[154] Survey, with preliminary designs, Westminster Hall and Law Courts, 1822

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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)
      - Designs for the Whole Site, 1821-29 (15)

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Reference number

SM 53/1/11

Purpose

[154] Survey, with preliminary designs, Westminster Hall and Law Courts, 1822

Aspect

Plan of the ground floor of the Old Law Courts, their offices and anciliary accommodation, to the north of Westminster Hall, with preliminary plan for perimeter of New Law Courts along St Maragret's Street and New Palace Yard, unexecuted

Scale

line scale of ¹/₁₀ inch to 1 foot

Inscribed

Westminster Hall. / Court of King's Bench. / Court of Chancery. / Waiting Room (x 4) / Lord Chancellor's / Room / Mices Coffee / House / Area (x 4) / M^r. Lee / Clerk in Parliament / Passage / to Judges / Room / Court of / King's Bench / Grand Jury and Record Room / Passage / to Court of / Common / Pleas / vaults / Room inder / Judge's Room /of the Court / of King's / Bench / Court of Common Pleas / Vaults under Judges / Room of the Court / of Common Pleas / Record Room / Passage / to Judges /Room of / the Court / of / Exchequer / Exchequer Coffee / House / yard / Vaults belonging / to Exchequer / Coffee House / Vaults belonging to / Liver's Coffee House / Record Room under / Exchequer Court. / Oliver's Coffee House / O (x 2) R S T (x 2) U V W / Prison / Grand Jury / Witness / & / Clerk / (pencil) In the Court of Kings Bench there / is no officer called the Court Keeper / but the Ushers of the Court have / the [same?] capacity / A B (x 2) C K M / Judges [_] / Room / Mr / Alasder / of the Court / of King’s Bench / Gallery [_] / [_] Coffee / house / [_] / Centre line (x 2) dimensions given

Signed and dated

1822
1822.

Medium and dimensions

Pencil, wash, coloured washes of brown and blue, pen, within partial single ruled border pricked for transfer on wove paper (863 x 522)

Hand

Sir John Soane RA (1753 - 1837), architect
This drawing is annotated in Soane's hand.
Soane Office, draughtsman

Notes

The Court rooms and ancillary accommodation belonging to the Courts of Exchequer and Common Pleas have been washed in green and brown respectively. The former includes the entrance passage from St Margaret's Street. Overalying the existing perimeter at the northern and north-western parts of the plan is a pencil sketch for a a new façade which creates a return flanking range for the as yet unfinished Stone Building, and continues the Court of Exchequer range westward along New Palace Yard, terminating the latter in a right-angled corner. The diagonal pencil lines marking the fenestration suggest this plan was used to set up a perspective. There are numerous pencil anotations, in particular around the anciliary rooms to the south of Westminster Hall, which resist transcription.

Literature

Sawyer, 1999: p.487, footnote 1441

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