84 



THE CIVIL EN(JINEER AND ARCHITECT'S JOURNAL. 



[March, 



LONDON AND WESTMINSTER BANK. 



WITH AN ENGRAVING, PLATE \1II. 



'CiiK !ircoinp;inving Piigraving originally appeared in tlio AHnn, from 

 nliicli alsowu are enabletl to give the following description of tile 

 building. 



Tliis new liKJlding for the city estahlisliment of tin' London and 

 Wi-stininstrr Bulk, which was completed in the latter part of 183s, 

 under the joint professional superintendence of Mr. (J. U. Cockerell 

 and Mr. Williani Tile, architects, is situated iuLothhury, immediately 

 opposite to Ihe Himk of England. The whole structure- occupies a 

 site of nearly eighty feet in frontage, and ninety in <lepth. The en- 

 trance front possesses, not only from its extent, hut from its architec- 

 tural treatment, a bold and imposing character. It displays, indeed, 

 no ciilmnir.u- decorations, no hundredth edition of an apjuuvcd portico; 

 but its comjiosition has the much greater merit of strict appropriate- 

 ness, simplicitv in general forms; such simplicity, w'c mean, as con- 

 duces to unity", together with a jjerfect expression of purpose ; an air 

 of solidity and strength, and a judicious erpudity of decoration. The 

 facade consists of one general plane or face, broke only by an advancing 

 pier at each end. It lias seven apertures in the length, and three tiers 

 (d'lliem in the height; the two lower tiers, comprehending the open- 

 ings on the ground and one-pair lloors, are included in one architectural 

 slliry, or order, if such it may he called; the upper tier, which con- 

 sists of the windows of the tvvo-pair floor, being contained in an attic 

 story. The whole of the front is of Portland stone, w ith the exception 

 of the plinth, which is from the Bramley-fall quarries. To describe 

 the front rather more in detail, we may state that the substructure is a 

 stylotjate, or continuous pedestal, resting upon a deep rock-faced 

 plinth. From this stylobate rise broad pilasters, or rusticated jiiers, 

 in courses (if alternate widths; the whole including, as we have said, 

 two tiers (d' openings, and snrmountcil by a regular entablature, the 

 cornice of which is enriched with luodillions. Of the seven compart- 

 ments into wliich the front is divided, the central one is somewhat 

 wider than the rest, and displays, on the ground floor, a handsome en- 

 trance doorway of large proportions, and deeply recessed, approached 

 nv several steps externally, and having the flight continued within. 

 The remaining intervals aflbid six large windows, each being so wide 

 as to admit oi subdivision by two niullious and a transuni of cast iron, 

 of elegant design and novel structure ; the isolated niullion partaking 

 of the character of an antique candelabrum at the base, and tinishing 

 with a scroll or console at the top : very wide and lofty Venetian win- 

 dows are thus obtained, without allecting the real or the apparent 

 solidity of the fabric, and the great and important problem (as applied 

 to the City of London), namely, to obtain the largest possible admis- 

 sion of light, with the smalles't obstruction of solids or piers, is most 

 etlcctually, and, at the same time, architecturally attained. These 

 windows are fuinished with Bunnett and Corpe's iron shutters. The 

 •windows abuve, upon the one-pair story, are narrower than the former, 

 and conse(|uciitly leave, on each side between the rusticated piers, in- 

 tervals available for decoration: these are sculptured alternately with 

 cadueei, the invariable commercial symbol, and with the bundle of 

 slicks, expressive of the tvs iinitafortiin; so appropriate to the union, 

 or joint-stock association, of this establishment. In consequence of 

 the advance of the two end jucrs in the princip;d order before-men- 

 tioned, there is gained in front of the attic story, whic h is not similarly 

 broken, sullicicnt s])ace for the display of two statues of seated female 

 figures, emblematical of the commercial interests of London and West- 

 minster, and having shields charged respectively with the arms of 

 those cities; a mode of applying statuary to tlie purjioses of external 

 decoration, enlivening and appropriate to the general structure, and 

 etrective as regards the proper development of the subjects themselves. 

 These figures are designed (and one of them— that of London — we 

 understand to have been modelled) by Mr. Cockerell, and executed by 

 Mr. Nicholl. 



But it is time that we pass to the notice of the interior. The en- 

 trance vestibule or avenue has, on each side, a line of four plain Doric 

 columns, with appropriate entablature and decorative mouldings. Its 

 ellcct is, however, unavoidably impaired by the interference of two 

 pairs of screen doors, tliough these are panelled and surrounded with 

 plate glass, to obviate the objection as tar as possible. Krcun this 

 anqde vestibule, access is gained on the right to tlie country bank, the 

 jnincipal staircase, and some olficial apartments ; and, directly in front, 

 to the ])riucipal, or town bank. The latter apartment is not only by 

 far the most considerable in the buililiiig, but is unequalled in import- 

 ance by anything of the kind in London, except iu the case of some 

 otlices of the Bank of England, and in altitude it exceeds even them. 

 Its general form is a square of about 37 feet, whose height is that of 

 the entire building — namely, 63 feet G — and is extended by latera 



additions, 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 arclics, springing from Doric columns of the same size and order 

 with those of the vestibule, with cornices. The columns themselves, 

 in common with all the other features of the design, display a sober 

 and subdued stvie of decoration or enrichment, being fluteil only at the 

 upper and lower extremities, and elevated upon plain flat plinths. The 

 surrounding walls are channelled in rustic courses to the height of this 

 order. The aisles or extensions are sufficiently lofty, by tlie arches 

 raised upon the columns, to allow of the introduction of a gallery on 

 each side, tinished in front by a balustrade. Above this, the arches of 

 the arcades run across over the aisles, and are intersected by a con- 

 trary vaulting, producing a system of groins as ceilings to the galleries; 

 they are also advanced over the main body of the buililiiig, and treated 

 as a series of half groins, so as to afllird support to an upper |iri>jectiug 

 gallery, which passes quite round the principal s<piare. The verge uf 

 this upper gallery is guarded by a simple, but handsome barrier, coii- 

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

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

 are continued through, and gathered up, by means of pendentives, into 

 a domed tigure, exhibiting nearly that portion of a hemisphere cut oli' 

 by planes raised upon the sides of a square inscribed within its cir- 

 cumference. The top of tills dome is pierced by a large circular 

 oiiening for a skylight, the margin of which is covere<l, and addition- 

 ally ornamented with mouldings and lions' masks. Light is also ob- 

 tained by trijde windows, occupying the flat semicircular spaces left 

 by the pendentives of the dome, on the three sides which are exposed 

 to the view of a person entering, in the manner of the imperial Roman 

 baths : these windows are filled with glass in geometrical compart- 

 ments, alternately ground and ])olished. Smaller semicircular windows 

 are introduced likewise in the three arches on the north side, which 

 form a continuation to those of the lateral arcades, so that a very sulli- 

 cient light has been contrived thronghout this vast apartment, sur- 

 rounded as it is with lofty and close buildings on all sides. .Such is a 

 general description of this apartment, the composition of which dis- 

 plays considerable novelty of adaptation, magnitude of proportions, 

 and felicity of eft'ect. The general forms arc very happily divcrsilicd, 

 and the decorative details distributed with equality; except, indeed, 

 that the eye would have welcomed the application of some enrichment 

 to the large expanse of the dome, which is left entirely plain. The 

 fittings up are in a style of appropriate completeness; comprising 

 handsomely finished and extensive ranges of counters; a massive cen- 

 tral stove, of consistent design, being a bee-hive, round which the arms 

 of London and Westminster, and the guardian of British commerce, as 

 well as of govermeiit — the lion — are ranged with taste and propriety ; 

 an hydraulic apparatus, by which plate chests and cash boxes may be 

 lowered into the basement story for security, or brought up with great 

 facility, and other minor appurtenances. 



RAMBLES BY PHILOMUSJEUS.— No. V. 



THE BRITISH MUSEUM. 



Aftkr this establishment lias been partially closed for months, its 

 directors have felt themselves compelled to show the public that at 

 least they have not run away with the collections. They still keep the 

 long gallery closed, and have thrown open two new galleries, in which 

 a few unnamed articles are placed in undescribalile confusion. Wo 

 have seen representations id' the plunder oi" a wreck by a crowd of 

 savages, one with a pair of breeches in his arms, another with a coat 

 matted round Ills waist, running from one package to another, ran- 

 sacking their contents, and then throwing them about in confusion^ and 

 such is the state of the Museum. Egyptian coffins in one place, 

 Etruscan tombs in another, all in most admirable disorder, the passages 

 choked up, the rooms encumbered, and packages covered with the 

 dust of months, accusing the ineHiciency of the officers of the establish- 

 ment. Nothing, perhaps, more nearly resembles the Spectator's de- 

 scription of a monkey in an Egyptian temple, ranging about not 

 knowing what to do, and then establishing himself in a corner. That 

 this insliliitiiin has tlie active services of many men of the highest 

 ability we fully recognize ; we do not complain that there are not 

 enough men of talent, we only call for the ein])loyincnt of more rou- 

 tine-working men. We are sure there are numbers of young men, 

 sufficiently qualified, who, for a small remuneration, and many indeed 

 for none at all, who would, under the superintendence of the officers, 

 be competent to ;\ssist in the classification, without requiring a per« 

 manent employment in the establishment. We know that tiiere is a 

 great want of room, that the architegtural department is sadly cramped. 



