The Boy's School.

THE BOY'S SCHOOL .

LONDON , SATURDAY , JULY 25 , 1863 .

The 8 th of August has been fixed xrpon to lay the foundation stone of the new school-house at "Wood Green . Somewhat prematurely , in our opinion , as up to the present time the design has not been determined on ; and it is surely something like the old adage of putting the cart before the horse , to

determine upon laying the foundation-stone before approving and settling the design . It is true there has been a five days' exhibition of some thirty designs , the large majority of which were creditable to the exhibitors , and fairly provided for the requirements of the

school , but the elevation of the greater portion Avas far too pretentious , being adorned by towers and minarets of no possible use , but to increase the expense of the erection ; and the result is that after having selected six designs from which the final

selection was the made , the Committee find , on consulting competent authorities , that the expenditure would be far too great , and we are told that six other plainer designs are to be selected , and the expenditure is spoken of as £ 12 , 000 or £ 15 , 000 , instead of £ 8 , 000 , as originally proposed—nearly the whole of which has vet to be raised .

That the fete consequent upon laying the foundation-stone will be brilliantly attended , and a large sum by means of ladies' purses and otherwise , added to the funds , we have no doubt , but we cannot hel p thinking that it would have been better , " before its appointment , that some well digested plan of the

building should have been agreed upon , and contracts entered into for its completion . As it is , however we wish the committee every success in their endeavours to find our boys a fitting home . The following remarks on the late competition are from the Builder ¦ —

_ The present school-house accommodation being insufficient , the committee have determined to erect a neAV and commodious building , where a hundred boys may be trained and educated to fit them to perforin the duties of life . In May last they offered three premiums , £ 70 , £ 50 , and £ 30 , and invited architects to submit designs in competition . In response , about thirty sets were sent in , mostly creditable

good , productions ; and these have been exhibited during the week in Freemasons' Hall , Great Queen-street . Each set of designs had ample spice , and the whole arrangement was satisfactory . The requirements include a school-room , comprising an area of about 1100 feet superficial ; tAvo class-rooms , comprising an area of not less than 300 feet superficial each

; adining-room , capable of dining 100 boys at least ; a committee-room , comprising an area of not less than 400 feet superficial ; dormitaries to contain from 100 to 110 beds ; an infirmary , to contain not less than 10 beds in addition to those above mentioned , and all the necessary offices for conducting such an establishment ; an underground tank for the rain Avater , to contain not less than 3000 gallons , aud an underground manure tank , to contain not less than 4000 gallons . The engineers' work comprises patent heating apparatus to oven ; Steven ' s

patent bread machinery ; the cooking apparatus for the kitchen and other departments generally , including the heating-apparatus for the baths , drying-room , & c , also the apparatus for heating the corridors , passages , and staircases with hot-water pipes or otherwise ; the lighting of the establishment with gas , including the requisite pipes , meter , burners , & c , complete ; an ample water

supply , with the various tanks , cisterns , pipes , cocks , & c , throughout ; the services to the sinks , water-closets , and urinals ; and a perfect system of drainage communicating " with the main service . The " instructions " went into more minute particulars than usual , and the problem left to the competitors to solve was not very difficult .

The amount of expenditure named was £ 8000 , but we are told this was not made a stipulation . If it were , our observations should have a different tone . IToremost amongst the designs which attract attention is the set marked " L'Union fait la Force , " though we cannot praise the author for adopting the motto of the successful design for the new Freemasons' Hall . The

apartments are disposed round a large open court , with plunge bath in centre . The style adopted is free Gothic ; the openings have semi-circular arches , Avith pointed labels above them . A lofty bell spiret , on the roof of the central buildings , has a top-heavy effect in the drawing , but would be less so in execution . The plan seems a very good one . The dormitories are continuousAlthough

, perfectly plain and simple , the external appearance is effective and characteristic . The set marked " Let it be done well , " would seem , if we judge from circumstances , to have some special friends amongst the Craft . The style adopted is very violent Elizabethan , with orders of pilasters , story above story;—in the centre no fewer than

five . The ground plan is defective , inasmuch as the corridors would be dark , and some of the rooms depend for light on a small court . The bedroom plans , four dormitories around central staircase , are cleverly managed . The cost would probably be nearly double the sum named by the committee . "Faith " has an ordinary Italian elevation , open to criticism , especially in respect to the

arrangement of windoAvs and string-courses . The objection to be urged to the plan is , that the kitchens are so far from the dining-rooms that the inconvenience would be too great to be put up with . " In hoc signo vincimus , " with red and blue interlaced triangle , is a very good design ; style , domestic Gothic , Avith toAver . Longdormitories provide respectively for forty beds and thirty

beds each . " Knowledge is PoAver , " marks a clever elevation , Gothic in style , and a thoughtful plan—spread out . " Integritas " has considerable claims on attention ; the elevation is handsome , free Gothic in style , and the plan is compact . The corridors , however , as in too many of the designs , would be dark , and the windows in the dormitory Avould not ventilate the upper part of it .

" Faith " must be described , both in respect of plan and elevation ( red brick and stone ) , as "disorderly . " "In veritate Victoria" has some good points in the plan , and the author of it has done Avhat cannot be said of the others more likely in consequence to stand first , viz ., restricted himself to the sum named . " Utility " is an artist-like designtoo suggestive of the asylum at

Snares-, brook . The design marked " Tria Juncta in Hno " has considerable merit ; and " Exemplar" should certainly stand amongst the best six ; the plan being very good . The finished elevations , Tudor and Roman , are commonplace , but one of the alternative sketches would make a handsome building .

The six designs originally fixed upon were those of the " Integritas , " "TUnion fait la force , " "Faith , " " Let it be Avell done , " " Knowledge is power , " and "Veritas ; " but those , we are informed must give way foi others of plainer design , but how the premiums are to be adjudged we have not heard . "