CLASS I.—PUBLIC WORKS AND BUILDINGS. (Hansard, 7 August 1879)

§ MR. DILLWYN
inquired whether these plans were in the custody of the Government?

§ MR. GERARD NOEL
said, the plans were now in the Office of Works.

§ SIR JULIAN GOLDSMID
said, that a discussion with regard to the plans had been brought forward by him on a previous occasion. The plans of Mr. Barry for the National Gallery were selected, and approved; but there was no undertaking with him that he should immediately build the whole of the new Galleries. The arrangement was that the Galleries should be built as required according to the plans selected. Mr. Barry had built a considerable portion of the new building, and he had received a commission in respect of that portion. There was no obligation, however, that there should be any payment for any other portion until and unless that other portion was built in like manner. He thought that they ought to have some explanation why, many years after these transactions, they should be called upon to pay Mr. Barry £5,000 in respect of further plans which he had really prepared of his own accord, and without instructions.

§ MR. GERARD NOEL
remarked that, in 1868, Mr. Barry was appointed architect of the new National Gallery, and was 468 directed to prepare plans for the building. Mr. Barry divided the work into four blocks. Block A was to cost £88,975; block B £103,625; block 0 £339,721; block D £105,975. In 1870, it was decided not to proceed with the building, but merely to enlarge and increase the galleries. The cost of block A was reduced to £83,000, which was then completed, the architect receiving a remuneration of £4,150, or 5 per cent on the revised estimate. In this was included £830, or 1 per cent, for sketch plan of block A. Mr. Barry, according to instructions, also furnished the Government with sketch plans for the whole of the proposed National Gallery; but as there seemed to be no prospect of its being completed for some years it was thought only fair and just to Mr. Barry that he should be paid for these sketch plans, and this was the reason for the proposed Supplementary Vote.