18'J4.] 



THE CIVIL ENGINEER AND ARCHITECT'S JOURNAL. 



305 



pa 



NEW EXETER CHANGE. (IVitli Plan.) 

 Catherine Street. 



Wellington Street, Nortli. 



Of lute years more than one new class of buildings has sprung np 

 among us, all more or less indicative of, and in accordance witli tlie 

 habits and necessities of the present age. Among Ihem we may reckon 

 Chib-houses — those splendid establishments which are almost the only 

 palazzi our metropolis can boast of; — Railway Termini and Stations; 

 and Bazaars and Arcades, which last seeni to have been introduced 

 here in imitation of what the French with more propriety designate 

 ' Passages' and 'Galeries'; since the applicability of the other term 

 depends upon the particular architectural design — whether the build- 

 ing be really dreaded or not. 



The convenience of such covered-inor in-door streets, and their pe- 

 culiar suitableness in a climate like onrs, are almost self-evident ; and 

 equally so is the readiness with which they adapt themselves to archi- 

 tectural character. Financially considered they have besides this ad- 

 vantage that although in proportion to the space afforded, the rentals 

 of the shops may be higher than elsewhere, the occupiers have not to 

 pay for any more room than they themselves require, consequently 

 have not to speculate also upon sub-letting the upper part of their 

 houses. Notwithstanding, however, that there is apparentlv so much 

 in favour of such enclosed avenues of shops, they have not taken much 

 in this country. The Burlington and Lowther Arcades have, till now, 

 been the only instances of the kind in town, unless we choose to reckon 

 with them that on the West siiie of the Opera House. On the East 

 side of Temple Bar there is not one : in regard to ' Arcades,' the City 

 people have not aped the West-enders, although they might have 

 done so very advantageously, since it assuredly would be a most de- 

 cided and very great improvement, were some of those numerous 

 alleys and narrow thoroughfares of great traffic, which run across from 

 Lombard Street to Cornhill and Threadneedle Street, to be converted 

 into covered avenues, so as to be at least dry, clean, and comfortable 

 at all times, even if not particularly ornimental as to architecture. 



In point of architecture, the Burlington itself is but a very dowdy 

 affair, although spoken of when first erected as something quite "mag- 

 nificent." Therefore, to say that the Lowther is far superior as to 

 design would be no particular compliment to the latter, which is really 



very elegant and tasteful,— infinitely more satisfactory than many 

 things which are of greater pretension, and for which greater import- 

 ance is claimed. As regards its roof, with its series of arches, pen- 

 dentives, and dome skylights, the "Lowther" has been imitated 

 almost verbatim in the Royal Arcade, Newcastle, which is of some- 

 what greater extent, its length being 250 feet— exactly that of the 

 Opera House Arcade, but it is considerably wider than the last men- 

 tioned, that being only 14 feet, whereas the one at Newcastle is 20 

 feet broad. 



If not to be compared with any of the above as to mere size, whe- 

 ther length or height. New Exeter Change— a very great change in- 

 deed, and for the better, as compared with its stable-like predecessor, 

 — shows what may be accomplished upon a small scale, and bow great 

 diversity of character and design may be bestowed upon such places. 

 One decided and highly pleasing novelty is that of its plan, which, 

 instead of forming one uniform space from end to end, is divided into 

 three compartments, viz. a polygonal one at each end (the West one 

 a heptagon, the other a hexagon,) connected by a centre avenue, mea- 

 suring GO feet by 12 feet, and 20 in lieight. This peculiarity of plan 

 was no doubt suggested by that of the site, and this building may 

 therefore serve as as instance to show how, by clever treatment, a 

 prima facie defect, or an awkward and untoward circumstance, may 

 be turned to account. While the obliquity of the line of the avenue 

 to the adjoining streets is eti'ectually concealed, two advantages result 

 from it: first, the length is somewhat increased ; secondly, a thorough 

 view of the building is not seen on merely passing by it in the street, 

 when the eye only catches a glimpse as it vvere of the iuterior, which 

 accordingly reveals itself more picturesquely and invitingly. 



In addition to the variety and play of the ground plan, we have 

 liere another species of variety and contrast, namely that arising from 

 the difterent modes of lighting. While the two polygonal compart- 

 ments are ceiled over, the central avenue maybe technically described 

 as pscudo-hypcelhral, that is, covered in only by a continuous arched 

 skylight springing from the cove, but not divided architecturally into 

 compartments or forming any ceiling, since the design would remain 



