HC Deb 24 July 1863 vol 172 cc1419-20
LORD ELCHO

said, he was anxious, before the prorogation of Parliament, to ask the First Lord of the Treasury, What course the Government intend to take with regard to the Land purchased by Parliament at South Kensington? On the part of those who had resisted the purchase of the Exhibition building, there was no wish to offer obstruction to any proposal for rendering the ground available for the promotion of science and art, and he believed that no objection would be offerred to the transfer from the British Museum to that spot of the Natural History collection. Of course, the hon. Members of that House did not pretend to give any advice on the subject; but, speaking individually, it seemed to him that the Government were in the same position as the landowner who was about to build a house for himself and his family. The first thing he would consider would be the wants of his family and the probability of its extension; then he would consider the best means of getting a suitable design, and would proceed afterwards to build it on the best principles, combining as far as possible utility and appearance. The country had bought the land, and it would soon be clear; for though the Chancellor of the Exchequer had endeavoured to persuade the House that there would be some difficulty in getting rid of the building, the contractors the very next day repudiated the statement, and had gone to work to pull it down. There was a hoarding erected all round it already, and in process of time no doubt it would be all cleared away. That no time might be lost, the best course would be for the Government to make up their minds what would be required, and what collections would have to go there. He believed it would be found that the Natural History collection was the only one which it would be necessary to remove. The noble Lord had given an assurance that the National Gallery should not be removed there, and by a vote of that House the Portrait Gallery must go along with the National Gallery. It had been shown that the Patent Museum, to be of use, must be somewhere in the centre of the town; therefore, practically, it was only the Natural History collection which required accommodation. However that might be, the Government ought to make up their minds as to what was required, and then advertise, inviting the architects of Europe to send in plans, one of the main features of which should be that they should be capable of extension.