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I will begin with supposing two stories of Cells. I In the under story, the thickness
of the walls 2½ foot. From thence, clear depth of each Cell, from the window to the grating,
13 foot: from thence to the ends of the partition-walls 3 foot more; which gives the length
of the protracted partitions. Breadth of the Intermediate Area 14 foot. Total from the
outside of the building to the Lodge, 35 foot: including the thickness of the walls. I In the
Upper Story, the Cell will be but 9 foot deep: the difference between that and the 13 foot,
which is their depth in the Under Story, being taken up by a Gallery, which surrounds
the protracted partitions. This Gallery supplies in this Upper Story, the place of an
Intermediate Area on that floor: and by means of steps, which I shall come to presently,
forms the communication between the Upper Story of Cells, to which it is attached,
and the lower story of the Cells, together with the Intermediate Area, and the Lodge. I The
spot most remote from the place where the light comes in from, I mean the central spot
of the building, will not be more than 50 foot distant from that place: a distance
not greater, I imagine, than what is oftentimes exemplified in Churches; even such as
are not furnished, in the manner of this building, with windows in the extreme part of the
exterior boundary. But the Inspector's windows will not be more than 32½ from the
light.
It would be found convenient, I believe, on many accounts, and in most
instances, to make one story of the Lodge serve for two stories of the Cells : especially in
any situation when ground is valuable; the number of persons to be inspected large,
the room necessary for each person not very considerable, and frugality and necessity
more attended to than appearance.
For this purpose the floor of the ground story of the Lodge is elevated
to within about 4½ feet of the floor of the first story of the Cells. By this means the
Inspector's eyes, when he stands up, will be on, or a little above, the level of the floor of the
above mentioned Upper Story of the Cells: and, at any rate, he will command both that
and the ground story of the Cells, without difficulty, and without change of posture.
As to the Intermediate Area, the floor of it is upon a level, not with the
floor of the Lodge, but with that of the Lower Story of the Cells. But, at the Upper Story of
the Cells, its place, as I have already mentioned, is supplied by the abovementioned
Gallery: so that the altitude of this Area from its floor to the Ceiling, is equal to that
of both stories of the Cells put together.
(If you happen to have a copy of the Devil upon two sticks, you may turn,
if you please, to the part where his Infernal Highness takes the walls off from peoples
houses, to shew his pupil what is going forward in the inside. There you will find a
print, which, I have a notion, will serve to give you some sort of idea of the appearance
of the two stories of Cells if viewed from the Intermediate Area, or the Inspection Lodge. A
sketch, taken as if from one or other of those stations, would have made a much prettier
picture than these technical drawings, if had afforded an artist capable
of taking such a sketch. They contain enough, however, to enable any draughtsman in
your part of the world to treat you with such a picture.)
The floor of the Lodge, not being on a level with either story of the
Cells, but between both, it must, at convenient intervals, be provided with flights of
steps, to go down by to the ground story of the Cells, by the Intermediate Area, and
up to the first story of the cells, by the Gallery! The ascending flights, being united with
the descending, would enable the servants of the house to go to the upper story of
the Cells without passing through the apartment of the Inspector.
As to the height of the whole, and of the several parts, it is supposed
that, 18 Foot might serve for the two stories of Cells, to be inspected, as above, by one
story of the Lodge; This would hold 96 persons: 36 feet for four stories of Cells, and
two of the Lodge; this would hold 192 persons: 54 feet for six stories of the Cells, and
three of the Lodge: this would hold 288 persons. And 54 foot, it is conceived, would
not be an immoderate elevation. The drawings which, I herein will accompany this
suppose four of the number of Stories of the Cells.
You will see under the head of Hospitals, the reasons why I conceive
that even a less height than 9 feet, deducting the thickness of a floor supported by arches,
might be sufficient for the Cells.
The passage might have, for its height, either the height of one story,
or that of two stories of the Cells: according as the number of those stories Cells was two or four. The
part over the passage might, in either case, be added to the Lodge; to which it would thereby
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Identifier: | JB/550/210/001 "JB/" can not be assigned to a declared number type with value 550.
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