34 



THE CIVIL ENGINEER AND ARCHITECT'S JOURNAL. 



[Fkbruary, 



Notwitlistanding, that ns treated by tliem, the idea of a portico 

 ahnost excludes all idea of design, composition or combination, most 

 arcliitects are apt to pique themselves chiefly upon such borrowed and 

 second-hand feature, and upon that kind of taste and correctness in 

 regard to it which is altogether mechanical. However, we seem con- 

 tent to accept the negative merit of accuracy in lieu of either inventive 

 talent or artistic feeling; and further, to accept a portico, and nothing 

 but a portico, as equivalent to an entire structure. Were not such 

 the case, hardly would its portico have obtained for the Post-olhce 

 the reputation it has done; because, althougli it is certainly a superior 

 thing of its kind, and one of the largest in town, the building itself is 

 anything but worthy of that appendage to if, which, to say thetruth, cause 

 it to cut much such a figure as a jackdaw witli a solitary peacock's 

 feather in its tail. All the rest of the building can be described only 

 hy negatives. Even were its facade some degress better, and all of a 

 ])iece in itself, still the whole \vould be but a very one-sided sort of 

 alfair, because although every side is to be seen, the posterior one and 

 nil, the architect seems to have relied upon obtaining for them the 

 loan of Gyges' ring, and accordingly gave liimself no further concern 

 about their nakedness. 



In that respect, it must be confessed the Posf-ofSce does not stand 

 alone, there being many other public buildings of that half-breed 

 wherein, instead of being uniformly kept up and carried out, architec- 

 tural pretension is either greatly abated or renounced altogether for 

 such parts of the exterior as are not immediately in sight. This is 

 the case for Instance, in what would else be one of the most imposing 

 masses of architecture in the metropolis : so long as Wellington-street 

 and Watcrloo-biidge were not in existence nor even contemplated, it 

 mattered not in how slovenly dishabille the back of the westernmost 

 range of the buildings of Somerset-place were left, they being at the 

 time totally shut out from view, consequently it is no reproach to Sir 

 William Clianibers that he did not make fit to be seen what it was 

 then impossible should be seen at all. Whereas now, in consequence 

 of its being completely and most conspicuously exposed to view, that 

 side has been turned out from its original concealment, — converted 

 from a hack into a front — not indeed nominally such, most assuredly 

 no facade, nevertheless a front it facto, and as to situation. The con- 

 sequence is, its present condition greatly weakens the impression 

 which the river front is calculated to produce of itself, quite destroys 

 all illusion, and causes that which should be " imposing" to appear 

 little better than an imposition. There, indeed, we behold a splendid 

 architectural/acf, but it is impossible to entertain the idea of a mag- 

 nificent architectural mass and ensemble, when we also perceive of 

 what rude, misshapen, mean and vulgar kind the rest of the mass is. 

 And perceive it we needs must, because that miserable West side comes 

 immediately in contact with the principal facade, and is not only seen 

 in combination with it — there being no otherland view to be obtained 

 of that part of the building, than from the Soulh-west, — but it shows 

 itself the more distinctly and in full face, of the two. Hence monu- 

 mental character is entirely forfeited where it might have been — or 

 to speak more accurately, where it might be most forcibly expressed, 

 whereas so long as that West side shall be suffered to remain in its 

 present state, it is a gross deformity in itself, and a glaring contradic- 

 tion to the architectural pomp affected for such other parts of the 

 general exterior of the buildings as are visible. The immediate 

 proximity of Waterloo Bridge only serves to render matters all the 

 worse, inasmuch as strangers cannot go to view that monument with- 

 out being struck by the unfinished beggarly appearance of the other. 

 For our own part, we think that the architectural reputation of the 

 British capital would be better consulted by completing such a pile 

 of building as Somerset Place, than it is by sticking up dowdy York 

 and Nelson columns, as if in evidence of bankrupt imagination. 



A much-wanted lesson for some other public buildli;gs maybe taken 

 from one which albeit by no means to be commended lor its design, or 

 held up as a model of refined taste, has nevertheless one merit in which 

 they are deficient, namely that of architectural consistency — of being all 

 of one texture throughout, and not a patchwork dress of embroidery 

 in front and " filthy dowlas" behind. Although it faces what is so 

 narrow as to be a mere passage rather than a lane, the South side of 

 the Mansion House presents an elevation conformable in its design 

 with the others, and of the same material, therefore it is at least 

 stamped by integrity of architectural character. So far it is irre- 

 proachable,— free from that contamination of grudging meanness which 

 so frequently causes what is meant for grandeur to appear little bet- 

 ter than hypocritical pretence, and finery concealing sluttishness and 

 rags. Besides the so-much-abused Mansion House— to which people 

 seem determined to allow no merit at all,— we have very few build- 

 ings exhibiting the consistency and completeness which are almost 

 essential to all structures of a monumental class. So few indeed are 

 tliey lliat they amount to scarcely a handful, since they may all be 



reckoned up upon fewer than five fingers, viz., St. Paul's, the Mansion 

 House, and the Bank, and there our catalogue would terminate, could 

 we not now add to it the new Royal Exchange. 



Here then we are arrived again at that edifice, after our long, and 

 tortuous^some may call it tortoise-paced, prolegomena. — The Ex- 

 change does exhibit — and that, too, in a very striking manner, — what 

 is generally more or less disregarded, notwithstanding its very great 

 importance, namely, well-regulated architectural economy in regard 

 to keeping, and the duly apportioning decoration over the whole. 

 Equal care has been bestowed upon all the elevations, and, although 

 with some variation as to design, the same character prevails through- 

 out three of them, while the remaining one is differently treated for 

 the purpose of distinguishing it as a portal facade to the edifice. Of 

 course all the designs for the Exchange conformed with the condi- 

 tions of the site, and whichever had been adopted, we should have 

 had an insulated building of just the same extent as the present one, 

 and showing four architectural elevations. Yet though as far as those 

 circumstances alone go, no particular merit can be claimed for Mr. 

 Tite, we think that he has availed himself of them more happily than 

 was done by others. Unless our memory deceives us at this distance 

 of time, in most of the othei designs the chief architectural pretension 

 was thrown into the West front and confined to that part so that there 

 was more or less of falling olTin tlic rest, the other sides being made 

 quite subordinate and of little interest in themselves. Most certainly 

 we should have been exceedingly sorry to see adopted for execution 

 that design of all others to which the three professional gentlemen 

 who were called in to act as umpires in the first competition, assigned 

 the highest premium, although upon what grounds we cannot con- 

 ceive, for if any reasons were alleged in support of such choice, tliey 

 were not suffered to transpire, consequently we and the rest of the 

 public went without the instruction we might have derived from a 

 well drawn up report, clearly setting forth the peculiar recommenda- 

 tions of the design so especially singled out. Its merits — we cannot 

 say its beauties— were of such an occult nature as greatly to need 

 liaving some light thrown upon them, but professional men are apt to 

 be very reserved and very shy of enlightening the public upon mat- 

 ters relative to their art, and some of them growl because "literary 

 idlers" like ourselves presume to fill up the ranks that they dcsett, by 

 dealing in Lirchitectural criticism. 



However, instead of conjecturing what could liave been proposed in 

 favour of the design alluded to, let us be thankful for having escaped 

 it, and by no means unthankful for having got so noble a structure as 

 Mr. Tite has produced. Our apprehensions as to one point are now 

 removed: it was matter of doubt with us wliether the peculiar form 

 of the plan — the obliquity of the s'.des to the ends, — would not be at- 

 tended with an awkward effi'ct, but now find that as far as the exterior 

 is concerned, that circumstance proves no disadvantage ; on the con- 

 trary, it is, perhaps, highly favourable in one respect, because had 

 the West end been as wide as the East end, it would probably have 

 been treated just like the others, and there would have been no por- 

 tico at all, or if portico there had been, it would have shown itself 

 very differently from what it does now wdien it projects from what is 

 just a suflScient mass behind it to serve as a quiet backgrovmd to it, 

 and give it relief; whereas greater extent of that front might have 

 occasioned the intrusion of shops on each side of the portico — at least 

 of windows, wdiereby composition and character would have been very 

 dissimilar from what they now are, and would have partaken of that 

 standard modern-antique physiognomy whose leading trait is a porti- 

 co applied to rather than combined with a line of front behind it. We 

 admit that the edifice would have been more homogeneous — would 

 have been stamped by singleness of character and uniformity of de- 

 sign throughout, had the West front been treated similarly to the 

 others ; but then uiiless the plan had been rectangular, not only would 

 the obliquity of the sides have been rendered more manifest, and dis- 

 agreeably so, but that front the most exposed of them all, and so for 

 principal as to situation, would have looked insignificant in compari- 

 son with the others. Some distinction and importance might, indeed, 

 have been given it by placing the tower at that end, had which been 

 done, besides overshadowing the Merchant's Area, by excluding from 

 it the afternoon's sun, the campanile would, we suspect, have had a 

 very unfavourable effect upon the Bank, if brought into such imme- 

 diate proximity with it. At all events we should then not have had 

 the additional piece of architecture we have now obtained,— the por- 

 tico facaile, which if it does not strictly accord in expression with 

 the other fronts, neiiher interferes with nor is interfered with by 

 them. 



In its ensemble this portico may be termed unique, inasmuch as it 

 is decidedly distinct from all previous specimens of the kind in the 

 metropolis, and furthermore distinguished from them by qualities and 

 circumstances of powerful effect. We do not say that it displays any 



