The Law Regulating Streets and Buildings in the Metropolis Under the London Building Act, 1894

from the level of the floor; and except that the former rule required the height of every other than the topmost storey to be the clear height of such storey exclusive of the thickness of the floor. With regard to the height of habitable rooms, see sect. 70, ante, p. 134. The expression 'topmost storey' is defined by sect. 5 (14), ante, p. 16, and what are the ground storey, the basement storey, and the first storey by subsects. 11, 12, and 13 of the same section respectively, see ante, pp. 16 and 17. The 'tie of a roof is the beam which connects the ends of the rafters and prevents them from thrusting out the walls.

57 & 58 Vict. Sch. I. Prel. rr. 7-9.

external and party walls.

7. For the purpose of determining the thickness of a wall Height of the height of such wall shall be measured from the base of the wall to the top of the topmost storey whether such wall is carried to the full height or not or in case of a gable when there are no storeys in the roof to half the height of the gable.

Height of external and party walls.-What are external and what are party walls is defined by subsects. 15 and 16 of sect. 5, ante, p. 17, respectively. The expression 'height' in relation to a building is defined by subsect. 21 of the same section, ante, p. 22; and the expression 'base' as applied to a wall is defined by subsect. 10 of that section, ante, p. 15.

8. Walls are deemed to be divided into distinct lengths by Length of walls. return walls and the length of every wall is measured from the centre of one return wall to the centre of another provided that such return walls are external party or cross walls of the thickness required under this Schedule and bonded into the walls so deemed to be divided.

Length of walls.-This rule is the same as the corresponding rule in the Act of 1855, except that it necessarily refers to the thicknesses required by the present schedule. As to return walls, see the note under the heading Construction of walls,' ante, p. 306. The expression cross wall' is defined by sect. 5 (17), ante, p. 20.

9. Unless with the consent of the Council every wall other Footings of wall. than a wall carried on a bressummer shall have footings :The projection of the bottom of the footing of every wall on each side of the wall shall be at least equal to one half of the thickness of the wall at its base unless an adjoining wall interferes in which case the projection may be omitted where that wall adjoins and the diminution of the footing of every wall shall be formed in regular offsets and the height from the bottom of such footing to the base of the wall shall be at the least equal to two thirds of the thickness of the wall at its base.

Footings of walls.-There was no express provision in the Act of 1855, requiring any walls to have footings. The present rule is otherwise the same as the corresponding rule under that Act, except that it allows of a wall being built without footings on the side where an adjoining wall interferes with it having footings on that side. This exception has reference to the power given to the district surveyor to allow the footings of an external wall built against another external wall to be omitted on the side next to such other external wall, see sect. 87, ante, p. 163. The present rule, it will be seen, requires the height from the bottom of the footing to the base of the wall to be equal to at least two-thirds of the thickness of the wall at its base instead of one-half of such thickness as

57 & 58 Vict. Sch. I. Prel.

rr. 10, II. Pt. I. r. I.

Underpinning.

Thickening of wall.

was required by the former rule. What is the base of a wall is defined by sect. 5 (10), ante, p. 15.

Under the corresponding rule in the Act of 1855, a District Surveyor required the builder of a new church to make the footings double the width of the proposed walls, and for omitting to do so laid an information against him, and a magistrate made an order under sect. 46 of that Act, the corresponding enactment to sect. 153, ante, p. 243, of the present Act, requiring the builder to comply with the requisition :-Held that the order was bad, as a church was a public building, and exempted by sect. 30 (see sect. 78, ante, p. 150) from the operation of the rules of construction in schedule 1 of that Act; Reg. v. Carruthers, 33 L. J. M. C. 107; 9 L. T. (N.S.) 825; 10 Jur. (N.s.) 767; 12 W. R. 372; 4 B. & S. 804.

10. The underpinning of walls and chimneys shall be built with brick or stone bedded in cement to the full thickness of the old wall or work and with proper footings or to an additional thickness if the increased height of the wall so requires and shall rest on the solid ground or on concrete or on other solid substructure as a foundation and the whole shall be executed to the satisfaction of the district surveyor. Underpinning. This rule is new.

11. A wall shall not be thickened except after notice served on the district surveyor of the intention to thicken and the thickening shall be executed with brick or stone work in cement properly bonded to the old work to the satisfaction of the district surveyor.

Thickening of walls.--This rule is also new.

PART I.

BUILDING NOT PUBLIC AND not of the WAREHOUSE Class.

External and party walls shall be of not less thickness than the thickness herein-after specified in each case viz :

Note. These rules correspond with the rules under the Metropolitan Building Act, 1855, for the walls of dwelling-houses, which have now been made directly applicable to all buildings not of the warehouse class. instead of, as in the former Act, such buildings being made, as respects the thickness of their walls, subject to the rules given for dwelling-houses. Buildings of the warehouse class are dealt with in Part II., post. Where the present rules differ from the former rules they have been printed in italics, and the difference explained in the notes to the rules. In addition to such notes the diagrams on Plates XI. to XVII., in Appendix V., post, will be found to illustrate the different thicknesses of walls required by the following rules. All the rules are subject to the general observation that a distinction is now made between walls comprising not more than and walls comprising more than two storeys. Presumably this means walls of buildings comprising either not more than or more than two storeys.

1. When the wall does not exceed twenty-five feet in height its thickness shall be as follows:

If the wall does not exceed thirty feet in length and does not comprise more than two storeys it shall be eight and a half inches thick for its whole height;

If the wall exceeds thirty feet in length or comprises more

than two storeys it shall be thirteen inches thick below 57 & 58 Vict. the topmost storey and eight and a half inches thick Sch. I., Pt. I. for the rest of its height.

Note. The previous rule was practically the same as the present rule. See as to the present rule Diagram I. on Plate XI., Appendix V., post.

2. Where the wall exceeds twenty-five feet but does not exceed forty feet in height its thickness shall be as follows:If the wall does not exceed thirty-five feet in length it shall be thirteen inches thick below the topmost storey and eight and a half inches thick for the rest of its height;

If the wall exceeds thirty-five feet in length it shall be seventeen and a half inches thick for the height of one storey then thirteen inches thick for the rest of its height below the topmost storey and eight and a half inches thick for the rest of its height.

Note. Under the previous Act a difference was made between walls not exceeding 30 feet in height and walls not exceeding 40 feet in height; the present rule, it will be seen, treats both classes of walls alike. See Diagram II., Plate XI., Appendix V., post.

3. When the wall exceeds forty feet but does not exceed fifty feet in height its thickness shall be as follows:

If the wall does not exceed thirty feet in length it shall be seventeen and a half inches thick for the height of one storey then thirteen inches thick for the rest of its height below the topmost storey and eight and a half inches thick for the rest of its height;

If the wall exceeds thirty feet but does not exceed forty-five feet in length it shall be seventeen and a half inches thick for the height of two storeys then thirteen inches thick for the rest of its height;

If the wall exceeds forty-five feet in length it shall be twenty-one inches and a half thick for the height of one storey then seventeen and a half inches thick for the height of the next storey and then thirteen inches thick for the rest of its height.

Note.--The present rule differs from the former rule in that it requires in the case of walls not exceeding 30 feet in length, that they shall be 173 inches thick for the height of one storey, whereas the old rule only required 13 inches in thickness up to the topmost storey; and in the case of walls exceeding 35 feet but not exceeding 45 feet in length, the thickness of 17 inches is required for the height of two storeys instead of one, and the rest of the wall is required to be 13 inches thick, instead of that thickness being required only below the topmost storey. See Diagram III., Plate XI., Appendix V., post.

4. Where the wall exceeds fifty feet but does not exceed sixty feet in height its thickness shall be as follows:

If the wall does not exceed forty-five feet in length it shall

be seventeen and a half inches thick for the height of
two storeys and thirteen inches thick for the rest of its
height;

rr. 2-4.

57 & 58 Vict. Sch. I., Pt. I. rr. 5, 6.

If the wall exceeds forty-five feet in length it shall be twenty-one inches and a half thick for the height of one storey then seventeen and a half inches thick for the height of the next two storeys and then thirteen inches thick for the rest of its height.

Note. The present rule divides the classes of walls within it into two classes only, those not exceeding and those exceeding 45 feet in length, whereas the old rule divided such walls into three classes, viz. those not exceeding 30 feet in length, those over 30 feet and not exceeding 50 feet in length, and those over 50 feet in length.

Now it will be seen that all walls not exceeding 45 feet in length are required to be 17 inches thick for the height of two storeys, whereas this thickness was previously only required for the height of one storey in the case of walls not exceeding 30 feet in length. See Diagram IV., Plate XI., Appendix V., post.

5. Where the wall exceeds sixty feet but does not exceed seventy feet in height its thickness shall be as follows:If the wall does not exceed forty-five feet in length it shall be twenty-one inches and a half thick for the height of one storey then seventeen and a half inches thick for the height of the next two storeys and then thirteen inches thick for the rest of its height;

If the wall exceeds forty-five feet in length it shall be increased in thickness in each of the storeys below the uppermost two storeys by four inches and a half (subject to the provision in this Schedule respecting distribution in piers).

Note. The previous rule divided the classes of walls coming within it into those up to 40 feet in length, those up to 55 feet in length, and those over 55 feet in length. The present rule divides them into walls up to 45 feet in length and walls over that length, and requires a greater thickness for the height of three storeys than that previously prescribed.

It is to be presumed that the increase required in the case of walls exceeding 45 feet in length is an increase upon the thickness required in the case of walls not exceeding 45 feet in length and coming within the present rule. The provisions respecting the distribution of the thickness of a wall in piers referred to are contained in Rule 3 of the part of this schedule headed Miscellaneous,' post. See Diagram V., Plate XII., Appendix V., post.

6. Where the wall exceeds seventy feet but does not exceed eighty feet in height its thickness shall be as follows:If the wall does not exceed forty-five feet in length it shall be twenty-one inches and a half thick for the height of one storey then seventeen and a half inches thick for the height of the next three storeys and thirteen inches thick for the rest of its height;

Note.-Walls coming within this rule were under the old rule divided into those which did not exceed 40 feet in length, those which did not

exceed 60 feet in length, and those which exceeded 60 feet in length. The present rule applies to the provisions of the old rule regulating the width of walls not exceeding 40 feet in length to walls not exceeding 45 feet in length, with this alteration, that such walls are now required to be 17 inches thick for three storeys, instead of two storeys above the first storey as previously required. With regard to walls exceeding 45 feet in length, the present rule requires a greater thickness. The provisions respecting distribution of thickness of walls in piers are contained in Rule 3 of the rules headed Miscellaneous,' post. See Diagram VI., Plate XII., Appendix VII., post.

7. Where the wall exceeds eighty feet but does not exceed ninety feet in height its thickness shall be as follows:If the wall does not exceed forty-five feet in length it shall be twenty-six inches thick for the height of one storey then twenty-one inches and a half thick for the height of the next storey then seventeen and a half inches thick for the height of the next three storeys and then thirteen inches thick for the rest of its height;

Note.-Walls within this class are divided into those up to 45 feet in length and those over that length, whereas the previous division was into walls the length of which did not exceed 45 feet, those which did not exceed 70 feet, and those which exceeded 70 feet. Walls not exceeding 45 feet in length are required by the present rule to be 26 inches thick for the height of one storey, 21 inches thick for the next storey, and 17 inches for the next three storeys, instead of 21 inches thick for the first two storeys, 17 inches thick for the next two storeys, and 13 inches thick for the remainder of the wall.

For the provisions respecting the distribution of the thickness of walls in piers, see Rule 3 of the Miscellaneous Rules, post. See also with regard to this rule, Diagram VII., Plate XII., Appendix V., post.

8. Where the wall exceeds ninety feet but does not exceed one hundred feet in height its thickness shall be as follows:If the wall does not exceed forty-five feet in length it shall be twenty-six inches thick for the height of one storey then twenty-one inches and a half thick for the height of the next two storeys then seventeen and a half inches thick for the height of the next three storeys and then thirteen inches thick for the rest of its height;

Note. Under the corresponding rule in the former Act walls within this class were divided into walls of a length up to 45 feet, walls of a length up to 80 feet, and walls of a greater length than 80 feet. Now there are only two divisions, those up to 45 feet and those over that length. In the first division walls are now required to be 26 inches thick for the

57 & 58 Vict. Sch. I., Pt. I. rr. 7, 8.

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The Law Regulating Streets and Buildings in the Metropolis Under the London ...