COMPLETION OF THE BUILDING. 
103 
tion, moved by the First Lord of the Treasury, was carried 
" That it is expedient that the Natural History Collection be Resolution to 
removed from the British Museum, inasmuch as such an arrange- ^^t^af 
ment would be attended with considerably less expense than would History 
be incurred by providing a sufficient additional space in immediate ^o^^^^^o^- 
contiguity to the present building of the British Museum." 
The House of Commons, in the Session of 1863, sanctioned Purchase of a 
the purchase of part of the site of the International Exhibition Kensington^ 
of 1862 at South Kensington, with a view to appropriating it to 
the purpose of a Museum of Natural History. 
In January, 1864, the Commissioners of Her Majesty's Works Competitive 
issued an advertisement for designs for a Natural History 
Museum and a Patent Museum, to be erected on part of the land 
thus acquired, a plan which had been prepared by Mr. Hunt in 
September, 1862, from Sir Eichard Owen's suggestions, being 
proposed as a model in respect to dimensions and internal 
arrani?ement. 
The plans of the various competitors were submitted to Her Captain 
Majesty's Commissioners of Works, who awarded prizes to three ^o''^^®'^ plan, 
of the number, giving precedence to that of Captain Francis 
Fowke, K.E., and then referred the three premiated plans to the 
Trustees of the British Museum. As the internal arrangements 
in Captain Fowke's plan did not meet with the approval of the 
Museum officers, he was desired to modify them in conformity 
with the requirements of the Trustees. He was engaged in this 
labour when his death occurred, in September, 1865. 
Early in the year 1866, Mr. Alfred Waterhouse was invited by Mr. Water- 
the Chief Commissioner of Works to take up the unfinished work ^ 
engaged. 
of Captain Fowke ; but he found himself unable to complete the 
plan to his oAvn satisfaction, and in February, 1868, he was 
commissioned to form a fresh design, embodying the require- 
ments of the officers of the Natural History Departments of the 
Museum. 
Mr. Waterhouse was not long in submitting to the Trustees his 
plan and model of the building, with a disposition of galleries as 
required, and these were formally accepted by the Trustees in 
April, 1868. It was not, however, until February, 1871, that 
the working plans had been thoroughly considered, and received 
the final approval of the Trustees. 
