Half-elevation and section of the east side of choir screen with curved west stalls, complementing WRE/4/1/8

WRE/4/1/9

c.1693

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

Pen and brown ink over pencil, with grey wash. Thick laid paper. 49.4 x 37.9 cm. Countermark: DS

An internal east half-elevation and section of the curved return stalls, complementing the west half-elevation, WRE/4/1/8. Drawn by Hawksmoor. Datable c.1693. Implied scale, 2 ft to 1 inch. The section is taken through the first bay of the stalls beyond the quadrant. It shows four bays of stalls on the curve, whereas five bays are indicated on the curve of the gallery on the companion elevation of the west side, WRE/4/1/8, and five or six have been sketched on the half-plan, WRE/4/1/5. The curved pediments over the two principal stalls are crowned by cartouches which are linked via drapery swags to vase finials. In the centre is the ‘chair’ behind the organist’s seat. This decorative frame was to contain the smallest pipes; see WRE/4/1/10 and WRE/4/2/6 and 7. No steps are shown up to the principal stalls at the west end. Creating comfortable access from these steps to these stalls would have been awkward and may had led to the abandonment of this proposal. In this and subsequent detailed studies, WRE/4/1/10-13, the gallery front is 2 ft 3 inches high. It was increased to 2 ft 9 inches in the second stage of the design when Wren added the Bishop’s Throne to the enclosure; see WRE/4/2/1, 2 and 6. An earlier variant of this scheme exists beneath a pasted overlay on the plan of the whole enclosure at All Souls (Geraghty 2007, no.93).

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/4/2/6, WRE/4/2/7, WRE/4/2/1, WRE/4/2/2