[385] First design, Westminster Hall and the New Law Courts, 9 April 1824

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Sir John Soane office drawings: the drawings of Sir John Soane and the office of Sir John Soane
- Office of Works
  - London: Palace of Westminster: The New Law Courts, surveys and designs, 1820-32 (507)
    - New Law Courts - Second Scheme, 1821-29 (345)
      - Northern Range - Court of King's Bench, 1823-29 (207)
        Select Committee Revisions, 1824-29 (79)
        Alternative Number Three: Polygonal Corner Turret, April 1824 (8)

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Reference number

SM 53/3/58

Purpose

[385] First design, Westminster Hall and the New Law Courts, 9 April 1824

Aspect

Plan of Westminster Hall and the main (ground) floor of the New Law Courts, with the original groundplan to New Palace Yard shown (in grey) and proposed reductions in the building's footprint and revisions to ancillary accommodation indicated (in pink), with an octagonal corner turret, unexecuted

Scale

bar scale of ¹/₁₀ inch to 1 foot

Inscribed

Plan of the New Courts at Westminster altered / agreeably to the directions of the Select Committee / 25^th. Match 1824 / N^o. 1 (x 2) / Select Com[mittee]. / 12 April. N^o. 3 / 20 March / 5 / 12 / ·WESTMINSTER·HALL· / ·COVRT·OF· / COMMON·PLEAS· / ·THE ·IVDGES·RETIRING / ·ROOM· / WATER. / CLOSET. (x 2) / ·AREA· (x 2) / CORRIDOR. (x 2) / ·COVRT·OF·KINGS·BENCH· / ·BAIL·COVRT· /·ATTENDANTS-/ ON·THE· / LORD·CHIEF·BARON· / ·LORD·CHIEF·BARON’S· / ·RETIRING·ROOM· / ATTENDANTS ON· / THE·LORD·CHIEF·IVSTICE· / ·LOBBY· / ·LORD·CHIEF·IVSTICE’S. / ·RETIRING·ROOM· / ·COVRT·OF· / EXCHEQUER· / ·COVRT·OF·EQVITY· dimensions given

Signed and dated

09/04/1824
John Soane Arc[hitec]^t / Lincolns. Inn. Fields. / 9^th. April. 1824.

Medium and dimensions

Pencil, pen, grey pen, wash, coloured washes of buff, pink and blue, within triple ruled wash border pricked for transfer on wove paper (558 x 443)

Hand

Sir John Soane RA (1753 - 1837), architect
Soane Office, draughtsman

Watermark

Weatherley & Lane / 1818

Notes

This drawing is annotated in Soane's hand. As a proposal, it offers a variant treatment accommodating the radical reduction of the New Law Court's footprint to New Palace Yard. The junction between the façade to the latter and the pavilion tower of the Stone Building is handled by a polygonal turret, which recalls that belonging to the Elizabethan Exchequer range on this site, demolished in 1823. Originally this was drawn with a square groundplan, but erased and made octagonal during the drawing process.

Level

Drawing

Digitisation of the Drawings Collection has been made possible through the generosity of the Leon Levy Foundation. This catalogue of Soane’s designs for the New Law Courts was generously funded by The Worshipful Company of Mercers and The Pilgrim Trust.

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