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THE ClYIL ENGINEER AND ARCHITECTS JOURNAL. 



[Dkc 



HISTORY OF ARCHITECTURE IN GREAT BRITAIN. 



A Brief Sketch or Epitome of the Rise and Progress of Architecture 

 in Great Britain. By James Elmes. 



" Epitomes are helpful to the memory, and of good private use." 



Sir Henry Wotton. 



CConcluded from page 341.^ 

 A celebrated politician in tlie last century acquired the name of Single- 

 speech Hamilton, from the circumstance of having delivered an oration of 

 much promise and great ability, and never ajjain opened his mouth in par- 

 liament : so likewise may the architect of one of the most original and 

 tasteful buildings in London be designated by the title of Single-house 

 Wyatt, from his only public work, the Trinity-house, on the north side of 

 old Tower-hill, now called Trinily-square. If John Nash be more poly- 

 structiiral than Samuel Wyatt, the latter may plead that although his pro- 

 geny be not numerous, his single production is a lion. 



This building is a handsome stone and brick edifice, and extends from 

 Cooper's-row on the east to Savage-gardens on the west, with extensive 

 lateral fronts to both of these streets, and consists of a main body and two 

 wings. The principal story is of the Ionic order, raised upon a rusticated 

 ground story. Above the windows are some beautifully sculptured medal- 

 lion portraits of George III. and his queen, sculptured panels in low relief 

 representing genii with nautical instruments, and four of the principal 

 lighthouses on the coast. These sculptures are so beautiful in style and 

 execution, as to deserve being moulded, and casts made from them by the 

 Royal Academy for the use of their students. The style of architecture 

 used in this building is neither so pure as that selected by Sluart for the 

 internal portal of the chapel at Greenwich, so pedantic as that copied by 

 Wilkins in his portico of Downing-college, Cambridge, nor so fanciful as 

 that used by the Adams in theAdelphi; but is a successful adaptation of the 

 Ionic order to proporlions of his own, with too much elaboration of foliage 

 in the capitals, trenching on those of the Corinthian. The mechanical exe- 

 cution of every part of this elegant building cannot be too much admired ; 

 so beautiful is the masonry and the brickwork of its exterior, that the best 

 workmen both in brick and stone would find models for imitation. The 

 first stone was laid September 12, 1703, by the master, assisted by the 

 deputy-master and elder brethren of the corporation, and the offices opened 

 for business in 1795. 



Among the latercotemporaries of Chambers, Wyatt, and Taylor, were— 

 Thomas Leverlon, who held an office under the late Mr. Fordyce, in Ihe 

 Crown-lands' Revenue department, and is best known by the extensive and 

 substantial mansion called Wotton-wood-hall, in Hertfordshire, which he 

 designed and built for the late Paul Benfield, Esq., and Grocers'-hall, in 

 the city ;— Richard Jupp who held the important office of architect and 

 surveyor of buiblings to the East India Company,-— and one or two others 

 of lesser eminence. The north front of the East India-house in Leaden- 

 hall-street is a pleasing instance of Mr. Jupp's taste and skill in his pro- 

 fession. It is of considerable extent in front, and of greater dimensions in 

 depth; the whole building, or series of buildings, cover a large area of 

 ground facing Lime-street on the east, and Leadenhall-market on the west. 

 The principal front is composed of a six.-colunined Ionic portico, slightly 

 projecting from two lateral wings. The narrowness of the street in front, 

 and the great value of the ground on which the building is erected, com- 

 pcllfd the architect to adopt tliis flat relief of bis principal front ; but he 

 has overcome this difficulty with great ability, by constructing a deeply- 

 receding porch or inverse portico behind the columns, which gives a depth 

 of shadow and a bold relief to the design, while it all'ords a goodly shelter 

 to Ihe directors and other members of the establishment from the easterly 

 and westerly winds whilst waiting for their carriages. The capitals, beau- 

 tifully carved by an uncle of Sir Richard Westmacott, our eminent English 

 scslptor,are a free and artist-like imitation of the temple of ApoIloUidymajus. 

 The triangle of the pediment is lilh-d with sculptures in entire relief by 

 Banks, of which it is not too much to say that they exceed any ti-ures in 

 such a situation that have yet been executed in England. The subject is 

 George III. in Roman imperial armour, protecting the commerce and inte. 



rests of the company. The king is extending his shield, placed on the right 

 arm, over the principal figure, and resting with his left on a sheathed Roman 

 sword. This circumstance gave rise at the time to an opinion that the 

 artist hud worked from an inverted tracing of a design made by an eminent 

 painter, who was well known to have furnished designs for many of the 

 sculptors of his time. The artist, however, defended himself by asserting 

 tliat the king being represented in protecting the Arts and Peace, the attitude 

 was correct, Ca,-sar, however, did not enter the senale-house with the 

 cuirass, sandals, sword, and shield of the warrior, but in the peaceful toga 

 and laurel crown, with which it is said he covered his baldness. On the 

 upper acrotcrium of the pediment is a statue of Britannia, and on the tvfo 

 lower, figures of Europe and Asia. 



A very pretty four-columned Doric portico, in a pure Greek style, forms 

 a suitable sub entrance, through a well proportioned hall, to the minor 

 offices in Limeslreet, and shows how quickly this architect imbibed the 

 pure style then recently introduced by Stuart,— for he had been originally 

 educated in a thorough Roman school. Mr. Jupp's portions of this build- 

 ing were began in 1799, and finished about 1805. The elevations of the 

 gigantic warehouses which he erected in many of the eastern parts of the 

 metropolis are very harmonious in their proportions, and exhibit great skill 

 in the use of his very simple materials ; gateways, warehouse doors, win- 

 dows, and piers constructed of simple brick and stone. 



The elder Mr. Dance, whose principal works have been before described, 

 left an able successor to his place of architect to the city of London, and 

 to his professional business, in his son, George Dance the younger, who 

 received the honourable addition of R. A. to bis name from the Royal 

 Academy of Arts, and was appointed to the chair of Regius Professor of 

 Architecture in that institution ; but was too fond of enjoying his otium cum 

 dignilate, ever to impart his knowledge to the members and students of the 

 Academy. The family of Dance hold an honourable station in English 

 history ; for, in addition to the two architects, one of them was an able 

 comedian in the lime of Garrick, particularly celebrated for his persona- 

 tion of Falstalfand other fat heroes of the buskin, to which his corporeity, 

 like that of the celebrated Stephen Kemhie, lent an aid that no stuffing 

 could accoiuplish. Another, Nathaniel, became eminent ai a portrait 

 painter, and was, like his younger relative, an R.A. His portraits for 

 identity of resemblance and character of the person represented by his 

 pencil, take a place between those of Reynolds and Romney ; less grace- 

 ful and natural in colouring tlian the former, he equalled the latter in all 

 the best qualities of a portrait painter. This gentleman resigned his di- 

 ploma and his palette for a baronetcy, a fortune, and a change of name, as 

 Sir Nathaniel Dance Holland. Another memb'^r of this family added a 

 singular triumph to the naval glories of his country, by saving a large and 

 valuable homeward bound East India fleet, under his command as senior 

 captain, and therefore commodore, of this mercantile squadron. He 

 manoeuvred his unweildy and richly-laden ships wiih such nautical skill 

 and dexterity, when attacked by a superior French Ueet of men of- war and 

 frigates under the command of Admiral Linois, defending himself with 

 such gallantry and well-directed broadsides, though manned by a company 

 of merchant seamen and Lascars, suflicient only to work and not to fight 

 his ships, that the French admiral retired from the contest with serious loss 

 and discomfiture. This gallant action, which stands completely by itself 

 in naval history, procured for its hero the honour of knighthood and per- 

 sonal tlianks from his sovereign, a vote of thanks and an hunourable re- 

 ward from the East India Company, and ihe acclamations o( all Iiis admir- 

 ing countrymen. Tiie English have a propensity to give familiar tilles to 

 their favourites, naming oue the Hero of Acre, another Nelson of the Nile, 

 the Cock of the Rock to the gallant defender of Gibraltar ; so Uiey named 

 Sir Nathaniel Dance the Fighting Ingy (India) man. 



To return to our subject, the younger Mr. Dance designed, among other 

 buildings of lesser note, two prisons for the corporation of London — New- 

 gate, and Giltspur-streel Compter ; the former is situated at the corner of 

 Newgate-street and the Old Bailey, and derives its name from ihe ancient 

 city gate so called, which stood across Newgate-street, between Aldersgate 

 and Ludgate. It was a jirison of great antiquity, and as late as 1457, 

 Newgate, and not the Tower, was the prison for the nobility and great 

 officers of state. Being much damaged by the fire of London, it was re- 

 paired and beautified by Sir Christopher Wren, in lG7:i. In oue of tite 

 niches was a figure, representing Liberty, with the word Libertns inscribed 

 upon her cap, and with a cat at her feet, in allusion to the story of Sir 

 Richard Wlnitington, who bcquealhed a suflicient sum to rebuild this gate, 

 which was satisfactorily done by his executors in 1-123. This statue, with 



