The longitudinal and transverse sections for preliminary and realised designs show schematically the dimensions and structure of the built hall. The sections show alternative designs for the east, west and north walls. The drawings follow the lantern-domed crossing scheme flanked at two ends with clerestory lunettes and share common features of banded wall rustication and fluted pilasters. However, details such as the decoration of the lantern and pendentive dome, and the design of the clerestory lunettes varies.
The decorative designs embodied simplification and reduction, as shown by the plain and conventional arches and fluted piers. The banded rustication of the walls unified the space horizontally and was derived from the exterior elevations of Vanbrugh, Hawksmoor, Henry Holland and French architecture, giving the hall a sense of public elegance. The clerestory lunettes convey Roman antiquity, creating historic and monumental associations.