SM Adam volume 47/8

[1] Finished drawing for the ground storey of the opera house, c1789, unexecuted

Plan of the ground storey of the opera house and surrounding buildings. The east front of the principal block is formed with the central eleven bays receding, and this is flanked by porte cochères, beyond which there are paired curved staircases. The southern end of the principal block contains a series of rooms for the storage of stage machinery and vaulted cellars, and these form a horse-shoe-shaped area, with a curved north wall. To the east of this there are tavern parlours, with kitchen offices to the south-east. To the west there are rooms for the housekeeper and a number of dressing rooms and water closets, with the male and female dressing rooms separated by a central corridor. At the northern end of the corridor there are octagonal dressing rooms of an irregular form. At the north end of the central block there is an oval room, with steps leading down to a central space containing a stove. The room is encircled by a passage for chairs, with the space beyond used for irregularly-shaped cellars. To the east of the oval room there is a lobby and further parlours. To the west there is a space for chairs and tap rooms. To the south of the principal block there is a central rotunda with steps linking to the main block via a hexagonal porters hall. The rotunda is flanked by curved wings, which contain single-bay, two-roomed units, with staircases leading to an upper level. To the north of the principal block there is a rectangular annexe building forming a tavern, and the starlings for the three link bridges which connect to the principal block. The annexe block has a central, bifurcated staircase, and this is flanked by a series of rooms, and smaller staircases