The Press.
London, England, 1858-03-20 00:00:00

ST. JAMES'S HALL.

THE object of every new undertaking, if we may
trust the prospectus, is "to supply a want that has
long been felt." Of course, in most cases, this
merely means that a want of money has long been
felt by the projector, and that a public subscription
appears the readiest mode of supply. But every
rule has its exceptions ; and whoever might assert
that a well-situated, handsome, and commodious
music-hall has long been wanted in London, few
would care to look for an undermeaning in the
phrase. The large room at Exeter-hall is too large
for many purposes, has no accommodation for royal
visitors, is badly provided with means of entrance
and exit, has no pretensions to beauty of any sort,
and is hampered with certain oppressive regulations.
The lower room is simply detestable, and almost
fallen into disuse. St. Martin's-hall has many good
points, and as a music-room for the people will
always be useful ; but, from the disadvantage of its
position, it cau never be suitable for concerts of the
higher class. The same may be said of the concert-
room in the Surrey-gardens, while that in Hanover-
square is an ill-proportioned, unsightly, 'inconvenient
apartment, with nothing to recommend it but its
fashionable situation. The erection of St. James's-
ball promises, therefore, to be a great advantage to the
metropolis, and on this account alone would attract
attention ; but certain novelties in the design give a
more than ordinary interest to the public opening,
which is fixed for next week.

The directors have not attempted to make their
hall the largest in London—a piece of common sense
which in the present rage for monstrosities is much
to their credit; but they have tried to make it better
and handsomer than any other, and so far as beauty
of proportion and richness of ornament go they have
certainly not failed. The building is placed between
the Quadrant and Piccadilly, and so near the inter-
section that it reaches across from one to the other,
having an entrance in each. It is entirely buried
among the houses, and the only noticeable feature
about the exterior is the lofty roof surmounted by
a double row of strange looking ventilators, which
may be seen from some distance. The ground floor
is occupied by two small balls, intended the one for
concerts, the other for public dinners, each capable
of accommodating about six hundred persons.
These are expected to be finished in the course of
next month. There is also a suite of smaller apart-
ments, which are to be fitted up as a restaurant,
where dinners and refreshments for private parties

may be obtained. The entrance will be from
Regent-street, and in such r. thoroughfare this de-
partment of the undertaking, if well conducted, can
hardly fail to be remunerative. Nearly the whole of
the upper storey is occupied by the large hall, which
is now rapidly approaching completion, and is to be
opened to the public on Thursday next. It is of an
oblong form, 140 feet in length, 60 feet in breadth,
and 60 feet in height ; longer than Exeter-ball, but
narrower ; smaller in every way than the Surrey
Music-hall, and larger in every way than St.
Martin's-hall. It is lighted by sixteen windows, and
surrounded on three sides by a narrow gallery or
balcony. The roof is semicircular, and entirely
covered with arabesque ornament in red, blue, and
gold. The railing in front of the gallery is richly
gilt, as well as the capitals of the slender columns
which range along the sides of the ball. The
gaslights consist of small clusters of seven j e ts,arran ged
in the form of a star; they are placed unusually high,
not more than twenty feet from the roof, and are
eighty-four in number. When lighted, the appear-
ance of the ball, with its rich gilding and gorgeous
,:olouring, will be extremely brilliant. Above the
windows are coloured figures from designs by Monti,
representing certain boys and girls in a state of entire
undress, and bearing scrolls inscribed with the
names of celebrated composers. The designs are
meaningless and unpleasing, and the execution rude.
In a building decorated otherwise with such ex-
cellent taste, we are convinced these figures will
strike most people as absolutely offensive. The
orchestra is built in a large arched recess at the
western end of the hall ; a similar recess at the
eastern end gives considerable depth to the gallery
at this part, and contains also a second gallery raised
some height above the first. A moveable floor is
being constructed so as to give an inclined plane for
concerts, and a level for dinners. This avoids one of
the great errors in the construction of St. Martin's-
hall, but, at the same time, the galleries being only
twelve feet from the level floor, it renders the seats
below them at the east end a very undesirable posi-
tion for any one to find himself in. No doubt the
prices of these seats will be fixed accordingly, but it
is difficult to imagine any tariff which would not be
ex orbi taut. The number of persons who can be
seated is estimated at 2,500; there are four entrances,
besides a private door for the Royal Family. The
passages and staircases are spacious and well