Wren’s Superfluous Columns
The story of the Guildhall in Windsor, England, is a nice one, regardless of how much of it is true, and how much of it is well-kept local legend.
Sir Christopher Wren took over the task of constructing the Guildhall from Sir Thomas Fitz who had started work on it in 1687 and died two years later. The construction called for a covered outdoor area which Wren claimed would only need supporting columns on the outer edge. The Windsor town council were more than doubtful and forced him to build columns despite his claim. Wren conceded but cheekily made the columns too short, which to this day do not reach the ceiling.
