[12] Design for the first floor of a new Parliament House

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- William Kent (c.1685-1748): Westminster, London: designs for a new Parliament House, 1733-c.1748 (37)
  - The Intermediate 'Chiswick' Scheme, c.1734-39 (7)

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Reference number

SM 36/2/13

Purpose

[12] Design for the first floor of a new Parliament House

Aspect

First floor plan

Scale

bar scale of 5/9 inch to 1 foot

Inscribed

labelled: (pencil) River Thames, Court, House of Commons, Lobby, House of Lords and some dimensions given

Signed and dated

1734-39
circa

Medium and dimensions

Pen, pencil and sepia (brown) wash, pricked for transfer within single ruled border on laid paper (374 x 513)

Hand

William Kent (1685 - 1748)

Watermark

Notes

The most crucial developments in the first 'Chiswick' plan are that the building is now much smaller (300 by 232 feet), a central atrium with a peristyle has been introduced to improve circulation, and the Cottonian Library and Court of Requests have gone from the design. In this drawing, the shape of the dome is suggested by the internally octagonal plan of the entrance hall, which measures 50 feet square. On either side is a large, geometrical staircase, providing access from the ground level. The House of Lords is a simple rectangle and the House of Commons a Greek cross in plan. Both have a serliana in one wall. However, in pencil, an idea for a rectangular House of Commons with an oval of seating and with two smaller chambers on both the east and west sides has been added.

(Salmon, pp. 339-42)

Level

Drawing

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