20 ANNUAL OF SCIENTIFIC DISCOVERY. 



roof of the nave, 100 feet in height ; at each end rises an enormous 

 dome, 250 feet high and 160 feet in diameter at its base. When it is 

 remembered that the dome of St. Paul's is but 108 in diameter and 

 St. Peter's but 139, some idea of the huge vault it is proposed to rear 

 will be obtained. The form of these domes appears to be octangular, 

 terminating in a pinnacle, and with a reverted curve, like an ogee 

 moulding, for general outline. The exterior aspect of the great facade 

 presents four sections, divided by porches of differing dimensions. 



Reverting to the ground plan of the building, we may briefly point 

 out that its general form is that of the letter L, the short limb being 

 that intended for the reception of machinery. At each end of the 

 long limb arise the enormous domes ; along the front of this, farthest 

 removed from the short limb, is the fa9ade we have just described ; 

 this facade is the front of the space devoted to the pictures, will be 

 built of brick, and, of course, intended to be of a permanent nature. 

 The upper portion only of this will be devoted to art ; the lower gal- 

 leries, on a level with the road, being appropriated to other objects, 

 amongst which carriages and still machinery will find place. The 

 picture galleries will therefore be 1,200 feet long; down the middle 

 runs a dividing wall, doubling the hanging space, forming two galle- 

 ries parallel to each other, 55 feet wide by 35 feet high. The result 

 will be 4,600 feet of wall space : a space enormous, no doubt, but by 

 no means enough, if all the probable requirements are to be fully met. 

 The plan of lighting is to be from a clerestory range of windows, the 

 roof being solid. 



We are now fairly in the interior of the edifice, and may take a 

 stand at either end under the dome, and look down the vast nave, 

 which is in an unbroken line from end to end. As at present designed, 

 there will be under each of these domes a raised platform or dais, 

 elevated a few feet from the floor, a post of advantage for looking 

 over all the vast range of vistas that open before us. The general 

 character of the design for these interiors is not without a suggestive 

 Gothicism. The height of the nave, which forms the centre, is about 

 100 feet, the roof pitched from the centre at a low angle, of wood, 

 covered with felt, as we said before. This roof is to be supported by 

 cast-iron columns; these columns, about midway of their height, which 

 is about the same as the exterior wall, sustain a gallery running en- 

 tirely round the nave above this, at an equal distance to that at 

 which the first gallery stands above the floor ; the columns terminate 

 in an ornamental capital ; from this rise gigantic spanners of semi- 

 circular form, which leap over the whole nave from side to side, the 

 space between them and the sloping roof-sides being filled by trusses 

 and ties, architecturally disposed ; thus there exists what may be 

 called a spandril over each arching semi-circular spanner. The cast- 

 iron columns are banded midway of their height. The splendid pic- 

 turesqueness of effect gained by this general arrangement may be sur- 

 mised readily. Great character is given by allowing the timber ribs 

 of the roof to be visible above all. The columns are slightly advanced 

 into the nave, so that a sort of recess is formed by each. Behind 

 each is a second but subordinate shafting, of square form ; this will do 

 duty mainly for the support of the galleries, that of the roof going to 

 the columns. Both are of cast-iron. The spanners have cusps upon 



