_ a May 24, 1872. THE BUILDING NEWS. 415
————— Oe eee ee noo the metropolis; the buildings have been set back within the minimum line of 3ft. The views of the Committee of Council, as set forth in their “suggestions,” have been carefully considered wherever practicable ; the distances apart for seats, and allowances of space for sitting room which they require, have been uniformly followed. It is needless to remark that it would be impossible to carry out the Prussian system consistently, if the rule disallowing groups of seats more than three deep had to be attended to ; and this, therefore, has not been attempted. The plans submitted have been prepared in strict conformity with the requirements of the eleventh condition. For the warming of the class-rooms and living- rooms I have provided open fireplaces, though I do not strongly press ther adoption in the class-rooms, I
UPPER PART OF HALL and opening inward, like hospital windows. I would also place under each window a large air-grating, opening into a space behind the boarded lining, from which the air would enter the room through openings in that lining—this to be under the control of the master. I also proposea cornice of perforated zine round three sides of the upper part of the room and divided into two parts, the larger part to communicate with an outlet-flue built purposely, and terminating over the roofs, and the smaller to communicate with openings admitting fresh air.» Should open fires be dispensed with, I would double or treble the size of this flue. The general room, besides its windows, is provided with inlets under the window-sills, and with abundant yentilating openings in the roof and the upper part of the back wall.
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FIRST FLOOR , GIRLS
INFANTS:
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GALLERY,
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GROUND FLOOR , INFANTS
Propose that an efficient heating apparatus should be
Provided in the basement to heat the building and
elass-rooms by hot water at low pressure, circulating
an pipes of not lessthan Sin. diameter. I would take
these pipes into the whole of the class-rooms, whether
the open fires be dispensed with or not, and into the
general room, and in fact every part of the building,
carefully proportioning the area of heating surface to
the cubic contents and other conditions of each room,
-and introducing stopcocks to enable any portion of the
system to be shut off at pleasure.
For ventilation £ should rely on the simplest means
liberally used. Complicated expedients are neglected
and soon abandoned, and the use of small openings
and few in number only gives imperfect results. I pro-
Pose that the windows of the class-rooms shall through-
out open to the ceilings, and that they shall be divided
‘by cross-bars into casements, each hung at the bottom,
PLAY
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GIRLS ENTRANCE
GALLERY
INFANTS! SCHOOL
Tim
GIRLS’ STAIR@
The infants’ school-room is provided specially with
openings near the ceiling, opening into the covered
play-sheds. These are to be heavily glazed, to exclude
sound when closed ; but when open they will permit a
full current of air to sweep through the room, and ina
few minutes entirely renew its atmosphere. It might,
I think, also be advisable (though this has not been
shown on the drawings) to treat the staircases and the
general meeting-room as great ventilating chambers,
and to provide in each class-room large openings close
to the ceiling in the wall facing the windows and com-
municating with these spaces, such openings to be
fitted with shutters or heavy sound-proof louvres, and
to be used for the purpose of passing a through current
of air from the windows through the class-rooms when-
ever the latter were out of use.
An estimate of the total cost (exclusive of architect's
commission and clerk of works’ salary) of carrying out
my design in a thoroughly substantial and workman-
like manner, with the best materials and workmanship,
accompanies the plans.
This supposes the buildingsto be executed in brick,
with hollow external walls, faced with red bricks and
slated, and the walls of rooms to be plastered, those of
staircases and general meeting-hall to be faced in
brickwork aboye the boarded lining. The window-
sills and copings to be principally of Portland stone.
The joinery to bein clean yellow deal. The roofs to
be partly felted under slates. The floors to be well
pugged, but not to be constructed fire-proof. And,
generally, every appliance which modern skill and ex-
perience can bring to bear to be made use of, so far
as is consistent with rigid economy.
In reference to the estimate it seems necessary to
observe that, in addition to the space required for the
children in class, this building is designed to provide
in the general room an area which would seat 260
additional children, beyond the 60 taught there. An
extra class-room being required for a drawing-class,
the accommodation equals that requisite for a school
for 1,400 children; and the cost of the proposed
building will at least equal, and probably exceed, that of
such a school, provided with covered playground,
The plan of the site forwarded to meas part of the
conditions of competition, and understood by the help
of the correspondence which I had with the clerk to
the board on the subject, has been my guide in deter-
mining the frontages available, and the spaces to be
allotted to the different playgrounds. In short, the
site, as shown on my drawings, is a careful enlarge-
ment of that plan. T. RoGER SMITH.
23, Bedford-street, Coyent-garden, April 17.
——__ >.
A FIRM COMING OF AGE.
WN Monday the workmen and heads of departments
of Messrs. Hobbs, Hart, & Co., the well-known
lock and safe engineers, celebrated their annual festival
at the Crystal Palace. Mr. Hart presided, supported
by Mr. Hobbs and other gentlemen, and about 120 sat
down to dinner. Among the standard toasts was
included, in compliment to Mr. Hobbs, that of the Presi-
dent of the United States. Whilst upon the toasting
part of the subject, we will mention what we consider
was a great improvement in this respect, and which
might serve as a model for similar gatherings to come.
Instead of a flood of maundering, which plain-thinking
people do not understand, the usual loyal toasts were
tersely and briefly given in a few sensible observations
which might be almost counted at the fingers’ ends,
followed by a heartily sung verse of the National
Anthem, ‘by the entire strength of the company.”
The day being unusually fine, the great object was to
get the men out in the grounds as soon as possible,
and, therefore, the oratorical part of the feast was cut
down to the smallest practicable dimensions.
Mr. Hogss, in his remarks, gave a very interesting
sketch of the history of the firm, dating from the Great
Exhibition of 1851. He stated that when he first
came to London from America, he set about to remedy
two radical defects in relation to the lock manufacture.
One was the insecurity of the locks themselves, from a
high-class point of view; and the other was the almost
total absence of machinery in their construction. He
had, furthermore, to contend against and overcome the
strong prejudice which the workmen here had to the
introduction of machinery, in the belief that it would
tend to destroy their own labour. In that, he argued,
there could not be a greater mistake. Mechanical
invention stimulated demand to a degree previously
unknown, and, as 2 consequence, enormously increased
and enhanced the value of skilled labour. In America
nothing was done by hand that a machine could be
found to do; and what was the result? Why, that
such machinery enabled the Americans to compete in
the markets of Europe. He begged to remind them
that he had himself been “on both sides of the anvil :”
that is, as a workman and a master; and he could
testify that the odds were by no means always on the
side of the employer. When an artisan had finished
his day’s work he could go to bed, sure of a good
night’s rest. Not so the employer, who had to pass
through many wearying, sleepless nights, in order to
keep the engines constantly going and the men at
work. He passed a very warm eulogium on Mr, Hart,
as one who had gone through an immense amount of
mental wear and tear of the kind that had just been
alluded to.
Mr. Harv, in his speech, whilst confirming every-
thing that Mr. Hobbs had stated with respect to the
exhausting labour that oftentimes fell upon the direc-
tors of large manufacturing concerns, congratulated
those whom he saw before him upon the firm haying
completed its 21st birthday; and he was happy to state
that their prospects had neyer looked better. Work was
coming in to them in such a manner that he hoped to be
able next year to see double the number of those who
were then present. If there was one thing more than
another that ought to give them especial pride, it was
that no work left their hands but what was honestly
done. In other words, the customer could confidently
rely that what he ordered and paid for was honestly
handed oyer to him. That confidence on the part of
the public had been long fully established, and it gave
Mr. Hobbs and himself no little pleasure to know that
their workmen had so materially contributed towards
that result, and it was to be hoped that they would
all continue to do so in thefuture. On the part of the
firm he could conscientiously say that the interests of
the men and those of Hobbs, Hart, & Co. were one.
