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[41-43] Further designs for House of Lords with House of Commons and Law Courts (3)
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Reference number
SM (41) P263 (42) P256 (43) XP21 (North Drawing Room)
Purpose
[41-43] Further designs for House of Lords with House of Commons and Law Courts (3)
Aspect
41 Ground plan (close to drawing 39 and to accompany drawing 42)
42 Perspective from the river
43 Perspective from the river with inset ground plan (that is close to drawing 39)
Scale
(41) bar scale of 1 inch to 20 feet (43) plan to a scale
Inscribed
(41) Abingdon Street (N), The River Thames (E), New Palace Yard (S) and St Margaret's Street (W) and rooms labelled including: Robing Room / for / His Majesty, House of Lords, Library, Lobby / of the / House / of / Commons / decorated / with / Painting / and / Sculpture, House / of / Commons, Master in / Chancery, The Court / of Chancery, The Court of / Kings Bench, Retiring Room / for the / Jury, Retiring Room / for the Judges, Duchy Court / of Lancaster, House of the Speaker of the House of Commons, St Stephens Chapel / or / Library / for the / House of Commons, The Painted / Chamber / or / Conference Room, Robing Room / for the / Duke of Gloucester, Scala Regia, Robing Room / for the Prince of Wales, Westminster Hall, Court / of / Common Pleas, Court / of Equity, Court / of Exchequer and several halls, lobbies, robing rooms, recesses, committee rooms and rooms for servants and attendants
(42) In this design the same line of front next New Palace Yard is preserved as traced out by the buildings erected in the time of Queen Elizabeth; and it is proposed to isolate / that magnificent edifice Westminster Hall as much as possible and to make the new buildings one connected pile. The houses in Old Palace Yard to be taken down and / the area enlarged for the accommodation of the members of the two Houses of Parliament and to increase the splendour of the City of Westminster by opening to the / public view Westminster Abbey Church, the Chapter House, the Cloisters and other ancient buildings adjoining thereto as in the first design. // The new House of Lords is situated at the east end of the Painted Chamber and the new House of Commons and the several offices connected therewith / to the east of St Stephen's Chapel with entrances thereto from Old Palace Yard and Westminster Hall and likewise from a terrace next the River / Thames. The north wing of the building contains the Court of Chancery and the Court of King's Bench (removed out of Westminster Hall) together / with the several requisite appendages to those courts. / The building next New Palace Yard eastward of Westminster Hall contains the Duchy Court of Lancaster and the corresponding mass to the / west the Courts of Exchequer and Equity with the requisite appurtenances thereto. The corresponding building to the south contains the Court of / Common Pleas together with entrances to the Houses of Parliament and to Westminster Hall. / Westminster Hall which forms one of the principal approaches to the Houses of Parliament is proposed to be decorated with paintings and / colossal sculpture commemorative of the great actions of our heroes and legislators. // The modern alterations in St Stephen's Chapel to be removed and that superb edifice restored to its ancient magnificence and appropriated / as a chapel for the use of the members of both Houses of Parliament or as a library for the House of Commons.
(43) In this Design the same line of Front, next New Palace Yard, is preserved as traced / out by the Buildings erected in the time of Queen Elizabeth - The Houses in Old Palace / Yard were to be taken down, the Area enlarged for the accommodation of the Members / of the two Houses of Parliament, and to encrease (sic) the splendour of the City of Westminster, / by opening to the public view Westminster Abbey Church, the Chapter House, the / Cloisters, and other ancient Buildings, adjoining thereto. One of the Approaches / into the House of Lords was to be through Westminster Hall, the Painted Chamber, / and a spacious New Vestibule. These Rooms were to be decorated from time to / time with Sculpture and Paintings, The New House of Lords was to be situated / to the East of the Painted Chamber, and the New House of Commons to the East of / St Stephen's Chapel. The Painted Chamber was to be reinstated, as nearly as / possible in its ancient character. The modern alterations in St Stephen's Chapel / were to be removed, and that superb Structure restored to its ancient magnificence / as a Chapel for the use of the Members of both Houses of Parliament. // This Design, making one uniform Building was submitted officially at / different times to the Lord Chancellor, to the First Lord of the Treasury, and / likewise to many other Noble Lords, whom I attended by the Lord Chancellor's direction / and such Alterations and Improvements having been made in them as had been / suggested, the Designs were then inspected by His late Majesty, then Prince of Wales, / by their Royal Highnesses the Dukes of York, Clarence and Gloucester, and finally / the Lord Chancellor directed me to take His Majesty's pleasure on the Designs; / for this purpose His Majesty was pleased to command my attendance at / Windsor Castle, where I had the honour to be most graciously received: His Majesty / having examined the Designs in all their details with most accurate and scrupulous / attention, expressed his entire approbation, particularly with the Entrance into / the House of Lords, in the centre of the New Building, through the Scala Regia, / decorated with Statues of our Ancient Monarchs. His Majesty was likewise / greatly pleased with the idea of enriching Westminster Hall, the Court of Requests / and the Painted Chamber with Paintings and Sculpture to commemorate great / Public Actions and distinguished Talents instead of placing such Testimonials / of National Gratitude in Westminster Abbey Church already crowded with Sepulchral / Monuments. His Majesty's approbation of this part of the Design was a peculiar / gratification to me, as I flattered myself it might at some future period form the / foundation of a great National Establishment for the encouragement of the Fine Arts. // The execution of this Design was postponed on account of the extensive War in / which the Country was then engaged, labelled: Old Palace Yard, St Margaret Street, Court (3 times), Robing / Room / for / His Majesty, Scala Regia, Space for warming / and Gallery over, The New / House of Lords / Library, Ditto, Vestibule, the / Painted / Chamber, Long Gallery, Staircase / Corridor (twice), Colonnade of Communication, Corridor & Gallery over, New / Lobby of House of Commons, Corridor to Gallery over, The Speaker's House, Cloister, Library, St Stephen's / Chapel / or / Library / for the / House of Commons, Lobby, Westminster Hall / forming one of the principal approaches / to the Houses of Parliament to be decorated / with Paintings & Sculpture, Court of / Equity, Court of Exchequer, St Stephen's / Court, Duchy Court of Lancaster, Court / of / Chancery, Court / of / Kings Bench, Entrance / Hall
Medium and dimensions
(41) Pen and (now) discoloured washes, single ruled and black wash border on wove paper (643 x 962) framed (42) pen and (now) discoloured washes, single ruled and black wash border on wove paper (620 x 970 approximately) framed (43 ) pen and (now) discoloured washes on ? wove paper (620 x 970 approximately) framed
Hand
(41-43) ? George Bailey (1792-1860, pupil then assistant, 1806-37, curator 1837-60)
Notes
All three drawings are framed and have been hung probably since they were made in circa 1831 and have consequently suffered. The two perspectives show the same design and are a variant of drawing 38 so that the columned treatment of the middle section differs. All three drawings lack the domes that are found in previous designs though they each keep the square bases that supported such domes. The two plans are similar and correspond with drawing 39.
Soane explains his design most fully in the text of drawing 43. His reference to an interview with George III is confirmed by entries in the office Day Book for 25 and 26 October 1794 when he went to Windsor. Drawings 39 and 40 though dated 1794 are on paper watermarked 1831 and probably drawings 41-43 were made at about the same time.
(43) Previously incorrectly identified as P107.
Soane explains his design most fully in the text of drawing 43. His reference to an interview with George III is confirmed by entries in the office Day Book for 25 and 26 October 1794 when he went to Windsor. Drawings 39 and 40 though dated 1794 are on paper watermarked 1831 and probably drawings 41-43 were made at about the same time.
(43) Previously incorrectly identified as P107.
Level
Drawing
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