Abstract
ABOUT April last it was noticed that a sinking had occurred of the ceiling of the Library on the first floor at the Royal Institution, and of the floor of Sir William Bragg's rooms immediately above. The ceiling, which was old and of timber construction, was found to be defective. It was temporarily propped, and at the end of the lecture season a thorough examination was made. An astonishing state of disrepair was discovered. Not only was the heavy timber ceiling defective, but also the brick walls upon whieh it was supported were cracked and broken in all directions. The examination was carried down to the rooms on the ground floor and here a similar state of affairs was revealed. When in 1799 the Royal Institution was founded, a large town house was purchased and considerably altered to suit its new purpose. Further alterations have been made at intervals. Vulliamy added the Corinthian column front in 1837. In 1930 a large part of the building, including the lecture theatre, was completely reconstructed, but the Library and rooms below it were left untouched. These it has now proved necessary to rebuild, largely, it must be said, due to faulty workmanship in the past, as the various alterations to the structure have been made.
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Royal Institution: Reconstruction of the Library. Nature 136, 826 (1935). https://doi.org/10.1038/136826a0
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/136826a0