(2-4) bar scales of 1/8 inch to 1 foot

2 as above, The Bank of England, No 1, No 2, No 3, No 4, No 5, Col (twice), (Soane's hand) Submitted / & / App[rove]^d 3 as above, labelled: The Bank of England, Principal Stories each 12'9'' clear height, Vaults to cash house / under the Street, Princes Street, Lothbury, Area (5 times), Part of the / Garden of / the Grocers Comp^y, N^o I, N^o II, N^o III, N^o IV, N^o V, Office / One Storey & Basem^t, Property not belonging to the Bank, Office one Storey / & Basem^t, Lobby and some dimensions given 4 as above, labelled: The Bank of England, Princes Street, Lothbury, The Grocers Company / Garden, N^o 1, N^o 2, N^o 3, N^o 4, N^o 5, Porch (twice), Area (5 times), Ent (3 times), Hall, N^o I, N^o II, N^o III, N^o IV, N^o V, Staircase (5 times), Lobby (twice), Dressing Room (twice), Closet, Passage to office, Property not belonging to the Bank (twice), Office One Story high / and Basement (twice), Hall belonging to / the Grocers Company, Passage into / the Old Jewry, (Soane) Submitted to the Committee of Buildg / Aug 13 1807 & ordered to be / carried into immediate execution / Present M^r Governor / M^r Whitmore / Sir R^d Neave / M^r Langley / M^r Winthrop and some dimensions given (some in pencil) 5 as above, The Bank of England, (Soane's hand) Submitted to the Building of Comms / & approved

• (2, 5) Aug^t 13^th 1807 (3) John Soane Arch^t / Lin Inn Fields / Aug^st 13 1807 (4) Aug^st 13^th 1807

(2) Pen, sepia and raw umber washes with a double ruled and black wash border, (verso) brown pen and pencil on wove paper (294 x 472) affixed at two corners to p. 145 of volume 60, numbered 170 (3) pen, sepia, black, pink, yellow and blue washes, pricked for transfer with a double ruled and black wash border on wove paper (467 x 673) (4) pen, sepia, pink, blue and warm sepia washes, pricked for transfer with a black wash border on wove paper (502 x 714) (5) pen, sepia, raw umber and burnt Sienna washes with a sepia wash border on wove paper (331 x 472) affixed at corners to p. 146 of volume 60, numbered 171

(2, 5) George Bailey (1792-1860, pupil then assistant 1806-37, curator 1837-60) (3) Charles Malton (1788-?, pupil 1802-09), with additional inscriptions by George Bailey (1792-1860, pupil then assistant 1806-37, curator 1837-60) and Soane (4) Francis Edwards (1784-1857, improver July 1806-October 1810), with additional inscriptions by George Bailey (1792-1860, pupil then assistant 1806-37, curator 1837-60) and Soane

(4) J Whatman 1804 (bottom cut off)

Drawing 2 shows an early design for new buildings. The frontage is roughly 137 feet wide and 51 feet high to the top of the balustrade (62 feet to the apex of the pediment). The facade is 15 bays wide and three storeys high with a basement and a central, pedimented, five bay attic. The bays at the left and right of the frontage project, and both have a pedimented entrance with a small balustrade and a pair of giant panel pilasters above. On top of the balustrade, above the two end bays, are pairs of antefixes. The central part of the facade has eight giant panel pilasters framing two storeys of square-headed windows. Although this drawing was 'submitted and approved', several changes were made to the design of the executed buildings. Indeed, there are some differences between drawings 2 and 5. On drawing 5, the pilasters over the end bays are replaced with Ionic columns, while a row of antefixes replaces the pediment over the attic.

The separation of the intended new buildings into five distinct houses is made clear by the use of different coloured washes. Lines overlaid on both drawings 3 and 4 show the outline of the buildings that previously stood on the same site. These two designs are nearly identical in the internal layout. Externally, however, the building in drawing 3 has two bowed porches, whereas the building in drawing 4 has one central bowed porch and two rectangular porches at the corners of the façade. On drawing 4, a rough plan of the frontage has been made at the bottom of the page.

The Committee of Building, which consisted of a selection of directors of the Bank, was increased to 12 members after 1805. It usually met once a month and received quarterly reports from Soane. The members listed on drawing 4 are: Beeston Long (Governer), John Whitmore, Richard Neave, Thomas Langley and Benjamin Winthrop, 4 of whom served as Governor of the Bank at some point.

The verso of drawing 3 showing designs for an entrance is catalogued separately (op. cit. drawing 10).

Drawing

Digitisation of the Drawings Collection has been made possible through the generosity of the Leon Levy Foundation

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