CHAPTER IX.
WEST BROMPTON, SOUTH KENSINGTON MUSEUM, &c.
"Uplift a thousand voices, full and sweet,
In this wide hall, with Earth's inventions stored,
And praise th' invisible universal Lord,
Who lets once more in peace the nations meet,
Where Science, Art, and Labour have outpour'd
Their myriad horns of plenty at our feet."—Tennyson.
Situation of Brompton—Its Nurseries and Flower-gardens—Cromwell or Hale House—Thistle Grove—The Boltons—Westminster and West
London Cemetery—Brompton Hall—St. Michael's Grove—Brompton Grove—John Sidney Hawkins—Gloucester Lodge—The Hospital for
Consumption—The Cancer Hospital—Pelham Crescent—Onslow Square—Eagle Lodge—Thurloe Place and Square—Cromwell Road—The International Exhibition of 1862—Annual International Exhibitions—A School of Cookery—Exhibition of Scientific Apparatus—The
National Portrait Gallery—The Meyrick Collection of Arms and Armour—The Indian Museum—South Kensington Museum—The Raphael
Cartoons—The Sheepshanks, Ellison, and Vernon Galleries—Ancient and Modern Jewellery—The Museum of Patents—The Science and
Art Schools—The Royal Albert Hall—The National Training School for Music—Royal Horticultural Gardens.
Brompton, which is—or, rather, was till lately—a
hamlet to the parish of Kensington, is situated on
the north side of Little Chelsea, and on the west of
Sloane Street. It has long been celebrated for its
soft air, and for its nurseries and flower-gardens;
indeed, "Brompton, with its two centuries of nurserygarden fame," writes Mr. John Timbs, "lasted to
our times; southward, among 'the groves,' were
the 'Florida,' the 'Hoop and Toy,' and other
taverns, with tea-gardens attached; there still
(1866) remains the 'Swan,' with its bowling-green."
At the commencement of the present century the
"village" of Brompton was considerably increased
by building, and became nominally divided into
two parts, termed Old and New Brompton. The
latter division of the hamlet chiefly consisted of
rows of houses crowded together more closely than
was perhaps desirable. "Old Brompton," writes
the author of the "Beauties of England and Wales,"
in 1816, "still retains a similitude of rural aspect,
and is yet celebrated for well-cultivated nursery and
garden grounds. In this part of the village," continues the writer, "are many handsome detached
houses; and here is likewise a domestic building,
of comparative antiquity, which requires notice.
This is termed Hale House, but is often called
Cromwell House, and is traditionally said to have
been the residence of Oliver Cromwell. But for
such a tradition there appears no sort of authority.
Mr. Lysons (fn. 1) shows that this house was the property
of the Methwold family during Cromwell's time;
and the same writer observes that 'if there are any
grounds for the tradition, it may be that Henry
Cromwell occupied the house before he went out
to Ireland the second time.' It appears from the
register of this parish that 'Mr. Henry Cromwell
and Elizabeth Russell' were married on the 10th
of May, 1653; and it may be observed that
General Lambert, an eminent supporter of the
Cromwell family, is known to have possessed a
residence near Earl's Court. Hale House is now
divided into two parts, each of which is occupied
by a separate family. William Methwold, Esq.,
who died possessed of the above house in 1652,
founded, near his residence, an almshouse for six
poor women."
Mr. H. G. Davis, writing on the subject of
Cromwell House in Notes and Queries, gives the
following version of the story as that which he
had always heard:—"That on some occasion
Cromwell's troop was quartered at Knightsbridge,
and he one day venturing to stray along the lanes of
Brompton, was met by some cavaliers who knew
him, and pursued him to this house, where he was
sheltered till assistance came from Knightsbridge
and liberated him." Faulkner, in his "History of
Kensington," describing this house, says: "Over
the mantelpiece there is a recess, formed by the
curve of the chimney, in which it is said that the
Protector used to conceal himself when he visited
this house; but why his Highness chose this place
for concealment the tradition has not condescended
to inform us. This recess is concealed by the
wainscot, and is still used as a cupboard." Mr.
Faulkner then goes on to state that, though the
tradition is "very strong and universal," all documents he has consulted "seem to show that there
is not the least foundation for this conjecture;"
and presumes "from the marriage of Henry Cromwell having taken place in this parish, that he
resided here;" and hence the whole of the story.
Mrs. Samuel Carter Hall, mentioning the tradition
in her "Pilgrimages to English Shrines," says:—"Upon closer investigation how grieved we have
been to discover the truth. … We found
that Oliver never resided there, but that his son
Richard had, and was a ratepayer to the parish of
Kensington some time." Even this latter statement is doubted, for, according to Dr. Rimbault, it
is not recorded in the parochial books. Dr. Rimbault, in Notes and Queries, states that "the house
was known as Hale House in 1596, when a rentcharge of 20s. per annum was laid upon it for the
poor of Kensington parish. In 1630 it was purchased by William Methwold, Esq., of the executors
of Sir William Blake, who died in that year. This
gentleman seems to have been its constant occupant till the period of his death, which occurred in
1652. He is described of Hale House in his will.
On May 10, 1653, immediately after his return
from Ireland, 'Mr. Henry Cromwell was married
to Elizabeth Russell, daughter of Sir Thomas
Russell,' at Kensington Church; after which, according to Noble, 'he chiefly resided at Whitehall.'
In the following year (1654) he returned to Ireland,
and upon his taking leave of that kingdom, he
retired to Spinney Abbey, near Soham, in Cambridgeshire, where he died in 1673. The chances
of Henry Cromwell having resided at Hale House
are, therefore, but slender. In 1668 Hale House
appears to have been inhabited by the Lawrences,
of Shurdington, in Gloucestershire; in 1682 it was
in the occupation of Francis Lord Howard of
Effingham, the birth of whose son is thus recorded
in the parish registers:—'July 7, 1682. The
Honble Thomas Howard, son of the Rt Honourable Francis, Ld Howard, Baron of Effingham,
and the Lady Philadelphia, was born at Hale
House, in this parish.' Hale House was still the
property of the Methwold family, who, in 1754,
sold it to John Fleming, Esq., afterwards created a
baronet; and in 1790 it was the joint property of
the Earl of Harrington and Sir Richard Worsley,
Bart., who married his daughters and co-heirs."
Such is the brief history of the proprietors and
inhabitants of Cromwell House. It was a pleasant
rural seat in 1794, when Edmund Burke's only and
beloved son died there of a rapid consumption a
few days after his election to Parliament. The
father's hopes were blasted by the blow, and his
own death followed within two years. The house
itself was pulled down about the year 1853, to
make room for new improvements. The site of
its grounds is now marked by part of Cromwell
Road.
Brompton is briefly dispatched by Priscilla
Wakefield with the remark that "it is a hamlet
to Kensington, and has been much recommended
to invalids for the softness of the air." An extensive botanical garden, containing also a botanical
library, was established here by a Mr. Curtis, in the
reign of George III., and was supported by subscriptions for many years. (fn. 2)
What with its nurseries, its groves, and its
pleasant detached mansions or cottages, standing
apart in their own grounds, this neighbourhood,
down to very recent times, presented much of the
appearance of a suburban retreat.
Thistle Grove, a turning out of the Fulham
Road, nearly opposite the "Queen's Elm" Hotel,
covers the site of what was known a century or
more ago as "Brompton Heath." Here lived Mr.
John Burke, the author of the "Peerage" and the
"Commoners" of England. On the west side of
Thistle Grove is "The Boltons," a sort of park,
comprising two neat-built rows of houses on either
side of an oval-shaped inclosure, in which stands
St. Mary's Church, a handsome Gothic edifice.
Further westward is the Westminster and West
of London Cemetery. It covers about forty acres
of ground, and was consecrated in 1840. It has
a domed chapel, with semi-circular colonnades
of imposing design. In the grounds is a large
monument, consisting of an altar-tomb, with athlete
figures, and a pompous epitaph, to the memory of
Jackson, the prize-fighter, who kept the "Cock"
Inn, at Sutton, near Epsom, from which he retired
with a fortune, having obtained the patronage of
George Prince of Wales and many leaders of the
sporting world. Sir Roderick Murchison, the
eminent geologist, lies buried here.
Brompton Hall, the residence of the great Lord
Burleigh, which stood near Earl's Court, is described by Faulkner as retaining at that time (1829)
some marks of its ancient splendour. "There was
till lately," adds the author, "a grand porch at the
entrance. The hall, or saloon, is a step lower than
the rooms upon the same floor. The dining-room
has a richly-carved ceiling of oak, displaying in the
centre the rose and crown, and in its other compartments the fleur-de-lys and portcullis; and on
taking down some ancient tapestry a few years
since, the arms of Queen Elizabeth, carved in oak,
and curiously inlaid with gold, were discovered
above the chimney-piece. There are also in another
room the relics of a very curious old wainscot, in
small compartments."
ENTRANCE TO BROMPTON CEMETERY.
In St. Michael's Grove lived Douglas Jerrold;
and it was in his house that Charles Dickens first
made his acquaintance, in or about 1835, when
staying at home invalided.
Mr. J. R. Planché was living in Brompton
Crescent about the year 1826; and near him, in
Brompton Grove (now covered by the houses of
Ovington Square), lived William Jerdan, the editor
of the Literary Gazette in its palmy days. At
their houses Mr. T. Crofton Croker, Tom Hood,
the Rev. Dr. Croly, Miss Landon (the unfortunate
"L. E. L."), used to meet constantly, to discuss
the last new play or poem, and literary subjects in
general. Jerdan died in June, 1869, at the age of
eighty-eight, nearly twenty years after resigning his
editorial chair. His Autobiography, published in
four volumes, contains many pleasant notices of his
contemporaries. In Brompton Grove, too, lived
Major Shadwell Clarke, the hospitable friend at
whose table Theodore Hook was an ever welcome
guest, and where he dined the last time that he
ever left his house.
In Lower Grove, Brompton, lived and died the
antiquary, John Sidney Hawkins, the eldest son
of Sir John Hawkins, Dr. Johnson's friend and
biographer. He died about the year 1836, at an
advanced age. He published several works on
architectural subjects.
At Gloucester Lodge, was living, in 1809, George
Canning, when he fought the duel with his colleague, Lord Castlereagh, and both before and
during his premiership. Mr. Rush, in his "Court
of London," gives us many accounts of his official
interviews with Mr. Canning here, and also of
his dinner parties, at which he met all that was
illustrious and brilliant in the society of the time.
While residing here, too, at a later date, Canning's
son, the future Governor-General of India, was
born; and here he received several visits from
the Princess of Wales, whose cause he so nobly
and honourably espoused.
THE CONSUMPTION HOSPITAL, BROMPTON.
On the north side of the Fulham Road, near
Pelham Crescent, is the Hospital for Consumption.
It is a beautiful Elizabethan structure, comprising
a centre and wings, the width of the building being
about 200 feet. It stands on a square piece of
ground, about three acres in extent. The foundation-stone of the hospital was laid by the late
Prince Consort in 1841. The main building
accommodates 210 in-patients; and with the view
of extending the operations of the charity, the
committee have recently, in addition, fitted up four
houses (opposite the hospital), which they have
opened as the "South Branch," for the reception
of male patients, thus increasing the accommodation for in-patients to nearly 250 beds, all of which
are constantly in use. Applicants whilst waiting
admission are also received at the "Home" in
Smith Street, Chelsea. Some thousands of outpatients are also always under treatment. This
hospital receives patients from all parts of the
kingdom, and is almost entirely dependent on
voluntary contributions, the expenditure being
about £9,000 a year more than the fixed annual
income. In 1849 the chapel of the hospital was
founded by the Rev. Sir Henry Foulis, Bart.,
in memory of a near relative of the founder. This
edifice consists of a nave, north and south transeptal projections, and chancel. The interior
fittings of the nave are divided into classes, the
first two rows of seats eastward being appropriated
to the committee of management and officers of
the institution. The next seats are for patients in
a very weak condition, and requiring the greatest
degree of ease; these sittings are therefore separated by arms. The next sittings are still wide,
and the backs far apart, but without arms; the last
seats, up to the west wall, are of the ordinary
dimensions of the open seats in churches, for those
patients who may be recovering, and who may
shortly leave the institution. The whole of the
interior fittings are of oak, some bearing the arms
and crest of the founder. The chapel is approached from the hospital by a corridor, so that
the patients may not be exposed to external air in
bad weather.
On the opposite side of the road is another of
those excellent institutions which minister to the
most formidable "ills that flesh is heir to." This
is the Cancer Hospital. The building, which was
founded in 1851, is constructed of plain white
Suffolk bricks, relieved with bands of red bricks,
and keystones and cornices of terra-cotta. The
principal ground floor, approached by a flight of
steps, contains the hall and a handsome stone
staircase, apartments for the house surgeon and
medical officers, and wards for patients. Apparatus for heating and ventilating the building is
provided—everything, in short, that is calculated
to add to the comforts and assist the recovery of
the patients. The late Archbishop of Canterbury,
preaching on behalf of the funds of this hospital,
observed, "There is no disease more pitiable than
that to which this institution is specially devoted.
This, therefore, is a case in which I may justly ask
your liberal contributions, that the relief afforded
by this hospital may more nearly approach the
amount of misery it endeavours to remove."
Large property round about this neighbourhood
belongs to Lord Onslow's family; Onslow Square
is so named in consequence, and Cranley Place is
so called after the second title of Lord Onslow.
In Pelham Crescent, died, in 1869, aged seventyfour, Mr. Robert Keeley, the comic actor. Hard
by, in Onslow Square, at No. 36, Thackeray was
living in 1858, when he stood his unsuccessful
contest for Oxford city, and when he commenced
the editorship of the Cornhill Magazine.
Eagle Lodge was at one time tenanted by Mr.
Bunn, so well known as the lessee of Drury Lane
Theatre. Here he used to entertain Malibran,
Thalberg, De Beriot, Mr. J. R. Planché, and other
friends of music and the drama.
Thurloe Place and Thurloe Square, near the
junction of the Fulham, Cromwell, and Brompton
Roads, are of too modern a growth to have any
historic associations. Cromwell Road, a long and
open thoroughfare, extending from Thurloe Square
westward to Earl's Court, was doubtless so named
after the Cromwellian associations connected with
the neighbourhood, as described above. At the
eastern end of the road, a considerable space of
ground lying between it and the gardens of the
Royal Horticultural Society, was the site of the
International Exhibition of 1862. The site was
purchased by the Royal Commissioners of the
Exhibition of 1851, with a portion of the surplus
money arising from the receipts of that exhibition.
The edifice, which was altogether different from its
predecessor in Hyde Park, was built from the
designs of Captain Fowke, R.E. It was constructed chiefly of brick, and the ground plan in
its general form was that of the letter L, the short
limb being the annexe for the machinery in motion.
It consisted of a nave and two transepts, each
point of intersection at the extremities of the nave
being marked by a polygonal hall, surmounted by
an immense dome. The southern façade ran along
the Cromwell Road, and the building had also a
frontage on the east in the Exhibition Road, and on
the west in Prince Albert's Road (now Queen's Gate).
Between this and the Horticultural Society's boundary was a semi-detached portion of the building,
comprising the departments for implements and
machinery in motion, extending over an entrance by
a covered way or bridge, so that this section was
kept entirely separate from the main body of the
building. Its entire length was only about 1,150
feet, or 700 feet shorter than its crystal prototype
in Hyde Park. The external appearance of the
structure was not very striking. It was massive;
but its unbroken length left a feeling of painful
monotony on the observer, which the enormous
domes at either end, 260 feet in height and 160
feet in diameter, failed to vary. Almost in the
centre of this mass of brickwork was the grand
entrance or portico, built according to an Italian
plan. The picture-galleries occupied the first
compartment in the front portion of the building,
facing the Cromwell Road, and were two in
number; they were lighted by clerestory windows
in the roof, and formed perhaps the most attractive
feature of the Exhibition. The basement storey
of this part of the building was devoted to the
exhibition of carriages, carts, and other descriptions
of road vehicles. Adjoining the picture-gallery, but
on the ground floor, was a large space, upwards
of 1,000 feet in length, glazed from end to end,
which was devoted to manufactures and art productions from every country in the world. Advancing across this court, the nave was reached;
this extended the whole length of the building, and
was 80 feet in width, or eight feet wider than that
of the Crystal Palace of 1851. The nave was
100 feet high, and was crossed at its extremities by
two transepts, each 692 feet long by 85 feet in
width, and 100 feet high, resembling the nave in
the last two respects. At each of the points of
their intersection with the nave, rose octagonal
halls 160 feet in diameter, each surmounted by a
magnificent glass dome 200 feet in height internally,
and 250 feet externally, reaching to the top of
the pinnacle. These were the largest domes ever
built; St. Paul's being only 108 feet in diameter at
the base, St. Peter's at Rome being 139 feet, and
that of the British Museum reading-room 140 feet.
The floors of these dome-covered halls being raised
sixteen feet above the floor of the rest of the nave
and transepts, afforded an admirable opportunity
to the spectator for taking in grand views of the
main lines of the building. The extreme ends
of the building presented an extraordinary and
beautiful appearance when viewed from the floors
of these halls. At the angles of these halls were
staircases, communicating with the galleries of the
main building. On the side walls beneath the roof
of the nave and transept were the clerestory windows, twenty-five feet high, of iron and glass, very
light and elegant, which, together with the light
from the glass domes, brought out in soft relief the
architectural and artistic decorations. The nave
and transepts were roofed in with wood, coated
with felt, meeting in an angle at the centre; this
roof was supported by semi-circular arches of
timber, springing from iron columns, in pairs, by
which the roof was supported at a height of sixty
feet from the floor. A very pleasing effect was
produced by the combination of the circular ribs
and the angular girders carrying the roof; these
double columns, girders and ribs, were repeated
sixteen times in the nave, and their decorations
produced fine polychromatic effects. The coup
d'æil standing under either of the domes, and
looking down the nave, was one of unequalled
beauty; the fine proportions of the columns made
the immense vista appear as if looking along a kind
of iron lace-work. The columns supported on
each side of the nave galleries fifty feet in width,
one side commanding a view of the nave, and the
other looking upon the industrial courts on the
ground floor.
The principal entrance, in the Exhibition Road,
was situated in the centre of the eastern transept,
and led directly to the orchestra erected for the
opening ceremony, under the eastern dome, which
took place on the 1st of May, 1862. Space will
not permit us to do more than notice a few of the
most important objects here brought together. In
the centre of the nave stood a trophy of small arms
by the Birmingham gunmakers, flanked on either
side by an Armstrong and a Whitworth gun. The
Armstrong was mounted on its carriage of polished
wood, and presented in every detail the delicate
finish of a trinket. Indeed, the Exhibition seems
to have been rich in the display of these marvellous weapons. Elaborate fountains and trophies
of a more peaceful kind—such as articles of food,
and animal and vegetable substances employed
in manufacture, together with others of different
manufactured articles—made up the miscellaneous
collection. Dividing the British from the foreign
portion of the nave was a huge screen in iron-work
of elaborate design. At this end of the nave were
some noble groups of bronze statues from various
countries, and some magnificent candelabra and
columns in polished jasper and porphyry from
Russia. A very fine collection of Berlin porcelain
manufactures was placed on raised counters under
the western dome. Sèvres, Vienna, Berlin, and
Dresden made great efforts to recover their lost
ground in their previous competitions with the
English porcelain manufacturers. The attractions
of the western dome balanced very fairly the
features of interest at the other end of the building.
The central object was a circular stand, displaying
the Prince of Prussia's collection of China, all of
Berlin manufacture, which rivals the richest and
most delicate Sèvres. An adjacent parterre was
appropriated to the exhibition of the silver objects
presented by the City of Berlin to the Princess of
Prussia as a wedding gift. The great Koh-i-noor
diamond was placed in the English portion of the
nave near the jewellery classes, and created,
doubtless, as much interest as it occasioned in
1851. Her Majesty's magnificent dessert service
of Worcester porcelain was exhibited near here: it
is said to eclipse the finest specimen that Sèvres,
Dresden, or Vienna have yet produced.
That this second International Exhibition was
a success no one will pretend to say; it is enough
to admit that with the first great gathering in 1851
the charm of novelty was worn off, and that even
the lapse of eleven years was not sufficient to cause
a repetition of that great influx of visitors to
London from every part of the civilised world,
which we have already noticed.
Although the building was so substantially constructed, it was not destined to remain standing in
its entirety long after the closing of the Exhibition
in October. Piece by piece it gradually disappeared, till only the inner portion, which had served
chiefly as refreshment departments, overlooking the
gardens, was left; and this part has since been
made to serve various purposes.
In 1870 it was announced that a series of annual
International Exhibitions should be held here,
commencing from the following year (1871), under
the direction of Her Majesty's Commissioners for
the Exhibition of 1851. Hitherto, as we learn
from the official announcement of this series of
exhibitions, the exhibition of works of Fine Art had
been too much limited to the display of pictures
and sculpture, dissociated from purposes of utility;
and it might be doubted whether a picture on
enamel or on pottery, destined to be applied to a
piece of furniture, or a sculpture in wood intended
for a picture-frame, however great its merits, would
find any place in the Exhibitions of the Royal
Academy of London, or in any of the numerous
other exhibitions of the works of artists. Still
less would a Cashmere shawl or a Persian carpet,
the chief excellence of which depended upon its
combination of colours, find in any of these exhibitions its proper place. Such a complete separation of artistic work from objects of utility might
indeed be said to be only the characteristic of
modern times; for in the ancient and mediæval
periods the highest art is to be found in alliance
with the meanest materials of manufacture. The
Etruscans painted on vases of clay subjects which
still charm us by their beauty of composition and
skilful drawing; and the finest works of Raffaele
were designed as decorations for hangings to be
made of wool. It was intended that these exhibitions should furnish the opportunity of stimulating
the revival of the application of the artist's talents
to give beauty and refinement to every description
of objects of utility, whether domestic or monumental. In these annual Exhibitions it was contended that every work in which Fine Art is a
dominant feature would find proper provision made
for its display. Painting, on whatever surface, or
in any method; sculpture in every description of
material, engravings of all kinds, architectural design
as a Fine Art, every description of textile fabric
of which Fine Art is a characteristic feature—in
short, every work, whether of utility or pleasure,
which is entitled to be considered a work of
excellence from the artistic point of view, might
be displayed in the exhibitions under the division
of Fine Art. The industrial portion of these exhibitions was to be confined to educational works
and appliances, and new inventions and scientific
discoveries. Every artist-workman, moreover, it was
stated, would be able to exhibit a work of merit
as his own production, and every manufacturer
might distinguish himself as a patron of art by
his alliance with the artistic talent of the country.
In the Fine Art section the artist might exhibit a
vase for its beauty of painting, or form, or artistic
invention; whilst a similar vase might appear in its
appropriate place among manufactures on account
of its cheapness, or the novelty of its material.
It was arranged that these annual Exhibitions
should take place in permanent buildings erected
on either side of the Horticultural Gardens, connecting that part of the building of 1862 which
remained standing with a new and lofty structure,
on the north side of the gardens, called the Royal
Albert Hall, of which we shall have more to say
presently. On the south side of the Albert Hall,
and facing the gardens, is the splendid conservatory
of the Royal Horticultural Society, and at each
end are long curved arcades, named respectively
the East and West Quadrants. Flanking these, and
enclosing the gardens, are the buildings in which
the principal part of the Exhibition was held.
They consist of lower and upper galleries, about
550 feet long and twenty feet wide, with corridors
open to the gardens. The lower storeys have side
lights; the upper are lighted from the roof. The
whole of the Exhibition buildings are in the Decorated Italian style, and harmonise well with the
adjacent South Kensington Museum. The mouldings, cornices, and courses are in light-coloured
terra-cotta, and red brick is the material used in
the construction.
The first of these annual Exhibitions was held in
1871, and, in addition to the two permanent features
mentioned above, included woollen and worsted
manufactures, pottery, and educational apparatus.
These were replaced in 1872 by cotton and cotton
fabrics; jewellery, including articles worn as personal ornaments, made of precious metals, precious
stones, or their imitations; musical instruments of
all kinds; acoustic apparatus and experiments;
paper, stationery, and printing. These various
classes comprised also the raw materials, machinery,
and processes used in their production.
The third Exhibition of the series, held in 1873,
comprehended several classes of subjects not included in the displays of the two previous years.
The fine arts, scientific inventions and discoveries,
and galleries of painting and sculpture by British
and foreign artists, continued as special features of
the Exhibition, as before; but this year visitors
were enabled to add to the knowledge they had
gained of the processes employed in one great
department of the textile manufactures which forms
so important a part of our national industry, an
acquaintance with the mode of producing the
beautiful fabrics silk and velvet. Cutlery and edged
tools, for which this country has been famous for
centuries, were exhibited. Fine-art furniture and
decorative work, and stained glass—not entirely
absent from the previous Exhibitions, but appearing
there in a subordinate position—had now more
justice afforded to their claims on our attention;
and one most important class—substances used for
food, including the science of economical and
thoroughly good cookery—was elaborately and
scientifically, yet familiarly and intelligibly, illustrated. In connection with this valuable department of this year's Exhibition was a collection of
drinking cups and glasses; and—certainly a perfectly novel feature, though to many persons one
of the most attractive in the Exhibition—a collection of pipes, from the lordly and highly
ornamented hookah, to the humbler but favourite
articles made of meerschaum, briar-wood, and primitive clay.
The manufactures selected for the fourth Exhibition, which was opened in the year 1874, were
lace, the show of which was magnificent; civil
engineering, architecture, and building, including
sanitary apparatus and constructions on the one
hand, and decorative work on the other; heating
by all methods and every kind of fuel, selected in
consequence of the high price of coal and the
necessity for teaching economy in the combustion
of fuel; leather and saddlery, harness, and other
articles made of leather; bookbinding; and foreign
wines.
One novel feature in the Exhibition of 1873
was a school of cookery, where lectures were delivered and admirably illustrated by the practical
experiments of neat-handed cooks. Ladies, naturally, formed a large portion of the audience, and
Her Majesty and other members of the Royal
Family did not fail to give the sanction of their
presence to these novel lectures. The building
used for these lectures was, in 1874, placed at the
service of the new Training School Committee, by
whom the work was carried on.
Whether these Annual International Exhibitions
were successful or not in imparting that knowledge
as to the best means employed in various arts and
trades, and the best results achieved, we will not
pretend to say. They were not, however, sufficiently attractive to the masses of the people to
warrant their continuance year after year, and with
the Exhibition of 1874 the series terminated, and
the various buildings were set apart for other purposes. In one series of rooms are now (1876)
exhibited models of school-buildings and examples
of school-fittings, and of books and apparatus used
in elementary instruction. There are also scientific
apparatus, models of machinery, and other appliances adapted for technical education. Then,
again, there are rooms in which are displayed an
interesting collection of models of modern guns
and small arms, lent by the War Department, &c.
Passing up stairs, the visitor enters a long gallery,
lighted on the north side by windows overlooking
the Horticultural Gardens. This is the National
Portrait Gallery, which was originally established
in Great George Street, Westminster, in 1859. It
is a most interesting collection, from an artistic as
well as an historic point of view, and embraces the
"counterfeit presentment" of many of England's
greatest worthies, whether as sovereigns, statesmen,
warriors, poets, authors, &c. Here are the famous
Chandos portrait of Shakespeare, several of Queen
Elizabeth, and between three and four hundred
likenesses of some of the most remarkable men
and women in English history, many of them
executed by the first painters of the periods. Besides the portraits, there are a few highly interesting
casts of effigies from monuments in Westminster
Abbey, Canterbury Cathedral, and other places;
and also an interesting collection of autographs.
THE INTERNATIONAL EXHIBITION OF 1862.
In 1868 was deposited in the building the Meyrick collection of arms and armour, from Goodrich
Court, Herefordshire, formed by the late Sir Samuel
Meyrick, the author of "A Critical Inquiry into
Ancient Armour," and lent to the Museum by its
then owner, Colonel Meyrick. It was arranged
for exhibition here by Mr. J. R. Planché. The
collection of naval models, and of the munitions
of war, lent by the War Department, and on view
here, contains examples of British ship-building,
from the earliest period down to the construction
of the turret-ship of the ill-fated Captain Coles.
That portion of the Exhibition galleries overlooking the gardens on the eastern side was made,
in 1875, the receptacle of the Indian Museum.
This collection of objects was originally formed by
the East India Company, and after its removal
from Leadenhall Street, was for a time stowed
away in Whitehall Yard, and in various cellars and
warerooms, and in the topmost storey of the new
India Office. In the lower gallery are arranged
the vegetable products, agricultural implements,
models, and domestic appliances, illustrative of
native life and habits, together with some interesting specimens of the zoology of India. The upper
gallery contains the art manufactures and ornithological collections. In these rooms were deposited
for exhibition the numerous costly presents brought
from India by the Prince of Wales after his tour in
that country in 1875–6.
On the opposite side of the Exhibition Road,
and with its principal entrance in Cromwell Road,
is the South Kensington Museum, together with
the various Science and Art Schools which have
been established, under Government, in connection
therewith.
This Museum, which now contains upwards of
20,000 rare and choice examples of Mediæval and
Modern Art workmanship, originated in the year
1852 with a small collection, exhibited in Marlborough House in connection with the Schools
of Art. In 1857 the collection was transferred
hither to some temporary iron buildings which had
been erected for its reception, which, from their
material, and from some peculiarities of construction, became popularly known as the "Brompton
Boilers." These temporary buildings have been
gradually replaced by a permanent edifice. From
the year 1853 the Museum has included objects
contributed on loan by private owners. In 1862—the year of the second International Exhibition—a
special "loan exhibition" of works, chiefly of
Mediæval and Renaissance Art, was held here;
and since that time the number of objects on loan
has always been considerable. By this means very
many of the rarest and most precious examples
of art workmanship in this country have been
generously permitted by their owners to be seen
and leisurely studied by the public. In addition
to the "loans," many objects have been acquired
by purchase, gift, and bequest; besides which are
reproductions, by the electrotype process and in
plaster, of objects in other collections which have
been judged to be of special interest and value to
the art student.
THE COURT OF THE SOUTH KENSINGTON MUSEUM.
The plan of the Museum is somewhat irregular,
and covers a large space of ground—about twelve
acres in extent—acquired by the Government, at
a cost of £60,000, being a portion of the estate
purchased by Her Majesty's Commissioners for the
Exhibition of 1851, out of the surplus proceeds of
that undertaking. The buildings, with their courts
and galleries, are constructed chiefly of brick, somewhat profusely ornamented with terra-cotta, and
were built from the designs of Captain Fowke,
R.E. The art collections are chiefly contained in
three large courts and a long range of cloisters on
the ground floor; but many rare and valuable
objects are shown in the picture-galleries, and also
in what is called the Prince Consort Gallery. The
visitor, on entering the Museum from the Cromwell
Road, passes through a long corridor to the South
Court, a lofty and spacious building, surrounded
with galleries, and rich in ornamentation. The
upper portion of the walls is divided into thirtysix alcoves (eighteen on either side), containing
portraits, in mosaic, of eminent men of all ages
connected with the arts, especially those who have
been distinguished as ornamentalists, or as workers
in bronze, marble, or pottery. These portraits,
which include such men as Phidias, the sculptor
of the Elgin marbles, William of Wykeham, Donatello, Torrigiano, Albert Dürer, Michael Angelo,
Titian, Hogarth, Sir Joshua Reynolds, and Mulready, are from designs by some of the first artists
of the day. This court is divided into two parts
by a broad passage which crosses it, above which
is the Prince Consort Gallery above mentioned.
It would be impossible to give, within the limits at
our disposal, a list of the various objects here exhibited, and indeed such a task would be needless,
as they are all detailed in the various catalogues
sold at the Museum; suffice it to say that here
are deposited the numerous and costly objects
comprising the "Loan Collections," together with
a miscellaneous assortment of art manufactures.
The valuable collection of books, engravings, &c.,
bequeathed to the Museum by the Rev. Alexander
Dyce, is deposited in two rooms adjoining this
court. The "Oriental Courts," appropriately decorated by Mr. Owen Jones, contain some examples
of the art workmanship of the East Indies, China,
Japan, Persia, &c. On the south side of the South
Court is the entrance to the New Court. This is
the largest of the three courts, and is divided by a
central passage and gallery. The majority of the
objects it contains are full-size reproductions (in
plaster) of architectural works of large dimensions,
designed for erection in the open air, or in large
halls or churches, including the famous Trajan
Column at Rome, and the "'Prentice Pillar" in
Roslin Chapel, Scotland; there is also a full-size
copy (by photography) of the Bayeux Tapestry,
coloured in imitation of the original needlework.
The North Court is specially appropriated to the
exhibition of Italian sculpture, and architectural
models and casts. Many of the most beautiful of
these objects are, so to speak, incorporated into the
building, the decoration of which is much simpler
than that of the South Court. In the east arcade
of this court are some textile or woven fabrics, of
European origin, including several ecclesiastical
vestments and rare fragments of mediæval embroidery. Through the windows of the north
arcade is seen the "fernery," which was designed
to enable the students in training as art-teachers
to draw from plants at all seasons. A considerable
portion of the west arcade forms the reading-room
of the Art Library. The staircase leading to the
galleries is lighted by a large stained-glass window,
the subject of which was suggested by a passage
in Ecclesiasticus, chapter xxxviii., descriptive of
trades. The keramic, or pottery gallery, contains
a large collection of Wedgwood's jasper and other
wares, and also examples of the porcelain of Bow,
Chelsea, Bristol, Plymouth, Worcester, and Derby.
Here, too, are represented the great manufacturers
of pottery of the present day in Italy, France, and
England. The next gallery into which the visitor
passes contains a collection of Venetian, German,
and other ancient glass vessels. In the Prince
Consort Gallery are placed many of the most
interesting and costly possessions of the Museum,
in enamel, gold, and silversmith's work, jewellery,
watches, clocks, &c.
Three staircases in different parts of the building
lead to the Picture Galleries, which are above the
cloisters of the North and South Courts. Several
rooms or galleries are devoted to the National
Collection of Pictures by British artists. Critical
notices of many of the paintings here exhibited will
be found in Redgrave's "Century of British Art."
In the north gallery are hung the Raphael cartoons.
From the authorised "Guide to the Museum" we
glean the following particulars concerning these
celebrated productions. They are drawn with chalk
upon strong paper, and coloured in distemper, and
are the original designs, executed by Raphael and
his scholars for Pope Leo X., in the year 1513, as
copies for tapestry work. Each cartoon is about
twelve feet high. They were originally ten, but
three are lost——viz., "The Stoning of St. Stephen,"
the "Conversion of St. Paul," and "St. Paul in
his Dungeon at Philippi." A copy in tapestry of
Christ's "Charge to Peter" is hung opposite the
original cartoon; and also a tapestry from the
Imperial manufactory, the Gobelins, at Paris, a
copy of the "Holy Family" by Raphael in the
Louvre.
The tapestries, worked in wool, silk, and gold,
were hung in the Sistine Chapel at Rome in the
year 1519, the year before Raphael died. These
are now in the Vatican.
The cartoons remained neglected in the warehouse of the manufacturer at Arras, and were seen
there by Rubens, who advised Charles I. to purchase them for the use of a tapestry manufactory
which was then established at Mortlake. On the
death of Charles I., Cromwell bought them for
£300 for the nation. They remained for a long
time in a lumber-room at Whitehall, till, by command of William III., Sir Christopher Wren erected
a room for them at Hampton Court, in which they
hung till Her Majesty permitted them to be removed hither.
Passing through the door at the east end of the
gallery, we enter the rooms containing the Sheepshanks' Collection of Paintings. A bust, by Foley,
of the late John Sheepshanks, the donor of the
pictures, has been placed in this gallery by Miss
Sheepshanks. The Ellison Gallery of Watercolour Drawings is next entered, after which
we pass into another gallery, in which is displayed
the Museum and Loan Collections of Ancient
and Modern Jewellery. This exhibition of jewellery and personal ornaments, which was opened
here in 1872, is of very great interest. Her
Majesty has contributed two objects, one of which
is perhaps more valuable for its historical authenticity than for its beauty of design: it was the
celebrated Darnley jewel, made for Lady Margaret
Douglas, mother of Darnley, about 1576. The
sapphire, which occupies the centre of a star
belonging to Lady Cork, is said to be the identical
one originally belonging to Queen Elizabeth, which
was conveyed by Robert Cary, who rode with it to
Scotland, presenting it to James VI. as a token of
her death. Lady Fitzhardinge lent the enamelled
gold-bound prayer-book which Elizabeth wore at
her girdle, and which contains the young King
Edward's last prayer, written, it is believed, in
Elizabeth's own hand. In 1865, the Department
of Science and Art, with the aid of a committee of
noblemen and gentlemen, known as the hereditary
possessors of works in miniature, or as connoisseurs
and collectors, organised here a Collection of
Miniatures, including more than 3,000 examples of
the highest interest in enamel, oil, and water-colour,
chalk and pencil, by the leading miniaturists from
the sixteenth century down to the present time,
embracing almost every notable figure in the social,
political, and literary life of England from the
reign of Elizabeth, and throwing light, in a variety
of ways, upon the manners, family history, the
relations of parties and persons, the scandals,
friendships, and fashions, which make up the raw
material of the canvas on which the historian works
his larger pictures. We cannot do more than
mention two or three of the most interesting
miniatures here brought together, such, for instance, as the portrait of Charles I., set in the
King's hair, dipped in blood on the scaffold, an
heirloom in the Shelley family, and which belonged
to John Winckley, executed at Lancaster Castle
with the Earl of Derwentwater, after the rising of
1715. On the back of this relic are engraved the
names of the family who rose again for the Stuarts
in 1745. Against this we may set the miniature,
after Cooper, in enamel, of Cromwell, presented
by him to his daughter, Bridget Cromwell, on
her marriage with General Ireton, and a number
of other authentic portraits of the Protector, including the Crewe one, left by Sir Joshua Reynolds
to Burke. Here, lent by Miss Ouvry, was the
miniature of Emma, Lady Hamilton, taken from
the neck of Nelson after his death. Again, side
by side, from the hand of the same painter, Isabey,
hung Napoleon and the Duke of Wellington, contributed by Lord Cowley; while a little further
on are the portraits of Louis Napoleon and the
Empress Eugénie, presented to Lord Cowley by
the Emperor, in commemoration of the Congress
of Paris in 1856. Captain Dawson Damer lent
a curious series of records, from the hand of
Cosway, of an ill-fated and ill-requited attachment—portraits of Mrs. Fitzherbert and the Prince
Regent, and the wedding ring of the former, with
the name "George Augustus Frederick" engraved
within the hoop.
The Museum of Patents, adjoining the South
Court, is a collection illustrative of the progress of
national invention, and contains not only models,
but several original machines which have been the
means of developing our prosperity, and have
given new life to the world. As examples may be
mentioned the first steam-engine to which James
Watt applied his condenser; the first locomotive,
"Puffing Billy," and its successor, George Stephenson's "Rocket;" the first engine ever used in
steam navigation, the first Bramah's press, and
many other pieces of mechanism of not less historical value.
On the west side of the main buildings of the
Museum, facing the Exhibition Road, is a large
edifice, containing class-rooms for instruction in
various branches of science. This structure was
built on the site of the "International Bazaar," a
building which was constructed in 1862, and filled
with a choice selection of works by persons whose
application for space in the Exhibition could not
be complied with. The Art Schools extend along
the north side of the Museum, and have separate
apartments for male and female students.
The Science and Art Department is a division
of the Education Department, under the direction
of the Lord President of the Council and the
Vice-President of the Committee of Council on
Education. It was established in 1852. A sum
of money is voted annually by Parliament, in aid
of local efforts to promote science and art applied
to productive industry, such efforts originating
with the localities. Payments are made upon
results of instruction in science and art, as tested
by examination by properly-appointed officials.
The National Art Training School was established
for the purpose of training art-masters and mistresses for the United Kingdom, and for the
instruction of students in designing, &c., to which
male and female students are admitted when properly qualified, receiving an allowance in aid of
their maintenance, which is proportioned to their
attainments, and to their qualification for the duties
of teaching required from them. When such
students have obtained certificates of qualification,
they may be appointed teachers to the local Schools
of Art throughout the United Kingdom. The
object of the Science Schools and Classes is to
promote instruction in science, especially among
the industrial classes, in such subjects as Mathematics, Geometry, Naval Architecture, Mechanics,
Chemistry, Botany, and the like. The assistance
granted by the Science and Art Department to
that end is in the form of public examinations, in
which Queen's medals and Queen's prizes are
awarded; payments on the results of examination
and on attendance; scholarships and exhibitions;
building grants; grants towards the purchase of
apparatus, &c., and supplementary grants in certain
subjects; and special aid to teachers and students.
The sum voted by Parliament, for the year 1876–7,
for the Science and Art Department, amounted
to nearly £300,000. The department, it may
be added, has the advantage of the services of
gentlemen of the highest standing in their several
professions, as examiners both for Science and Art
Schools, and as official referees for the purchases
made for the collections.
The Royal Albert Hall of Arts and Sciences, to
which we now pass, owes its origin to the fund,
which was raised in 1862, for the purpose of
erecting in Hyde Park the national memorial to
the late Prince Consort, which we have already
described. With every desire that this recognition
of the debt which English art, science, and industry
owed to the Prince should be, in every sense of the
word, such a memorial as the country itself preferred, the Queen requested a committee of gentlemen to suggest the form which the testimonial should
assume. After deliberating upon the matter, the
committee recommended the erection of a personal
memorial to the Prince Consort in Hyde Park,
opposite to what was best known as the Central
Hall of Arts and Sciences. Naturally enough, it
was expected that large subscriptions would flow in
towards the object in view. These expectations
were not fully realised, the amount subscribed at
that period being less than £70,000. To this
sum Parliament added £50,000; and with the
£120,000 thus obtained it was resolved to place
in Hyde Park the monument of which we have
spoken. Further efforts were yet to be made, and
in these the Prince of Wales took the initiative. In
the year 1865 the Prince of Wales called together
a number of gentlemen, who were asked and consented to become vice-patrons of the proposed
memorial building. A statement of the intentions
of the promoters of the undertaking was issued;
the Royal Commissioners of the Exhibition of
1851 gave three acres of land as a site for the
building, at the nominal rent of 1s. a year, on a
long lease, and subscriptions came in towards the
much-cherished object. A provisional committee,
consisting of twelve members, was formed, of
which the Prince of Wales was president. They
held several meetings at Marlborough House;
£110,000 were soon subscribed; and there was
every prospect of the intentions of the committee
being quickly realised, when a sudden stop was
put to the efforts of the promoters by the memorable panic of 1866. For a while all further
proceedings ceased. In the plans of the proposed
hall provision was made for a certain number of
sittings; and at the beginning of the year 1867
Messrs. Lucas, the great contractors, came forward, and consented to purchase sittings valued
at £38,000, on the understanding that they should
receive the contract for the building, the total cost
of which was not to exceed £200,000. These
terms were agreed to by the provisional committee;
the public nobly came forward and subscribed
£112,000, the Royal Commissioners of the 1851
Exhibition gave £50,000, Messrs. Lucas' proposition was worth £38,000; and on the 20th of
May, 1867, the Queen laid the foundation-stone
of the building, the original plans for which came
from the late Captain Fowke, R.E.; Colonel Scott,
R.E., being the architect. From that time the
scheme was successful. A pardonable degree
of curiosity was aroused respecting the ultimate
destiny of the hall; but this was set aside when it
was announced that the new building was intended,
amongst other things, to accommodate science
congresses, to provide a suitable arena for musical
performances, and to serve other equally useful
artistic and scientific purposes. For this the
building is admirably adapted, from the immense
disposable space it offers. Between 6,000 and
7,000 persons can be seated in the hall, and
besides this, when the necessity arises, it is possible to place as many as 2,000 spectators in comfortable positions on an inclined staging in the
picture-gallery, which runs nearly round the hall.
Guided by the principles upon which the Romans
constructed those amphitheatric buildings, the remains of which strike modern spectators with awe
and admiration, the designers of the Albert Hall
have succeeded in raising a structure of eminently
beautiful and attractive proportions. Seen from
the Park or the Kensington Road, the hall stands
boldly out in all the magnificence which invests a
building in the style of Italian Renaissance. The
base is of plain red brick, with single-headed windows, the keystone of which is formed of the crown
and cushion and the letter "V.," above which the
principal floor is divided by terra-cotta pilasters,
between which are semicircular-headed windows.
An idea of the vast character of the building may
be obtained from the knowledge that 70,000 blocks
of terra-cotta were used in its construction. The
frieze, which is about 800 feet long and about
6 feet wide, was made in sections of 50 feet, of
encaustic tesseræ, by Messrs. Minton and Co.,
who employed in its working the female students
of the School of Art at Kensington. Above
these is the entablature, having a widely-projecting balcony four feet across. Surrounding the
building, and high above the balcony, is mosaic
work, representing various allegories descriptive of
the arts, commerce, and manufactures. These
mosaics are from the designs of Messrs. Horsley,
Armitage, Yeames, Marks, Poynter, Pickersgill, and
Armstead. Round the frieze of the building runs
the following inscription in large letters:—" This
hall was erected for the advancement of the arts
and sciences, and for the works of industry of all
nations, in fulfilment of the intentions of Albert,
Prince Consort. The site was purchased by the
proceeds of the Great Exhibition of the year 1851.
The first stone of the hall was laid by Her Majesty
Queen Victoria, on the 20th day of May, 1867, and
it was opened by Her Majesty the Queen, on the
29th day of March, in the year 1871."
Above the frieze, in terra-cotta, in letters a foot
high, is the sacred text: "Thine, O Lord, is the
greatness, and the power, and the glory, and the
victory, and the majesty: for all that is in the
heaven and in the earth is Thine. The wise and
their works are in the hand of God. Glory be to
God on high, and on earth peace."
In the plan of the interior, it can be seen at once
that the architect has taken for his model the old
Roman amphitheatre, though with such important
modifications as, happily, quite another kind of
entertainment, and, unhappily, less genial skies,
required. Roman plebeians and aristocrats were
mere spectators, looking down on the fierce and
bloody spectacles provided for their amusement in
the arena. Here it was necessary so to provide
that people might both hear and see, but above all
things hear. Such a condition gives the key to the
arrangement of the interior. Imagine, then, within
an outer shell of staircases, corridors, refreshment
and retiring rooms, a vast hall, in shape of a
graceful oval, of which the southern end is all but
filled by the organ and an orchestra rising upwards
in tiers of seats. Fronting this orchestra is the
auditorium, of horse-shoe form, composed of arena
a level space; the amphitheatre, or, as it might be
better termed, the stalls, sloping upwards towards
the boxes; three tiers of boxes; above them the
balcony; and lastly, above it, what is called the
picture-gallery. This gallery is not within the
proper limits of the ellipse forming the interior, but
is built over the staircases and corridors which form
an outer zone to the portions of the auditorium
below. It runs, therefore, round the whole of the
interior; and the thirty Italian arches, with their
scagliola pillars, through which the body of the hall
is seen, are really its great ornament.
THE HORTICULTURAL GARDENS AND EXHIBITION BUILDING.
The boxes and balcony project from the wall into
the ellipse, each tier extending three feet beyond
that above it. Such an arrangement enables the
occupants of each tier to see without much difficulty, and be seen by those above them. One of
the most remarkable features of the hall, in fact, is
the perfect view of the interior, and of all within
it, which can be had from any point. The boxes
and stalls were taken by subscription. One of the
latter, comprising the right to a revolving chair, like
a music stool with arms, in the amphitheatre, cost
£100; a loggia box, holding eight persons, £800;
a box on the grand tier, with ten places, £1,000;
and one with five places on the second tier, £500.
Thus the unit of £100 is taken as the cost per
seat in each case. The subscription season is
rather a long one—999 years.
One of the most striking features in the interior
is the organ, which stands in the centre of the
orchestra, supported by a framework of the lightest
and simplest kind, itself its only ornament. It is
said to be the largest organ in the world, and was
constructed by Mr. Henry Willis, the builder of
the organ at St. George's Hall, Liverpool. Some
idea of the size of the instrument may be formed
when we say that it contains about 120 registers,
about 8,000 pipes, distributed over four manuals
and a pedal organ. The pipes vary in length from
about thirty-four feet to three-quarters of an inch.
The only organ in England which approaches it in
size is that at the Alexandra Palace, built by the
same maker; and it is about double the size of
the fine organ of St. Paul's Cathedral. In this
organ the builder, for the first time, made use of
pneumatic tubes for the connection of the manuals
and pedals with pipes at a distance, instead of the
old long tracker movement; and it is probable
that this invention will, in the course of time, cause
important changes in the construction of such
gigantic instruments. With its vistas of polished
pipes of all sizes, some of them gleaming like
silver, the organ arrests the eye at once on entering
the building; and when one hears that the motive
power is supplied by two steam-engines, one might
be led to expect such a volume of sound as would
almost blow the roof off.
INTERIOR OF THE ALBERT HALL.
The lighting of the hall is a novelty in itself.
Thirty gold-coloured chandeliers, one in each arch,
surround the picture-gallery, each having fifteen
lights. There is a third ring of sixty chandeliers,
with twenty-one lights each; and altogether there
are nearly 7,000 gas jets, which can all be lit by
electricity in ten seconds.
The spaces over the porches on the east and
west sides of the hall have been in each case
arranged as a lecture theatre, having a raised floor,
with a platform or stage, and holding about 200
people. At its widest part the hall measures 200
feet, the shorter length is 180 feet, and there is a
distance of 140 feet between the floor of the arena
and the dome.
Since the day of the opening of the hall by
Her Majesty, when the orchestra was occupied by
1,200 instrumentalists and vocalists, concerts on
a grand and extensive scale have been the chief
use to which the building has been put; and it
was also used for part of the display in the annual
industrial Exhibitions of 1871–4. The grandest
scenes, perhaps, which have taken place within its
walls were on the occasions of the state concerts
given in honour of the visits to England of the
Shah of Persia, the Czar of Russia, &c.; another
brilliant ceremony witnessed here was the installation of the Prince of Wales as Grand Master
of the Lodge of Freemasons of England.
Close by the Royal Albert Hall, on a plot of
ground granted by the Commissioners of the Exhibition of 1851, is the National Training School
for Music, of which the Duke of Edinburgh was
chosen the first president. The building was constructed in 1875, at the cost of Mr. Charles James
Freake. The Council of the Society of Arts undertook the supervision of the foundation of scholarships, and through the strenuous exertions of its
officers a very considerable amount of interest has
been created throughout the country. In all parts
of the United Kingdom local committees have
been or are being formed, to promote the establishment of musical scholarships for five years, and the
increasing number of such scholarships throughout
the country testifies to the public appreciation of
the scheme, and affords a guarantee of success.
Each scholarship is of the value of £40 per year
for five years, and can be held only by persons
who shall have been successful in a competitive
examination.
The Royal Horticultural Society, whose gardens,
as we have already stated, are enclosed by the
Exhibition buildings on the south side of the Royal
Albert Hall, was established in 1804, and incorporated by royal charter soon afterwards. The society
was instituted for the improvement of horticulture
in all its branches, and it has an extensive experimental garden at Chiswick, five miles from London,
laid out tastefully, and filled with many rare plants.
These gardens have acquired great celebrity from
their having been established at a period when
gardening was in a very low condition in this
country, and from having been the means of
raising it to its present greatly-improved state.
Previously to purchasing the land at Chiswick,
the Horticultural Society had temporarily occupied
a small piece of ground at Brompton, not far from
the gardens which we are about to notice. At
the meetings of this society communications on
subjects pertaining to horticulture are read; the
most remarkable produce of the gardens of the
society is exhibited; fruits, flowers, and vegetables
sent for exhibition are displayed, and prizes are
awarded to the most meritorious cultivators. In
1859 the society obtained (through the late Prince
Consort) possession of about twenty acres of land
on this site, and new and splendid gardens were
laid out. These were opened in the summer of
1862, forming a charming retreat from the bustle
of the Exhibition.
Between the Kensington Road and Cromwell
Road the ground falls about forty feet, and using
this fact in aid of a general effect, the ground has
been divided into three principal levels. The
entrances to the gardens are on the lower level
in Exhibition Road and Queen's Gate, and the
central pathway, upwards of seventy-five feet wide,
ascending through terraces to the third great level,
leads to the winter garden or conservatory. The
whole garden is surrounded by Italian arcades, each
of the three levels having arcades of a different
character. The upper, or north arcade, where the
boundary is semi-circular in form, is a modification
of the arcades of the Villa Albani at Rome. The
central arcade is almost wholly of Milanese brickwork, interspersed with terra-cotta, majolica, &c.,
while the design for the south arcade has been
adapted from the beautiful cloisters of St. John
Lateran at Rome. None of these arcades are less
than twenty feet wide and twenty-five feet high, and
they give a promenade, sheltered from all weathers,
more than three-quarters of a mile in length. The
arcades and earthworks were executed by the Commissioners for the Exhibition of 1851, at a cost of
£50,000, while the laying-out of the gardens and
construction of the conservatory were executed by
the Horticultural Society, and cost about the same
sum. On the upper terrace, in front of the conservatory, and at the head of a lake, stands a memorial
of the late Prince Consort, the work of Mr. Joseph
Durham, sculptor, originally intended only to commemorate the International Exhibition of 1851.
The death of the Prince having occurred before
the work was completed, the memorial was made
into a lasting tribute for the "great founder of the
Exhibition." The idea embodied is Britannia
(typified by the Prince) supported by the four
quarters of the globe—signifying that the Exhibition originated in England, and was supported by
all other nations. The monument stands upwards
of forty feet in height, and represents the Prince
in his robes as Grand Master of the Order of the
Bath. The body of the memorial is of grey granite,
with columns and panels of red polished Aberdeen
granite; the statue of the Prince, and also those of
the figures representing each quarter of the globe,
being of bronze.
OLD GORE HOUSE, IN 1830.