the other ; and
as the motion is not very perceptible, it appears as if one
stage and scene was gliding away from sight, whilst
another is immediately succeeding, and offering itself for
contemplation ; an effect not unaptly compared with the
change of scene produced to a spectator on shipboard,
when passing along the shores of a wide river.

THE DIORAMA. 365
The machinery to effect this weighs about twenty tons ;
and even when crowded with persons, the whole is capable
of being moved to its rotative duties by a lad twelve years
of age. Of necessity the central point of bearing is very
solidly supported ; it is of squared stone-work, ten feet by
ten feet, built upon piles eighteen feet long, and driven by
a twelve hundred weight ram-engine. The accomplish
ment of this important object is highly creditable to Mr.
Morgan's talents.
The ceiling of the arena, or salon, is of a transparent
fabric, divided into compartments, and painted in colours,
in imitation of the rich foliages by Raphael, at the Vatican,
and embellished by Cameos, containing the portraits of the
following celebrated painters : — Sir Joshua Reynolds, West,
N. Poussin, Ruisdael, Rembrandt, Vernet, C. Lorraine,
Berghem, L. de Vinci, Teniers, Rubens, Raphael, and
Gainsborough. The salon or theatre is lighted from the top of the
building, and imparts an agreeable shade and repose, that
augment the force and brilliancy of the pictures without
creating an objectionable gloom.
The effect of actual identity which this exhibition con
veys of the subjects it presents to the spectator, cannot fail
to interest him deeply ; and should such classical scenery
be brought before the public in this way, as is only to be
viewed in nature by the labour and great expense of travel
to obtain it, there is very little doubt but the Diorama will
experience a very durable patronage.
The elevation of the building was designed by Mr.
Nash, and bounds a portion of an area, called Park
Square : it is of the Ionic order, the basement embellished
with columns and pilasters, &c, the centre of which is the
approach to the theatre.

.366 EDIFICES OF LONDON.
REFERENCES TO THE PLAN.
a and b, in the vestibule, represent the doorways in the
wall of the theatre ; and b a, in the salon, indicate others
in its rotative enclosure. When the stage aperture is pre
sented to the picture situated on the left of the spectator,
the doors b b are opposite to each other, as shown in the
plan ; and when the machinery has turned back to the
stage-opening of the picture to the right, the doorways a a
become in contact in their turns. I. B. P.

As the stranger to the Diorama may reasonably expect
from the present work the most ample information on a
subject of novelty and publicity, I am induced to add a
few descriptive remarks to the preceding article. The an
nexed plan shows that the building consists of a vestibule
and two lateral houses, facing a circular part of the edifice,
which may be regarded as the audience-room of the
theatre, and is occupied by boxes and an open area for
spectators. The sides of this circular part are painted and
adorned with festooned draperies ; and the top is covered
with a transparent painting, divided into many compart
ments, and charged with medallion likenesses of several
eminent artists. Over this semitransparent ceiling, or
inner roof, rises a conical roof, nearly half of which is
glazed. As shown in the plan, the circular part consists
of a wall, two-thirds of a circle, with two small doorways
and two large openings to the compartments of the scenic
theatre. Immediately within this wall, but detached from
it, is another wall, rising from the floor to the inner ceiling,
and which, with the floor, revolves on a pivot, beneath.

THE DIORAMA. 367
A large square opening, about one-fifth of the circle, like
the proscenium of a theatre, allows the audience to view
the scenes or pictures stationed in the two picture-rooms.
Two large paintings, placed in these, are lighted by
windows behind (consequently they are transparent), and
by skylights in the roof, which admit the light on the
fronts or faces of the pictures. By the aid of transparent
and opaque curtains before the windows, various effects of
skylights and light, shadow, and gradation of colour, are
produced ; and many others may be designed and executed.
Without hinting any thing detrimental to the present bold
and ingenious premises and exhibition, I cannot forget the
scientific, varied, and very powerful effects, and skilful
pictures, which Loutherbourg produced in his Eidophu
sikon. These were — a calm — a moonlight — a sunset — a
storm at sea, progressively growing from a gentle breeze
to a destructive and overwhelming tempest, accompanied
by mimic lightning, rain, thunder, and wind : also the
fire of London, &c, &c. This artist's theatre and scenes
were, however, small in comparison to those of the
Diorama, and the exhibition was by night. — See a very
interesting account of the Eidophusikon, in " Wine and
Walnuts." Nov. 6, 1823. J. B.

THE COLOSSEUM.

In a work professing to illustrate the public buildings
of the metropolis, the edifice represented in the annexed
engraving may claim distinguished notice, from the mag
nitude of its dimensions, the style of its architecture, and
the purpose to which it is destined. Pre-eminent amongst
the edifices in its vicinity, it engages the attention of all
who frequent the Regent's Park and its neighbourhood, of
which it forms so conspicuous an ornament.
The ingenious and enterprizing projector of the present
building and its concomitant appendages, mounted to the
summit of St. Paul's Cross in the year 1822, where, from
an observatory, placed on scaffolding several feet above the
top of the cross, he took his daily residence for many
months successively (and sometimes eA'en all night), for
the purpose of making accurate sketches of every visible
object that could be descried from that central and com
manding eminence. The sketches then made covered
many hundred sheets of paper ; and from those materials
the outlines of the panoramic picture were formed.
These multitudinous studies are now transferred to the
interior of this immense building, and display to the spec
tator the unrivalled and vast metropolis of London, and its
environs, as the Avhole would appear on the clearest day,
and aided by the most powerful vision. The spectator,
without having to ascend a single step, finds himself, by

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THE COLOSSEUM. 369
the safe, speedy, and unerring operation of invisible and
inaudible mechanism, raised to an elevation whence the
whole prospect at once expands around him : he sees,
beneath the summer sunshine of a serene sky, divested of
the usual canopy of smoke and vapour, this great metro
polis, Avith its countless multitude of streets and squares,
its churches, palaces, mansions, hospitals, theatres, public
offices, institutions, scientific and literary ; its noble river,
with its numerous bridges ; and, in the distance, a rich and
varied expanse of rural and sylvan scenery, extending from
the Avoodlands of Kent and Essex in the east, to the forest
and castle of Windsor on the western horizon. Recovering
from the wonder created by this first view of the picture as
a whole, he finds new cause of astonishment in examining,
we had almost said in perusing, it in detail ; for not only
may the prominent structures be discerned and known, but
every private residence in toAvn or country, Avhich is visible
from St. Paul's itself, be recognised in the representation ;
and the various objects in the foreground, as Avell as in
the distance, will bear the test of the telescope. To in
crease the effect, improve the convenience for inspection,
and, at the same time, to augment the means of judging
of the merits of the performance as a work of art, there
is a succession of galleries, the highest of which is con
structed for the purpose of giving a more satisfactory view
of the distant country.
Ascending thence, the spectator passes the original ball
of St. Paul's, which, having been obtained by the proprietor,
is in this very appropriate place preserved as an interesting
relic, lending no inconsiderable aid to the impressions pro
duced on the mind in contemplating London as seen from
the summit of its lofty and far-famed cathedral. An easy
ascent leads to a spacious esplanade, on the circle that
VOL. I. B B

370 EDIFICES OF LONDON.
croAvns the exterior of the Colosseum, from which is be
held a real panorama, formed by the Regent's Park and its
elegant vicinity. Thus to invite a comparison of the por
traiture with its original, seems an act not only of candour,
but of boldness, approaching to temerity ; and it must be
no small gratification for the artist to be conscious that his
production suffers no disparagement from so severe a trial,
as Avell as for the beholder to find, on returning to the pic
ture, that he has a strong incentive for re-viewing it, Avith
reference to such a criterion.
Having satisfied his curiosity, the stranger, concluding
that the object of his visit has been fulfilled, may be pre
pared to depart ; but fresh enjoyment, superadded to that
which he had been led to anticipate, awaits his return.
Having descended, a covered gallery conducts him to the
exterior of the building, where he finds a scene in the open
air which seems to belong to another region. There art,
combining with nature, has realised some of the ideal com
positions which imaginative theorists have formed of the
romantic and the picturesque ; for the artist has created a
scene, which cannot fail of exciting both surprise and
Avonder. Valley and hill, rock and cataract, pine-forest,
glaciers, and snow-capt Alps, constitute a sort of solitude
presenting no sign of social or civilized life : a vista, where
depth, and height, and expanse, seem to beguile the eye
and deceive the senses.
From the gloom of this wilderness a subterranean
passage leads, by gentle gradations, to a scene of refined
culture, — a conservatory in which are tastefully disposed
some of the rarest exotics that have been introduced into
this country, and where the flowers of the tropics are seen
blossoming in light and life. The grottos and recesses
connected with this conservatory are incrusted with shells,

THE COLOSSEUM. 371
madrepores, corals, spars of every hue, stalactites, and other
mineral and marine productions. Along the glazed roofs,
both of the central apartments and the avenues, various
climbing plants are trained so as to present the appearance
of a leafy grove ; and in some parts of this secure abode,
birds of various song and plumage will have a considerable
range. The order and disposition of the plants will admit
of every variety which taste or fancy may dictate ; and the
aid of painting and sculpture will, in appropriate places, be
employed to enhance and diversify the scene. It must be
obvious, that this temple of Flora will serve the double
purpose of elegant recreation and philosophic research —
and that in amusing the juvenile mind, it will at once pro
mote and illustrate the study of the vegetable world.
J. B. and T. H.

The above description, written before the building itself
was opened to the public, is rather too much a, la George
Robins — magniloquent and magnifying; consequently,
great deductions must be made from " the glaciers and
snow-capt Alps," which must sound ridiculous to those
who have visited the place, and quite mislead those who have
not. The truth is, there is a great deal worth seeing at the
Colosseum, many clever, well imagined, and ingeniously
contrived effects, from which, although in themselves upon
too small a scale to strike otherwise than by their novelty,
many useful hints may be derived for something better, in
regard to contriving artificial scenes and illusions in con
fined spaces, which seem to preclude them, and of which
consequently no advantage is attempted to be taken.
What has been here done shows how, by a little manage-

372 edifices of London.
ment and artifice, an agreeable vista or prospect might be
formed in what would otheiAvise be a mere back court, or
sunk area ; and that it would be very possible by the pro
per position of a moderate sized painting, to obtain an
apparent view or look-out from a window, or the landing of
a staircase. Referring to the conservatories at the Colos
seum and Pantheon, a writer in the Foreign Quarterly
remarks : — " It must be admitted there is somewhat more
of the theatrical about them than would be desirable for
any other place ; at the same time they show what may
be done within similarly contracted limits, and likewise
furnish many hints and ideas that may be greatly im
proved upon. For our own part we do not see wherefore
a boudoir garden, if we may be allowed so to term this
particular species, should not be perfectly reconcileable
with good taste, since it certainly affords opportunities for
introducing a variety of scenic and pictorial effects; although,
in proportion as it is capable of being treated in a masterly
Avay, it is liable to be abused and rendered a mere assem
blage of show-box puerilities."
Externally the building (designed by Mr. Decimus Bur
ton) is a polygon of sixteen sides, and 130 feet in diameter.
In the attic all the faces of the polygon are shown, but beloAv,
three of them are-occupied by the portico, a Doric hexastyle
of about 70 feet in width, and exhibiting that order upon a
much larger scale than had previously been done in any
building in the metropolis, with the advantage of an effect
not attainable with fewer columns, and with the still greater
advantage, of its character not being at all impaired by the
introduction of features irreconcileable with any aim at a
strictly Grecian style, there being no other within the portico
than a single lofty doorway. In its general form, indeed; this
edifice must be referred to a Roman rather than a Grecian

THE COLOSSEUM. 373
prototype, namely the Pantheon, which circumstance it pro
bably was that led one writer, who has attempted to describe
the building in the Regent's Park, into a most ludicrous
blunder, for he has not scrupled to assure his readers that
its portico is copied from that of the Pantheon at Rome,
" which, in the harmony of its proportions and the exqui
site beauty of its columns, surpasses every temple on the
earth" ! ! Had he said that it was copied from Canova's
Church at Possagno,* he would have been some degrees
nearer the mark, at least as far as resemblance in regard to
the order adopted, and the application of a Grecian style to
the plan of the Roman Pantheon. Mr. Hosking, however,
in his " Treatise on Architecture," objects to the combina
tion of the square and circle in the plan, observing — " irre
gular and intricate forms in works of architecture, whether
internally or externally, will be found unpleasing. Few
can admire the external effect of the Pantheon, or of the
structure in London called the Colosseum, which has been
subjected to the same arrangement, though certain features
in both may be good." Yet with due deference to the
opinion of such an authority, we should be inclined to
demur to it, even had we not Canova's own example to
oppose to it. In itself irregularity is a fault, but then the
question is whether the slight degree of it thus produced
can fairly be termed so; besides which, by pushing the
doctrine a little further, we may contend that a parallelo
gram is an irregular square, consequently faulty, and the
flank and front of a Grecian temple do not exhibit that
* This building, the design for which was given by Canova himself, is
a rotunda, with a Grecian Doric disposed as a double octastyle, there
being a second range of columns behind those in front. These columns are
nearly 36 feet (English) high, and the metopes of the frieze are enriched
with reliefs executed from Canova's own models.

374 EDIFICES OF LONDON.
uniformity which they might and ought to be made to do.
But Ave need not resort to any argument of that kind, be
cause, were it not for the irregularity censured by that
writer, and caused by the addition of a portico to the cir
cular part of their plan, both the buildings he mentions
would appear heavy lumpish masses, whatever decoration
might be bestowed upon them. This we think is unde
niable: any one, however, can satisfy himself more ex
perimentally, by divesting them of their porticoes or
excrescences, and then seeing what he can make of them
in a drawing.
In the interior of the Colosseum the lower part forms
what is designated the " saloon," which differs from a ro
tunda in being a spacious ring-shaped apartment, encir
cling an inner cylinder or tower, wherein are the staircases
to the three galleries (placed at different levels), from which
the panorama is viewed. This latter occupies the upper part
of the wall, above the awning that serves as a ceiling to the
saloon below. Owing to the obscurity the spectator has
first to pass through in his ascent to these galleries being
so contrived, that on looking from them nothing but the pic
ture itself is visible, the illusion is much greater than is
produced by other panoramas, where no pains are taken to
conceal the extremities of the picture. But as the painting
itself does not admit of being changed or replaced from
time to time by fresh subjects, this part of the exhibition
has long ago lost the novelty essential to its favour with
the public, and has become altogether stale.
It was originally intended that the Colosseum should
contain a library and reading rooms, and that the place
should be opened to subscribers only, who were to pay ten
pounds annually for their admission. To whatever cause
oAving, this part of the scheme Avas abandoned, and it Avas

THE COLOSSEUM. 375
from the first opened to the public indiscriminately. About
two years ago a suite of rooms was added at the rear of the
building adjoining Albany Street, for evening entertain
ments, comprising musical and dramatic performances— a
speculation of Mr. Braham's, but how far it has proved a
successful one, Ave are unable to state.* EDITOR.
* Still more recently these rooms have been converted into a place of
evening " entertainment for man and beast," at the moderate rate of a
shilling admission — refreshment ticket, alias ticket for gin and water,
included! Alas! what a falling off from the glaciers and snow-capt
mountain, and " sort of solitude," above spoken off!

INDEX TO VOLUME I.

Adam, R., architect, 305.
All Saints' Church, Poplar, account of,
176.
All Souls' Church, Langham Place,
account of, 173 ; Editor's remarks,
174.
Ancient Theatres, remarks on, 274.
Anderton, Dr., remarks on St. Stephen's,
Wallbrook, 54.
Astley 's Amphitheatre, 376.
Beazley, S., architect, 352.
Berlin, theatre at, 287.
Bordeaux, theatre at, 284, note.
Bride's, St., Church, Fleet Street, ac
count of, 68 ; present church erected,
69; description, 70 ; spire, 71; in
terior and altarpiece, 74; Editor's
remarks, 77.
Burton, Decimus, architect, 372.
Canova's Church atPossagno, 373, note.
Chelsea, Church of St. Luke at, account
of, 162.
Churches, remarks on galleries in, 192.
Cockerell, C. R., architect, 179.
Colosseum, account of, 368; Editor's
remarks, 371.
Covent Garden, St. Paul's Church, 115.
 Theatre, account of,
312.

Dimensions of domes, 41 ; halls, 258 ;
theatres, 284.
Diorama, account of, 362.
Domes, table of dimensions of the
principal ones, 41.
Drury Lane Theatre, account of, 324 ;
the late theatre burnt, 325; iron-
curtain hlunder ib., note; present
theatre erected, 327.
Dunstan's, St., in the East, tower of, 86.
 West, Fleet Street,
old church, 187 ; new one, 188.
Eidophusikon, the, 362, 367.
Elmes, Mr., his plan for improving the
area around St. Paul's, 45.
English Opera House, account of for
mer one, 348; destroyed by fire, 353 j
new theatre, ib.
Erechtheum, Athens, 144.
Foreign Quarterly, quoted, 372.
Gallery, Royal, and Staircase, House
of Lords, 269.
George's, St, in the East, account of,
95 ; Editor's remarks, 99.
 Bloomsbury, remarks on

its steeple, 90, note.
Ghent, new theatre at, 286, note.
Gibbs, James, architect, 102.

INDEX TO A'OLUME I.

Halls, dimensions of some, 258.
Hamburg, theatre at, 288.
Hanover Chapel, account of, 179;
Editor's remarks, 185.
Hardwick, T., architect, 129.
Hawksmoor, Nicholas, architect, 90;
note, 95.
Haymarket Theatre, account of, 344.
Henry VII.'s Chapel, description of,
241.
Hosking, Mr., his remarks on the
Colosseum, 373.
Hope, Mr., his remarks on theatres,
296.
House of Lords, staircase, and Royal
Gallery, 269; Editor's remarks, 271.
James's, St., Piccadilly, account of, 79 ;
Editor's remarks, 83.
 Theatre, 354.
Jones, Inigo, architect, 116.
Knights Templars, 200.
 Hospitallers, 203.
Inwood, Messrs., architects, 141.
Law Courts, Westminster, 259 ; Sir J.
Soane's statement relative to, 262 ;
Editor's remarks, 267.
Lyceum Theatre, 348.
Mary, St., Woolnoth, church of, 88 ;
Editor's remarks, 94.
Marylebone Church, account of, 126;
Editor's remarks, 135.
Mary-le-Bow, St., Church, account of,
57 ; description, 59 ; steeple, 59 ;
Editor's remarks, 66.
Mentz, theatre at, 290.
Mikhaelov, architect, 288.
Moller, architect, 290.
Monuments, at St. Paul's, 29.
Moscow, Mikhaelov's design for a
theatre at, 288.

Nash, J., architect, 174, 307, 309, 346,
365.
Newman, J., architect, 194.
Olenin, Professor, his remarks on
theatres, 289.
Opera House, Italian, account of, 305.
Palladio, his Teatro Olimpico, 278.
Paul's, St., Cathedral, account of, 1 ;
description of the former cathedral,
2 ; history of the present edifice, 6 ;
description, 8; compared with St.
Peter's, 19 ; monumental sculpture,
26; description of plates, 31; Editor's
remarks, 42.
 , Covent Garden, account of,
115; Editor's remarks, 124.
Peter-le-Poor, St., church of, 110; de
scription, 111.
Porticoes, remarks on, by J. B. Pap-
worth, 131, note.
Possagno, church at, 373, note.
Pugin, A., architect, 362.
Quarenghi, architect, 278, note.
Ralph, his opinion on St. Stephen's,
Wallbrook, 47 ; St. Paul's, Covent
Garden, 117.
Repton, G. S., architect, 156.
Royal Amphitheatre, Westminster, ac
count of, 356.
Savage, James, architect, 163; his
justification of the tower of Chelsea
Church, 166, note.
Shaw, J., architect, 193.
Smirke, Sir R., architect, 209, 313.
Soane, Sir J., architect, 259, 268.
Spires, remarks on, 63.
St. Petersburg, theatre at, 285, note.
Stephen's, St., Wallbrook, account of,
47 ; Editor's remarks, 53.

INDEX TO VOLUME I.

Temple Church, history, 200 ; monu
ments, 205 ; description, 208.
Theatres, remarks on, 274.
Thomond, architect, 285, note.
Venice, theatre of La Fenice, at, 285,
note.

AVallbrook, St. Stephen's, account of,
47 ; Editor's remarks, 53.
Walpole, Horace, his opinion of St.
Paul's, Covent Garden, 118.
Weinbrenner, architect, 292, note.

Westminster Abbey, history, 210; de
scription of, 218.
Westminster Hall, account of, 249.
Wetter, his work on theatres, 292.
Wightwick, G., quoted, 171, 174, 301,
note.
Willement, T., painted window by, in
St. Dunstan's West, 193.
Willson, E. J., remarks on spires by,
63 ; description of Westminster Hall,
251.
Wren, Sir Christopher, 5, 47, 57, 69,
79, 86.
Wyatt, Benj., architect, 327.

END OF VOL. T.

Cole and Taylor, Printers, Chane Codrt, Fleet Street.

r  YALE I