The British Press; or, Morning Literary Advertiser.
London, England, 1821-07-30 00:00:00

REPAIRS OP WRsTMINSTER lIALL.

The platform and the Champion's stable, in New Palace
Yard, and the continued row of scsifolding which masked the
freenti of the hunses on the terrace, have been all removed,
mei, like the base-less fabric of a vision, have scarcely left a
wreck behind.—Tbe repairs of Westminster Hall, which
were interrupted by the coronation, will be completed with.
out delay. The restoration of the erostral spire, or pinnacle,
called the lantern, on the roof the Hall, was just finished on
the eve of the coronation, mid now prtse•t. a mug brutal.
fat specimen of the style of architecture adopted at the first
erection of aloe building. Previous to its resteirae:oe, it was
not more than ten or twelve feet high from the rider of the
roof. This manifest diapropartion, as compass) with the
rest of the edifice, was not satisfactorily accounted fee, until
it was discovered on close inspection, that as decay took
place, it had keen from time to lime reduced by cutting eff
the bottom of the upright timbers, towering it buddy into
the roof, and supporting it by large beams placed through
the openings or windows horizontally from one princi-
pal rafter to another. The exterior was of oak, and
had gradually gone to dressy, • defect whirls was sup-
plied by covering the injured parts with lead, which be-
came necessary, in order to protect the other part of
the building from the weedier. When the workmen
came to remove this lead, which weighed three tuns,
the whole was forted in so mutilated a slate, that the
original design was scarcely discernible. At first, with
a view to saving time and expense, it rims resolved to
fileish the repair of the roof, omitting this li.auiifnl feature
•ltn/ether; bat Mr. Hiort, the architect, conceiving that
he could construct a model r.f the original, set to work to re-
vestrigate with great minutenees she fragment,. wletele re-
mained, and from these he contrived to obtain an isresiraie
scale of the nuclei]. propartious of heights and opcniege.
He next sought for the old enrichments slid us aaoara is,
some of which he discovered, and those which remaixed in
doubt he supplied by !telethons front deferent parts of the
building, and such other documents of antiquity as could
be relied on, mid be with peopriety adopted. This mere.
torions model, on 'being completed, was submitted to the
Board of Winks, and was by them highly approved, and
from it the present work was excreted. The lantern, in its
present finished state, is of an hexagonal form, of about seine
feet diameter, and rises nearly forty feet from the point or
ridge ief the roof. It is composed principally of the heart of
oak, the tracery and enrichments are of cast iron, except
the crochet, and finial of the principal pimiaele, which are
of copper. The castings is irun are exquisitely performed
by Messrs. Moorman, and the copper by Mr. Kell, from
moulds,
minutia of enrichment are preserved ter • much inure perfect
manner than is usual in works placed so distant Goes the
eye, and will bear inspection through the need powerful
telescope. The weight of the structure is eaten idled to he
from twelve to fifteen toils; but the carpenter's work has
been so admirably executed by Mi. Jeffrey W)311, that this
immense weight is equally distributed on the roof, walls, and
buttresses of the building, so that no partial femme Or
beariug can any where be traced.