4 6 
PROPOSED NEW LECTURE THEATRE. 
now crowd up the Roman antiquities in the lower storey of 
the Hospitium. The external wall foundations of the vestibule 
will be utilised for the new building, and a few additional 
columns of light construction will be provided in suitable 
positions to assist in supporting the floor of the theatre, but 
to show that no objectionable interference with the ruins need 
be feared, it may be pointed out that the scheme has received 
the approval of the “ Society for the Protection of Ancient 
Buildings.” 
The proposed theatre will be about 79 feet long and 
47 feet wide, and will comfortably seat nearly 400 people. 
Between the higher tiers of the seating and the basement 
hall, a workroom (39 feet by 26 feet) will be provided. The 
outer walls, floor, and roof are to be constructed of ferro 
concrete, and the whole structure is designed to harmonise 
with the existing building, although the architectural features 
of the front elevation are necessarily limited by the facility,, 
previously mentioned, provided for a future extension of the 
Museum. This addition is not probable in the near future,, 
but in the meantime the existing shrubbery will effectively 
screen the lower part, while revealing the architectural 
ornament and detail near the skyline of the building. 
Access to the new theatre will be obtained from the left 
hand side of the present theatre, which, as previously 
mentioned, is to be converted into a central or reception hall,, 
by an enlargement of the present door into one of the galleries 
of the Museum, known as the Tertiary 7 Room. This gallerv 
is quite narrow, and a new door, opposite the one just 
mentioned, will lead direct!) 7 onto the floor of the new theatre,, 
near the lecturer’s table. Another new doorway from the 
lobby outside the present Council room door will also give 
access to the Tertiary Room and provide an alternative road 
to the theatre when the central hall is required for other 
purposes, but its chief object is to obviate the long walk at 
present taken through the cellars by the lecturer and council. 
There will also be a small door at the back of the theatre 
which will be available for the inevitable late comers without 
disturbing the audience. The floor of the theatre will rise 
upwards towards the back' of the Museum, not quite as 
