| Curwen Press: | not known |
| Curwen Press: | not known |
[1]2r
[whole page printed in green] THE LAYING OF THE FOUNDATION STONE OF THE NEW CHAMBER OF THE HOUSE OF COMMONS BY THE SPEAKER 26TH MAY 1948
[3]3v
By order of the Speaker twenty-four copies of this book were printed on hand-made paper for presentation to His Majesty the King, the Library of the House of Commons and those who took part in the ceremony. The text was printed for H. M. Stationery Office by the Curwen Press Ltd., Plaistow, E.13, and the photographs were reproduced by collotype at the Chiswick Press, New Southgate, London, N.11. October 1948
[1]4 [2]6 -[2]6 [3]4; Note: [2]6 had been cancelled, possibly by the Speaker; I do not know what text it bore if any.
[4] 1-11 [12-4] 15-9 [+3].
Crown 2o: 14½" × 9½", trimmed. top edge gilt white wove, no mark; 22(+8)pt. Baskerville; collotype illustrations in [3]; casing, green buckram, gold-blocked down spine: ‘Foundation Stone of the New Chamber of the House of Commons’, and on upper cover: ‘[4-rule border, then in centre an oval of printers' flowers, 3¼" high × 2¾" wide, with lettering inside] The Laying of the Foundation Stone of the new Chamber of the HOUSE OF COMMONS 1948’ and on lower cover: ‘[4-rule border, then in centre a block: portcullis and chains, indicating Westminster]’; tissue wrapper.
On 10/May/1941, on the last night of 'The Blitz', the Chamber of the House of Commons was completely destroyed by German incendiary bombs. For the rest of the Second World War the Commons met in the Lords' chamber. In 1943 Douglas Clifton Brown M.P. (later Viscount Ruffside) was elected Speaker to succeed Edward A. FitzRoy; In the 1948 rebuilding he made the arrangements for the laying of the new Foundation Stone, using this mock-up as a proof, marking his alterations on it, and signing on verso of front free endleaf "D. Clifton Brown, Speaker".
The B.M. accessioned this mock-up 9/Apr/1948. Its stamp is green, indicating donation, B.L.'s Corporate Archive kindly confirmed that the donor was Speaker Clifton Brown at a later date after the ceremony.
The Speaker's approved text was then printed; at the time of the ceremony the King was George VI. The text of the mock-up differs from the B.L. copy ZFda described below.
Robin Phillips, 1963, revised 6/Aug/2018
| British Library: | C.99.l.19 |
[1]2r
[whole page printed in green] THE LAYING OF THE FOUNDATION STONE OF THE NEW CHAMBER OF THE HOUSE OF COMMONS BY THE SPEAKER 26TH MAY 1948
[3]3v
By order of the Speaker twenty-four copies of this book were printed on hand-made paper for presentation to His Majesty the King, to the Library of the House of Commons and to those who took part in the ceremony. Printed for H. M. Stationery Office at the Curwen Press, Plaistow, E.13, 1948
[1]4 [2]6 [3]4.
[6] 1-11 [+3].
Crown 2o: 14½" × 9½", trimmed. top edge gilt white laid, no mark; 22(+8)pt. Baskerville; 10 collotype illustrations in [3]; casing, green buckram, gold-blocked up spine: ‘FOUNDATION STONE OF THE NEW CHAMBER OF THE HOUSE OF COMMONS’, and on upper cover: ‘[in centre an oval of printers' flowers, 3¼" high × 2¾" wide, with lettering inside] The Laying of the Foundation Stone of the new Chamber of the HOUSE OF COMMONS 1948’ and on lower cover: ‘[in centre a block: portcullis and chains, indicating Westminster]’; tissue wrapper; 10 collotypes in envelope inside back cover.
Comparing the wordings of the Colophon and spine lettering in ZFd and ZFda suggests that the former was prepared by Curwen Press for submission to the Speaker, who then made the changes which were embodied in the version ZFda later printed. Note also the month of the ceremony changed from May to October.
Robin Phillips, 1997, revised 6/Aug/2018
