The Sun.
London, England, 1867-05-20 00:00:00

Hall of Arts and Sciences•

LAYING THE FIRST STONE BY THE QUEEN.
(Tins DAY.)
The ceremony of laying the foundation stone of
the Hall of Arts and Sciences having been fixed for
to-day, and her Majesty having graciously pleased
to perform the work, the nobility and gentry
crowded the gardens of the Horticultural Society
this morning. The spacious tent erected for the
occasion was splendidly decorated with flags of all
nations, and flowers of the choicest description, and
in the centre of which a grand chair of state was
placed near the spot selected as the foundation of
the stone. Her Majesty, with the Princess Beatrice'
arrived about half-past 11, and was received by hiS
Royal Highness the Prince of Wales, the Earl of
Derby, Earl Granville, the Duke of Bile;
clench, and the provisional committee, and
at once conducted to the chair of state:
the bands in attendance playing the Nations'
Anthem. The Prince of Wales, after a short ad-
dress from himself, handed to her Majesty the re-
port of the provisional committee recording the
undertaking and the measures taken to carry it into
effect. The Earl of Derby then handed t) the
Queen the coins and inscription, and Earl Gran-
ville the glass vessel in which they were to be en"
closed, and her Majesty placed them in the vessel'
Mr. Lucas, the builder, handed to the Queen the
trowel, and Lieut.-Col. Scott, the director of tha
works, the line and plummet, and assisted her 313"
jesty in placing the glass vessel in the stone. At
the lowering of the stone into its place a flourish
of trumpets was given and a Royal salute fired in
Hyde-park The Archbishop of Canterbury thee
offered up a short prayer, and the " Invocazione
all'Armonia" the composition of the late Prince Lou"
sort, was performed, which concluded the ceremony'
His Royal Highness the Prince of Wales and the pro"
visional committee conducted the Queen through the
south-east exit from the tont to the east door of the
conservatory of the Royal Horticultural Society,
where her Majesty was received by the council of
that society and conducted by the north-western
terrace of the gardens to her carriage at the Prince's
Entrance, in Albert-road.
The ceremony did not last above half an hour.
As soon as her Majesty quitted the gardens the
floral splendours of the Horticultural Society were
thrown open to the public, and as also was decorated
the tent. The weather had been lowering the whole
of the morning; but towards one o'clock the rain
came down in torrents ; the corridors of the society'
however, formed ample protection for the splendid
dresses of the ladies.

The site of the building is on that portion of the
ground which lies between the conservatory of the
Royal Horticultural Gardens and the Kensington"
road, and immediately facing the National Albert
Memorial in Hyde-park. This hall, together with
the work in course of erection, was designed aa
the memorial for the Prince Consort, but the fund°
collected not proving sufficient to complete both
undertakings, it has been decided that the hall
shall be carried out as a separate undertaking. It
is a larger building, somewhat suggestive, in it°
plan and general features, of the Colosseum at
Rome, the design having been prepared by Lieu:
tenant-Colonel Scott, R.E., assisted by Mr. (1.
Townroe, and based on ideas suggested by the late
Captain Fowke. The plan of the building is ellipti"
tical in form, and it is to be constructed of red brick,
with terracotta enrichments of a buff tint. The roof
will be of wrought-iron covered with lead, with a
large central skylight. The rooms, stairs, and all par'
titions will be fireproof. Internally the main feature
of the building is a spacious amphitheatre with two
tiers of boxes. The central space occupies an area :
103 feet long and 68 feet in width. Lecture and
concert, refreshment and retiring rooms, and office°
for learned and scientiffic societies using the hall are.
provided for between the outer wall and that 01
the hall itself. Above the upper tier of boxes is 3
corridor 20 feet in width, which is intended to be
used for the exhibition of pictures, sculpture, and
other objects of interest, or it can, if occasion
requires, be adapted to the accommod:.tion of al
audience. There is also an upper corridor of eque
width, and lighted from the top, which can be used
for similar purposes. Each of the boxes is Pr°.:
aided with a separate room, to which access 1'
gained from corridors of 9 feet in width. sicell
build.
ing and egress from different parts of the b'''.
ing are provided for by numerous separatef
entrances and staircases. The estimated cost °
the building is £200,000. It will be built nude:
the direction of a provisional committee, of which
the Prince of Wales is the chairman, and the
management of the hall will be vested in a governs
ing body under the authority of a Royal chartekr;
The site of the hall has been granted by tcl
Commissioners for the Exhibition of 1851, arlh
it forms a portion of the estate purchased with tit:
surplus funds of the Great Exhibition. The fall,-
for the erection of the hall have been obtained ;
the sale of the boxes, the freehold of those on tuci
first tier being £l,OOO, and those on the see„°,llo
£5OO each. The hall will accommodate 6tu.'"
persons, and of seats provided 2,000 have been °a;
posed of—the list of purchasers including the grew'
bulk of the aristocracy and the leading bani`4,°b;
merchants, and others of the city of London.
receipts to be derived from the letting of the alio
unsold will be applied to the maintenance a tr,
hall, and defraying its current expenses. Therittro
poses to which the great building are to be applied des
the holding of national and international congre,',o
on subjects connected with science and art.
hall will also be employed occasionally for Perleat
mances of choral and instrumental musio, id
organ performances, similar to those now give/1,10(1
the large halls of Birmingham, Liverpool, !jet;
Leeds. Public bodies and societies having rtrbleir
to deliver may have the use of the hall for of
distributions and societies for the promotion
science and art will be permitted to hold their
auail-
versaziones in the great hall. It will also be
able for agricultural, horticultural, and other.'" no
bitions, for national and international exhibie 10.
in'
of works of art and industry, exhibitions a
held
dustry of the working classes, similar to those_
iu various parts of the country, exhibitions of 19:-.
„•
tures, sculpture, and objects of artistic or set
interest ; in short, the hall will be available
for e
purpose connected with the promotion of. or
and art. For musical purposes the hall will °
wo orchestra
en georneatatifnascisleitaietss
f; tr
I,opoaor tp
er
re
fsoerrivnedorsf,oranthde,
seats 11 b°
required for orchestral purposes, these se
available for the public.