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12
General Description of the Building. — The building is
finished in red brick, with artificial Portland stone dressings, and
presents a modest but pleasing appearance. The somewhat
unusual cruciform shape (see accompanying plan) was to some
extent determined by the necessity for making the best possible
use of a small triangular site. This general lay-out has resulted
in a very convenient and economical arrangement of the accommodation.
The front entrance faces west, and has some 150 yards
of open space between it and Crouch End Broadway.
On either side of the front entrance are the lavatories—boys
on the left and girls on the right—both entered from the main
waiting hall only.
The waiting hall is a spacious, well-lit and well-ventilated
room, 40 feet in length and 20 feet wide. The south end of the
hall can be divided as occasion requires by a movable partition
and used for special purposes (e.g., stammering class, remedial
exercises, lectures, etc.), while the remainder of the waiting hall
is used for children and their parents waiting attention by
doctor or dentist.
Directly opposite the entrance to the waiting hall is a corridor
66 feet long and 5 feet wide, giving access to nine rooms—four
on the right side (south) and five on the left side (north). The
corridor is exceptionally well lit from both ends, two roof lights,
and fanlights above all the doors.
Boom I.—The first room on the right is the office and store
room. In addition to its outside windows to the south, the office
has sliding windows into the main waiting hall and corridor, giving
the clerk a view of all children in these parts of the building.
Boom 2.—The second room on the south, the largest in the
building (excepting the waiting hall) is the orthopaedic room,
26 by 12 feet. It is also used as the school oculist's room. A
special feature is the cork flooring, which is warm, soft and
insulating for children stripped and undergoing treatment by
massage and electricity. Another feature is the arrangement of
French windows, occupying the entire south side and enabling
it to be converted into an open-air room, and the adjoining paved
courtyard to be used by children doing remedial exercises in the
open when weather conditions permit.