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38
By this arrangement another advantage beside economy is gained,
by an open transverse corridor with exit doors at each end to the open
areas on each side of the building. From this corridor the doors into the
Council Room, which are at each end of it, will give immediate access to
the outer air, and thus obviate the necessity of any new door from that
room, as had been required by the London County Council, if that room
was to bo included in the license for music and dancing as heretofore.
By the appropriation of a small room at the end of the present
entrance corridor, on tho right hand side of it, the lavatory for the use of
the Council can bo retained in a slightly modified position, and one formed
for tho use of ladies at the foot of the stairs on the ground floor, which I
am informed has been found to bo much wanted on occasions of Balls in
the Great Hall.
The London County Council further required that the staircases and
bulkheads now in the Hall on each side, and bv means of which inconve-
nient communication has hitherto been obtained upwards and downwards
should bo removed.
Both these side staircases at present give access also to the basement,
but it seems to mo that one will be amply sufficient for this purpose, and
thus two good objects will bo attained—(1st) A new and large Committee
Room will be obtained on the ground floor, more than replacing tho small
room above alluded to as appropriated for ladies' cloak room and
lavatories; (2nd) There will be ample well-lighted and ventilated space
on the basement floor available for far better lavatories and conveniences
than at present exist. A good cross light to the basement central
corridor will also thus be obtained.
Tho Committee will notice that all the works I have yet alluded to
will bo within the walls of the building, and save tho cost of four new
blocks of building which were proposed by the plans of last year.
A further requirement of tho London County Council was, that there
should be two new staircases from the ground to the uppermost level of
the gadlery of tho Hall, one on each side, and that these should have no
communication with tho floor of the Hall. This requirement is met, as
shewn on the accompanying plans, by erecting two blocks of building, one
on each side of tho entrance front to contain these gallery stairs, but in
planning these I have obtained an advantage not actually required by the
London County Council, but which seems to me to bo essential. I have
managed so to arrange the gallery stairs as to got another staircase
having no connection with it, but following its course flight by flight, and
from this we got two excellent fireproof exits to the north-east and north-