Plan of the south-east quarter and east half of the south transept and portico at church-floor level, with the wall structure at triforium level superimposed

WRE/3/2/1

c.1685

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

Pen and brown ink over incised lines and pencil under-drawing, with additions in red chalk and pencil. Thick, smooth laid paper. 41.7 x 60.5 cm. Watermark: Strasbourg lily WR; countermark: IHS surmounted by a cross, over BC.

A quarter-plan of the crossing and half-plan of the south transept from the centre-line of the transept to near the centre of the first bay of the choir (where the sheet has been trimmed) to illustrate an initial scheme for the screen walls and triforium-level structure. Drawn by the unidentified draughtsman (fl.1675-c.1687). Datable c.1685. Drawn scale, just over 6 ft to 1 inch (10 ft = 42.5 mm). The whole plan appears to have been prepared with the upper storey in mind as the circular plan of the Dean’s Vestry in the south-east bastion has been omitted and the octagonal walling of the upper vestry is shown instead. The hand is identifiable from the numbering in the scale bar and from the shading of wall masses in bands of short, unevenly slanted lines in red-chalk (compare WRE/3/1/8 and 9). The plan at church-floor level postdates revisions to the transept door after Edward Pearce’s arrival in August 1678; the columnar frame of the door is as executed in 1683-84, and is thus an advance on Edward Strong’s marked-up construction drawing of c.1678-79 (WRE/2/4/12). The plan at triforium level, in red chalk shading over pencil outlines, is preliminary and incomplete. It must belong near the beginning of the process of planning the upper walls, i.e., 1685 rather than 1686. The upper wall does not continue in depth beyond the angle of the south transept and lacks an inner face around the attics of the crossing piers. The aedicules in the screen walls have half- rather than three-quarter columns and the internal supports for the triforium roof are not shown. The wall passages in the bastions are only 2 ft wide, although they have been marked ‘4 - 0’ (as executed) as a revision. However, the dimension ‘5 - 0’ is inscribed for the thicknesses of the screen walls and clerestory walls (half the width of the lower aisle wall). This conforms to the fabric. Drawn over the crossing in dashed pencil outlines is the octagon of an outer drum that would have measured 131 ft across its full width. Crossing plans from the 1675 period have slightly larger octagonal outer drums drawn or sketched in pencil: 132 ft on WRE/2/1/1, 136 ft on WRE/2/2/8, and 135 ft on WRE/2/2/10. The drum was built as a cylinder, 140 ft in diameter.

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.

Einzelstück, Einheit

WRE/3/1/8, WRE/3/1/9, WRE/2/4/12, WRE/2/1/1, WRE/2/2/8, WRE/2/2/10