SION HousE, which Mr Adam, in 1762 began to fit up for the Duke of Northumberland, consists of a square of old buildings new modelled, within which he intro duced a magnificent circular saloon. The external dimen sions of the square, exclusive of the towers at the angles, are 163x 140 ; the breadth over the walls of the entrance side is 38 feet ; on the right hand side 28, on the left hand side 24, and the side opposite to the entrance 40 feet. The hall is 49.3X30, exclusive of a circular re cess at one end, and a square one at the other ; on the right hand of the hall is a square anti-room 39.4X26, with a peristyle of insulated columns; on the left hand is an anti-room of an elliptical shape, with 4 columns attached to the walls. The buildings on the right hand side of the square are occupied by the great dining-room 62X22, including a semicircular recess at each end, di vided of by columns, and a drawing-room 44.6x22. On the left hand side of the square there is a private eating room 32.6x28 ; a great staircase 29x20 ; a bedroom, anti-room, and dressing-room. One half of the breadth of the fourth side is occupied by a fine staircase, with private rooms for the Duke on each side of it ; the other half is wholly occupied by a gallery 130X14.6, besides the towers at the angles, and a break in the middle. This last feature is purely in the style of Spalatro. The sa loon, which occupies the interior square, consists of two circles, the inner 50 feet, the outer one 70 in diameter ; the inner is pierced by eight openings, each fitted with columns, and the piers with niches ; the outer has four openings with columns, and the spaces between them are filled with niches and square recesses, placed alternately, as in the Pantheon at Rome.—The exterior of this cir cular saloon being inscribed in a square, leaves four tri angular courts, which arc very convenient for affording light to the interior apartments of a great mass of build ing. The passage from the hall into this saloon, and from thence through well contrived entrances and a fine staircase into this extensive gallery, is certainly for mag nificence, as proper an arrangement as can be well imagi ned ; and this is, in some measure, heightened by the irre gularity of the floors which the architect found in the old buildings ; but it is at the same time obvious, that for want of passages, the apartments are still too much tho roughfares ; and judging from the plan in Mr Adam's book, there is some difficulty in conceiving by what means there is any communication between the great (lining room and the kitchen. Water closets are placed in dif ferent parts of this extensive plan ; a couvcniency un known to the architects of former times. The delicacy
of the interim finishings and furniture is equally novel in a British dwelling.
In 1767, Mr Adam was employed by the Eall of Mans field, then chief justice of the King's Bench, to new mo del, and make additions to, his mansion at KENWOOD. In this work the principle of thoroughfare apartments is abandoned, the hall is 31 x21 ; great stair 27x 14 ; the total length of the library is 61 feet, the square part is 36X2:2 : this last, which was wholly new, is a noble apart ment ; each end is formed into a semicircle, and filled with book cases; these ends being divided of by columns, leaves the middle in a square form. The entrance is through one of the circular ends : along one side of the square part, are three large windows ; on the other side is the chimney, with an arched recess on each side of it : the ceiling is a plain trunk arch considerably below a semicircle. In the inside finishing of this room Mr Adam produced a specimen of what he wished to introduce into British mansions. The chimney, besides a delicately fluted architrave, has, on each side, a slender pilaster, richly ornamented in the pannels ; an enriched tablet oc cupies the centre of the frieze ; and on each side are a couple of sphinxes, with an altar between them : over the chimney is a large pannel, surrounded by an archi trave similar to that of the chimney, and in it a portrait of Lord Mansfield, in his robes : the arched recesses have delicate ornaments, very light and airy ; a sofa stands in each. The book-eases arc divided by enriched pilasters like those at the recesses, and over them, there are at each end pannels with suitable classical devices, repre sented by elegant figures in the Greek taste. The co lumns which divide off these book-cases, are fluted Co rinthian, standing upon the floor, and with their entabla ture reaching to the springing of the arched ceiling. This entablature altogether does not exceed diameter, the architrave occupies the -I- only, and the frieze and cornice being diameter each ; the frieze is enriched with lions and the heads of deer, in allusion to the family arms ; the cornice has all the members except the co rona enriched. The ceiling has first a bordering of ho ney suckles and similar flowers ; the rest is distributed into delicate pannelling, diversified by square, oblong, circular and elliptical forms: in the middle of some of these are painted devices, in the other parts are stucco enrichments in the lightest grotesque style, and the whole was relieved by painting the grounds of the pannels and friezes ; so that in this room the new mode was com pletely established.