Preparatory plan and section of a crypt aisle recess

WRE/2/1/3

1675

Sir Christopher (1632–1723) Wren, Unidentified draughtsman (fl.1675–c.1687)

Dark brown ink over pencil under-drawing, with pencil shading. Thick laid paper. 52.5 x 36.8 cm. No watermark visible.

A study for the vault construction of the aisle window recess and the adjoining aisle, preparatory for WRE/2/1/4. Drawn by the unidentified draughtsman (fl.1675-c.1687). Datable 1675 (pre-construction). Implied scale, 4 ft to 1 inch. The drawing shows the plan of the window recess and aisle, with the cross-vault of the aisle in broken lines. Above the word ‘Impost' and below the word 'pavement’, the recess is presented as a section through the construction at the point where the outer corners meet the aisle wall. The handwriting of the inscriptions closely matches that on WRE/2/3/9, a drawing of c.1675-76 apparently in the same hand. The arch of the aisle vault now has a stilted profile, rather than the segmental profile in WRE/2/1/1. It rises clear of the arch of the recess, itself 4 inches higher than the window head. The church floor is not yet shown as a masonry slab, and the rubble infill continues down to the stone springing blocks of the vaults.

Access to the Wren office drawings held at London Metropolitan Archives is available only with advance notice and at the discretion of the Heritage Services Director, London Metropolitan Archives, 40 Northampton Road, London, EC1R 0HB.

item

WRE/2/3/9, WRE/2/2/3, WRE/2/2/6