EXPO2000 ::The London World Exposition 1862::

Alphonse Esquiros: On the Exhibition Building

The shape of the building received criticism from all quarters: as indicated by the origin of the word itself (monere), every monument should be the expression of an idea, but that of the building in South Kensington could just as easily be used for a railway station, a military barracks or a model prison. (...) As far as the aesthetic aspects of its architecture are concerned, the interior is greatly to be preferred to the exterior. I do not mean by this that it is irreproachable, however; but the naves, which stretch from one dome-covered space to the other, even though they are supported by iron columns that are far too slender, impress one by their size and by their titanic boldness, which are in healthy proportion to the intellectual gifts of the English and to the event being celebrated. It was, I believe, impossible to enter without being gripped by a profound and solemn sensation.
From: Revue des Deux Mondes.
Vol. 40, 1862, pp. 50-90, here p. 62.

Year: 1862	City: London	Country: Great Britain
Duration: 1st May - 1st November 1862