in less than a hundred years' time will have to build
another such suite of offices, or buy this over again, as the Guardians
only hold the site (1,700 square yards) upon a ninety-nine years' lease
at a yearly rental of L600 (7s. per yard). The building contract was for
L25,490, besides extras, the architect being Mr. W.H. Ward, and the
fittings, internal decoration, and furnishing was estimated at about
L5,000 more, though possibly as the chairs in the Boardroom are put down
at L5 each, if other articles be in proportion, both sums will be
materially increased. The work was commenced in June, 1882, the memorial
stone being laid February 15th, the following year. The building, which
has five storeys, stands on three sides of a square courtyard, and faces
into Edmund Street. Newhall Street, and a new thoroughfare made in
continuation of Bread Street. In general character the three faces are
alike, the masonry being rusticated in Coxbench stone to the line of the
second floor, the chiselling finishing with an entablature, and the
remaining two storeys included in one order of Corinthian red granite
pillars, which support the main entablature. The front in Edmund Street,
105 feet in length, is symmetrically divided by a central tower, on
either side of which the Corinthian pillars are discontinued until the
two corners are almost reached, where they support pediments. The tower,
which for a distance above the root is square, contains four clock-faces
and supports an octagonal storey, covered by a panelled stone dome,
surmounted in turn by a lantern and its finial. The height of the tower
from the level of the street is 105 feet, the slated towers over the
lateral pediments being smaller. The Newhall Street facade, 160 feet
long, is broken into three portions of nearly equal length, and the
middle portion is treated differently from the other two. Above the line
of the second floor entablature the windows, instead of being in a
double row in correspondence with the storeys, are in this middle
section of the facade carried almost to the height of the columns, and
the section is surmounted in its centre by an ornamental pedestal, which
bears a group of sculpture, and at its extremes by slated flagstaff
towers, whose sides are concave. The purpose of these larger windows is
the effectual lighting of the Boardroom, which is of the height of two
storeys. The length of the Bread Street front is 90 feet. The Boardroom
is 60 feet lo