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London: 429 Strand, survey for the Westminster Life Insurance Office, 1795 (4)

Soane's office Journal 3 has an entry headed 'Westminster Insurance on Lives' for 17 March 1795 that reads - 'Survey'd house No. 429 Strand'. Another entry for 28 April 1795 reads - 'Jeans took to the Office No 8 Drawings / of the new Office - Viz / 4 Plans with the proposed Alterations / on 4 half sheets of Imperial Paper / and 4 Plans of the House as it now / is on 4 sheets of Cartridge Paper'. An entry for 5 May 1795 has 'Meyer left with Mr Skelton / No.4 fair Plans of House in the / Strand with proposed Alterations / and one fair Plan of Alterations / dividing the House into 2 Houses / on 5 half sheets Royal and 4 / sheets Cartridge Paper'. The above all returned to Mr Soane A final entry (dated 8 November 1797) reads 'Dined with them at the Crown & Anchor'. No bill was submitted by Soane so presumably the conversion was not carried out. The four drawings catalogued here are probably the '4 plans of the House as it now is on 4 sheets of Cartridge Paper'.

Ptolemy Dean notes that 'This building stood on the north side of the Strand, at the corner of Agar Street, now Zimbabwe House.' (P.Dean, Sir John Soane and London, 2006, p.232). The corner site gave the building the advantage of windows on the long 56 feet 10 inches side elevation and drawing [1] shows a bowed window over a side entrance that leads to a stair (open-well with quarter-pace landings). Perhaps the building was to be divided across the middle of the long side? There are no windows to the back elevation but a court gives light to the stair and to a back room that also has a single window in the flank wall.

Jill Lever
January 2015
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