Plate VIII. Circular Plans Disposed for Internal Effect

Plate VIII. — These circular motives are taken from plans which are set out with a view to obtaining internal vistas along axial lines, and they are suitable for points of interest in the arrangement of interiors. In such cases the domical covering is not necessarily expressed externally and the circular plan is enclosed within walls which become square so as to conform with the adjacent rooms. No. I is the simplest type, with light admitted through an “eye” at the crown of a coffered dome: in No. II pairs of columns are attached to the walls and carry an entablature, while in No. III columns stand free in front of recesses alternating with wide piers, producing an effective arrangement. In some cases it is necessary to continue the circular plan through two or more storeys, by means of a gallery or galleries, leaving a circular “well” in the centre. In No. IV the simplest way of achieving this is represented, and in No. V a circular range of columns is disposed on two floors, carrying a domical covering over the central “well” only.