Elevation of Westmoreland Street (West side), extending from the Portico of the House of Lords to Fleet Street
Including design for New Shops by A. Baker, Architect,1799. Approved 30 Jan 1800. General information: This is the fourth and final item in a series of designs for the west side of Westmoreland St. which was prepared for the Wide Streets Commission by Henry A. Baker during 1799 and 1800. This final design was approved by the Commission on 27 February 1800 and is the completed version of a sketch which had been approved by the Commission the previous January. (See WSC/Maps/195/1 b). The completed version follows the sketch in featuring an elevation for a terrace of seven five – storey houses with plain fenestration in all upper storeys. In each design, there is a range of shops at ground level with rectangular windows and separate business and residential entrances. However, whereas in the sketch the door-cases and windows are without adornment, in the completed version pilastered doorcases have been added, together with an ornamental frieze above. The buildings which were erected on the west side of Westmoreland St. correspond to this final design by Baker. Lots were set on 7 April 1800 with the stipulation that all stonework should be of Golden Hill or Glencullen granite. As building progressed, two separate minor modifications were introduced. On 10 July 1800, the Commission agreed that the ornamental frieze could be made of artificial rather than mountain granite, since this would be considerably less expensive. At its meeting of 17 July, the Commission further decided to add an architrave and cornice to the windows of the first, or drawing-room, floor corresponding to the Ballast Office which was then being built on the corner of Westmoreland St and Aston Quay. It was agreed that the architrave and cornice should be executed and erected at the Commission’s expense. On reverse: ‘Elevation of Westmoreland St.’ Architect: Henry A. Baker (Signature in red ink, faded) Copied by: Thomas Sherrard Scale: 5’ : 1” Size: 18.3/4” x 33.1/2”(Scale bar) - 47cms x 86cms Paper ( 2 sheets, backed onto canvas and bound with ribbon); ink; watercolours.
CONTRIBUTOR
Henry Aaron Baker
Dublin City Library and Archive
Baker, Henry Aaron
DATE
1799-01-01 - 1800-12-31
LANGUAGE
eng
ITEMS
1
INSTITUTION
Dublin City Library and Archive
PROGRESS
METADATA
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Elevation of Westmoreland Street from the Portico of the House of Lords to Fleet Street
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General information: This is the first of two identical drawings for the west side of Westmoreland St. which were submitted to the Wide Streets Commission and approved on 1 August 1799. This first drawing is the original, by architect Henry Aaron Baker. The second drawing is an exact copy by Thomas Sherrard. (WSC/ Maps/ 194). For a more complete description of the drawing, and an analysis of its place in the sequence of designs for Westmoreland St. see WSC/ Maps/ 194. Architect: Henry A. Baker Scale: Not stated Size: 15 ½ x 25 ½ “ - 39 ½ cms x 65 cms Paper (1 sheet, no watermark); ink; watercolours
Elevation of Westmoreland Street, extending from Portico of House of Lords to Fleet Street, as approved by Commissioners appointed by Act of Parliament for making wide and convenient streets
1 Item
General Information: Westmoreland Street was laid out and developed by the Wide Streets Commission between 1799 and 1800. This drawing is the second in a series of four elevations for the range of buildings on the west side of the street which was produced by Henry Aaron Baker for the Commission during the same period. The first elevation has not survived. It was submitted to the Commission on 6 June 1799 and from descriptions in the minutes we know that the design featured a colonnade 12 feet wide and 15 feet high ,which was to extend along the entire range of buildings on both east and west side of the street . A section of these intended colonnades may be observed in Baker’s elevation of buildings facing Carlisle Bridge. (See WSC/Maps/160) . The east side of Westmoreland St. was subsequently leased to the Bank of Ireland, which decided to dispense with plans for a colonnade on that side of the street . The Commission then decided that the planned colonnade for the west side would also have to go, and Baker was requested to prepare a new elevation . This resulted in two identical drawings : Bakers original drawing (which is listed as WSC/Maps/375) and this exact copy (WSC/Maps/194) which was prepared as a working drawing by Thomas Sherrard , and backed onto canvas . The design was approved by the Commission on 1 August 1799. The elevation is for a terrace of eight five-storey houses and a half –plan is given . The end- of –terrace houses and the central block of two mid-terrace houses project from the façade. Here, windows are tripartite and are sometimes set into arches, with ornamental friezes above the windows at first-floor level. The central block is crowned by a triangular pediment. At ground level, there is a range of arched shop windows , each one flanked by business and residential entrances. This rather elaborate design later superseded by simpler designs for the west side of Westmoreland Street. (See WSC/Maps/195/1-2). On reverse: ‘Elevation Westmoreland St.’ Architect: Henry A Baker Copy by: Thomas Sherrard Scale: 5' : 1" Size: 22¼" × 35¼" - 56cms × 91½ cms Paper (2 sheets, backed onto canvas and bound with linen tape); ink; watercolours.