The Sun.
London, England, 1840-05-22 00:00:00

quite gradual, but amounts to 3 feet 6 inches in the length
of the building from cast to west, tt is imprssible to
avoid a few steps at the herb, south, and west en-
trances. is an advantage at the west cud, as it
gives height ard character to the facade or portico; the
exact off et and extent of this tall of ti.e ground is shown
in toy north and s,uth elevations. the shops the steps
we avoided, because they c:1 follow the natural inMinatien
of the ground.
BASEMENT.—Much of the basement (cr vaults) is occu-
pied by the establi,hments over the respective divisions, and
I have added some to the lesser shops, but there is stil a
large space which may be let off, as the basement of the
old building was. I have lighted the basement by area
gratings in the pavement of the Exchange, exactly as
formerly.
The public vaults are approached by two staircases,
which are placed in the eastern Entrance.
The central area is proposed to be left without a base-
ment ; it would be difficult to keep it dry, and I do not
know any use to which it could be applied which would pay
for the cost.
STYLE OF ARCHITECTURE.
This is naturally one of the most important considerations
in the design, and one in which I have most to regret the
limited time I have had to consider this most extensive
and difficult composition. It appears to me that a building
for essentially commercial purposes should present the
character of grandeur, simplicity, and useful:it ss. In
this way, the universally acknowledged good effect of the
Bourse at Pads has been obtained. In that building the
lines are simple and unbroken, and the large arched win-
dows surrounding the walls behind the columns have all
the character of shops or offices. The west front of the
Exchange of London, as in that at Paris, niu.t be the
principal feature, the other sides being ben :dad by build-

ings.
Another difficulty arises from the shapo of the ground ;
because any tower placed to agree with the lines of the
south front, must disagree with the lines of the east and
west fronts, which are in different planes; and such an ob-
jict, when seen f,ont a distance or from the area of the
Exchange, would produce an effect that would be dis-
cordant and unarchitectural, because it would bring into
distinct notice a fact which it should be the business of the
architect to conceal.
For a long time I contended with this difficulty, because
1 was anxious to place the tower or towers in the tooth
front, but it was impossible to get over the irregularity ; it
would indeed have been easy to have concealed this de-
fect in the drawings, or have kept it out of notice, but the
result, when built, would only have ended, in my judgment,
in disappointment and failure.
For these reasons, and with these views, I 'nave com-
posed my design as it is now exhibited. I have placed a
portico at the west end, and the tower at the cast. The
south and north fronts exhibit unbroken lines of entabla-
ture, with a repetition of arches of the same character fur
the shops, offices, an:l entrances. We are deficient in
England of specimens of architecture of this unbroken
kind were Ito adduce instances, I should quote the Na-
tional Gallery as affording an illustration of the bad effect
of broken and detached masses, and the Reform Club of
the excellent effect or continuous and unbroken ones.

....- -
The— portico would be very superior in dimensions to any
in this country, and not very inferior to any in the world.
The width from outside to outside of the eight columns is
90 feet, and the height from the ground to the apex of the
pediment is 74 feet 6 inches. The portico of St. Martin's
Church is 64 feet wide and 5S feet high, that at the Post-
office 76 feet wide and 67 feet high ; and from these
dimensions a fair comparison may be made of the relative
size of the two porticoes.
The height of the order used in this edifice is 50 feet,
and the height of the tower to the top of the vane is 170
feet.
From the point of view prescribed by the instructions
the tower is not seen; had 1 been at liberty to have removed
the station further to the westward, as to Mansion-house
street or the Poultry, the tower would have been seen over
the portico, and the effect of the eompositi,n thereby greatly
improved.
The sections and view show the exact character of the in-
terior of the Exchange. The foyer story is a colonnade of
the Porie order, the columns arc 34 inches diameter; the
upper order is lonic.
Si-ECIFICATION OF THE NATURE OF TtIE WORK —The
examination of tire foundations which I ventured to sug-
gest, has pros ed that the torture of the sub-soil is of
the best kind for supporting a large building. At an ave-
rage; of 15 feet from the surface a very compact gravel is
fou4d. For the sake of' perfect uniformity, I should ex-
cavate sufficiently for a few feet below this, and by an uni-
forM bed of concrete, of the thickness of 6 feet over the
whole surface, a most certain and safe foundation would be
made. The gravel is full of water, and therefore the
drainage must be cu.:efully considered.
Your conditions require a general specification, but,
without going into full technicalities, lam at a loss to
furnish a specification of any value. I intend everything
to be executed in the beet manner. All external work to
be faced with Portland stone ; ail the horizontal divisions
that require it, for the purposes of security from fire, to
be Constructed with iron beams and brick arches; and the
ceiling and floor over the colonnade constructed in the
same manner.
The timber used to be all Baltic timber, English oak,
or African teak.
Everything to be sufficiently and completely finished in
all respects.
SCULPTURE --I. have not introduced much sculpture into
this design, because the estimate would not allow of it ; and
I have, therefore, aimed at a style which did not require it

to any extent.
The sculpture introduced as essential to the architecture
embraces the five panels in the attic of the south front,
and the two figures at the west end. The panels in the
south front are intended to represent Britannia, sup-
ported by .the principal cities of the empire, receiving
the representatives and productions of the four quarters of
tie world ; the two seated figures in the west front are
emblematical of Peace and Abundance. There are se-
veral shields of arms, which, though not falling exactly
under the head of sculpture, I think it desirable to mention,
and they arc as follows the escutcheons on the key-stones
of the three great arches of the west front arc the arms
of Queen Elizabeth, Charles the Second, and Queen Vic-
toria. These arms are repeated in the panels of the attic
at the cast end. In the north and south fronts, on the
key-stones of the centre arches, the arms arc those of the
City, the Mercers' Company, and Sir Thomas Gresham.
_ .