Half-section through the north side of the western body at upper level, looking west

WRE/3/4/11

1685–86

Sir Christopher (1632–1723) Wren, Nicholas (c.1662–1736) Hawksmoor

Pen and brown ink over pencil, with additions in pencil. Thin laid paper. 32.6 x 42.3 cm. Watermark: horn in crest over 4/HG/WR; countmark: IP

A half-section of the upper north side of the western body, taken through the centre-line of the library chamber. Drawn by Hawksmooor. Datable 1685-86. Drawn scale, just under 6 ft to 1 inch (10 ft = 43.25 mm). This half-section and its companion, WRE/3/4/12, show the two upper library chambers close to their built form. They are separated from the upper nave by narrow triforium galleries with low flat roofs. These roofs have pyramidal skylights, a form of top-lighting first seen in an early scheme for a library in the north triforium gallery at All Souls, datable 1685 (Geraghty 2007, no.90). The skylights are still present in a cross-section of c.1700-01 (see WRE/6/1/9), but the roofs were built without them in 1706 (Wren Society 15, p.136). Drawn in faint pencil outlines is a flying buttress above the triforium roof. It does not offer support to the north-west tower, only the nave vault, and no high level structure is shown linking the tower with the west end of the nave and upper portico apart from the west wall. In the fabric, arched cross walls link the end walls of the library chambers to the upper nave walls, and barrel vaults span between the towers and the side walls of the western gallery and upper portico. The arched wall first appears in a section at the next stage in the design, preceding construction above church-floor level, WRE/3/4/19. Full height walls and vaults appear in designs for the west towers from c.1700-01 (see WRE/6/1/8 and 9). Crossed-out pencil outlines show the vault of the library chamber being raised about 6 inches. It is raised further in three long sections through these chambers in this group, WRE/3/4/13-15, which are presumably slightly later. The square, 16-pane window beyond a wall arch of the gallery is the triforium window in the west wall in the narrow bay above the aisle door. All early designs for the west front, including those linked to the Revised design at All Souls, have a panel in this position (Geraghty 2007, no.82; and WRE/3/3/13). In the fabric, segmental-headed windows were inserted, but these are not shown in any surviving drawings for the west front, including Gribelin’s elevation in 1701-02 (WRE/6/2/7). In common with other drawings in this group, the floor is level with the bottom of the internal cornice (see note on WRE/3/4/13). It was lowered by 2 feet in the fabric.

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.

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WRE/3/3/13, WRE/6/1/8, WRE/6/1/9, WRE/6/2/7