(4-7) to a scale

(4) The Bank of England, Threadneedle Street, Princes Street, Lothbury, S^t Bartholomew's Lane, Paved Court, The Hall, Rotunda, Transfer Office (three times), Treasury, Bank Stock, Bullion / Office, Interior Office, The Library, Lothbury Court, Governor's / room, Deputy / Governor's / room, Committee, Court Room, Vestibule, (Soane) Door of Entrance, Addition / to / the Hall, addition / to / The Treasury, Porter, Coffee Room, Passage, Committee / or / Bills, Waiting / Rm (six times), Doorkeep.s / Lobby, Clerk / of / Comm., officers / Bedroom, Officer, Officers / Serv., Barracks, Vestibule, Porter / Bed Rm, Acc^t, Court, Discount Office, Accomptant, Chancery Office, G Cash / book, Secretary (twice), M^r Newlands / Office, M^r Newland, W Wall, (Soane) in feint pencil, including: Pay Office, Land Tax / & / ---- (Land and Property Tax Office), 3 per Cent / reduced, 1 & 2 / Bank, The Garden, Pay Office / and (illegible feint pencil), 4 per Cent, 3 per (twice), Gate for --- ---- (Lothbury) 5 (Soane) Plan submitted to the Committee / Tuesday Wednesday Jan^ry 19^th 1803, plan labelled (Soane): Discount / Office, Court, Committe / or / Waiting, Deputy / Acct., labelled (office hand): Lothbury, Church, Princes Street, Bartholomew's Lane, Royal Exchange, Threadneedle Street, Entrance (twice), Paved Court, Pay Hall, Treasury, Vestibule, Strong Room, Lobby, The Garden, The / Dividend Pay Office, The / Cheque Office, The Three Per Cent Reduced / Office, Rotunda, Vestibule, Bank Stock / Office, Three Per Cent Consols / Dividend Office, Three Per Cent Consols / Transfer Office, Interior Office / To Consols, Lothbury Court, Library, Court (three times), Land Tax / Reduced, M^r Newland's / Room, Accountant's Room, M^r Newland's Office, Secretary's Office, Accountant's Office (twice), Deputy / Accountant's / Room, Entrance From Princes Street to the Different Offices, Vestibule, Porter's Lodge, Barrack[s], Staircase, Waiting Room (twice), Officer's Room, Bed / Room, Officer's Serv^t, Court, Clerk of / Committee, Waiting / Room, Lobby for / Parlor Door / Keeper, Deputy / Governor's Room, Governor's Room, Waiting Room (three times), Strong Room, Vestibule to / Court / and Committee / Rooms, Coffee Room, Passage, Drawing Office 6 (Soane) Design for the alterations & improvement / submitted to the Committee of Building / Jan: 25: 1803, accompanied with a written / Description, Plan referred to Feb: 15: 1803 / See Secretary's Minutes, plan labelled (office hand): Lothbury, Church, Princes Street, Threadneedle Street, Royal Exchange, Entrance (twice), Paved Court, Pay Hall, Lobby, A, B, Treasury, Vestibule, Strong Room, Rotunda, Three Per Cent Consols / Dividend Office, Vestibule (twice), Bank Stock / Office, Three Per Cent Consols / Transfer Office, Interior Office / to Consols, Lothbury Court, Accountant's / Room, M^r Newland's / Room, Accountants Office (twice), Deputy / Accountants / Room, Staircase, Porters Lodge, G, Vestibule, Urinal / Court, O, Barracks, P, Staircase, Barrack / Court, L, Waiting / Room, M, Waiting Room, Officer's / Room, Bed / Room, Officer's Serv^t / Room, Court, Waiting Room, K, Clerk / of Committee, Deputy / Governors Room, Lobby for / Parlor Door / Keeper / N, Waiting Room (three times), H, Strong / Room, Committee / in Waiting, Vestibule Court / and Committee / Room, Entrance from Princes Street to the Different Offices, Discount / Office, Drawing Office, The Garden, The / Dividend Pay Office, The Cheque Office, The Three Per Cent Reduced / Office, The / Committee Room, The Court Room 7 (Soane) Plan of the Bank of England / referred to in the description of the / alterations presented to the Committee of / Building & afterwards submitted to the / Court of Directors 25^th Jan. 1803, NB The Governor observed that / in the Elevations the Recess / when shewn is in the Walls & / of course we shall see them repeated / in the wall already built, Jan: 25; 1803, V, V. When this plan was proposed to / the Committee it was intended to build / the enclosing wall to V & the alteration at / T.T. became necessary as M^r Collingridge / refused to surrender his premises / but on very exorbitant terms, NB The parts col: Red were / added since this plan was / before the Court: in conseq. / of a suggestion from some / of the members of the impro- / priety of having the Barracks / in the Bank. JS, plan labelled (red pen): Add^l office (twice), Barracks, The / Paved / Court, Officers Serv^t, Lobby, Officer, Bed., Add^l Office, Lobby, Strong / Clos., plan labelled (black pen): Vestibule, Addition to the / Accountants Office / & Library / under, Recess for / Chief Clerk, Drawing Office / in the / Acc^t Depart. / ment, Deputy Acc^t / & his apart / Office, Strong Room, M^r Walton / Ac^t Genl., The / Principal Cashier / Room, Land Tax / Red. Office, Lothbury Court, Interior Office, 3 per Cent Consol, Cashiers Office, Secretary / Office, Secret., Hall Drawing Office / (nothing over), Committee / in / Wait^g / (nothing over), Discount Office, Governors Room, Qy wind., Waiting Room, Dep^y Governor, Porter, Barracks, Corridor, Collonade Court, Waiting Room, Secretary / to / the Com., Doorkeeper, Qy / Door, Court Room, The Committee Room, Water Clos:, Necess., Waiting Room (twice), Officers Room, Garden Court, The / Pay Hall / &c, Paved Court, Entrance (twice), T, T, G, B, P, L, M, K, N, I, H, D, F, E, C, A, B (pencil) L (three times)

• (4) datable to early January 1803 (5) as above, presented 19 January 1803 (6) as above, presented 25 January 1803 (7) presented Jan: 25 1803, executed Lin: Inn Fields / Dec 1802

Soane office and Soane

Drawings 4 to 7 concern the design of the southern portion of the north-west extension. Drawings 5 to 7 were presented to the Building Committee in January 1803. The minutes from the building committee record that one of the drawings, probably drawing 6, was approved on February 15th.

The design sequence begins with drawing 4, showing the basic layout for the offices in the first phase of the north-west wing (ie the offices and corridors south of the new Accountants Office). An entrance from Princes Street is included in the design, leading to a long east-west corridor (as built). Drawing 5, presented 19 January, shows an alternative perimeter for the Screen Wall. Drawing 5 being a presentation drawing, Soane's rough alterations to the drawing were made in response to the Committee's comments and recommendations. The alterations show a larger Accountants Office and the Screen Wall perimeter reduced to its previous form. The Princes Street Screen Wall shows a four-columned portico in the centre. Drawings 6 and 7 were shown in late January. Drawing 6 shows a rudimentary version of the finished buildings, and was referred to on February 15th when the building committee approved Soane's plans. Drawing 7 is s more refined design. The design includes a wider (from north to south) Waiting Room Court, thereby elongating the adjacent offices.

An amendment to drawing 7, in red ink, shows the introduction of the Barracks in the north of the new wing. The inscription suggests that the Barrack's are included upon the directors' advice. Another note in drawing 7 raises the issue of a tenant by the name of Collingridge who was still occupying his house near the corner of the proposed Screen Wall, thereby delaying construction of the wall (including the future Tivoli Corner).

The proposed designs include plans for the new extension as well as reconfiguring the directors' offices and other parts of the Bank including the Discount Office, Pay Hall and Bullion Court (see separate schemes). In Drawing 7 such alterations are indicated: the stairs are reduced in the Paved Court (also called the Front Court); the Bullion Office is expanded; and the offices north of the Pay Hall are slightly modified.

Drawings 4 to 7 have variant designs for the Lothbury screen wall. Drawings 4 and 6 show prostyle pedimented porticos. In drawing 4 the portico has six columns, and in drawing 6 it has only four. Drawing 5 has a portico in antis, with four columns framed by pilasters. In drawing 7, the frontispiece has been much reduced to a small projection of four pilasters surmounted by a pediment.

Variant designs for the proposed Princes Street front are also shown in drawing 5 to 7. Drawing 6 shows a round-headed, pedimented entrance. Drawing 7 has a similar design but with a shorter attic and an additional level added in pen.

M. Acres, The Bank of England from within, Oxford, 1931, pp. 387-388; D. Abramson, Money's architecture: the building of the Bank of England, 1731-1833, doctoral thesis for the Department of Fine Arts, Harvard University, 1993, pp. 384-389

Drawing

Digitisation of the Drawings Collection has been made possible through the generosity of the Leon Levy Foundation

If you have any further information about this object, please contact us: drawings@soane.org.uk