40 



THE CIVIL ENGINEER AND ARCHITECT'S JOURNAL. 



on tlic shores of the Geimaii ocean ; to the Northern Channel and tlic 

 Estuar}' of the Clyde stretching up to Glasgow. Are not these com- 

 munications extending iVom the Atlantic Ocean to tlie principal ports 

 of Great Britain admirable channels, and qnite snHicient for all kinds 

 of steamers to navigate to these respective ports. Tims has nature laid 

 open the whole of tlie harbonrs and conn>icrcial ports in tlie Empire to 

 all the advantages of steam navigation with the stales of the new world ; 

 and be it further observed that lliese magnidcent sea channels liave 

 cost the nation nothing and ne\ei will require any kind of repair. On 

 till' other hand, looking to the land, is there not a railway already made 

 and extending from Liverpool to London V and from which harbour or 

 ports steamers are plying to all the principal ports of Holland, Bel- 

 gium, and the north of France, Hamburgh, and even to St. Petersburgh. 

 Again a railway communication exists between England and Hull, 

 facing Hamburgh on the continent, and laying oiien liie whole of the 

 northern countries bordering the Baltic sea ; and is there not a railway 

 in full progress of execution which will connect Bristol and London 

 called the (ireat Western ': I ask are not tliesc channels, harbours.and 

 railways, qnite sufHcient to aflbrd all reasonable facilities and accommo- 

 dation to general intercourse witli the American continent by steam, 

 ■without embarking the government in the great expense of making 

 140 miles of railway through the mountains of Wales ; and ;llt> miles 

 of railway througli the southern districts of Ireland, which would incur 

 an expenditure of ten millions sterling, on a inere chance or prob.ability 

 that Cork might become the " tjenci-al resoii for the Imsiiiessto^lmcrica 

 for a rjreat part of tlie continent of Europe." The endeavour to malce 

 Cork a point of general resort for the business to America is made to 

 appear the ostensible reason why government should make se many 

 hundred miles of railway through Wales and the south of Ireland. It 

 is under this mantle of a western port for the accommodation, as it were, 

 to the intercourse of a great part of the continent of Europe is concealed 

 one of the most extraordinary projects that has ever been attempted to 

 be carried into execution within the realms of this empire, but it is to 

 be hoped that the good sense of the British parliament will at once put 

 a stop to any further proeeedings as regards the recommendations of 

 the Railway Commissioners. W, 



LONDON AND WESTMINSTER BANK. 



AuciiiTECTs.— Charles CocKERELL Esq. R.A., F.S.A.; and William 

 TiTE, Esq. F.R.S. 



The new building for the city establishment of llie Loiidon and 

 AVestminster Bank, which has just been completed, is situated on the 

 north .side of Lothbury, immediately opposite to the north-east angle 

 of the Bank of England. The whole structure occupies a site of 

 nearly 80 feet in frontage, and 90 in depth. The facade consists of 

 one general plane or face, broken only by an advancing pier iit each 

 end. It has seven apertui-es in the length, and three tiers of them in 

 the height ; the two lower tiers, comprehending the openings on tlie 

 ground and one-pair lloors, are included in one architectural story, ov 

 order, if such it may be called, the upper tier, which consists of the 

 windows of the two-pair lioor, being contained in an attic story. The 

 whole of the front is of Portland stone, with the exception' of the 

 plinth, which is from the Bramleyfall quarries. The entrance vesti- 

 bule or aveiuie has, on each side, a line of four plain Doric columns, 

 with appropriate accessories. From this vestibule access is gained 

 on the right to the country bank, the principal staircase, and some 

 official apartments ; and directly in front, to the principal or town 

 bank. The latter apartment is by far the most considerable in the 

 building. Its general form is a square of about 3/ feet, whose height 

 is that of the entire building, and it is extended by lateral recesses, 

 east and west, to a portion of this height. These additions or aisles 

 are divided from the centre, on each side, by an arcade of three 

 arches, springing from Doric columns, with cornices. The surround- 

 ing walls are channelled in rustic courses to the height of this order. 

 The recesses are sufficiently lofty to allow of the introduction of a 

 gallery on each side, finished in front by a balustrade, abutting 

 against the columns at such a height that the capping of the balus- 

 trade ranges with the abaci of the columns. Above this, the arches 

 of the arcades run across over the aisles, and are intersected bv a 

 contrary vaulting, producing a system of groins as ceilings to the 

 galleries ; they are also advanced" over the main body of the build- 

 ing, and treated as a series of lialf groins, so as to aflbrd support to 

 an upper gallery, which passes quite round the principal square. 

 The verge of this uppei- gallery is guarded by a barrier, consisting of 

 a double horizontal rail, _ sustained at intervals by ornaments of a 

 scroll foliage. Over this gallery the lines of the cubical form 

 below are contiinied through, and gathered vip by means of penden- 

 tives in a domed figure, exhibiting nearly a hemisphere cut off" by 

 planes rai>ecl upon thides of a square inscribed within its circutU" 



ference. Tlie top of this dome is pierced by a large circular open- 

 ing for a skylight, the nir.rgin of which is covered, and additionally 

 ornamented with mouldings and lions' masks. Light is also obtained 

 by triple window's, occupying the flat semicircular spaces left by the 

 pendentives of the dome, on tiie three sides which are exposed to the 

 view of a person entering; these windows are filled with glass in 

 geometrical compartments, alternately ground and polished. Smaller 

 semicircular windows are introduced likewise in the three arches on 

 the north side, which form a continuation to those of the lateral 

 arcades. Oft he remaining apartments, the principal is the boarding- 

 room, occupying a frontage of fonr windows on the one-pair story. 

 On the same story are various apartments for the business purposes 

 of the establishment. The two-pair story, and another above it, the 

 frontage of which last is concealed behind the balustrade of the attic, 

 are appropriated to the use of the resident manager. Ample accom- 

 modation for cellarage, strong-rooms, porters' apartments, &e., is 

 provided in the basement story, which is fire-proof. Tlie time occu- 

 pied in the completion of this building has been about 18 months. 



ASPECTS AND PROSPECTS. 



The following judicious remarks relative to the choice of aspect 

 for a house, we have extracted from the vtiluable work, entitled 

 " Fragments, by the late H. and J. A. Reptou." They are given in 

 the form of a report concerning the situation for Walwood House, 

 Laytonstonc, Essex : — 



Nothing is more common, than for those who intend to build, to 

 consult many advisers, and to collect different plans fi'om which they 

 suppose it possible to make one perfect whole ; but they might as 

 well expect to make an epic poem, by selecting detaclicd verses from 

 the works of different poets. Others take a plan, and fancy it may 

 be adapted to any situation: but, in reality, the plan must be made 

 not only to lit the spot, it ought actually to be made upon the spot, 

 that every door and window may be adapted to the aspects and 

 prospects of the situation. 



It was a remark of my venerable friend, Mr. Carr of York, after 

 fourscore years' experience as an architect, that " to build a house 

 we had only to provide all that was wanted, and no more, then to 

 place the best rooms to the best aspects and the best views." Simple 

 as this apothegm may appear, it contains more truth in tlieorv', and 

 more difficulty in practice, than all the rules which have ever been laid 

 down in books by architects, or the remarks of all the admirers of 

 rural scenery with w lioin I have conversed. The former never think 

 of aspects, and the latter think of nbthing but prospects. I will, 

 therefore, beg leave to enlarge on these two subjects. 



I consider the aspect of infinitely more consequence to the comfort 

 and enjoyment of the inhabitant, than any prospect whatever; and 

 every common observer must be convinced, that in this climate a 

 soutlicrn aspect is most desirable ; but few are aware of the total 

 difference in the effect of turning the front of the house a few points 

 to the east or to the west of the south ; because, although the south- 

 east is the best, yet the south-west is the worst of all possi'ule aspects ; 

 for this reason — viz., all blustering winds and driving rains come from 

 the south-west, and consequently the windows arc so covered with 

 wet, as to render the landscape hardly visible. My intention was 

 originally drawn to this subject by travelling so much in jKi^t car- 

 riages, and often remarking the dill'erence betwixt tlie window to 

 the south-west and that to the south-east, during a shower of rain, 

 or immediately" after; when the sun shining on the drops causes au 

 unpleasant glitter, obstructing the prospect, while the view towards 

 the south-east remains perfectly visible. 



At Organ Hall, in Hertfordshire, the living room was towards the 

 south-west, and during a heavy storm of wind and rain we acci- 

 dentally went into the butler's pantry, which looked towards the south- 

 east, where we found the storm abated, and the view from the w'in- 

 dows perfectly clear and free from wet; but on returning into the 

 other room, the storm appeared as violent as ever, and the windows 

 were entirely covered with drops, which obstructed all view. 



On considering the prevalence of south-west winds, it was deter- 

 mined to reverse the aspects of the house by changing the uses of the 

 room, making a very comfortable house of one which, from its aspect 

 only, was before Itardly habitable ; since no window, nor hardly any 

 brick walls, will keep out the wet, where a front is exposed to the 

 south-WTSl ; for this reason, it has been found necessary in many 

 places, as at Brighton, &c., to cover the walls with slates, or pendent 

 tiles, and to use double sashes to the windows so situated. 



If we had only one front, or one aspect to consider, our difficulty 

 would soon vanish ; but the prevailing partiality for variety of 

 prospect seems to require that in every direction the views should 

 be retained; and as the opposite walls of the house must be parallel, 



