BARRY, Sir Charles, letters, autographs, documents, manuscripts



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Unless otherwise indicated the image is of the most significant part of the object
Pugin's lost drawings for Barry's Houses of Parliament?

BARRY, Sir Charles (1795-1860). Architect of the Houses of Parliament etc.
Autograph Letter Signed to Thomas ?Channon at the office of works, Whitehall, 1 page 4to (oblong, seal-tear), Foley Place, 6 August 1836. Sending a receipt for the 'Drawings of my Design for the new Houses of Parliament', and asking him to return them by the bearer 'if satisfactory'.

The address, on the reverse, bears a note from the recipient that the drawings had been delivered to Barry's messenger 'in the Case, locked & sealed'.

It would appear that the drawings referred to, twenty-one in number, were those of Barry's successful submission for the contract to build the new Houses of Parliament following the disastrous fire of 1834. Oxford DNB records that 'Barry turned to Pugin for the pen-and-ink drawings required for the competition' and that the 'orthograph of Barry's competition drawings (now lost) was Pugin's'. Barry himself was more skilled with the pencil than the pen, which was required for the competition entries.
[No: 25698]


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