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Art gallery and mausoleum. 1811-14, repaired and partly rebuilt after severe World War II damage, reopening in 1953.
MATERIALS: yellow brick with stone dressings; C20 glazed lantern roof.
PLAN: E-plan comprising sequence of galleries with a mausoleum on the central axis, flanked by small almshouses (converted to galleries late C19) between projecting wings all in severe neo-Greek style. Stone base course and stone frieze and flat cornice continuous around entire building.
EXTERIOR: main west front of 2 storeys, 9 main bays. Projecting mausoleum in centre; cruciform plan, 2 stages. Doors in round-arched recesses to each of 3 short arms. Paired, brick angle pilasters support break-front stone entablature, crowned by a stone sarcophagus above each door. 2nd stage a square stone chamber with large leaded windows on all 4 sides. Segmental pediments on square podium above, with urns at corners and urn finial in centre. Interior of mausoleum entrance uses Greek Doric order with shallow dome. Lantern above 'chancel' suppported on arcades. Flanking mausoleum on west front an inner section of 3 round-headed windows in round-arched recesses, with a blank recess at either side and stone cornice over. Windowless 1st-floor well set back, with recessed panels. Projecting 1-bay end sections with segmental-headed blank window on both floors, that on ground floor in segmental-arched recess, between coupled brick angle pilasters. Moulded band at 1st-floor sills. Key pattern to frieze above windows. East front in similar style with entrance hall on axis. Same motifs used with slight variation on east, north and south elevations. Recessed 3-bay sections flanking entrance are copper-roofed. Key pattern to frieze at centre and outer sections. Chimney stacks with Soanean antefixae.
INTERIOR: not inspected.
HISTORICAL NOTE: the first public art gallery in England, founded by Sir Francis Bourgeois. Much of collection brought together by art-dealer for King Stanislas of Poland, Noel.
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