of which will be 250 feet: the centre, comprising two stories, is appropriated, on the ground-floor, to booking-offices, waitingrooms, &c.; whilst a lofty gateway occupies the centre of each wing; and on the side of the joint station will be an observationtower, rising to the height of about 65 feet, and commanding a view of the railway for several miles.

The architectural works are under the direction of Mr. George Smith on behalf of the Greenwich Company, and of Mr. Henry Roberts on behalf of the joint Companies. The engineering works are under Messrs. Landeman, Rastrick, and Cubitt, on behalf of their respective companies.

Marks Carriage Repository, Langham Place.-So greatly has this building been altered and extended that it may be considered as entirely new. Originally low, it is now converted into a lofty façade, with a frontage of 104 feet, and of very different character from the first one. What we now behold is, in fact, not merely a new elevation towards the street, but an entirely new building distinct from Messrs. Marks' establishment, which is confined to the rear of it, and not otherwise belonging to or connected with it except as having an entrance through it in the centre on the ground-floor. The rest consists of four private houses combined into one uniform design, the division of the building within being indicated only by that number of entrance-doors below; consequently, the houses appear to be of the same size, which, however, is so far from being the case, that one of them is a residence on a very superior scale, occupying considerably more than half the upper portion of the building,-an ingenious and novel arrangement, showing how large and small houses may be made to form one uniform "block," and how very great space may be obtained with comparative economy of ground. The principal residence in this block of houses is certainly unusually spacious for a private London house, even of the first class; and it is, besides, laid out with far more than usual study as to architectural effect. The principal rooms are all on the same floor, and the most striking one is that intended for a gallery or library, extending through the entire depth of the building: this is divided by screens of columns at each end into three compartments, the larger and centre one of which is about ten feet loftier than the other rooms, and is lighted from above. The one at the east end is also similarly lighted, but is not quite so lofty, although its ceiling is higher than that at the other end of the room. It differs, too, from the last-mentioned one in being more spacious, for the general plan of the room there expands to 30 feet in breadth. Thus, while uniformity of design is perfectly kept up, a most agreeable species of variety is produced, and a great deal of effect ensured, independently of architectural decoration—a kind of effect not the less valuable because rigid economy as to space prevents its being even aimed at, except in very rare cases. The entrance vestibule will also be striking for the more than ordinary degree of architectural taste displayed in it, and

for its loftiness, it being carried up the height of the mezzanine story over the ground-floor rooms of the other houses. Its ceiling is arched and coffered, and on the upper part of the walls is a series of panels to be filled with sculpture. The elevation is of handsome, if not particularly striking character, except for its extent, and consists of a ground-floor and mezzanine within arcades, whose arches have moulded archivolts, and spring from pilasters. Above these are two series of windows, the principal floor and the chamber one over it, above which are attic sleeping-rooms that do not show themselves externally, the roof being concealed by the cornicione and pierced parapet. The elevation is divided horizontally into three compartments by a slight break in the centre, which below forms the entrance to the "Carriage Repository," and has over that a single triple window (that which comes at one end of the gallery), and on the level of the chamber-floor an open loggia of three arches. Each of the lateral divisions has four windows on a floor, and two entrances below. Yet, although the façade is thus divided, the cornicione is continued uninterruptedly from end to end without any break, whereby the whole façade is united together on the upper line of the building. This has been effected by adding cantilivers to those portions of the cornice which are on either side of the central division, in which last those supports beneath the corona are much shorter, and the alternate ones serve as key-stones to the arches of the loggia.

British Museum.-Though no indications of such being the case are yet visible to the public, this national edifice is now advancing towards its completion, the range of buildings which will form the south side of the inner quadrangle being so far erected that they are expected to be covered in by Christmas, 1842. As soon as it shall have been completed the present old building (the original Montague House) will be taken down, and the Ionic portico and colonnades which are to form the façade towards Great Russell-street will be commenced; and when that shall have been completed, and laid open to view, by the removal of the screen-wall between the front court and the street, the Museum will then show itself as one of the public structures of the metropolis, which it cannot be said to do at present, as no other part of the exterior has any architectural pretension. The beams supporting the roof of the Entrance Hall, in the new building, are of cast iron, each weighing 5 tons 8 cwt. A new Print Room has been opened, which is of noble dimensions, and so fitted up as to be admirably adapted to its purpose. A room has also been added to the Library capable of containing 60,000 volumes; and the contrivances adopted for arranging the books, and facilitating access to all the shelves, are highly ingenious and very complete.

Cambridge County Courts. After the Fitzwilliam Museum (see vols. for 1838 and '39), this building is one of the best pieces of modern architecture in Cambridge. Instead of introducing a portico—which, good as it might have been, could hardly have

vied with that of the structure abovementioned, and, by aiming at approaching to, might have seemed to fall short of it-the architects (Messrs. Wyatt and Brandon) have very judiciously given quite a different character to their façade, and one which is of rather an unusual kind. The style they have selected is not only Italian, but Palladian, the composition being evidently a reminiscence of Palladio's loggie at the Basilica of Vicenza. Yet, in appropriating and adopting that idea, by no means have they adhered to the original; on the contrary, not only are the points of difference between the two very marked, but those differences are all in favour of the English rifacciamento. The meagreness and monotony of the Italian building are here avoided; instead of the straggling, sprawling appearance there occasioned by the distance between the small columns and the pilasters of the larger order, the same arrangement is here made to produce greater compactness and greater richness of effect. Instead, too, of consisting of a mere repetition of the same compartment from end to end of the building, a pleasing degree of variety, without any prejudice to unity of composition, is thrown into the design by making the extreme compartments somewhat different from, while of a piece with, the rest, thus limiting the open loggia to five arches; and, by being enclosed at its ends, that arcade is not only more sheltered, but produces a more forcible contrast of light and shade. The steps, too, being continued only along that portion of the façade, and then terminating at pedestals, considerably aids the general effect, and defines the leading divisions. As may be perceived from the view, this façade (102 feet in length) projects in the plan before a somewhat wider and loftier mass in the rear, containing the two courts, and where the total extent is 136 feet. Owing to this, the flank at each end forms an inner angle with a short return, with a handsome rusticated entrance leading to that portion of either court which is allotted to the public. And these parts of the design produce a pleasing variety in the perspective appearance, without at all interfering with what forms the façade itself. Within the loggia, which is 57 feet by 10 in depth, and which appears more spacious than a projecting portico of the same dimensions would do, are three doors, one in the centre, the others in the end compartments. The firstmentioned one leads into a hall, 30 feet square, which communicates with the two courts (each 51 feet by 32 feet, and with fittingsup of oak), with the Judges' room between them, and with the Grand Jury room and other apartments. The building is erected on the outskirts of the town, on the road leading to Ely, opposite the gaol, from which there is a subterraneous passage for the purpose of removing prisoners to and fro. The exterior is constructed of Yorkshire stone from quarries in the neighbourhood of Whitby, which is of fine quality and pleasing tint. The whole is on the eve of being completed, and the entire cost will not exceed 11,000l.

Brecon Assize Courts.-Another building for a similar purpose, and by the same architects as the one just described, was begun in 1840, and is now nearly finished. It is of different character from the one at Cambridge, the style being Grecian, and the façade having a tetrastyle portico, less commonplace than usual in its plan, there being, in addition to the external columns, others within, forming a distyle in antis behind the advanced tetrastyle; owing to which the effect is much richer than what would have been produced had the same number of columns been placed in a single range in front. Another circumstance that contributes not a little to picturesque character is, that there is an ascent of eight or nine steps to the portico. Nor has architectural effect been neglected in the interior; on the contrary, the larger or crown court (45 feet by 60 feet and 35 high) is sufficiently striking, though simple in its arrangement. The semicircular Ionic colonnade (whose stone pillars are rather more than 20 feet high) gives both elegance and dignity to this hall of justice. The hemicyclar portion of the plan is allotted to seats for the public, disposed like those in the theatres of the ancients, with an upper diazoma or space behind the