§ LORD LAMINGTONsaid, he rose to ask Her Majesty's Government, Whether the First Commissioner of Works has signified his approval of the Bill which proposes to make an underground railway from Paddington to Westminster; and if the improvement of the approaches to the Houses of Parliament by Parliament Street is dependent on the carrying of this Bill; and to move for Papers. When he first brought the subject of the improvement of Parliament Street forward, the noble Lord gave a promise that nothing would be done without the approbation of Parliament. He had, however, been horrified to find that an underground railway was to be carried 828 from Paddington to Westminster under Hyde Park and St. James's Park, and that the promoters proposed to clear away the whole of Parliament Street, over which they were to have almost entire power. It was stated that the Government were to receive a considerable sum from the Company for the privilege granted; but such a privilege had never been conceded to a private body before. It was well known that we wanted public buildings ourselves—a National Portrait Gallery, for instance—and it was understood that when the Houses in Parliament Street were pulled down, the plans for the new buildings would be submitted to Parliament. The interesting collection of portraits which we had, all of which had been donations to the country, were now very badly housed and in great danger from fire, and something ought to be done to make provision for their safety. An opportunity for doing so might be found on the Parliament Street site; yet the Government were going to allow a public Company to have that site. He thought that the works proposed would be most injurious to the Parks, and they would take five years in carrying out. He wished to know whether the Government really meant to break the direct pledge given last year, and whether they had signified their approval of the Bill? He should move for all the Correspondence which had taken place between the First Commissioner of Works and the Directors of the Railway Company.
§ LORD SUDELEYsaid, in reply to the noble Lord, he had to state that during the autumn a plan was brought before the First Commissioner of Works for making a railway under the Parks from Paddington to Westminster. Nothing could be done, as their Lordships were aware, in respect to the Parks without the consent of the Crown, and the Government had an absolute veto upon all schemes, even independent of an Act of Parliament. It was, therefore, found by the First Commissioner possible to compel the Company to make their proposal in such a manner as, while giving great facilities for the increased traffic, would, at the same time, enable important public improvements to be made at the Westminster end of the proposed line. In the proposed Bill the route would be as follows:—Starting from the Edgware Road Station of the Metropo- 829 litan Railway, which would be considerably enlarged for the purpose, the new line would go south-eastwards under the Edgware Road to its junction with Oxford Street near the Marble Arch. At an intermediate point it would be joined by a branch from Paddington, which would connect it with the Great Western. At the corner of the Edgware Road and Connaught Place would be a station occupying the site of Arklow House, the residence of Mr. Beresford Hope. Then the line, always underground, would burrow across Hyde Park to a point between the Albert Gate and Hyde Park Corner, where would be another station, and it thence would pass under Constitution Hill, the Mall, and the ornamental piece of water in St. James's Park to a terminal station at Westminster to the south of Charles Street. In making this station the Bill would deal with very considerable improvements proposed in Parliament Street, King Street, and Charles Street. The Government had given the matter careful consideration, and had finally come to the conclusion that, subject to certain conditions and safeguards being agreed to, it was a scheme which they ought not to veto, but, on the contrary, it was one that ought to be encouraged, that it would be of very great public benefit, that few railways could be constructed with less inconvenience and less destruction to property, and that no damage and very little interference need take place in regard to the surface of the Park or to the trees. There had for some time been a great demand for direct north and south communication, and for access between the railways in the north of London to Belgravia and Westminster. It was also of the highest importance that every means should be afforded to artizans and the labouring classes for travelling from the suburbs to their work, as every day rendered it clearer that in the congested state of London facilities of this sort were the only true remedy for the increased number of houses wanted. On the Metropolitan Railway their total traffic showed that no less than 80 per cent were third-class passengers, and, therefore, it was clear that a line considerably shortening the journey to the northern suburbs would be an enormous gain. It was also certain that the roads and streets between the north and south of "Inner London" 830 were gradually getting more and more blocked, and, looking broadly at the matter, it was evident that steps must be taken to relieve the traffic by underground lines. The Government, therefore, decided to allow the Bill to be placed before Parliament in the usual way, subject to preliminary conditions made by the First Commissioner on their behalf, and accepted by the Railway Company, which were the following:—(1) That no ventilators or air-holes of any kind be made in the Park or in the public thoroughfares; (2) that the tunnel should be made at a depth below the surface of the Parks to be approved by the Commissioners of Works; (3) that the Government should have the option of taking out the value of its land and houses, proposed to be taken for carrying out the improvement scheme, in new frontages to Parliament Street, King Street, and Charles Street, subject to arbitration as to the price in the event of difference; (4) that the works in the Parks be executed between September 1 and March 1, and that there should be no disturbance of the surface of the Parks without the consent of the Commissioners of Works; (5) that the buildings to be erected between the proposed station and the public offices in Charles Street should be completed to the satisfaction of the Government before the station was opened; (6) that the buildings to be erected in Parliament Street, King Street, and Charles Street should be of a material and design to be approved by the Commissioners of Works; (7) that the stations to be erected by the Company should also be of an elevation to be approved by the Commissioners of Works; (8) that the improvement scheme, including the rebuilding of houses on the site, should be carried out within a period to be agreed upon. From this their Lordships would see that every precaution had been taken to prevent any inconvenience arising from the making of this railway. It had been argued that damage might be done to trees in the Park, but he might state that the line had been most carefully laid out with reference to trees, and very few indeed would be hurt. The experience gained in the Phœnix Park, Ireland, where there was a tunnel 700 yards long, showed that fine trees 150 years old could flourish over a tunnel. Some portions of the line would have to 831 be constructed on the "cut and cover plan "—i.e., cutting out a trench, and when the brickwork was completed filling it in with earth; but the Company had agreed to cover the surface with timber and turf during the construction, so that the progress of the work would be scarcely visible to the visitors to the Park. As their Lordships would have noticed, the conditions provide that no ventilator or air-hole whatever was on any account to be made in the Park. The railway would be ventilated by fixed engines and fans at the stations, and Sir John Hawkshaw, the eminent engineer to the Company, had informed the First Commissioner of Works that there would not be the slightest difficulty in carrying this out. Objections had been raised to the scheme by the Press and individuals, mainly with regard to the possibility of ventilators being at some time permitted, and it had been argued that although they might not be made at first, they would, as on the Thames Embankment, be erected later on. On this point there was not the slightest reason for alarm, as it would be the duty of the Office of Works to see that no infringement was made in the matter, and it was a totally different case from the Thames Embankment, where the Metropolitan Board of Works had no power, except through Parliament, to prevent the opening of the ventilators. The improvements proposed to the approaches of the Houses of Parliament were very great. Parliament Street would be set back in a line with the Foreign Office; there would be a new street formed some 50 feet in the rear parallel with it. Upper Charles Street would be widened, so that there would be a large space between the public offices and the houses, and a new street would be constructed in the rear of Great George Street. The Railway Company would have to undertake the responsibility of clearing this site, and, if not required by the Government, reselling or reletting the large blocks of land which would at once become available for building purposes. There could be no doubt that if the great obstructive pile of buildings at the bottom of Great George Street could be removed and the street set back, they would have one of the finest thoroughfares in Europe leading from Trafalgar Square to Westminster Palace. As he had already shown, the 832 Government had the option of taking the purchase-money for their land and houses in the new frontages in Parliament Street, King Street, and Charles Street, and it was likely that many of the new public offices which were still required, and which the noble Lord had referred to, would be erected on these sites; but, of course, that matter had not yet been decided by the Government. The noble Lord had referred to the National Portrait Gallery, and he could assure him that every precaution had been taken to secure the safety of that building. No fires were allowed, and watchmen were continually going round to see that there was no risk of fire. Then the noble Lord objected to the Government joining with a private Company in carrying out what he considered to be a great Government undertaking. There was no doubt that the widening of Parliament Street was a matter that the Government would be bound to give every facility for carrying out—but at the same time it was purely a Metropolitan improvement. Last autumn the First Commissioner endeavoured to persuade the Metropolitan Board of Works to undertake this duty, and on behalf of the Government offered them every facility for the sale of laud on the Great George Street site, so that by setting back the street and obtaining new frontages they would recoup themselves. The Metropolitan Board of Works had not seen their way so far to carry out this proposal. If the Government were to act themselves in the matter, it would be necessary to purchase the additional land and carry out the work themselves, but it would be too much of a land speculation, and, in view of the large sums now being expended on public buildings, they felt they would not be justified in undertaking this. The only other feasible way was the one he had already indicated of uniting this with the railway extension. Their Lordships would remember that this plan of connecting the formation of new streets in the Metropolis with the construction of railways was strongly recommended by the Joint Committee of both Houses, which sat in reference to the Metropolitan Railways in 1864, and also the Committee which sat in their Lordships' House in 1863. This policy had been carried out in the City, and new streets had been formed in connection with the 833 Underground Railway, and also in connection with the Thames Embankment, and had been found to work well. He hoped that in the present instance it would also recommend itself to their Lordships. The Bill and scheme would have to go upon its merits through a searching investigation of a Committee of both Houses; but in the event of its becoming law there appeared to be every prospect that the Railway Company, while obtaining a very economical route, would carry out at Westminster a great Metropolitan improvement, and would save to the country the interest on the large sum of money, over £250,000, which had been spent on land purchased on the Great George Street block, now lying idle.
§ THE EARL OF WEMYSSsaid, he was not at all satisfied with the statement of the noble Lord that this would be a great Metropolitan improvement. The scheme would involve the re-casting of the streets between their Lordships' House and the Treasury, and he could not help thinking that a great change of that kind ought not to be effected without the public having an opportunity of judging of the plans and the character of the buildings that were to be erected. No doubt the buildings about to be removed were of a shabby character. He would suggest that the plans of the new buildings should be deposited for inspection in some public place.