Thomas & William Cubitt’s tender for UCL’s buildings

William Wilkins was engaged to design UCL’s [then University of London] new premises after an architectural competition.

Cost was clearly a key factor.

It is interesting to note that Wilkins used some of the roster of known contractors [Thomas Cubitt & Spicer Crow], who had tendered for the Downing College building in 1818 as well as carrying over support from John Peter Gandy and Lewis Wyatt also appears to have been involved at various stages.

The following italicised text is extracted and adapted from Amy Spencer’s PhD thesis University College London: an architectural history, 1825–1939 pg. 84.

Wilkins began to make arrangements for the preparation of working drawings and specifications to inform a competition for tenders. The selected builders were instructed to provide two estimates; the first for the side wings, and the second for the central block.[1]

On 10 September 1826, Wilkins assured Auckland that the competition was ‘likely to be very satisfactory’, yet all hopes were dashed when the tenders were examined.[2]  Eight tenders were received by the Council on 19 September 1826. Even the lowest tender by Henry Lee & Sons exceeded Wilkins and Good’s estimates (£86,000 and £94,980) for the building significantly, along with Wilkins’s estimate (£52,900) for the central block:

Results of the competition for tenders [3]

In what feels like a replay of the London Insinuation saga the designs were not really complete prior to commencement of even the foundations never mind the internals and the structure.

It is likely that the Cubitt brothers price was quite realistic and one he felt that he could stick to.

Barmah’s iron foundry, in Pimlico, is also a recurring theme.

The work of casting the ceiling girders for the lecture theatres was handed to Bramah & Sons, a reputable firm of ironworkers based in Pimlico.[4] The youngest of the Bramah sons is thought to have trained as an architect under Wilkins, and the company had produced railings for Wilkins at Norwich Gaol.[5]

The references have been extracted from Amy Spencer’s PhD thesis “University College London: an architectural history, 1825–1939”

1] UCL/SC, UCLCA/CORR, No. 1167/12, Regulations for competing builders.

2] UCL/SC, UCLCA/CORR, No. 15, Auckland to Coates, 10/09/1826.

3] UCL/SC, UCLCA/3/1/1, 19/09/1826.

4] UCL/SC, UCLCA/CORR, No. 534; UCLCA/3/1/1, Appendix 23, 01/11/1827: Skempton et al., pp.70–1.

5] Ian McNeil, Joseph Bramah: A Century of Invention, 1749–1851 (Newton Abbot, 1968), p.186: Nikolaus Pevsner and Bill Wilson, Norfolk 1: Norwich and North-East (New Haven and London, 2002), pp.259–60. 198 UCL/SC, UCLCA/C