THE VICTORIA TOWER.

Lyttelton Times, Volume IX, Issue 588, 23 June 1858, Page 3

THE VICTORIA TOWER.

(Summarised from the 'Times.')

The foundation of the Victoria Tower, like all others on which the new Palace is built, are of immense strength, formed of a solid mass of concrete more than 14 feet deep, and which descends 10 feet below Trinity datum. They were allowed to settle several months before the structure was commenced, on the 2nd of April, 1842, since which time the pile has grown slowly, but surely, at the rate of 23 feet per year, till the whole edifice has attained a height of 345 feet from base to summit, and presses upon the foundations with a weight of little short of 30,000 tons. There are spires enough undoubtedly of greater height, but no towers; even that noble one at Mechlin, half spire half tower, and which, perhaps, comes nearest to that at Westminster, is but 348 feet to the top of the vane, while to the top of the vane of the Victoria Tower will be no less than 420, —more than double the height of the Monument, more than 60 feet higher than the top of the cross of St. Paul's, and within a few feet of three times the height of the famous tower of Pisa. The walls are 12 feet thick up to the base of the first tier of windows, and thence six feet. The storied windows are 44 feet high by 32 feet wide, and five feet deep. The figures which look so small and infantine on the niches on the sides, are huge as Titans—colossal masses, nearly 10 feet high, and weighing many tons. The supporters of the coats of arms of our Kings are as large as horses, and massive, as if meant to be supporters to the tower, while even the fonr light and airy-looking pinnacles which crown the whole mass above, with their little gilt tops like points of fire, are in reality themselves as large as good-sized temples, and reach actually 90 feet in the air above the parapet of the tower as it now stands. But none can appreciate, or even realize, the lofty grandeur of the pile, with all its rich magnificence of decoration, by merely gazing on it. Noble as it is in any aspect, the Victoria Tower, like other great triumphs of architecture, must be examined in detail to be felt in all its mute eloquence of form. Ouly when the visitor has climbed the spiral staircase which winds with many a hundred weary step up to the very summit, —when he has studied the elaborate workmanship and proportions of the exterior from the balcones under the great window, entered the lofty arcades over them, and thence mounted to the roof and pinnacles above all, can he be said to know this building, which has grown up almost unnoticed and unknown, but which is nevertheless destined to give fame

and name to England's architecture for wmturies to come.

The gateway under which her Majesty will enter is an arch of nearly 60 feet high and 22----wide—-such an entrance as no other place in the world equals, and this leads directly into the basement story of the tower. It is one huge groined arch, nearly 70 feet square at the ground, and 62 feet to the top of the groin. On the left is a rich carved screen leading to the Royal Gallery; on the right is a grand archway similar to that of the Royal entrance. The latter, however, is filled in with stone tracery, and will thus be transformed to a noble; gothic window when enriched with stained glass. In the centre, above the Royal entrance, is the statue of Her Majesty, surrounded by the statues of her royal ancestors. Over these is a richquatrefoil band,differing in design, and containing heraldic badges, foliage, and initials; and high over these come the first tier of windows, with their rich tracery and lofty twocentred arches. Above these windows are all sorts of strange devices in the way of shields and supporters, which here and there show the three lions passant guardant, supported by such queer animals as are unknown to modern English heraldry. Nevertheless, these are the royal arras of England's former kings, so it would seem that even heraldry, the very mirror "of gentilesse and chilvarie," changes like other vanities, and a coat of arms no more outlives the influence of taste or fashion than one of broadcloth. Every dog will have his day, and so we find boars, swans and dragons have been in vogue as suporters to England's arms, before lions and unicorns were ever thought of. That curious-looking coat of arms on the right of the tower, with a swan and antelope for its supporters, is England's shield in the reign of Henry IV. For Henry VI. it is a cross and mullets quartered with the arms of England and France, and with appropriate supporters for sueh&king —two antelopes. Henry VlL's shield is. held up by a dragon and greyound; and Henry VIH. has a lion and dragon. This is the third time the former noble animal figures in England's arms—Edward IV. having him here to support a huge shield of quarterings, with a bull for his vis-a-vis (fair types of his courage and disposition), while poor Edward V. has a lion and doe, apropos again. Richard IH.'s shield is here, too, and is quite en suite, his supporters being two boars, fierce, tusky, and hunchbacked as Shakespeare draws the tyrant himself, while in the huge1 shield of Philip and Mary the arms of England and France are poked away in a corner on the sinister side, the surcharged emblazonments of Spain occupying the remainder. An eagle and lion support this coat just as the eagle and lion seem pretty well agreed in supporting the arms of England in the present day. The tower is constructed from top to bottom of brick, stone, and iron, without any admixture of combustible materials, being thus entirely fire-proof from base to summit. It is intended to be used as a great repository for the State papers, records, and muniments of the nation, and for this purpose it is divided into 11 stories, each of which, with the exception of the basement story and the base floor immediately over it contains 16 fireproof rooms. All these floors are communicated with by means of a most singularly constructed flying spiral staircase of iron, which passes through an octagon: aperture in all the floors, with each of which it joins by means of a short landing. The well of this beautiful staircase is about 10 feet diamater, and a similar aperture is made in the groined roof of the royal archway, but which is kept closed by means of a sliding iron door. When, however, this is drawn back a person standing on the ground under the centre of the tower can see up at a glance, as through a telescope, from the bottom to the top. At the top story of all a powerful steam-engine will be placed, which will be used to haul up through the well of the central spiral staircase to the different floors or rooms for which they are destined the bundles of State papers and records. So much for the use of the building. For the purposes of construction, its whole height was divided into two upper main stories, one over the groined arch of the Queen's entrance, and one commencing at the base of the upper line of windows. Both of these rest on four main girders, which are so arranged as to be self-supporting in their centres, and to throw the whole weight of the story upon the outer walls. Each of these girders is 4| feet deep, and weighs 12 tons* aud the four are joined in the centre and bound together so as to allow the central staircase to pass up through them. Besides these main stories, there are 11 floors, each of which, except the basement, is supported on eight girders and eight iron columns, the latter 14 inches in diameter and weighing 2\ tons np to the fifth floor, when they diminish to 9 inches diameter, and 25 cwt. in weight. The roof of the tower is to be sloping, reachins; 16 feet above the parapet, and will be surrounded with a gilt railing six feet high. The four corners will be guarded by four stone lions 20 feet high, and from the base of the corners will spring four cast-iron flying arched buttresses, which will be formed in the centre in a kind of crown, about 30 feet above the roof. The upper edge of these buttresses will be decorated with a richly gilt wrought iron railing, which-will make them when united still more resemble a coronet, and be in keeping with the regal aspect of the tower. Resting on the roof, and passing upwards through the four points of these buttresses which support it, will be the flagstaff— a flagstaff in proportion to the rest of the pile, and strong enough to withstand the flaunts of the acre of bunting which will flutter from it on gala days. The staff is to be of rolled sheet iron bolted together, 110 feet long, 3 feet in. diameter at the base, and weighing between 16 and 18 tons. The flag will be 60 feet long by 45 feet broad, will require upwards of 400 yards of bunting to make it, and have to be hauled up each day by machinery. But let us look for a minute at the little turrets at the corners. As we have said these reach 90 feet above the roof. They are octagonal, with open tracery work, supporting upon eight piers a richly ornamented roof, decorated with heraldic ornaments. They are divided into two stories, the first or lower being about 60 feet above the roof, and here a low 'balcony, with stone work breast high, allows the visitor to come right out upon the out- i

side of the turret and walk around it. Hereafter iron spiral stairs will give easy access to this awi'ul balustrade, but at present it is only to be gained by climbing a short and crazy ladder, which slopes from the roof to the base of the turret, where another very long, very straight, and still more crazy one leads up the turret to the balcony. The first is bad enough, but climbing the second, when you find yourself 350 feet from the seat below, and without as much as a rope or plank between you and the awful distance, when the very house tops look dim and obscure beneath, and the noise of the traffic reaches you in a subdued murmur, is enough to try the nerves of the most determined, especially when, as they cling to the ladder with rather trembling hands, they find every third or fourth round loose in the sockets and turning beneath their grasp. Arrived, however, at the balcony, the view almost repays the effort made to reach it. All London lies beneath you looking like a diminished and smoky model of itself, in which somehow the streets seem broader and more empty, and the houses lower and more regular than they ever appear to those on terra firma. One can almost see the ground plan of St. Paul.-;, and just discern the monument like a streak above the house-roofs; the White Tower looks like a dissenters' meeting-house; Lambeth Palace, with its large extent of gardens, seems just beneath you on one side, while Buckingham Palace and grounds match it on'the other. The green looking roof of Henry VTL's chapel, and the nave of the old Abbey lie close beneath, too close to enter into the general effect; as do also the grand cluster of buildings forming the rest of the new palace, over which the great clock-tower and cathedral-looking spire of, the central tower rear their lofty heads like guardians of the place. On a clear day not only all London can be seen from the summit of these pinnacles, but even all its suburbs, from Hounslow to Si looter's Hill on one side, and from Harrow to the broad bleak-looking downs beyond Addington on the other. But fine days latterly have become more scarce, and instead of sunshine, the fierce east wind blusters with such dreadful vehemence about the summit of the tower that, bad as the descent is, it is better than stopping up there. Winding down, then, through the octagonal turrets a flight of 450 \ steps conducts you to the base of the tower again, where you still feel, although you may have passed whole hours in inspecting the noble pile, that you have seen but little after all, and that this great monument of architecture has beauties which it would require weeks to learn and study to appreciate. Seen from the outside the great general features we have attempted to describe look bolder and more striking still, and though the ornaments are so numerous, the tracery so multiplied, and the height of the whole mass from the eye so great, there is still no confusion of parts. The mind fixes its massive and just proportions without distraction, and as the eye glances down its sculptured records of our line of kings, with all their bright historical associations connected with the very Parliament to which it marks the entrance, the visitor feels that it is more than a mere tower—it is a sculptured monument of onr great history as a nation—it is a monarchy in stone.