NA TURK 



549 



THURSDAY, APRIL 14, 18S1 



THE NEW MUSEUM OF NATURAL 

 HISTORY 



THE great terra-cotta building facing Cromwell Road, 

 South Kensington, and occupying the site of the 

 old 1862 Exhibition, about which for the past twelve 

 months public curiosity has been raised, is about to draw 

 up its blinds, and to offer a part of its extensive galleries 

 for inspection on Easter Monday. 



It is no secret that for thirty years past the accommo- 

 dation in the British Museum, Great Russell Street, 

 Bloomsbiiry, "both for man and beast," had become too 

 restricted, and the necessity for a larger building was 

 keenly felt. As usually happens in such cases, the most 

 adventurous and energetic officer was the first to obtain 

 for his department what he required, namely, more room. 

 Sir A. Panizzi (then Keeper of Printed Books) projected, 

 shortly after the 1S51 Exhibition, his scheme for a great 

 central Reading-room and Library, and some five years 

 after witnessed its completion. Some years later on, the 

 Department of Antiquities, represented by Mr. C. T. 

 Newton, C. B., also obtained an addition to its galleries 

 on the western side, and still more recently on the 

 southern side, next the great Entrance Hall. 



Great praise is due to Mr. Bond, the present Principal 

 Librarian, for putting an end to the use made of the fine 

 colonnade in front of the British Museum, which for 

 twenty-five years was blocked by antiquities covered in 

 with a row of extremely unsightly and incongruous wood 

 and glass sheds. These are now happily removed. The 

 Department of Prints and Drawings lacking a gallery, 

 obtained possession of the "King's Library" floor on 

 the east side for an exhibition space ; and even the 

 conservative Coin Department likewise laid out for the 

 public a few show-cases here of coins and medals. 



But, like the clothes of the rising son, in the old carica- 

 ture, the collections everywhere had outgrown their 

 receptacle, and none more so than the departments of 

 Natural History-. Scientific men were however not 

 unanimous, and a fierce controversy was carried on in 

 1858-59 as to the relative merits of enlargement on the 

 old site, or dismemberment. Finally, after a Committee 

 of the House of Commons had taken evidence upon the 

 subject, the removal of the Natural History Collections 

 was decided upon by Government. 



But the death of the Prince Consort, the delay of the 

 House of Commons to vote the necessary funds, the 

 retirement of Sir A. Panizzi from the post of Principal 

 Librarian, the discussion of rival plans, the inevitable 

 delays about the completion of any Government building 

 caused twenty years to pass before the plans of the 

 chosen architect, Mr. Alfred Waterhouse, were realised 

 in a solid and material form. 



Midsummer, 18S0, barely sufficed to enable the Office 

 of Works to certify to the fulfilment of the Contractor' s j 

 work and to hand over the building to the Trustees ere 

 collections began to be moved in. 



Nine months only have elapsed, and already three 

 Departments, viz. Botany, Mineralogy, and Geology, 

 have transferred their entire collections, from the old to 

 Vol. XXIII. — No. 598 



the new building. But less than half the cases for the 

 entire building have yet been supplied, and everywhere 

 the labour of completing the structure as well as fixing 

 cases and fittings is being busily carried on. Under these 

 circumstances it seems not improbable that two years 

 may elapse before the Zoological Collections will be 

 removed and housed in their new quarters. 



Let us now take a glance at what Mr. Sala styles " this 

 Temple of Nature." The architectural character of the 

 new building may be termed "Decorated Norman," but 

 it is in many respects unique, especially as regards the 

 treatment of its details. The first, or "ground-floor," is 

 above the road, and the entrance is approached by a 

 broad flight of steps and by a sloping carriage-drive. The 

 entire structure is of brick cased with terra cotta, the door- 

 ways and the windows being ornamented with columns 

 designed from natural history objects, chiefly from plants. 

 Reproductions of various animals are also introduced. 

 The main part of the building has a tower at each end, 

 and there are also tw-o central towers rising on either side 

 of the entrance. The south front of the building is about 

 650 feet in length, running due east and west, and is three 

 storeys high, in addition to the basement, which is above 

 the level of the garden in which the building stands. 



The Central Hall or " Index Museum " runs from south 

 to north ; it is 1 50 feet long, 97 feet wide, and about 60 

 feet high ; along its two sides are twelve arched recesses. 

 At the north end is a wide and handsome staircase which 

 branches off right and left to the open corridors or side 

 aisles on either hand upon the first floor. This Central 

 Hall is more richly decorated than any part of the build- 

 ing. The floor of mosaic work, where Italian marble is 

 employed, has been skilfully laid by Italian workmen. The 

 side aisles or corridors look out into the Central Hall by an 

 open balustrade surmounted by large arches, each contain- 

 ing three smaller ones, the centre one being much higher 

 than the others. The pillars supporting these are orna- 

 mented with a nearly natural treatment of Lepidodendrott j 

 in some few cases animals, monkeys, birds, &c., are intro- 

 duced. The decoration of the ceiling is very effective. 

 A double row of panels runs along the central line, and on 

 either side of this, between the iron girders and following 

 the curve of the roof, are panels in groups of six ; these 

 are ornamented with representations of diflerent species 

 of trees, shrubs, and flowering-plants treated somewhat 

 conventionally. That portion of the ceiling over the main 

 body of the hall is decorated with tiees, each of which 

 occupies six panels, as they can be most easily seen from 

 the floor and need bold treatment. At the south end, 

 where the ceiling is over a staircase and landing leading 

 from the first to the second floor, each panel contains 

 but one species : the eye being nearer to the ceiling greater 

 detail has been introduced. The effect of the whole is 

 very fine, and as the hall is at present without any cases 

 or specimens, it has the general appearance of a cathedral. 

 This idea is further heightened by the introduction of a 

 triforium, though this has been added merely for effect, 

 the passages being interrupted. 



Beyond the Index Museum is a smaller and less lofty 

 hall quite divided from it, save by two arched entrances, 

 97 feet by 70 feet, intended to hold the British Zoological 

 Collection. It is surrounded by arched recesses similar 

 to those in the Index Museum. In this hall the decora- 



