218 



THE CIVIL ENGINEER AND ARCHITECrS JOURNAL. 



fJuN-B', 



never had been any intention of having an iron ceiling in consequence 

 of the great weight, and not being so good for hearing. 



The Committee then began to question him willi respect to the de- 

 tails of the interior, and particularly on the subject of a great apart- 

 ment proposed to be called the Victoria Gallery, to which some of 

 their Lordships expressed considerable objection, in the following 

 terms : — 



You have put two side galleries inside ? — Yes. 



Do you apprehend that there would be any thing unsightly in the height 

 of the wall not being broken by the gallery ? Is it for ornament or for use ? 

 — It is for the purpose of getting the required accommodation withiu the 

 ■walls of the building, and to assist the voice of speakers on the floor of the 

 house. 



Without the galleries, bow many peers could be accommodated on the 

 floor ? — I can answer that question by a reference to the plan. This is a 

 plan of the ground floor of the liouse fproduciiir/ the same), which will be 

 entirely devoted to the accommodation of the peers, and the number which 

 can be accommodated, according to tlie arrangement of the sittings there 

 shown, will be 310. The original instructions were for 300. 



Supposing there is room for 300 members on the floor, at the allowance of 

 two feet for each member, crowding their lordships a little, how many more 

 would the same space hold without any very great inconvenience ? — Perhaps 

 fifty or sixty more. If on those benches where I have provided for seven 

 sittings you were to consider them to be for eight, that alteration alone 

 would accommodate forty more. 



Was it determined that there should be a gallery simply for the sake of the 

 plan, or was it not determined that there should be a gallery on account of 

 the sound ? — No ; I do not think that sound was in the first instance a con- 

 sideration in adopting them ; but I do think they would assist the voice of 

 speakers upon the floor of the house very materially. 



How far do you propose the projection of the floor of the gallery to ex- 

 tend ? — It would be about three feet beyond the line of the wall. 



How many of these benches will it cover over ? — Only one. 



Will it not add to the appearance of the room as a deliberative chamber to 

 have a gallery ? — I think so ; it will diminish what would otherwise he an 

 excessive height below the windows. 



If you were to remove that gallery you would require to change the orna- 

 ments of the wall ? — Entirely ; it would involve an entire change of the in- 

 ternal design. 



The committee wish to call your attention to the plan of the Victoria gal- 

 lery, which, according to the present plan, opens directly to the House of 

 Lords, and the bouse opens into that. Now several of tiieir lordships think 

 that there will be great inconvenience in such an arrangement, in consequence 

 of the necessity of having this gallery always lighted and heated to the same 

 temperature as the bouse, if there is no intermediate lobby ; and the com- 

 mitte wish to know from you what evil there would be in making ^a perma- 

 nent separation of the gallery, by a continuation of the corridor across the 

 end of the gallery ? — Under any circumstances I imagine it would be neces- 

 sary to heat this gallery, because as it is proposed to make it the chief place 

 for paintings, it would be necessary always to keep it heated. As to light- 

 ing, if it was merely for the purpose of passing across it there would be no 

 difliculty, for by means of candelabra placed across the end of the gallery it 

 might be made light enough for passing from one corridor to the other with- 

 out lighting the whole space. I would, however, beg to say, that any screen 

 placed across the end of the gallery would very much injure the effect and 

 importance of the room. 



The dimensions are 120 feet by -to ? — They are. 



Do you see any objection to having the entrance for the Queen by West- 

 minster Hall .' — The only objection that might be urged would he, the great 

 distance that the Queen would have to walk from the entrance in New 

 Palace Yard to the house. 



There would be no other difficulty ? — I am not aware of any other diffi- 

 culty. 



In what manner do you propose to secure the throne from the draught 

 that would come in from the Victoria gallery ? — The door at the back of the 

 throne, as proposed, would only be opened when the Queen came to the 

 house. It would not be one of the ordinary entrances to the house. 



Supposing the gallery remains without a lobby behind the throne, would 

 not the air from that gallery, if it be not heated, circulate through the pas- 

 sages so as to enter the ordinary doors of approach to the house ? — I should 

 say not. 



Would it not be constantly open ? — The door at the back of the throne 

 would be constantly closed. 



Is your reason for supposing that the cold air in this great hall, if it were 

 not heated, would not aflfect the house through the doors of entrance, only 

 that it is cut off from the passages to the house by folding doors ? — The tem- 

 perature of the house would not, I think, be alfected by the temperature of 

 the Victoria hall, in consequence of two pairs of intervening folding doors at 

 a considerable distance from each other. 



After observing that it was not yet decided on whether the painting 

 of the walls was to be in oils or frescos, and giving his opinion as to the 

 degree of temperature necessary to preserve either, the examination 

 is then directed to the subject of warming and ventilating of the build- 



ing, which is not very interesting to the general reader, and then the 

 question of expediting the preparation of the fittings is thus pursued: 



As to fitting up the seats, the seats ia the plan are divided into forty, each 

 of which is fourteen feet long ? — Yes. 



Each of these seats will be made separately .'—Yes. 



Then if one could be finished by the 1st of next February, could not the 

 whole forty ? — Yes ; if a sutficient number of skilful hands can be found, 

 unquestionably they might. The Committee will very soon have an oppor- 

 tunity of seeing the specimens of the carving that have been delivered for 

 exhibition in St. James's Street, and they will then be better able to judge. 



In the same way with respect to the doors ; the doors will be folding doors, 

 will they not ? — Yes. 



Then, in the same way, if a proper number of hands were employed, if 

 one door could be done, the whole might be done by the first of next Feb? 

 ruary ? — Yes ; if a sufficient number of ikUful hands could be procured. 



How many doors will there be to the bouse ? — -Five double doors on the 

 floor of the house, besides the door at the back of the throne. 



And there are some more in the surrounding corridors? — Yes; as many 

 more at the least, in the surrounding corridors and galleries. 



Do you think it would not be possible to find a sufticient number of skilful 

 hands for the execution of those works by the 1st of next February ? — Yes ; 

 I think it is possible they might be executed before the month of February 

 next. 



Have you a drawing of the doors ?— No. 



Have you a section of the interior of the bouse ? — No. I thought it quite 

 unnecessary to bring it, as the model is before the committee. 



You are talking of the lower part of the house. We have neither a sec- 

 tion, nor is it in the plan ? — That I could show the committee when the 

 drawings are completed, which will be the case, I expect, in about a fort- 

 night or three weeks. But if the committee are thinking of any alteration 

 in the design of the house it would be better to defer going on with these 

 drawings. 



Are the committee to take the plan as exactly what is intended ? — As far 

 as it goes, they are. After Easter I shall be in a condition to lay before the 

 committee, I hope, the whole of the details of the fittings of the house; but I 

 cannot undertake to be responsible that they will be ready by next February. 

 All I can say is, that no effort shall be wanting on my part in expediting 

 them, and I am in great hopes that by the month of February they will be 

 all ready ; but they will take a considerable time to fix. 



And so ended the proceedings of the Coramiltee for their first day's 

 meeting, — and it must be apparent to any that their object of expe- 

 diting the works is not likel}' tu be the result of their Lordships' efforts, 

 namely the 24th of April. 



On the second day of the meeting of the Committee, one of its own 

 members Lord Sudely, a nobleman of considerable experience and 

 taste in architectural matters, was examined at some length. Having 

 said that as one of the original Commissioners appointed to decide 

 upon the plans sent in for their approval, he had made himself master 

 of the details of that of Mr. Barry, so far as the House of Lords was 

 concerned. In the opening part of his evidence he speaks as follows, 

 and his observations require no comment with respect to the posi- 

 tion of the architect, " and I must observe, in justice to Mr. Barry, 

 that it never was t/ie idea, the expectation, or the icish of the Commis- 

 sioners that Mr. Barry should be confined to the plan that was approved 

 of, because in our report, although we stated that the plan of Mr. Barry, 

 as a design altogether, was one that we most approved of, yet still we 

 knew full well that it was susceptible of great improvement, and we 

 recommended to the Crown, that some alterations should be made, 

 which in consequence were adopted, and they were of trifling im- 

 portance." 



Was it in your recommendation that alterations implying alterations of 

 the plan, should be made without any reference to you for your appraval .' 

 — Certainly not. 



Was it your intention that these improvements should be submitted to 

 you severally ? — I can hardly say that we knew nothing of the plan, from the 

 moment the alterations alluded to were made — we were from otiice from the 

 time our report was made. 



From this it will be tolerably clear that Mr. Barry could not be ex- 

 pected to look about for individuals to consult as to all the details of 

 such alterations and additions, and increased accommodation as were 

 ordered to be made, even supposing he thought he could meet any 

 one as capable of properly arranging and considering them as himself, 

 which was by no means likely. 



The noble' Lord then proceeded to read to the Committee extracts 

 from the evidence given before a Committee of the House of Com- 

 mons by himself and others of the Commissioners, in explanation of 

 these reasons for selecting Mr. Barry's plan in preference to any of 

 three others also submitted to them, and showing that the Coramiltee 

 were unanimous in that selection, at the same time that they thought 

 some improvements might be made in it. The only objection which 

 he saw in that plan was to the Victoria Tower, into which he thought 



