THE ENGLISH EXHIBITION OP 1851.
Tβ TUX KDITOB OF "TH* TOUS." Sir, —As we are looking forward t* , ' the opening of the New Zealand Exhibition to be held in Hagloy Park, which building is now making most satisfactory progress towards completion, and will be the largest yet held in this colony, and probably unequalled in the Australian colonies, it majr be , of some interest, especially to the • younger generation, to learn a little of the first International Exhibition, held . in Hyde Park,- London, in the jtear 1 ' 1851, the plane for which were prepared by the lite Sir Joseph Paxton, and accepted by a Commission, of which, the late Prince Albert, husband of the late Queen. Victoria, tie late Sir Robert Peel, and others were members. The building was 1851 ft long and 450 ft broad, and with approaches, etc, covered eighteen acres. It was constructed principally, of glass and' iron, the glass used in its construction being 900,000 square feet, weighing more than 400 tons. There were also used 3300 irarf columns, varying from 14Jft to 20ffc in length, 34 miles of guttering, 2224 girders. The internal columns were 24ft apart, the external ones eighb feet, while the dietance between ttoo. transept columns was 72ft.. the middle aisle of the building being also 72ft wide. The side aisles were 48ft, and the galleries and corridors 24ft wide. Messrs Fox and Henderson were the contractors, and the building was one of the cheapest ever erected, the cost being about 9-16 of a penny per cubic foot, supposing it to be taken down end returned to the contractor at thp close of the Exhibition, or if to* remain, the cost w&s rather less (than Id and I-lOd per foot. The ordinary ooet of building a barn in, England at the same date was more than twice as much, or per foot. The entire edifice contained! thirtythree million cubic feet-, and if borrowed and- taken down and returned to the ' builders, the cost was to be £79,000, and if purchased by the nation right out. £150.000. Those of the older generation now in New Zealand who remember the erection and completion of tho Crystal Palace, will be able to make some comparison between it and our Exhibition building, both ac to cost on completion, and also as regards beauty of design*—• Yours, etc., H. L. BOWSER.
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Press, Volume LXII, Issue 12545, 14 July 1906, Page 10
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394THE ENGLISH EXHIBITION OP 1851. Press, Volume LXII, Issue 12545, 14 July 1906, Page 10
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