“Dear Sir,—Permit me to thank you for the satisfaction of having seen that curious monument of English antiquity, St. Stephen’s Chapel, Westminster, when the ancient architecture and painting were discovered by the removal of the modern wainscot, which formed the interior of the House of Commons.
“Notwithstanding this branch of antiquity has never been my particular pursuit, I am highly gratified to see such materials in the general history of art rescued from oblivion by publication, for which, Sir, we are indebted to your zeal and industry, as some of the interesting pictures were effaced soon after their discovery, by ignorant curiosity; in addition to the careless and ruinous manner in which the discovery itself was made, of which circumstances I complained to several persons on the spot, particularly to the Rev. Mr. Brand,[291] Secretary to the Antiquarian Society.
“As the best testimony I can give to the fidelity and ability of your publication, give me leave to subscribe my name for a copy of the work, and to offer such assistance as I can give, in general observations on the arts of design, when St. Stephen’s Chapel was in its splendour.
“I remain, dear Sir, with great regard, your much obliged
“John Flaxman.”
The admission of one hundred additional members into the House of Commons, arising from the union with Ireland, obliged Mr. Wyatt to cut away the side-walls of the room internally, in order to make recesses for two extra benches.[292]
THE OLD HOUSE OF COMMONS