S'S-^*cMlSTT>\tf c I OUR RAMBLES IN OLD LONDON I'UINTRD I!V SPOTTISUOODE AND CO., NEW-STREET SQUARE LONDON OUR RAMBLES IN OLD LONDON BY E. S. MACHELL SMITH 'C'est chez toi qu'il est doux de vivre, C'est chez toi que je veux mourir' Sainte-Bf.itve NEW AND CHEAPER ISSUE LONDON SAMPSON LOW, MARSTON & COMPANY LIMITED ' On summer Sundays, in the gentle rain or the bright sunshine — either deepening the idleness of the idle city — I have sat, in that singular silence which belongs to resting- places usually astir, in scores of buildings at the heart of the world's metropolis, unknown to far greater numbers of people speaking the English tongue than the ancient edifices of the Eternal City, or the Pyramids of Egypt. The dark vestries into which I have peeped, and the little hemmed-in churchyards that have echoed to my feet, have left im- pressions on my memory as distinct and quaint as any it has in that way received ' Dickens : The Uncommercial Traveller CONTENTS I'IRST WALK TAGE Crosl)y Hall — St. Helen's, Bishopsgate — St. Giles, Crip|)legate — St. Bartlioloniew's the Gieal — Cloth Fair — Smithfielil — Charterhouse Square — The Old Charterhouse ....... 3 SECOND WALK St. .Saviour's, Souihwark^White Hart Inn— Tabard Inn — The George Inn— The Queen's Head — The .Marshalsea — .St. ( ieorge's Church Bankside — .St. James's, Garlickliithc — Skinners' Hall — London Stone . 31 THIRIJ WALK Clcrkenwell — St. John's Gale — St. John's Church — Clerkenwell Session House— .St. James's Church — Lanil/s House, Islington- Canonbur) . . 53 I'OUKTII WALK Fishmongers' Hal! Si. Magnus i'udding Lane— .St. .Mary's at Hill -The Monument Fish Street Hill — St. .Mary Axe— .St. .\ndre\s's Undershaft — a Vlll CONTENTS I'AGE Crosby Square — St. Ethclbmga, IJishopsgate -- St. Botolph, Bisliopsgate— Paul Pindar's House— Tlic Tenters — IJcvis Marks — St. Kathcrine Crec -Holy Trinity, Minories— AUhallows Staining— St. Olave's, Hart Street -(Jate of tlic Dead— AUhal- lows, Barking ....... 77 FIFTH WALK Staple Inn —Barnard's Inn — Furnivars Inn— Old Bell — Brook Street — Gray's Inn — Lincoln's Inn — Soane's Museum — Rolls Chapel — Clifford's Inn — Record Office — Moravian Chapel . . . .113 SIXTH WALK Guildhall — St. Lawrence, Jewry — St. Mary Alderman- bury— Brewers' Hall, Addle Street— Milk Street— St. Mary-le-Bow, Cheapside— Gate of the Dead, Coleman Street — St. Margaret, Lothbury — Dra- jiers' Hall and Garden — Throgmorton Street — iKustin Friars — Old Broad Street — Birch's — St, Peter's, CornhiU — St. Michael's, Cornhill— St. Stephen's, Walbrook 13 j Index ro Places 163 Index to Person.s 167 LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS I'AGE MAP OK FIRST WALK 2 OLD HOUSE IN CLOTH FAIR 17 OLD DINING HALL, CHARTERHOUSE ... 25 MAP OF SECOND WALK 30 THE geor(;e inn, >outiiwakk . • • • 39 MAP OF OLD LONDON 45 MAP OF THIRI> WALK 52 ST. JOHN'S (;ATL, CLKRKKNWELl 55 I HARLES LAMIf's HOUSE, ISLINGTON, IN 1SS4 67 MAP OF FOIKTII WALK . . . . . . 76 FISH.MONGERs' ILM.L IN 1817, REBUILT 183O 7S JOHN STOWE 8H <;ATE OF THE DEAD, SEETHING LANE . . I06 .MAP OF FIFTH WALK 112 STAPLE INN, HOLIIORN I15 <;ate OF «;ray's inn <;arden 122 .MAP OF SIXIH WALK ...... I32 HKEWER.S' HALL, ADDLE STRKLI, IN 1S3I . . . I45 ItOW CHURCH, CHEAPSIDE 150 FIRST WALK ' I have seen the West End, the parks, the fine squares, hut I love the City far better. The City seems so much more in earnest : its business, its rush, its roar, are such serious things, sights, sounds. The City is getting its living ; the West Knd but enjoying its pleasures. In the West End you may he amused, but in the City you are deeply e.xcited. C. Bkontk : Villette. ChnrlpT MAP OI'' I'lRST WALK. FIRST WALK Crosby Hall- St. Helen's, Bishopsgale— St. Giles, Cripple- gate— St. Bartholomew's the Great— Cloth Fair— Smith- field— Charterhouse Square— The Old Charterhouse. t2^^^^> our friend B. was not at lil)crty till 9 after two o'clock, we had an early ^/\^ luncheon, and then, taking the Under- *^^^^ ground Railway to Bishopsgatc, walked through the passage to Liverpool Street Station to the waiting-room, where we were soon joined by B., and at once started for Crosuy Hall. The first view of this old mansion — described by Hare as ' altogether the most beautiful specimen of domestic architecture remaining in London ' — rather astonished us, for we saw a window full of those appetising viands familiar to the cookshop and restaurant. On entering this ancient city palace we were told to ' walk straight through,' which we accordingly did, and came to the Great Banqueting; Hall. This splendid old room is 54 feel long and 27 feet broad, and has a very fine timber roof ; the great oriel window is filled with I! 2 4 OUR RAMBLES IN OLD LONDON stained glass representing the armorial bearings of the various owners of ' Crosby Place.' On the floor above is the Throne Room, which possesses a most beautiful oriel window ; both apartments arc now used as dining-rooms, the old palace having been converted into one of Messrs. Gordon &: Co.'s restaurants. Though a little come down in the world, we see here the same rooms built so long ago by Sir John Crosby, since which time they have passed through many diversities of fortune. Here, we are told by Sir Thomas More, Richard Duke of Gloucester ' gathered a small court around him,' so that ' little by little all folks drew unto him,' leaving ' King Edward's court desolate.' It was also in the Council Chamber here that a deputation of citizens, headed by the Lord Mayor, offered Richard the crown. In this mansion Sir Thomas More resided for some time, and here he wrote his life of Richard III. In 1522 he sold the place to Bonvisi, an Italian merchant, described by him as his ' dearest friend '- the friend to whom he wrote in charcoal so pathetic a farewell letter from the Tower, the night before his execution. After More's death his devoted daughter, Margaret Roper, longing to return to a spot made sacred to her from having been once the home of her dearly loved father, persuaded her husband to hire it from Bonvisi. There they dwelt till obliged by CROSBY HALL 5 the religious persecutions under Edward VI. to take refuge abroad. In 1594 the place was bought by the rich Mayor Sir John Spenser, and at his house Shakespeare was doubtless a frequent visitor, as we know from the parish assessments that the great dramatist was residing in St. Helen's in a large house in 1598. The place is mentioned by Shakespeare more than once ; first in Richard III. act i. sc. 2, in that wonderful scene where Gloucester meets Anne of Warwick following the corpse of her murdered father-in-law Henry VI., and, after begging her hand in marriage, actually persuades her with his ' serpent tongue ' to allow him to take her place as chief mourner, and to await his return from the funeral at Crosby Hull. GlflUiCiter. And if ihy ])()or devoted servant may But Ixrg one favour at thy gracious hand, Thou dost confirm his hajipiness for ever. Ainu. What is it ? Gloucester. Thai it may please you leave these sad designs To him that hath more cause to he a mourner, And presently repair to Crosby Place. Other allusions also occur, as Richard III. art j. sc. 3, and act iii. sc. i. Sir John Spencer greatly enlarged and ciiibcl- lished the old palace, and it was here thai he re- ceived the French Ambas.sador Rosnv, afterwards 6 OUR RAMP.LES IN OLD LONDON Duke of Sully and Minister to Henry IV. It is of Sir John's daughter, the greatest heiress in England, that Hare tells the following anecdote. Disregard- ing her father's wishes, she allowed iier lover, the Earl of Northampton, disguised as a baker's boy, to carry her away in a covered barrow.' The unsuspecting father, seeing the loaves arrive so punctually, presented the baker's lad with six- pence ! The angry parent did not become recon- ciled to his daughter until after the birth of his first grandchild, to whom he unwittingly became godfather through a clever stratagem of Queen Elizabeth. The Countess Pembroke, ' Sidney's sister,' im- mortalised in Ben Jonson's epitaph, resided here for some time. Underneath this saljle hearse Lies the subject of all verse, Sidney's sister, Pembroke's mother : Death ! ere thou hast slain another Fair and wise and good as she, Time shall throw a dart at thee. Later, for ninety-seven years, the old palace was used as a meeting-house for Nonconformists, then as a warehouse, and lastly, as we now see it, as a restaurant. ' The scene of this elopement is placed by Thornbury at Canonlnuy. Old and New London, vol. ii. p. 269. See T/iird Walk, GREAT ST HELEN S 7 The back of Crosby Hall opens on to a little square called Great St. Helen's. Here, quiet (at least, so we thought till at a more recent date we attempted photographing it) and secluded, stands a church ' with some trees and grass guarded by railings. Finding the gate locked we went round to a side door, before which a man was composedly washing and sorting bottles ! On our ringing the bell we were soon startled by a gruff voice speaking through the keyhole, which informed us we should be let in if wc went back to the iron gate. After opening the gate he left us to our own devices, while he finished showing round two "Merican gentlemen.' The church is full of quaint monuments, the most imposing of which is a miniature mausoleum surrounded by a rail. Here lies the great founder of Bancroft's Hospital^ who seems to have been a man with peculiar ideas. lie desired that for a hundred years, on each anniversary of his death, a loaf and bottle of wine should be placed by him, as he believed he should come to life again. His coffin was made with hinges to allow of his exit, and a candle, tinder-ljox, and the keys of the vault and church were laid near him in readiness. In addition to this, every new master appointed to ' f)pcii daily, Saliinlays excepted, from 11.30 till 3. 8 OUR RAMBLES IN OLD LONDON Bancroft's .school was brought into the mausoleum to see the skeleton of his patron. Beyond this tomb is a door and tlic remains of a staircase leading in former times to the adjoining Priory of Benedictine Nuns —the ' Black Nuns of St. Helen's.' judging by the complaints made against them by the Dean of St. Paul's who visited them in 1439, they appear to have been somewhat wild and unruly ; among other things he begs them to forbear to dance or revel ' except at Christ- masse and other honest tymys of recreacyon &c.,' and then only among themselves, and in the absence of ' seculars in alle wyse.' ' Among the monuments is one to the great Sir Thomas Gresha/n, founder of the Royal Exchange, with the simple inscription: 'Sir Thomas Gresham, knight, buried Dec, 1579.' Just be- hind this tomb, in a beautiful old niche, is the ' Nun's Grate,' through which refractory nuns, confined in the crypt below, could hear a faint echo of the Mass. Another very interesting tomb is that o{ Sir John Crosby and his wife, a fine specimen of the sculpture of the fifteenth century, exhibiting their effigies ; his in an alderman's cloak over plate armour, hers with a most peculiar headdress. ' Hire, Walks in Loiiion, vol. i. p. 331. Knighl, London, vol. v. |). 173. GREAT ST. Helen's Some steps lead down into the Chapel of the Virgin, in the centre of which is the tomb of John de Oteswitch and Mary liis wife, of the time of Henry IV., founders of St. Martin's Outwich, pulled down not very long ago. The chapel is literally paved with brasses ; one of the best is that oi John Leventhorp, 1510, in armour. In the Chapel of the Holy Ghost stands the altar- tomb oi Julius CcBsar, with a very curious Latin inscription. He was an Italian, and Chancellor of the Exchequer to James I. in 1606. Our guide, who, by the way, proved to be an old acquaintance of B.'s — his bootmaker, in fact — and also churchwarden, told us with great delight how the Duchess of Edinburgh, when she honoured St. Hel<;n's with a \ isit, on seeing the last-named tomb, remarked ' that she had always thought Julius Ccesar was buried in Rome' ! The famous mechanic and philosopher Robert Hooke {pb. 1702) is also interred here. To him we arc indebted for the first idea of the telegraph ; he was also the inventor of the pendulum spring of tlie watch. On the north side of the chancel arc the original .scats once occupied by the Black Nuns, and in the Nun's Aisle 'good wheaten Ijread ' is still distri- buted among the poor every Sunday morning from off the old dole table. Before taking our leave, our friend the church- lO OUR RAMBLES IN OLD LONDON warden confided to us his desire that some one would come and steal Bancroft's tomb.' Perhaps he hoped we might have a hankering after it. Departing with thanks, we left B. to bestow a tip on Mr. Churchwarden — whicli, however, tliat gentleman politely refused, but told B. he might put it in the poor-box. Turning down Wormwood Street on our left we came to Fore Street, at the end of which stands St. Giles's, Cripplegate.^ Knocking at the door of a house next the church, where we had been told the keys were kept, we inquired of the woman who opened it if we could see the church. She replied in the afifirmative, and without delay took us into tlie building. Considering its age (1545), the interior is decidedly disappointing. The blue and white paint on the walls, the wretched stained glass in many of the windows, the incongruous Gothic canopy placed over Milton's bust, all seem out of keeping with the place. The real interest of the church, however, lies in the fact that it is the resting-place of Milton, who was buried here in 1674 by the side of his father (ob. 1646). The latter ' On revisiting the church at a later date we found that his wish to get rid of it had been fulfilled. During a recent restoration of the building the obnoxious monument was re- moved, and the square on which it once stood is now merely outlined by a brass inscription. - Open daily from 10 till 4, Saturdays 10 till i. ST. GILES S, CRIPPLEGATE I 1 is described by Aubrey as an ' ingenious man who delighted in music and composed many songs,' so that father and son must have possessed these tastes in common. Here, too, rests JoAn Speed, the learned topographer (^ob. 1629), whose bust stands in lht» Simth Aisle. By the West Door is a cenotaph erected to Fox (ob. 1587), who lies in the vaults below, author of that work so full of terror and yet so fascinatingly dear to our childish recollections, the ' Book of Martyrs.' Sir Martin Frobisher, the Elizabethan naval hero and explorer, was brought here to be buried after receiving his death-wound at Brest, February, 1595, and has a monument to his memory. Here Oliver Crojinvell, at the age of twenty-one, was married to Elizabeth Bourchier, August 20, 1 62 1. Lancelot Andrewes, the famous Bishop of \\'inchester, was for a short time vicar of this church. Cri/^/>leg(ite, in which St. Giles's stands, was so called, we are told i)y Maitland, ' from the cripples who begged here.' Its city gate, near w'hich the (hurrh was built, was very ancient; the body of St. Edmund the Martyr is said to have been carried through it in roio on its way from St. Edmunds- bury to St. (Gregory's, near St. Paul's, to save it from the Danes, and Lydgate, monk of Bury, de- clares that it cured many lame persons during its transit, 'i'he church was erected about iioo, but 12 OUR RAMRLES IN OLD LONDON having suffered from fire in 1545 was partially re- built. It possesses one of the few sets of chimes in London, and its bells are renowned. Oh, what a preacher is the timeworn tower, Reading great sermons with its iron tongue ! In the churchyard., which is unusually bright and well kept, some remains of the ancient city wall of Edward IV. 's time are still to be seen. Leaving St. Giles's we pursued our way down Jeivin Street, where Milton went to live in 1661, and married his third wife in 1664, across Alders- gate — where another of the poet's homes once stood, ' a pretty garden house ' — into Little Britain, which opens on the right hand into Smithfield. There, close to the hospital, stands St. Bartholomew the Great, the oldest church in London and quite one of the most interesting, and this notwithstanding the fact that of the once famous Priory to which it belonged the Choir and Aisles of the church alone remain to testify to its former greatness. The Churchyard, the whole space of which was once covered by the nave, is entered from Smithfield, and within its precincts every Good Friday a curious old custom is still enacted. Twenty-one sixpences are thrown on the ground, to be picked up by the old women who attend service at St. Bartholomew's. Before setting foot in the church, it maybe interest- ST. BARTHOLOMEW THE GREAT 1 3 ing to our readers to hear the legend concerning its foundation. About 1 1 20, as Rahere, the King's minstrel, 'a merry-witted gentleman,' Strype tells us, was journeying to Rome in expiation of his sins, a most terrible vision appeared to him. He thought that he was carried by a great monster, having four feet and two wings, to a lofty place, and there shown the entrance to the bottomless pit and all its horrors. From this unpleasant situation he was rescued by a majestic Being, who, revealing himself as St. Bartholomew, commanded him to build a church in his honour, at the same time assuring Rahere he need have no fear as to expense, as he himself would supply the means. On his return home Rahere gained the King's consent to this project ; in March, 1123, the church was founded, and by 11 33 the building was complete. Though the C/ioir and Aisles are all that now remain of the ancient structure, the general effect of the interior is grand in tlie extreme. The Main Arcade, Triforium, and vaulting of the aisles be- long to the best period of Norman architecture. Some ruinous fragments of the Lady-chapel, Nave, and original Transept %\}^ exist. On our first visit to the churc h about ten years ago a fringe manu- factory occupied the site of the J.ady Chapel, and a Ijlacksmith's forge that of the north tran- sei)l, but of late years the edific e has undergone 14 OUR RAMBLES IN OLD LONDON extensive restoration. On June i, 1893, tlic church was reopened by the Archbishop of Canter- bury, the Prince and Princess of \Vales and many other distinguished personages being present at the ceremony. On the north side of the choir stands Prior Rahere's tovib, erected in the reign of Richard II. ; his effigy, which lies under the canopy, is probably of the date of his death, 1143. An oriel window projecting from the triforium on the south side is especially interesting; it goes by the name of Prior Bolton's J>ezv, has his Rebus (a bolt through a tun) carved upon it, and probably communicated with the Prior's house. Here the Prior sat during service, and from this window the Sacristan ' watched the altar.' ' The splendid alabaster tomb to Sir Walter Mildmay {ob. 1589), founder of Emmanuel College, Cambridge, and Chancellor to Elizabeth, is worthy of careful notice. A detailed history of the church and its many other interesting monuments may be found in an excel- lent little pamphlet by Norman Moore, which can be obtained from the verger, price \s. On the occasion of our first visit before alluded to, the late Rector, who was conducting some friends round the church, most kindly asked us to join the party, and, taking us upstairs ' Similar windows arc lo l>c found in Exeler Cathedral and Malmesbury Abbey. CLOTH FAIR I 5 into the vestry, showed us several curious old registers. Among other entries appeared the baptism of Hogarth the Painter, November 28, 1697. Many deaths from the Plague were also recorded. In one ancient document were inscribed the different objects to which the offertories were applied during the Commonwealth. One of them was exclusively devoted to the sick and needy Roman Catholic priests, proving that the old Puritans were far less intolerant than is generally suppo.sed. Before leaving our kind guide took us into the Close — the whole of which was formerly covered by monastic buildings, the Priory being one of the largest in London — and there pointed out some very old hou.ses occupying the site of the east cloister. Behind these houses not so very long ago a fine old mulberry tree was still to be seen, sole relic of the once famous Mulberry Garden belonging t(j ilic J'ricjry. It was here, in St. Bartholomews Close, that Milton is said to have been concealed by a friend for some months at the time of the Restoration. Hard by in Cloth I'.mr, quite hidden away, are a series of picturesque, dilapidated, old dwell- ings, with projecting eaves and overhanging floors, one of which we succeeded in photographing. Groined arches, windows with ancient tracery, buttresses, and beautiful portals may still be found 1 6 OUR RAMBLES IN OLD LONDON ' lurking behind these uncanny-looking tenements.' Here, during the Middle Ages, the Cloth Fair was held, 'to which came merchants from Inlanders and Italy, with their precious wares for the sons and daughters of England.' One end of Cloth Fair opens into Smithfield, that ancient market-place so full of old reminis- cences. On its green, by a clump of elms, the great Scottish chief, Sir William Wallace, suffered death, that being the place of public execution before the reign of Henry IV., when Tyburn was substituted for it. Here Wat Tyler assembled his followers to confer with Richard II., and was stabbed by ^Valworth, the Lord Mayor, for pre-- sumptuously approaching too near the King. At this terrible moment a general massacre must have ensued but for the fearlessness displayed i)y Richard, then barely fifteen. Courageously riding up to the insurgents, he exclaimed, 'Why this clamour, my liege men ? Be not displeased for the death of a traitor. I will be your captain and your King,' and, i)lacing himself at their head, led them off to Islington Fields, where they .soon quietly dispersed. Sinithfidd was the scene of splendid tourna- ments, notably the one given by Richard II. in honour (jf his child-bride, Isabella of Navarre. The/tV^, which lasted seven days, is thus described : oi.li IIOUSKS IN CI.OTII KAIK. l8 OUR RAMBLES IN OLD LONDON 'This tournament was i)roclaimed l)y heralds in England, Scotland, l'"landers, and I'rancc. The Sunday was the feast of the challengers. About 3 P.M. came the procession from the Tower. Sixty barbed coursers in full trappings, each attended by a squire of honour, and after them sixty ladies of rank, mounted on palfreys, ' most elegantly and richly dressed,' each leading by a silver chain a knight, completely armed for tilting, minstrels and trumpeters attending the procession to Smithfield. Every night there was a magnificent supper for the tilters at the Bishop's Palace, where the King and the Queen were lodged.' • Here also no less than 277 persons suffered death by fire for conscience' sake during the reign of Queen Mary. Against the outer wall of Sf. BartJiolomeiv's Hospital a stone tablet is inserted to the memory of three out of this ' noble army of martyrs,' with this inscription, '^^'ithin a few yards of this spot John Rogers, John Bradford, John Philpot, servants of God, suffered martyrdom for the Faith of Christ, 1555, 1556, 1557.' At Smithfield Bartholomew'' s Fair was held from the reign of Henry I. to 1855, when it was finally abolished. The sights included shows of wild beasts, dwarfs, and monstrosities, tight-rope and saraband dancing, morris dancing by dogs, a ' Thninli\ir\'. Old anit Nnv London, vol. ii. ji. 339. SMITITFIELD 19 hare beating a tambourine, a tiger pulling feathers from a live fowl, &c. Ben Jonson, in his coarse but witty comedy entitled ' St. Bartholomew's Fair,' describes many of its customs and abuses in the early part of the seventeenth century. It was at this Fair that Pepys in his Diary mentions seeing Lady Castlemaine, August 30, 1667. 'At Bar- tholomews Fayre, did find my Lady Castlemaine at a puppet show, and the street full of people ex- pecting her coming out. I confess I did wonder at her courage to come abroad thinking that people would abuse her, but they, silly people, do not know the work she makes and therefore suffered her with great respect to take coach, and she away without an trouble at all' It adds to the interest of this notice to know that Lord Clarendon had been deprived of his office of Lord Chancellor that very day by means of her influence over the king. In time Smithfuld became the great and only cattle-market in London. In 1852 the market for living animals was removed to Copenhagen Fields, and the present meat market erected on its site. .SV. JiartJwlomeiv's Hospital^ which stands at the corner of the meat market, was originally an adjiiiK i of the Priory of that name. At the dissolution of the monasteries, when the old I'riory was sold for a thousand pounds, the hospital was endowed by 20 OUR RAMBLES IN OLD LONDON Henry VIII. and Edward \'l. Like St. Bartho- lomew's church, it escaped the great fire of 1666, but was rebuilt by Gibbs in 1730. This hospital has always ranked as one of our best schools of medicine and surgery. Marvej, the discoverer of the circu- lation of the blood, was for more than thirty years physician here, and among its famous lecturers were Abemethy and Richard Owen, the greatest anatomist of his age. Upwards of 1 20,000 patients are admitted during the year free of charge. Turning on our right out of Smithfield, down Long Lane into Hayne Street on our left, we entered Charterhouse Square, well known to us in by- gone years. There it was, green and still as in those early days when, after service at St. Paul's, a kind old friend would take us to tea with her son, a Minor Canon, hving in one of its large old-fashioned houses. Here in the seventeenth century stood many grand old mansions, in one of which the Vene- tian ambassadors used to lodge. In still earlier days it was the burial-place of thousands stricken by the Black Death, that awful plague which devastated England more than 500 years ago. The Charter- fiOUSE, which is entered from the far end of the square, was originally a Carthusian Monastery founded by Sir Walter Manny, who came over to England in the train of the noble and beautiful Philippa of liainault on her marriage with CHARTERHOUSE 2 1 Edward III., and remained in her service. From its foundation in 1321 to the period just preceding its dissolution its history is a blank. The great Sir Thomas More, we are told, lived here for four years 'religiously, without vows giving himself up to prayer and meditation.' The INIonastery was dis- solved by Henry VIII., and its Prior, Houghton, and two other Carthusians, were sentenced to be hanged, drawn, and quartered at Tyburn for denying the king's supremacy, and speaking openly against his spoliation of church property. Sir Thomas More, who was confined in the Tower on a similar charge, looking out from his prison window saw these holy men being led to exe- cution, and ' as one longing in that journey to have accompanied them, said unto his daughter, stand- ing there beside him, " Lo, dost thou not see, Meg, that the blessed fathers be as cheerfully going to their death as bridegrooms to their marriage ? " ' The place next fell into secular hands, was deprived of its chapter-house, and its chapel was converted into a dining-hall. In 1565 it was sold by the Norths to the Duke of Norfolk, who con- siderably embellished the place, making it more fit for a ducal residence. In 1572 the Duke .suffered death on the scaffold for engaging in the conspiracy to restore Mary Queen of Scots ; his eldest son was aliainted for favouring Mary, and llie Charter- 2 2 OUR RAMBLES IN OLD LONDON house, together with his other estates, lapsed to the Crown. On the death of Mary, Queen Ehza- belh granted the Charterhouse to Lord Thomas Howard, the Duke's second son, from whom it was purt:hascd in 1611 by Sir Thomas Sutton, a rich Northumbrian coalowner. Here he founded a home for aged men, ' to whom fortune had proved unkind,' and a school for poor children. The entrance-gate was opened to us by a porter,' who conducted us round the building. First of all he led us into the cloisters, on the walls of which are tablets erected to the memory of Thackeray, Sir Henry Havelock, and other old Carthusians. A door at the end of the cloister leads into the dark little Jacobean chapel, in which the old pensioners worship together every day, and ' where Pendennis was startled by the sight of Col. Newcome,' and where 'in the evening the Founder's tomb, with its grotesque carvings, monsters and heraldries darkles and shines with the most wonderful shadows and lights.' There is a monu- ment to Lord Elknborough by Chantrey, and tablets to Dr. Raine and other eminent masters. A curtain conceals the empty forms on which the boys used to sit during service before they flitted to Godalming. The seats occupied in chapel by ' Charterhouse can be seen any day of llic week, on ap- plication at the gate. CHARTERHOUSE 2^ Thackeray and Leech were especially pointed out to us. The groined entrance and part of the wall are all that remain of the old Carthusian convent. Leading out of the cloister is a small paved hall, from which we ascended the beautiful, richly carved, old oak staircase belonging to Norfolk House. Midway a large window overlooks the Master's Court ; at the top of the staircase on the right are the Reader's private apartments, on the left is the Library, with its dear musty old books and worn-out look, through which we passed into the Presence Chamber or Drawing room — a bare spacious apart- ment about which still lingers an air of bygone grandeur, with its beautiful painted ceiling, large open fireplace, and walls covered with faded tapestry. 'I"he mantelpiece is adorned with figures of Faith, Hope, and Charity, and in the centre are the royal arms. The subjects of the tapestry remain a dis- puted point ; the largest piece is said by some to represent the siege of Troy, by others the siege of Calais, while there are those who maintain that it portrays the Queen of Sheba's visit to King Solomon ! 'I'his chamber was occupied by Elizabeth on her first arrival in London, just before her coronation, when the Lord Mayor and Corporation met her at Highgate on her way from Hatfield, and con- ducted her to the Charterhouse, ' where she stayed many days.' In 1561, IClizabelh revisited the old 24 OUR RAMBLES IN OLD LONDON place, staying there for four days with Lord North. The cost of entertaining his royal guest was so great that it nearly ruined the unfortunate host, who was obliged to spend the rest of his days in privacy. Returning through the Library we stepped out on to a broad stone terrace which overlooks the green, on which the boys of the Merchant Taylors' School were playing cricket. The ugly buildings 'which rear their heads on the east side of the green ' stand on the site of the Wilderness of Norfolk House. The terrace is eighty feet long, and is built over the old brick cloisters, where may be seen two bricked -up doorways, entrances to the monks' cells. Near one of these doors are two flat stones, supposed to be the foot of the coffin of some former inhabitant of the cell. Returning into the building and ascending the great staircase, we were ushered into the splendid lofty old dining-hall, panelled with oak, which dates from before the Reformation. The chimney- piece was added by Sutton, and bears his arms ; the cannon at the side is said to commemorate his having fitted out a vessel against the Spanish Armada. There is a fine portrait of him at the upper end of the room, holding in his right hand a ground-plan of the Charterhouse. A carved oak gallery runs along the two sides of the room, where CHARTERHOUSE 25 in olden days minstrels played sweet music. Here the old brothers dine together every day at 3 p.m.,' and once a year the masters and scholars assembled in the grand old hall, for speeches and dinner on Founder's Day, December 12. OLD DININC irALI., CHAKTKKIIi )USK. On this occasion the old Carthusian song, with the following chorus, used to be sung : ' Blessed Ijc ihe niciiKiiy Of good old Thomas SuUon. Who gave us Iodising, kariiinjj, As well as lieef anil inuttun.' ' The room cannol be shown during the dinnei hour liclwccn 3 and 4 1. M. 2 6 OUR RA^rBLES IN OLD LONDON In ' The Neivcoiiies ' Thackeray toucliingly describes his recollections of this day and of the service held in the chapel ; how, as the last verse of the special Psalms for the day, 'I have been young, and now am old : yet saw I never the righteous forsaken, nor his seed begging their bread,' came to an end, ' I chanced to look up from my book towards the swarm of black-coated pensioners : and amongst them amongst them — sat Thomas Newcome. His dear old head was bent down over his prayer-book ; there was no mistaking him. He wore the black gown of the pensioners of the hospital of Grey Friars. His order of the Bath was on his breast. He stood there amongst the poor brethren, utter- ing the responses to the Psalm. ... I heard no more of prayers, and Psalms, and sermon after that.' A door on the right of the hall opens into a long low room, said to have been the refectory of the lay brethren attached to the old monastery ; here, in later days, the foundation scholars dined. Our guide next took us to see Wash-house Court, known in earlier days as Kitchen Court, the outer walls of which form part of the old monastery. The brickwork is unusually good, on which, worked out in red, are the letters I.H. and a cross. The exact meaning of these letters has never been ascer- tained, some holding that they represent our CHARTERHOUSE 27 Saviour's monogram in spite of the absence of the letter S, others the initials of the martyred Prior Houghton. A little house in Wash-house Court was pointed out to us as the one in which Colonel Newcome died (now become as historical a spot as that on which Fitzjames's horse fell dead). His death is described by Thackeray in words which fur beauty and pathos have never been surpassed in the English language: 'At the usual evening hour the chapel bell began to toll, and Thomas Newcome's hands outside the bed feebly beat time. And just as the last bell struck, a peculiar sweet smile shone over his face, and he lifted up his head a little, and quickly said " Adsum," and fell back. It was the word we used at school, when names were called ; and lo, he, whose heart was as that of a little child, had answered to his name, and stood in the presence of The Master.' The Preachers' and Pensioners' Courts, built l)y Blore, arc dull and uninteresting in appearance. Among the poor brethren who found refuge here were Elkanah Settle, the last city poet and at one time the rival of Dryden ; Stephen Grey, the first discoverer of electricity ; and many old Peninsular officers, with now and again a country squire. The author of the well-known farce ' Box and Cox ' spent his last days here, dying a few years ago. Addison, Steele, folm AVcsley, ICllenboroiigh, Grote, 2 8 OUR RAMBLES IN OLD LONDON I'hirlwall, Eastlake, Havelock, Thackeray, and Leech were all Charterhouse boys. In 1873 the Merchant Taylors' Company pur- chased a great part of the Charterhouse, including the schools, and grounds on which to erect their new schools. Aldersgate Station is only three minutes' walk from Charterhouse, and we easily returned to South Kensington by the Underground Railway. SECOND WALK ' Dwellers in the West End do not know that they might experience almost the refreshment and tonic of going abroad in the transition from straight streets and featureless houses to the crooked thoroughfares half an hour oft", where every street has a reminiscence, and every turn is a picture.' Hare. ^u. ^ ^ J^- ICtj IS Ceorpes Ouir3i ^V MAP OF SECOND WALK 31 SECOND WALK St. Saviour's, Southwark — White Hart Inn — Tabard Inn — The George Inn— The Queen's Head — The Marshalsea — St. George's Church — Bankside — St. James's, Garlick- hithe — Skinners' Hall— London Stone. HE weather having turned very warm '^'^'^ and mild, K. and I took the steamer from Chelsea J^ier to London Bridge, in order to visit St. Saviour's, SouTH\v.\RK, ' that splendid old church which lies buried (and until lately almo.st forgotten) at the foot of Ix)ndon Bridge.' On reaching Surrey Pier we ascended by the same old time-worn steps described by Dickens as the trysting-place arranged by poor Nancy when she goes at midnight to meet Rose Mayhew and Mr. Brownlow, in order, if possible, to .save Oliver 'J'wist from Monk's wicked machinations : whence, having been followed by a spy, she returns home to die by the hand of the brutal Sikcs. After gaining the busy noisy street, we soon descended some steps on the right, and f|uickly arrived at the 32 oru i-;.\\ri;i.F,s i\ oli> i.ondon church door, where ihc sexton, to whom we had previously written, was waiting for us, key in hand. (The church is now open daily, 1 1 to 4.) However, beyond unlocking the door, we found his services of little value, and had we come unprovided with a guide-book we should have missed many objects of interest. The church, cruciform in plan, occupies the site of a much older structure, the church of the Priory of St. Mary Overy, and is mentioned in Domesday Book. According to Stowe, the Priory was founded by Mary Ovety, a ferry woman who, ' long before the Conquest or the existence of any bridge over the river, devoted her earnings to that purpose.' Hare, also, gives a different version of the story. He tells us there is a curious tract called ' The true history of the Life and sudden Death of old John Overs and of his daughter Alary, who caused the church of St. Mary Overs in Southwark to be built, and of the building of London Bridge.' It narrates how John ' Overs counterfeited death, thinking to economise (being a great miser) by making his household fa.st for a day, but they feasted instead, whereat he arose in a fury and killed an apprentice, for which he was afterwards executed.' 'J'hornbury further informs us that, on hearing of Mary's bereavement, her lover came ' posting up to London ST. SAVIOURS, SOUTIIWARK 2>3 SO fast that his horse stumbled, and the eager lover broke his neck. On this second misfortune Mary Overy, shrouding her beauty in a veil, retired into a cloister for life,' leaving all her money to build the church and priory of St. Mary Overy. The church for some time retained this title, but has gone by the name of Si Saviour's since 15 lo, and at the dissolution of the monasteries was made parochial. T^e Choir, Transepts, and the Lady Chapel are still among our most exquisite specimens of Early English, but the Nave is a modern erection of 1840 and is more hideous than words can express ; mercifully, it is entirely cut off from the rest of the building by a glass screen, to which there is a descent of several steps. • Many remarkable men have found their last resting-place here. The name of the great dramatist, Massinger, of whom there is the pathetic entry in the register — ' Philip Massenger d. March 30lh, 1640. Stranger '— and also \\\o<,i:i)[ Fletcher ^x^iS. Edfiiund Shakespeare, the poet's youngest brother, are carved on the stones of the chancel floor, the whereabouts of their remains not being known. ' The nave is now pulled down, and one in keeping wilh the old i)art of the building is being erected, 1S95. 34 OL'K RAMBLES IN OLD LONDON On the left of the north transept is the beautiful Tomb of John Gozver, the poet, d. 1402. Stowe minutely describes the monument, and as it has been repainted, it looks just the same still. ' He lieth under a tomb of stone, with his image, also of stone, over him ; the hair of his head, auburn, long to his shoulders ... on his head a chaplet like a coronet of four roses ; a collar of gold about his neck, under his head the likeness of the three books (" Speculum Meditantis," " Vox Clamantis," and " Confessio Amantis ") which he compiled.' Opposite to Gozver is the tomb of Bingham, saddler to Queen Elizabeth and James I., with curious coloured half-figures. In the south transept rests Dt . Lockyer, the pill inventor, in costume and wig of Charles II. 's time, reclining on his tomb — a truly grotesque figure with an amusing epitaph. The south aisle of the choir contains the tomb oi John Trehearne, gentleman porter to James I., adorned with half- figures of himself and his wife, and the epitaph : ' In ihe king's Cuiirtyard, place to thee is given, Whence thou shall go to the King's Court in Heaven.' This, however, is surpassed by lines to Miss Barford close b), which narrate how ST. SAVIOURS. SOUTinVARK 35 ' Such grace the King of Kings bestowed upon her, That now she lives with Him, a Maid of Honour.' Between the pillars of the choir is the alabaster tomb of Alderman Humble and his two wives, with the following pretty verses attributed to Francis Quarles : ' Like to the damask rose you see. Or like the blossoms on the tree, Or like the dainty flowers of May, Or like the morning of the day, Or like the sun, or like the shade. Or like the gourd which Jonas had, E'en so is Man, whose thread is spun, Drawn out and cut, and so is done.' We next entered the Lady Chapel, but it is not till the eye is accustomed to its dim religious light that the great beauty of the architecture be- comes apparent. It was here that Gardiner, Bishop of Winchester, held his court for the trial of heretics, where, as Besant expresses it, ' the Martyrs were brought to hear their sentence, which was always that of Death through the Gale of Fire.' Amongst many others. Bishop Jlooper :i\-\d/anelled room, a storm- beaten tower, or an incised stone— and in themselves might scarcely be worth a tour of inspection ; but in a city where so many millions of inhabitants have lived and passed away, where so many great events of the world's history have occurred, there is scarcely one of these long-lived remnants which has not some strange story to tell in which it bears the character of the only existing witness.' — Hare. E 2 ^^^w r^ ssi5_: S5- \ \ V STBItT , Sfjuimi \ MAP OF THIRD WALK. 53 THIRD WALK Clerkenwell — Si. John's Gale — St. John's Church — Clerken- well Session House — Si. James's Church — Lamb's House, IsUngton — Canonbury. Oxii morning in the early spring, taking the Underground Railway to Farringdon Street, we set out on a long-planned expedition to Clerkenwell, dreariest but most interesting of regions. On issuing from the station we turned to our left down dnvcross Street, thence sharp to our left into .SV. fohiCs Lane, and were immediately con- fronted by the beautiful old gaj lway of the Knights of St. John of Jerusalem- a sight which, Dr. John- son told Boswell, he ' beheld with reverence.' On our ringing the bell, the door was opened by a small boy, who, after showing us into a little room, left us, but (juickly reappeared, requesting us to follow him upstairs, and ushered us into a large oak-panelled room over the gateway, known as the Hall of St. John. Here we were shortly joinetl by the secretary, wlio i)ii)V(.(l mosl kind ;iihI (our- 54 OUR RAMBLES IN OLD LONDON teous in giving information about the old place, which has undergone many vicissitudes. This gateway is all that now remains of the Priory of St. John, chief English seat of the Knights Hospitallers of St. John of Jerusalem, originally founded in iioo. In its days of pros- perity, Edward I. came hither to spend his honey- moon with Eleanor ; and so large a building was this early priory that when, in 1382, the rebels under Wat Tyler burnt it down and beheaded its prior, the fire lasted seven days. It was, however, soon rebuilt. Henry IV. and V. were frequent visitors here, and the Princess Mary also stayed here in great state, and is described by Machyn, in his quaint Diary, as riding hence to Westminster, accom- panied by a large train of attendants, to visit her brother Edward. The gateway, as we now see it, was built by Thomas Doavra, prior from 1502, and bears his arms on the outside, together with those of the Order. The monastery was suppressed in 1540, and finally undermined and blown up by Somerset's order in the reign of Edward VI., when the greater part of the buildings perished. The gateway, how- ever, remained quite untouched. In Elizabeth's reign, Tynley, the Queen's Master of the Revels, resided at St. John's, with his y. o 56 OUR RAMJ'.LKS IN OLD LONDON embroiderers, painters, carpenters, and all artificers required for court plays and masques, and every court revel was rehearsed in llie Hall over the gateway. For thirty-one years Tynley licensed all the plays for the stage, thirty oi Shakespeare's dramas passing under his inspection, beginning with Henry IV. and ending with Anthony and Cleopatra. Alas ! he died, leaving no diary or autobiography ; otherwise from him we might have learnt something more about our greatest dramatist. In 1612 James I. made a present of tlie Priory to Lord AuMgny, and it next passed into the hands of the Cea7 family. By 1731 it had become \\\q. printing office of Edward Cave, who in that )ear published the first number of the Gentleman^s Magazine, which has always borne a picture of the gateway on its cover. Here Dr. Johnson., then unknown, worked for Cave; and it was in this same room, in which the court revels were rehearsed, that Garrick is said to have made his first appearance as an actor in London. Dr. Johnson (who all his life was passionately devoted to the stage) entertained an enormous admiration for Garrick's dramatic talents, and, having inspired the sober Mr. Cave with a great curiosity to see his friend act, had liim invited to St. John's; and there, before a select audience (the ])rinters being called in lo read the minor parts), ST. JOHN S, CLERKENWELL 57 Garrick represented the chief character in Field- ing's ' Mock Doctor,' to the delight and amusement of the beholders. Here too, Johnson, Garrick, and Goldsmith spent many pleasant hours together, and it was in this room, we are told by Hare, that Dr. Johnson, while sealed behind a screen eating his dinner, heard his ' Life of Richard Savage,' which had just been published anonymously, highly praised by Walter Harte, a clever literary friend of Cave's who was dining with the latter. Harte, being told afterwards by Cave that he had given great pleasure to some one whilst dining there, inquired with some sur})rise ' How could that be ? ' He was reminded of the plate of food that had been sent behind the screen, and told that Johnson, the author of the book he had commended, 'had devoured the praises with his dinner.' The old chair, sau/lo have belonged to the dear doctor, which used to stand in this room, is no longer to be seen, having been sold, o/i dit, to an American. Later on, the building was turned into an eating- house, and assumed the name (jf the Jintsakni Tavern. It is now used as a dispensary hospital by the modern Knights of St. John, and in its first year benefited no less than 2,662 jjcrsons. The tavern b.ir has been converted into a delightful old-fashioned room, with a side door, through which 58 OUR RAMBLES IN OLD LONDON royalty enters when it comes to visit St. John's Gate. There is a ciiarming old Elizabethan stair- case, and all the ceilings of the rooms are made of heart of oak. Our kind cicerone took us into his own apart- ment, and showed us the beautiful badges of the Order, with their eight points denoting the eight beatitudes and the number of the branches of the Order dispersed about the world. He also unfolded for our inspection the rolls of parchment, gor- geously emblazoned, wherein are inscribed the signatures of the members of the Order, headed by the Queen herself. With the exception of her Majesty, all the members of the royal family have been in person to St. John's Clate to inscribe their names. The document is altogether most interesting, containing, as it does, the signatures of so many well-known and distinguished men and women belonging to all ranks of life, some of the signa- tures being rare and difficult to procure — notably that of George, Duke of Cuml)erland. Mr. E. — with whom by this time we had become on the most friendly terms, having discovered that he had just returned from an enjoyable holiday on the Norfolk Broads, our own part of the world — most kindly presented us on our leaving with a dear little en- graving of the beautiful old gateway; we also learnt ST, JOHN S, CLERKENWELL 59 from him that the best book on the subject, if we wished for still further information, was ' The Knights of Malta,' by Porter, published by Long- mans, price 10s. dd. Hard by, in St. John's Square, stands St. Joliiis Churchy which is all that now remains of the once beautiful Priory church; the nave, aisles, and stately tower having been destroyed by Somerset, leaving a remnant of the choir only. The door was locked, but, the sextoness's name and address being posted thereon, we had no difficulty in finding her and were soon within the building. The interior is plain and uninteresting, with only one or two old windows left. It is, however, very well kept, and the woman informed us that the then rector, 'he were quite devoted to it, that it were wife and child to him, he being a bachelor and a regular woman-hater,' and she thought he must have been crossed in love, ' he did preach against the women so.' The pulpit is said to have belonged to Wesley, having been brought thither from one of his meet- ing-houses. In the gallery are some old Roman and other curiosities. The present Duke of Cambridge was married here to the fascinating Miss Farebrother ; but the real interest of the place is centred in ihe Ixaiili- 6o OUR RAMJJLKS IN OLD LONDON fill t)ld scnii-Nonnan and Early English Crypt^'' the descenl to which is just outside at the north-east angle, under the vestry. Though eight hundred years old, it is still in good preservation. Once a year, on St. John the Baptist's Day, June 24, the crypt is illuminated throughout, and thrown open to the public. It was here that Scratching Fanny, the Cock Lane Ghost who aroused so much interest about 1762, promised but failed to exhibit herself to Dr. John- son and his friends, which resulted in the deception being discovered and the whole mystery cleared up. Churchill the poet was much amused by this nocturnal visit of the great Doctor's to St. John's Crypt, and wrote a poem ridiculing the event : Through tlie dull deep surrounding gloom In close array, I'wards Fanny's lomb Adventured forth ; Caution before, With heedful step, a lanthorn bore, Pointing at graves ; and in the rear, Trembling and talking loud, went Fear. Thrice each the pond'rous key apply'd And thrice to turn it vainly try'd. Till, taught by I'rutlence to unite, And straining with collected might. The stubb(}i't(\ MAP OF FOURTH WALK. / / FOURTH WALK Fishmongers' Ilall — St. Magnus — Pudding Lane — Si. Mar>''s-at-IIill— The Monument— Fish Street Hill— St. Mary Axe — St. Andrew's Undershaft — Crosby Square — St. Ethelburga, Bishopsgate — St. Botolph, Bishopsgate — Paul Pindar's House — The Tenters — Be%-is Marks— St. Katherine Cree — Holy Trinity, Minories — Allhallows, Staining— St. Olave's, Hart Street — Gate of the Dead — Allhallows', Barking. One bright sunny morning in early spring, leaving home by ten o'clock, K. and I started for Chelsea Fier,^ and, there taking a steamer, reached Swan Pier a little before eleven. Here we landed, and, walking up the gangway, came into Upper Thames Street, and, turning to the right, soon reached Fishmongers' Hall, which stands at the entrance of London Bridge. On ringing at the front door, a very imposing-looking personage in a handsome livery made his appearance, who, in re- sponse to our request to see the Hall, condescend- ' The quickest route is to lake the Underground Railway to Cannon Street ; but, when jiossible, we preferred going by river. 78 OUR RAMBLES IN OLD LONDON ingly ushered us into the office. After we had pre- sented our visiting card here, our guide took us round the building, his pride and admiration for which seemed unbounded. Though so close to the noise and bustle of London Bridge, all was fishmongers' hall, rebuilt 1830. {From a draiuing in 1817.) calm and still in this ' huge city palace : ' no footfall, even, sounded on its thickly carpeted floor. Ascending the broad staircase, we saw on the landing the statue of the Company's great hero, Sir William Walworth, who was a Fishmonger FISHMONGERS HALL 79 residing here, and the slayer of Wat Tyler. Beneath the statue are these lines : Brave Walworth, Kniglu, Lord Mayor yt slew Rebellious Tyler in his alarmes ; The King, therefore, did give in lieu The Dagger in the Cityes armes. In the 4th yeare of Richard H. Anno Domini 1 38 1. As a matter of fact, the so-called ' dagger ' was borne in the City arms long before Walworth's time, and is the sword emblematic of St. Paul, patron saint of the London Corporation. In the Court dining-room is a very lovely Romney, the sight of which well repays a visit to the Hall. It is the portrait of Elizabeth^ Margra- vine of Ansfach, daughter of the fourth Earl of Berkeley and widow of the sixth Lord Craven, who married in 1791 P'rcderick Christian, Margrave of Anspach, nephew to Queen Caroline, the wife of George II. The Margrave, after selling his princi- palities to the King of Prussia, came to live in England, and his portrait, also by Romney, hangs on the same wall. Hare tells us that these pic- tures are here as a commemoration of a splendid fi'te given by the Margravine to the Fishmongers' Company at Brandenburg House, which stood on the east side of Hammersmith I»ridge, overlooking the river. It was there that Queen Caroline, the unhappy wife of George IV., died in 1821. 8o OUR RAMBLES IN OLD LONDON The Great Banqueting Hall is a splendid room, decorated with the arms of the principal city com- panies, and contains a youthful portrait of Queen Victoria^ 1840, by Herbert Smith, and one of the Duke of Kent by Beechey. Leading out of this hall is the Small Waiting Room, a most charming apartment with a delightful view of the river look- ing westwards, while to the east is London Bridge, with all its life and bustle. It is used as a drawing- room when balls and dinners are given here. Descending the staircase, we asked to be shown the ' OLD PALL,' of which we had heard so much. Our cicerone hesitated, ' he would see what could be done ; it was rather delicate ground, there might be some of the heads of the Company sitting in the availing room,'' where the precious relic is kept. Walking on tiptoe, he softly opened the door, looked in, and then beckoned to us to follow him. Obeying his summons we found ourselves in rather a dull-looking room, smaller than any we had yet seen. A fragment of bread, a half-eaten ham, and some butter stood on the table — not at all realising our conception of a City repast. Standing against the wall was a long piece of furniture resembling a sideboard, and in this the magnificent pall is carefully preserved under lock and key. It was worked by nuns, and is said to have been used at the funeral of Sir William Wal- fishmongers' hall 8 1 worth in 1381. The pall is divided into three parts. The subject in the centre represents Christ giving the keys to St. Peter ; and on the two side pieces, which are exactly alike, St. Peter sits enthroned, clothed in pontifical robes, with an angel on either side whose wings are composed of peacocks' feathers, as in Fra Filippo Lippi's ' Annunciation ' at the National Gallery and in many other works of the old masters. The whole pall is most beautifully embroidered and wrought in richest gold, silk, and satin thread, the faces finely tinted after nature, and all the colours bright and vivid like some Venetian picture. Besides this most interesting relic, we saw the Afaster's Chair, made of oak from old London Bridge, the seat composed of its foundation stone which was laid in 1 176 ; also a curious old drawing of the Pageant of the Fishmongers' Company, held on October 29, 16 16. The Fishmongers' Hall has been twice rebuilt on the same site. The oldest structure dated from the reign of Edward III., and was the first large building that fell a victim to the Orcat I'ire in 1666, which broke out hard by. The Hall was shortly afterwards rebuilt by Jarnan, who was also the architect of the second Royal Exchange. The present building dates only from 1830, and is the work ert, wife of (leorge Hibbert ('757 ^'. Towards the end of his life he fell into disfavour with Elizabeth, and died of a broken heart— or, as some say, from poison— at the house of the I'..Trl of Leicester. ' Viin by the gate on the left, rang the porter's bell, and on his appearance asked to be shown the chapel and hall. At first he demurred, as we had no order ; but on our assuring him that we could easily procure one, he produced his keys and led us to the Chapel, a small building, wholly inartistic, having been completely modernised during the last century, but containing some gorgeous stained glass. \V'ith the Hall, however, we were much charmed ; in its way it is a perfect gem, with its beautiful carved wainscot, timber roof, and magnificent dark oak screen ; the windows, richly emblazoned with armorials of Burleigh, Sir Nicholas Bacon, and other celebrities, are of the most lovely stained glass, and the fine old bench tables are said to have been the gift of Queen Elizabeth. Amongst the pictures that decorate the walls are portraits of Charles I., Charles II., James GRAY S INN 12 1 II., Bishop Gardiner, Nicholas Bacon, and Lord Bacon. There is also a beautiful carved musicians' gallery^ where, till quite lately, ladies were allowed to sit and gaze upon the revellers below, on their ' Banquet days.' Masques were performed in this hall in the reigns of Henry VIII. and Elizabeth, and in the jubilee year a Masque of Flowers was acted here, the music of which, of a very early date, was found amongst the archives of the Inn. Our guide seemed greatly pleased by the ad- miration we expressed, and said if we would come about 5.30, November 14, we could see the tables laid and the hall lighted up for dinner, 'when it did look splendid if you liked.' Bidding him farewell, we walked into the next court and looked into the gardens (now closed to the public), which form one of the most interesting features connected with the Inn. Here in Charles 11.^ s time,^ and in the days of the 'Tatlcr' and the 'Spectator,' Gray's Inn ]Valk was a fashionable promenade on pleasant summer evenings. J\'pys writes in May 1662, ' When church was done my wife and I walked to dray's Innc to observe the fashion of tlic dresses, because of my wife making some clothes.' Sir A'oi^cr dc Coverley is mentioned by y\ddison in the ' Spectator' (No. 269) as walking here on the terrace, ' iRinming ' Thornbury. 122 OUR RAMBLES IN OLD LONDON twice or thrice to himself with great vigour, for he loves to clear his pipes in good air ' (the place was then almost in the country), 'and is not a little pleased with any one who takes notice of the strength which he still exerts in his morning hem.' In later times Charles Lamb wTOte, ' These are GATE OF GRAY S INN GARDEN. the best gardens of any of the Inns of Court, my beloved Temple not forgotten, and have the gravest character, their aspect being wholly law-breathing, and Bacon has left the impress of his foot upon their gravel walks.' Long ago many a married barrister with his wife and family resided within the precincts of the LINCOLN S INN 12 O Inn. Thornbury tells us of a venerable gentleman, a friend of his, who still remembered the time when sweet young wives with their lovely children adorned the old place. Gnifs Imi was formerly the property of the Greys of Wilton, whence the Society derives its name. It began to be an Inn of Court in the reign of Edward III. The chief points of the four Inns are well summed up in a couplet found in Hare : Gray's Inn for walks, Lincoln's Inn for wall, The Inner Temiile for a garden, The Middle fur a Hall. Crossing the road a little way down Chancery Lane we entered Lincoln's Lnn by the fine old Gate- ze/rtj' built in Henry VIII. 's time, in rooms over which Oliver Cromwell is said to have lodged some time. The oldest part of the rest of the buildings dates from the reign of James I. Ben Jonson is said to have helped as a bricklayer in erecting the wall, trowel in hand, and Horace in his pocket. The chapel built by Liiigo Jones (1623), greatly altered and enlarged in 1823, is constructed upon a cloister of six open arches, under who.se shelter the wives and daughters of barristers used to prome- nade in wet weather, in the days when members of the Inn with their families resided liere. 'I'hc 124 <-^UR RAMBLES IN OLD LONDON chapel failed to attract us, in spite of its good stained glass ; and the present hall^ although one of the largest and finest in London, was far too juvenile (1843) to please our taste. Watts' s magnificent fresco, 'The Lawgiver,' adorns one end of the room. The Library which is attached to the Hall is very comfortable-looking ; it contains many thousand books, and is signally rich in ancient volumes and manuscripts. The rooms used by the Benchers possess a fine collection of paintings and old engravings ; amongst them, Hogarth's ' Paul before Felix,' and a portrait of Pitt by Gainsborough ; here, too, is a fine statue of Lord Eldon by Westmacott. In the left-hand chamber of No. 24 Old Buildings lived CromtveWs secretary Thurloe, and here, in the reign of William IIL, were discovered the Thurloe State Papers, which had been hidden away behind a false ceiling. Hare tells us there is a ' tradition that the Protector came thither one day to discuss with Thurloe the plot for seizing the three princes, sons of Charles L Having disclosed his plans, he discovered Thurloe's clerk, apparently asleep upon his desk. Fearing treason, he would have killed him upon the spot, but Thurloe prevented him, and, after passing a dagger repeatedly over his unflinching countenance, he was satisfied that the clerk was really asleep. He was not asleep, however, and had heard everything, and ROLLS CHAPEL I 25 found means to warn the Princes.' Before leavingwe just looked into Lincoln's Inn Fields. The large square appeared so cheery in the bright October sun, with its autumn-tinted trees, its broad gravel walks and green lawns, that we fell quite in love with the place, and contemplate staying at the Inns of Court Hotel to enjoy its beauties.' By the way, the Soane Museum - (which we visited on another occasion), No. 1 3 on the north of the square, is well worth seeing, the house being left exactly as it was when its owner. Sir John Soanc, died in 1837. It contains several fine pictures, amongst them HogartKs ' Rake's Progress,' besides endless articles of ' vertu,' and is full of surprises, with its quaint comers, mysterious narrow passages, and tiny spiral staircase. Leaving the Inn by the old Gatezvay by which we had entered, we quickly arrived at the dingy courtyard, on the opposite side of the way, in which the Rolls Chapkl'' stands. A policeman, who was sauntering up and down in front of the building, at once offered to show it to us. It is a higii, square, dreary-looking place, ' Thrown iigo Jones 1617, on the site of a Carthu- sian house erected by Henry III. for the use of con- verted Jews, who hved there under the guardianship of a Christian governor. Its sole attractions are the monuments within its walls, which are unusually interesting — one tomb in particular, described by Hare as 'one of the noblest pieces of sculpture which England possesses,' being ' the work of Torregiano, the sculptor of Henry VII. 's tomb in Westminster Abbey.' It is erected to Dr. John Young, Master of the Rolls in Henry VIII. 's time. His vene- rable figure rests on an altar-tomb ' shaped like a Florentine bride chest ; ' his hands are crossed, his face wears an expression of absolute peace and profound devotion, and in the recess at the back is dimly seen the half-figure of our Lord between two cherubim. On the same side of the chapel lies Lord Bruce of Kinloss {i6io), ' who was sent to open a secret correspondence with Cecil, under the pre- tence of congratulating Elizabeth on the failure of the revolt under Lord Essex, and who was after- wards rewarded by James I. with the Mastership of the Rolls.' Of his four children kneeling in front the eldest son, in armour, three years after his father's death perished in a savage duel with Sir Edward Sackville, ancestor of the Earls of Elgin and Ayles- bury. Opposite is the tomb of Sir Richard Alling- ' Mare. ROLLS CHAPEL 12/ ton, of Horse Heath, Cambridgeshire (1561), a kneeUng figure with his wife facing him, and his three daughters below. Sir Richard's widow, a woman given to good works, Uved after his death in Holborn, in a house long known as AUington Place. Two former masters of the rolls noted for widely different characteristics are buried here ; one Sir John Strange tamed the punning epitaph (which, however, has not been inscribed over his bones) : Here lies an hunesl lawyer, llial is— Strange ; the other Sir John Trevor (died 171 7), Speaker of the House of Commons,' who, being denounced for briber)', was himself compelled to preside over the debate and pronounce his own conviction and dis- missal ! — an almost unparelleled disgrace. The arms of Sir Harbottle Grimston (1594- 1683), Master of the Rolls, appear in the windows ; of him Bishop Burnet (friend and historian of William of Orange) writes : ' He was a just judge ; very slow and ready to hear anything that was offered, with- out passion or partiality. He was a very pious and devout man, and spent at least an Injur in the morning, and as much at night, in prayer and medi- tation.' /j'/.f//"/- Burnel was preacher at the Rolls for nine years ; as was also Bishop Jiut/er, autlior of ' Thornbury. 128 OUR RAMBLES IN OLD LONDON the well-known ' Analogy of Religion.' About the latter, Thornbury gives us the following anecdote. For some time he held only a small out-of-the-way country living — a loss to the Church which Arch- bishop Blackburn lamented to Queen Caroline. ' Why, I thought he had been dead,' exclaimed the Queen. ' No, madam, only buried,' replied the Archbishop. Ere leaving Chancery Lane we must not omit to mention the two celebrated men, of very opposite type, who during part of their lives resided here — viz. : Cardinal IVolsey, in a house at the Holborn end ; and i\\& genXXo. Izaak IValton (1627- 1644), author of ' The Compleat Angler,' who was a linendraper, at 120, the Fleet Street end of the Lane. Passing through Serjeants^ Inn (originally designed for Serjeants -at- Law only), we entered Clifford's Inn, once the town house of the Lords of Clifford, and oldest of all the Inns of Chancery. The Hall is memorable as being the place where after the Great Fire Sir Matthew Hale and seventeen other judges sat to settle the vexed ques- tions arising between landlords and their tenants in consequence of the destruction of their property, so that future lawsuits might be avoided. Forty-six thick folio volumes, kept at the British Museum, attest the arduousness of their task ; but RECORD OFFICE I 29 the matter was so satisfactorily decided at last, that portraits of all the judges were hung in the Guild- hall to commemorate the event. The Inn is a pretty little spot with its bits of turf and green trees, almost monastic in its quietude, so much so, that we were able, without interruption, to take a photograph of it with the Record Office in the background. Coming out into Fdtcr Lane and turning to our left, we quickly reached the latter building, a stately edifice, erected (1851-60) as a resting-place for our national records, which, until then, had been distributed between the Chapter House at Westminster, St. John's Chapel in the Tower of London, and other places of safety : On entering, we were requested to inscribe our names in the visitors' book; then one of the officials, taking possession of us, showed us several interest- ing old maps and books, and finally ushered us into a little room where the greatest treasure of all, the Domesday Book, or survey of England made for William the Conqueror, is preserved. There are two volumes— the first is most beauti- fully written, the second, far more roughly executed, is not generally shown ; but as it contained ihc Eastern Counties it was specially interesting to us. We were much struck by the numbers of shabby, broken-down-looking men who seemed absorbed K 130 OUR RAMBLES IN OLD LONDON in taking down and studying volumes in various rooms, and were informed that such persons come here day after day in hopes of discovering the owners to unclaimed property in Chancery, and thereby turning an honest penny. On the opposite side of Fetter Lane, No. 32, stands the old Aloravian Chapel, dating from before the Fire, a plain, dull-looking edifice, but its interest lies in its association with Baxter, Whitfield, and the Wesleys. It was to this chapel that Bishop Bicrnet sent a message to his friend Bradbury to announce the accession of George I., and conse- quently the safety of the Protestant succession, which many had feared might be overthrown by the return of the Stuartsat the death of Queen Anne. The messenger arrived whilst Bradbury was still preaching, and dropped a white handkerchief from the gallery, whereupon Bradbury, knowing the meaning of the signal, at once announced the acces- sion of George I. to his startled but delighted congregation, who immediately offered up the most fervent thanksgiving, ending with a hymn of triumph.' ^\^e returned home by the Underground Rail- way from the Temple Station. ' Hare. SIXTH WALK ' The Courts of two countries do not so difl'er from one another as the Court and the City in their peculiar ways of life and conversation. In short, the inhabitants of St. James, notwithstanding they live under the same laws and speak the same language, are a distinct people from those of Cheapsidc.' — Adijison. Mansi L House MAP OF SIXTH WALK. 1 o -> SIXTH WALK Guildhall— St. Lawrence, Jewry — St. Mary, Aldermanbury — Brewers' Hall— Addle Street— Milk Street— St. Mary-le- Bow, Cheapside — Gate of the Dead, Coleman Street— St. Margaret, Lolhbury — Drapers' Hall and Garden— Throg- morton Street — Austin Friars— Old Broad Street— Birch's —St. Peter's, Cornhill— St. Michael's, Cornhill— St. Stephen's, Walbrook. We had often talked ot exploring the Guildhall and its neighbourhood, but, somehow, the idea had never greatly commended itself to our fancy, probably from the locality being more universally known than most of the places we had visited. However, one morning early this spring found us in Cheapside,^ and turning down King Street on the left, we were immediately confronted by the (Juii.UHAi.i.. PigL-ons were fluttering here and there, some quietly feeding, all apparently perfectly tame, and in no wise alarmed by our approach. The sight of them in the open scjuareat once recalled Venice, and for one brief happy moment we were again on ' Reached hy omnihus to Cheapside, or by Underground Railway to .Moorgate Street or Mansion House. 134 <^UR RAMBLES IN OLD LONDON the beautiful, joyous, sunny Piazza St. Marco, watching the birds at their midday meal. The Guildhall is mentioned as early as 1212, but the present building dates from 141 1 ; the crypt and the old walls, however, alone survive the Great Fire (1666). An eye-witness' poetically describes the edifice as still standing firm, towering amid the flames, ' like a bright shining coal, as if it had been a palace of gold, or a great building of burnished brass.' The present front is a wretched work by George Da?tce, 1789, renewed in 1865-8. Passing through the entrance, we found ourselves at once in the Batiqiiet Hall, a beautiful room, some 1 50 feet long, with a fine timber roof, and dimly lighted by large Gothic windows at each end, filled with painted glass. The city giants, Gog and Magog, stand at the west end, and were well described by Hawthorne as being 'like enormous playthings for the children of giants.' They are hollow and made of fir-wood, the work of Richard Saiaidcrs, 1708, and take the place of much older wickerwork figures which used to be carried about the streets in City pageants, ' to make the people wonder,' and were then returned to their places in the Guildhall.^ ' Mr. Vincent, a minister, in ' Ood's Tcnil)le Voice in the City.' 2 H. Fry. CUILDHALL oO We had some chat with an imposing-looking official in a gorgeous uniform, who was marching up and down. He told us that the hall was capable of holding from 6,000 to 7,000 people, and that it was here that Whittington, when Lord Mayor, after entertaining Henry V. and his Queen at dinner, generously cancelled his Majesty's debt to him of 60,000/., by burning the bonds on a fire of sandal-wood. He then expatiated on the State ban- quets still held here, the Lord Mayor's feast being on so large a scale as to require the services of twenty cooks, the slaughter of forty turtles, and the consumption of fourteen tons of coal. Then our attention was called to the hideous Jiiomitnents, whose only interest lies in the inscriptions on four of them : Lord Chatham's being by Burke, Pitt's by Canning, Nelson's by Sheridan, while on Alderman Bcckfonfs (who bravely opposed both King and Parliament) is engraved the speech with which hu is said to have abruptly astonished George HL, and which, says Horace Walpole, ' made the King uncertain whether to sit still and silent, or to pick \\\) his robes and hurry into his private room.' The speech, however, was never really uttered, and was written liy Home 'I'ooke, 1736.' Asking to be shown the Crypt, we learnt to our ' Hare. 136 OUR RAMBLES IN OLD LONDON great dismay that since the dynamite scare it was no longer open to the pubHc ; this was a terrible disappointment, for we had read so much of its beauty.' It dates from 141 1, is 75 feet long and 45 wide, is divided into three aisles by six clusters of Purbeck marble columns, and has a fine groined roof, covered with carved bosses of heads, shields, and flowers. For many years this crypt was merely used for stowing away benches, trestles, &c., used at the City dinners, but in 1851 it was thoroughly restored, and on July 9 of that year, when the Queen visited the Guildhall, a banquet was here served in her honour. On inquiring of our cicerone for the Alderman^ s Court, we were told to ' go up a flight of steps in the Hall, and we should find some one to show it to us,' upon which, after politely rejecting our proffered tip— of which, he said, he stood in no need— he bade us good morning. On the other side of the door, at the top of the stairs, we were met by a very dignified-looking personage, in flowing robes, with a skull-cap and grey locks, who, on hearing what we wanted, ushered us into a low, rather dark room, and, telling us to ' go in and have a good look round,' departed. The old ' Vide Hare, and Old and New London. GUILDHALL 137 room is oak-panelled, richly decorated with gilded carving, and on the ceiling are allegorical figures representing Justice, Prudence, Temperance, and Fortitude, painted hy Sir Jaines ThornhiIl,\log3.xlh!s father-in-law ; the windows are filled in with stained glass. Each alderman's chair bears his name and arms ; they are twenty-six in number, representing the wards into which the City is divided. The aldermen are elected for life, and it is from two out of this body of men that the Lord Mayor is selected. Our guide soon returned, and took us into the adjoining JVew Octagonal Cou?icil Chamber, designed by the late City Architect, Sir Horace Jones, a large and very magnificent room, much ' begilded,' with gall£ries all round, for the use of reporters and spectators. Here the debates of the Common Councii are held every Tuesday (open to the public), and much civic business is transacted. Behind the Lord Mayor's chair is a fine statue of George HL, by C/uiiitrcy, brought from the old Common Council Chamber of which Hare and Thornbury speak, which is now completely dis- mantled, the pictures and busts that used to l)e found there being dispersed, many to the Arf Gallery, some to the different courts. Amongst them arc the portraits of Sir Mattheiv Hale and the seven- teen judges (i)y Micluul Wright) who sat in judg- I3S OUR RAINIliLES IN ORT) LONDON ment ai Clifford's Inn to settle the disputes between tenant and landlord after the terrible destruction of the Great Fire. Bearing in mind our previous rebuff, we men- tally debated whether we should offer a tip to our present venerable guide ; but he, to our great amusement, most kindly relieved us of all doubt on f/iat subject by whispering in our ear, as we passed out, in tones the condescension of which baffles de- scription, ' You can give me something if you like ' ! Repassing through the Greaf Hall, and turning to our left, up a flight of steps, we reached the Library and Reading Room, and, after signmg our names, passed in through a turnstile.' It is a delightful apartment (built 187 1-2), lofty and unusually light, and so constructed that, when the nave is required as a reception hall, the furniture can be moved into the side aisles. The library \% one of the finest in the kingdom, containing over 80,000 books on almost every possible subject, a unifiue collection of works on London, old plays, ballads, pamphlets, and autographs, including one of Shakespeare's bought for 147/. The library and museum of the Clockmakers' Company, and the library of the Dutch Church in Austin Friars, arc also preserved here, together with a remarkable collection oi Hebrew and /etvish works. ' Open free, daily, 10 to 9 I'.M, GUILDHALL [39 There were several people reading and taking notes at the different tables, and for the asking one can have any volume down to look at — a permission of which we have since availed ourselves. Repass- ing through the turnstile and in at a door on our left, we came upon the curious collection of old watches belonging to the Clockmakers' Company, close by which is the staircase that leads into the Museum below, open daily 10 to 4. It is well worth a visit to all who are interested in the relics of Old London, containing, as it does, Roman, Saxon, and Medieval antiquities found in the City, a collection of topographical prints, and several most curious Old London sign-boards. Of these the most notable is the famous sign of the ' Boar's LLead,'' a tavern erected in 1668 on the site of an older one, de- stroyed by the Fire, where Dame Quickly dwelt, ' the old place in ('heapside beloved by Falstaff,' and rendered for ever memorable as the scene of his and Prince Henry's revelries.' Instead of re-ascending the steps, wc left by a door leading into JUisinghall Slrcct, and, turning to the right, came out again into the s(]uarc in front of the Cuildhall, and went into the Art Calkiy (open daily, lo to 4), which contains historical pic- tures and [)ortraits given by the Corporation and citizens ; these, however, are not particularly inte- ' Paris \. ami IL Ifitiry I'., .Shakespeare, 140 OUR RAMP.LES IN OLD LONDON resting, though the loan collections which have been held there on three or four occasions have been most exceptionally worth visiting. On the east of the Guildhall yard the ancient and beautiful chapel of 67. Mary Magdalen formerly stood, but was pulled down in 1822 ; it was used for a special service prior to the Lord Mayor's feast, ' to deprecate indigestion and all plethoric evils.' The site is now occupied by the Court Rooms, which may be seen when not in use. The Guildhall has been the scene of many historical events ; here soon after the death of Edward IV. in 1483, while the princes were in the Tower, Buckingham made his famous speech, striving to persuade the people to accept the Duke of Gloucester's (Richard III.) usurpation. There Ajine Askew was tried and condemned for heresy by Bonner. She had come to London to sue for a separation from her husband, who had turned her out of doors for becoming a Protestant. Queen Katherine Parr was at first friendly to her ; but, having been found to have distributed tracts denouncing Transubstantiation amongst the Court ladies, she was speedily brought to judgment by the Bishops, and, after being tor- tured on the rack to induce her to give evidence against these ladies, she was subsequently burnt at Smithfieldin 1546, in the presence of many nobles and ecclesiastics. ST. LAWRENCE, JEWRY I4I Here the Earl of Surrey diwd^ shortly afterwards, Lady fane Grey and her husband were convicted of high treason. Here also took place the trial of Sir Nicholas Throgmorto7t, a Protestant, much favoured by Edward VI., for taking part in ^^'yatt's rebellion against Queen Mary. He was able, however, to establish his innocence by his great readiness and capability in defending himself. Here, in 1606, Garnet, Superior of the Jesuits in England, who had been discovered hidden in the mansion of a Roman Catholic gentleman at Hendlip House, near Worcester, was tried and found guilty of aiding and organising the Gtin- poivder Plot, and was afterwards hanged in St. Paul's Churchyard, the only execution that has ever desecrated that sj^ot. It was here, also, that the Lords of Parliament assembled after the abdication of James II. to declare for William of Orange. Passing by the modern Gothic fountain (1866), decorated with statues of St. Lawrence and St. Mary Magdalen in memory of the benefactors of St. Mary Magdalen's, Milk Street (burnt 1666 and never rebuilt), and .S7. Latvretue, Jewry , we reached the latter church ; as it was Saturday and cleaning going on, the door stood open, and, availing our- selves of this, we took a look round. Though 142 OUR KAMJ5LES IN OLD LONDON richly decorated, and having cost more than any other of Wren's churches — and by some being con- sidered his finest work next to St. Stephen's, Wal- brook — it yet does not strike the eye as being a thing of beauty, and cannot be called ' a joy for ever.' Like most city churches, it occupies the site of a far older building destroyed by the Fire, is built of stone, and consists of a nave and aisles (finished 1706). On the left-hand side of the altar is a quaint monument with a portrait carved on a shield, supported by two cherubs, one in tears. This was erected to Arch- bishop Tillotson (1694), of whom Macaulay thus writes : ' He was buried in the church of St. Law- rence, Jewry. It was there that he had won his immense national reputation. He had preached there during the thirty years which preceded his elevation to the throne of Canterbury. . . . His remains were carried through a mourning popula- tion. The hearse was followed by an endless train of splendid equipages from Lambeth, through Southwark, and over London Bridge. Burnet preached the funeral sermon ; ... in the midst of his discourse, he paused and burst into tears, while a loud moan of sorrow arose from the whole auditory, The Queen (Mary) could not speak of her favourite instructor without weeping. Even William was visibly moved. "I have lost," he said, "the best ST. .MARV, ALDERMANBURY 1 43 friend that 1 ever had, and the best man that I ever knew." ' ' IVilkins, Bishop of Chester, brother-in-law to OUver Cromwell, and a mathematician, is also buried here, together with Geoffrey Boleyn of Blickling, Norfolk, Lord Mayor of London {pb. 1463), great-great-grandfather of Queen Elizabeth. The organ is by Harris (1684), and has an extremely fine case of richly carved oak. The church can be seen any day between one and two. The gridiron, which serves as a vane on the spire, commemorates the death of St. Lawrence. Taking the first turn to the right, out of Gresham Street (in which St. Lawrence partly stands) into Alderinanbiiry Street, the church of ^V. Mary, A/derinanbtiry, was quickly reached. It stands in a pretty, carefully kept churchyard (open to the public from ten till four, except Saturdays). Here again, a door being ajar, we entered without difficulty. The church is by Jlre/i, and Jacobean in style ; on the north of the Communion Table the cvuc\ Judge Jeffreys is buried, having been removed hither from the Tower Chapel in 1693, for he died in the Tower April 16S9. In the Register is the record of the marriage oi John Mi/ton to his second wife, (Jalherine Woodcocke, November 12, 1656, a native of this parish, who, alas ! died fifteen months ' Mucaiilay, llislory of En)^laiuL 144 ^UR RAMBLES IN OLD LONDON afterwards, and, with her, all the real married happiness that Milton ever knew. She and her little baby rest in the churchyard of St. Margaret's, Westminster. Hard by, where Addle Street joins Aldermanbury, quite hidden away, is the dear old Hall belonging to the Brewers' Company (incor- porated by Henry VI.). Passing through a. gateway of 1670, we found ourselves in a little courtyard. Shrubs in pots were standing about ; in front of us was the great Hall, on the right a balustraded flight of stone steps, by which it is approached. ^\'hilst gazing around, admiring the carved hops and corn which adorn the building, we were suddenly startled by the sound of a friendly voice, issuing from a window on the ground floor, asking if we should like to come in. Joyfully obeying the summons, we were at once conducted into the old kitchen, now no longer used, dinners being a thing of the past ! It contained a very fine old lead tank of 1670, which, however, had been ruthlessly cut in two by the order of some Goth, when it was being mo\ed from where it originally stood, and afterwards re-joined. The Hall is on the first floor, and contains the portraits of defunct digni- taries belonging to the Company, and a beautifully carved oak chair for the Master's use. A small ad- joining oak-paneUed chamber contains some very finely carved furniture ; one piece, a sideboard, is 146 OUR RAMT.T.KS TN OLD T^ONPON of special interest, having been constructed out of the old dining table which formerly stood on the deck of the Company's barge in the days when, headed by the Lord Mayor, all the city companies in their respective barges went in yearly processions on the Thames. In this room the fortnightly meetings of the company are held. 'J'he whole place had so old-world and solemn an air, such absolute stillness reigned, that it seemed impossible to believe that we were within a stone's throw of the noise and bustle of the great city. Mr. • ■ then most kindly took us into his private room downstairs, where we saw a curious, beautifully worked old Pall, formerly used at the 'Lying-in- State ' of the heads of the Company ; also their one piece of plate, a knife and fork, with a little silver figure on each, said to represent a Moorish lady, round whom tradition weaves some tale of romance connected with Sir Thomas A'Becket, who was the founder of the Company. The story probably originated from the fact that his mother was of Moorish extraction, said, indeed, to be a Saracen princess who, according to the pretty well known legend, had fallen deeply in love with his father (Sir Gilbert A'Becket) when he was taken prisoner during the Crusades. Having contrived his libera- tion, she afterwards followed him to England, and, though only knowing two words of the language, BREWERS IIAI.I. 1 47 London and Gilbert, succeeded in reaching his native town by means of the first, and plaintively called the second through the streets until reunited with him. Truth, however, obliges us to add that no mention is made of this romantic episode by any of Sir Thomas's early biographers. Formerly his arms were impaled with those of the Company. The present erection dates only from 1670, its predecessor having fallen a victim to the Great l''ire. The account books, however, escaped, and the Brewers are, we ljelie\ e, the only company possess- ing their minutes from the very beginning. We saw one volume bearing on its cover the date 1418-1422, the ink still a jetty black, the paper most excel- lent, such as would delight the heart of William Morris, whom we had recently heard lecture on the superiority of the ink and paper used when printing was in its infancy. At the end of one of these ancient minutes a facetious clerk had drawn a grotesque little sprite, giving indescribable life and vitality to the old document. After receiving a courteous permission to bring any friend to visit the quaint old place, we retraced our steps down Aldermanbury into Milk Street (milk market of medircval London, and l)irlhplace of the famous Sir 7'liomas Afore, 1480— 'the l)rightcst star,' says I-'ullcr, * that ever shone in that Via I-actea'), and, regaining Cheapside, entered ) z 148 OUR RAMl'.LES IN OLD LONDON .SV. Alary-le-Boiv on the opposite side of the road. On asking a young person who was busily engaged in dusting the pews whether we could see the old Norman crypt, she handed us over to the verger, a venerable old man, who, after fetching a pecu- liar flat iron candlestick (with a spike at one end, for the purpose of inserting it into the wall of the crypt when burials used to take place there), took us through a heavy iron door into the vaults below. The crypt is a very fine one, and in part of it the grand Norman pillars and arches can be seen in their full beauty, but, unfortunately, one is unable to gain a good idea of its full extent, as a large portion has been walled off, and contains hundreds of coffins, which previous to the Burial Act (1826) used to stand in rows, exposed to view. Mr. W^, who said he had been verger there half a century, evidently entertained quite a contempt for the newfangled notion that any danger could pos- sibly be incurred by bad gases proceeding from the coffins, as 'they had never done him no harm,' and described the funerals that formerly took place there, when he always lighted up the vaults with a hundred candles or more, and strewed sawdust on the ground, to make it ' more cheerful like for the poor mourners.' From there we were conducted up the tower stairs to the clockroom, and from thence stepped on to the stone balcony over the ST. ^FARV-LE-BOW 1 49 porch, which commands a splendid view up and down Cheapside. It was used by the rector and his friends to see the procession on the occasion of the Duke of York's marriage (1893). When Wren rebuilt the church after the Great Fire, it was stipu- lated that he should reproduce in his design an outside gallery, as a memento of the seldam, or stone shed, which the old tower possessed, and from whence the Edwards and Henrys witnessed the tournaments in Cheapside and the city pageants. Hare tells us a plot was formed for assassinat- ing Charles II. and the Duke of York on this very balcony, during a Lord Mayor's Show ; also that from this same place Queen Anne beheld the Lord Mayor's Pageant, 1 702, designed by the last city poet, Elkanah Settle. The present edifice was built by lVre?i, the arches of the crypt being used by him as a supi)ort for the church, and the tower, wiih its graceful spire, is quite one of his chefs-d' ccuvrc; the interior, however, is dull and dreary, and possesses but one monument of any interest, that to Akivton, Dean of St. Paul's and Bishop of Bristol (1782), with this inscription : ' Reader, if you would be further informed of his charartL-r. .irquainl yourself with his writings.' The fame o^ Binv Bells is of ancient date. To have been born within sound of llicin is to be a BOW CHURCH, CHEAPSIDE. {F?-c>ii an old engraving, 1815.) ST. MARY-LE-BOW 151 ' Cockney.' It was these bells that Dick IVhit- tington heard saying to him as he sat resting on the Highgate milestone : Turn again, WTiittington, Lord Mayor of London. Obeying their summons, he became in time one of the most famous of Lord Mayors. The ringing of them is first mentioned in 13 15, ' when they were the " go to bed bells " of those early days, and the old couplets still exist, supposed to be the complaint of the sleepy 'prentices of those times.' ' Clerk of Bow Bells, with the yellow lockes, For thy late ringing thy head shall have knockes. To this the clerk obsequiously responds : Children of Cheape, hold yc all still, For ye shall have the Bow Bell rung at your will. There were many allusions to the dragon on the steeple by authors in the last century. ' Dean Swift said, more than one hundred years ago, that when the dragon on Bow church kisses the cock behind the Exchange, great changes will take place in England. Just before the Reform Bill o{ 1832, the dragon and the cock were both taken down at the same time, to be cleaned and repaired by the same man, and were placed close to each ' riiorni)ury. 152 OUR RAMBLES IN OLD LONDON Other. In fact, the dragon kissed the cock, and the Reform Bill was passed. Who can say there is no virtue in predictions, after this ? ' ' Many historical events are connected with this tower, beginning with the accident to Queen Philippa, caused by the giving way of a temporary wooden gallery erected close to the church. From this gallery the poor Queen, together with her ladies, whilst witnessing a magnificent tournament, was most ignominiously precipitated on to the heads of the people below. Furiously angry at the mis- hap to his royal consort, her young husband, Edward III., ordered the careless workmen to be put to death, but she, flinging herself on her knees before him, obtained their pardon, and the King contented himself with erecting a stone balcony over the porch for her future use.^ William Fitz Osbert, champion of the people in the reign of Richard I., fled from his murderers to the tower of the old church, but after a gallant defence for three days, he was burnt out, dragged at the tail of a horse to the Tower of London, and finally hanged. After his death, pilgrimages were made to the church in his honour. Here, too, Lawrence Ducket, who had taken sanctuary there, was killed ; to avenge whose death sixteen persons were hanged, and the church closed ' B. R. llaydun's Table Tal/c. - Knight. GATE OF THE DEAD, COLEMAN ST. 1 53 until it was purified again. Indeed it is of St. Mary- le-Bow that Stowe writes : ' For divers accidents happening there, it hath been made more famous than any other Parish Church of the whole City or suburbs.' ' Walking eastwards, turning up 0/d Jewry on the left (at one time entirely peopled by Jews, trans- ported hither from Rouen by William I.), entering Coleman Street, into which it leads, we found our- selves opposite the old Gate of St. Stephens Church- yard, erected in memory of the Great Plague of 1665, the churchyard having been one of the chief burial-places of the victims of that terrible scourge, which carried 0/^68,596 persons. The gate is not a cheerful object, with its ghastly skulls and quaint carvings of the Last Judgment, but interesting as being with the gate of St. Olave's, Ilarl Street, one of the only two memorials left of that fearful year when from morn to eve the awful cr)', ' Bring out your dead,' resounded through the city, as the dark -robed carriers went their rounds with dead -cart and l)ell. Going back a few steps, still bearing eastward into Lothl'ury (known as the abode of pewterers and candlestick-makers), we peejjcd into .SV. Mar- garet's, LothOury, on the left, which contains a ' Tor fiirllicr dciails vide Kiii^;lil',s l.onJoii, and Old and New Loudon, vol. i. 154 OUR rami;les in old London beautifully carved pulpit and font, attributed to Grinling Gibbons ; then, continuing straight on, we quickly reached the Drapers' Hall. Ringing at a side door, we were admitted by the porter, and, after gaining permission at the ofifice to view the place, were conducted over it by the aforesaid dignitary. A broad winding marble staircase, adorned with statues of Edward III. and Queen Philippa, leads to the reception rooms and hall, which are gor- geously gilded and luxuriously furnished, and overlook a quiet quadrangle, round which are laurel trees in tubs with a fountain in the centre. The small dining room, however, looks on to all that now remains of the once charming old garden, the greater part of which was, alas ! sold for building purposes — a sacrifice to the great god Mammon — some few years back. Two of its famous mulberry trees are still standing (1894), sole mementos of its bygone beauty. The court room is the only relic of the seven- teenth-century mansion (rebuilt 1869), and contains an interesting portrait of Mary Queen of Scots and her little son James, by Zucchero. This picture, Hare tells us, ' was said to have been thrown over the wall into the Drapers' gardens for security during the Great Fire, and to have been found there afterwards amidst the ruins, and never claimed.' At the other end of the apartment is a AUSTIN FRIARS 155 likeness of Nelson by Beechey, which our guide considered ' very insignificant-looking, and didn't give any idea of the great and clever man he must really have been.' The Banqueting Hall is quite magnificent, 75 feet long, very lofty, and em- bellished with representations of various kings and queens, and the arms of the twelve principal com- panies, amongst which the Drapers rank third. Large dinners, concerts, and occasional balls are given here every year, and we were told we could not possibly form any idea of the beauty and magnificence of the mansion, seeing it only by daylight. The Hall is also lent for meetings and examinations. A few steps further on is the entrance to the tranquil courts of Austin Friars, standing on the site of a once famous Augustinian monastery (founded i 242), of which all that now remains is part of the nave of the old church (originally more like a cathedral), given by Edward VI. to the Dutch nation in which to hold their services, and still used by them. Calling at the Verger's (No. 5 Austin Friars) for the keys, we were conducted l)y him to the building ; he proved to be a Dutchman married to an English wife, but speaking our Ian guage so well, and in accents .so cockneyfied, tiial no (jne could liave guessed his nationality. The interior was scrupulously clean, very ligiit, and I 56 OUR RAMBLES IN OLD LONDON almost absolutely bare, save for the seats in the part used for service, which is curtained off. The painted windows on each side, and the large one at the west end, are, however, very beautiful, and are among the finest specimens of the Decorated period to be found anywhere. This edifice, now so cold and empty, once contained some of the most splendid tombs in London, but the second Marquis of Win- chester (to whose father the church had been granted by Henry VIII. at the Dissolution) having been implored by the Mayor and other influential per- sonages to repair the steeple, ' the beautifullest and rarest spectacle in London,' then in a dangerous state, first refused their request, and then pulled down the choir and steeple and actually sold the magnificent monuments for a hundred pounds ! Amongst the many distinguished men who lie buried here are the founder, Humphrey de Bohun, godfather to Edward I. ; Edivard, the eldest son of the Black Prince and the Fair Maid of Kent; Richard^ the great earl of Arundel, Surrey and Warren, beheaded 1397 ; Vere, Earl of Oxford, executed 1463 ; all the lords and barons slain at the Battle of Barnet in 147 1, who are interred in the body of the church, and the Dj/ke of Bucking- ham, ' poor Edward Bohun,' who was sacrificed to the jealousy of Cardinal Wolsey, and beheaded at the Tower, 1521. It was of this Buckingham that AUSTIN FRIARS I 57 Charles V. remarked, 'A Butcher-clog (Wolsey) had devoured the finest Buck in England.' Several other noblemen, knights and ladies, together with a countless number of less eminent personages, found their last resting-place here. The first Marquis of ^Vinchester served under nine monarchs, and being asked, when an aged man, how he had managed to get on so capitally with them all, replied, ' by being a willow and not an oak.' He it was who erected Winchester House in Austin Friars, and there the celebrated Amie Clif- ford, who, Dr. Donne says, 'knew everything from predestination to slea-silk,' was married to the Earl of Dorset in 1689. The house was standing till 1839, and up to the time of its demolition the old Paulet motto, ' Aimez Loyaulte,' was to be found engraved on several of the stained-glass windows. In 1 62 1 the unfortunate Earl of Strafford (victim of Charles I.'s fatal want of firmness and decision) lived for a short time in Austin Friars with his licautiful wife and their young children. She died the following year, and was alluded to by him during his trial as 'a saint in heaven.' Here, too, James Ifeywood^z. well-known writer in the ' Spectator,' died in 1 776; and, in more recent days,y^/7/(opentwelveto two), one of Wren's least successful reconstructions, but interesting as it is said to occupy the site of the oldest church in Great Britain. A quaintly worded old tablet, preserved in the vestry (mentioned by Stowe as ' fast-chained in the church ' in his time), and sup- posed to have been here from time immemorial, states that the edifice was founded by King Lucius 179 A.D., and was the principal church in the king- dom for 400 years, till the coming of St. Augustine. The interior contains a fine carved wood screen presented by Bishop Beveridge (the great theological writer), who was rector herefrom 1672 to 1704, and is alluded to by him in one of his sermons. There is also a pathetic monument erected to the memory of the seven children of a Mr. and Mrs. Wood- mason, of Leadenhall Street, who were all burnt in their beds in January 1782. The tomb is the work oiRyley, and a lovely engraving of the cherubs' heads upon it was made by Bartolozzi. The organ was the first complete one ever erected in England, and was played upon by Mendelssohn. Thackeray, whose window looked out on St. Peter's, Cornhill, whilst he wrote the 'Roundabout Tapers,' has Thr iry. ST. Stephen's, walf.rook i6i written fully on the legend respecting its early foundation. Wending our steps westward, turning down Walbrook on the left of the Mansion House, we entered, up a short flight of steps, into St. Stephen's (open one to three). Ugly though it be externally, its interior is the lightest, brightest, most elegant, and best proportioned of all the City churches. It is so Italian in style, that you might almost believe yourself to be in one of the smaller edifices of that delightful country, save for the absence of incense, altars, priests, and lighted candles. The church has four rows of Corinthian columns, two columns from each of the two centre rows are omitted, and the space thus left is covered by a beautiful lofty cupola, on eight arches which spring from the entablature of the columns. Wren is thought to have buill this cupola as a trial of effect, before venturing on the dome of St. Paul's. Speaking of St. Stephen's, Ferguson says, ' If the material had been as lasting, and the size as great as St. Paul's, this church would have been a greater monument to Wren than the Cathedral.' 'I'he carved woodwork is e.xtremely good, especially the altar front, font, door, and organ case. Vanbrugh, the architect and wit, lies buried in the vaults l)elow. Among tlie monu- ments still left is one to John Lilhuriu\ whose M 1 62 OUR RAMBLES IN OLD LONDON wife, Isabella Quincy, was niece (by marriage) to Judith, Shakespeare's daughter; there is also a medallion to Afrs. Catherine Macaulay (i 733-1 79 1), authoress of the ' History of England from the Reign of James II. to the Accession of the Georges.' Fendletofi, the far-famed Vicar of Bray, was at one time rector here. We returned to South Kensington from the Mansion House, by Underground Railway. INDEX TO PLACES Barnard's Inn . Bevis Marks Birch's Restaurant Borough High Street . Bow Bells Brewers' Hall Canonljury House Chancery Lane Charterhouse . Churches : Allhallows, Barking AUhallows Staining Austin Friars . I loly Trinity, Minories . St. Andrew Undcrshaft St. Bartholomew the Great St. Botolph, Bishopsgate St. Ethelburga St. George, Southwark St. Giles, Cripple^ate St. Helen, Great St. James, Clerkcnwell St. Janie-., Garlickhithe St. John, Clerkenwell St. Kalherine Cree . St. Lawrence, Jewry St. Magnus St. Margaret, I^Uhbury St. Martin Outwich Ii6 94 158 38 149 144 69 128 20 106 lOI 155 98 86 12 91 90 43 10 7 62 47 54 95 141 82 153 9 M 2 164 OUR KAMl'.LKS IN OLD LONDON Churches — coitlinued : St. Mary, Aldcriiinnlmry St. Mary le How St. Mary at Hill . St. Mary Ovcry St. Mary-Maydalcn St. Michael, Cornhill St. Olave, ILart Street . St. Peter, Cornliill . St. Saviour, Southvs ark . St. Stephen, Coleman Street St. Stephen, Walbrook . Clerkenwell Clerkcnwell Close Clerkenwell Session House Clifford's Inn . Clink, the . Cloth Fair Colebrooke Cottage Cripplegate Crosby Hall Crosby Square . Drapers' Hall Dutch Tenters . I'^ishmongers' Hall Furnival's Inn . Cate of the Dead, Coleman Street ("■ate of the Dead, Seething Lane Gateway, St. John's, Clerkenwell . Globe Theatre .... Gray's Inn . . . . . ■(niildhall Hospital, St. liartholomew's House of the Black I'rince House of Charles Lamb House of Sir Paul I'indar . Inns : (ieorge . . . . . Jerusalem Tavern . "Old Bell Queen's Head Taljard . . . • • While Hart .... INDEX TO PLACES l6^ Lincoln's Inn Little Britain . London Stone Lothbiiry Mackworth's Inn Marshalsea, the Mint Street . Monument, the Moravian Chapel Newcastle House Old Jewry . Paris (hardens . Record Office Rolls Chapel . Serjeants' Inn Skinners' Hall . Smithfield . Soane Museum. Staple Inn . Surrey Pier Swan Theatre Whittington's Palace Winchester House PAGE 123 12 49 153 "7 42 43 85 130 65 153 46 129 128 48 16 125 113 31 46 lOI 36 INDEX TO PERSONS Aberncthy, Dr. Adams, Quincy . Allington, Sir Richard Andrcwes, Bishop Ans])ach, Margravine of Arundel, Earl of . Askew, Anne . Barford, Miss Becket, Sir Thomas a Beck ford, Alderman Beveridge, Bishop Bingham Bohun, Humphrey de Boleyn, fieoffrey . Bonner, Bishop Boyce, Dr. \V. Bradford, John Brand .... Brandon, Charles Bruce of Kinloss, I>ord Buckingham, Duke of Burnet, Bi>hop liutler. Bishop . Fiynge, Anna Cxsar, Julius . Caroline, 'Juctn . Ca.stlcmaine, Lady . Chamltcrs, Kphraiin Chatter ton I'AGE . 20 109 126 •I. 3 6, 109 79 156 140 34 146 135 160 34 156 '43 42 159 18 85 43 126 156 63 128 89 9 79 19 73 119 1 68 OUR RAMBLES IN OLD Churchill Clifford, Anno . Cooper, Sir A. Coverdale, Miles Cromwell, Oliver Crosby, Sir John I )ocwra, Th(jmas . Ducket, Lawrence Dyer, Ceorge Edward L Elizabeth, Queen. Ellenborough, Lord Ev-yngar, Andrew Exeter, Countess of Fabyan, Alderman Fisher, Bishop . Fitz-Osbert, William Fletcher . Fox Frobisher, Sir Martin Carnct Garrick, David Gayor, Sir John . (ihost. Cock Lane . (joldsmith, Oliver CJowcr, Jolin Gresham, Sir Thomas Grey, Stephen . Grey, Sir Thomas Griniston, Sir Ilarbottl II addon. Sir R. . Hale, Sir Matthew . Ilarvey llavelock. Sir Henry Hey wood, James . Hogarth . Holbein, Hans Hollar . Hooke, Robert . Hooper, Bishop Humble, Alderman Humphreys Jeffreys, Judge LON DON PAGE . . 60 • 157 . . 158 82 . . II 8 • ■ 54 . 152 . . 68 . 107 23, 72, lOI 22 . . 108 . 62 ■ • '59 108 . . 152 33 . . II II . . 141 • 56 . . 96 . 60 . 73, 86 ■ 34 . . 8 27 . . 108 . 127 . . 104 . 128 . . 20 22 ■ ■ 157 15 . . 96 . 36 • • 9 35 ■ • 35 ■ 73 • . 143 INDEX TO PERSONS 169 Johnson, Dr. . Laud, Archbishop Legge, William Leventhorp, John Lilburne, John Lockyer, Dr. Macaulay, Mrs. Catherine Manny, Sir Walter Massinger Mennes, Sir John Mildmay, Sir Walter Milton, John Monk, General Montague, Duchess of . More, Sir Thomas . Motteux, Antony Nathan, Dr. Adler . Newcastle, Duchess of. Newcome, Colonel . Newton, Dean Norfolk, Duke of . Orgone, John Oteswitch, John do . Overy, Mary Owen, Richard O.xford, Earl of . f'elham, Sir John I'cmhrokc, Countess of Pendleton, Vicar of Bray I'c))ys . Philipi)a, Queen Philpot, John Pindar, Sir Paul Preston, John Rahere . Rainc, Dr. . Richard II. Rogers, John Rush worth St. Edmund the .Martyr Settle, Elkanah Shakcsjjeare, Edmund . Shakespeare, William 10, I 4, 2 56, 116 96, 108 98 9 161 34 162 20 33 104 14 2, 143 43 65 I, 147 89 90 64 26 149 21 104 9 32 20 156 98 6 162 103 152 18 92 84 13 22 16 'S, 35 43 1 1 27 33 46 I 70 OUR RAMBLES IN OLD LONDON PAGE Sidney, Sir Philip . . 98 Smitli, James . . • 157 Speed, John II Spenser, Sir John • 5, 71 Stowe, John 87, 159 Strafford, Earl of . • 157 Strange, Sir John . . 127 SuffoU':, Henry Duke of . 99 Surrey, Earl of . . 108 Sutton, Sir Thomas . 22 Thackeray . 22 Throgmorton, Sir Nicholas 95. 141 Thurloe, Secretary . 124 Thynne, William . 108 Tillotson, Archbishop . . 142 Trehearne, John • 34 Trevor, Sir John . . 127 Tyler, Wat 16,79 Tynley • 54 Vanhrugh, Sir J. . 161 Wallace, Sir W. . . 16 Walton, Izaak . ' . 128 Walworth, Sir W. • 78 Warren, Earl of . . 156 Wesley • 59 Weston, Sir W. . 62 Wilkins, liishop . • 143 Wolsey, Cardinal . . 128 Wood, Sir W. . . 62 Woulfe, Peter . . 117 Young, Dr. . 85, 126 i PRINTED BY SPOTTISWOODE AND CO., NEW-STREET SQUARE LONDON MEMORABLE LONDON HOUSES. A HANDY GUIDE. By WILMOT HARRISON. WITH ILLUSTRATIVE ANECDOTES AND A REFERENCE PLAN, And One Hundred Illustrations by G. N. MARTIN. Price 2s. 6d. cloth, gilt lettered. 'Ought to be in the hands of everyone who takes an interest in the associa- tions which are connected with so many London houses. There are one hundred illustrations of houses in which men and women whose memories have survived from the past have lived : while the text contains just such notes as enable one to realise the association of permanent interest." — Times, August 28, i88g. ' Mr. Harrison has done all, and more than all, we could reasonably e.vpect ; and it is equally surprising and gratifying to know how many memorable houses have escaped demolition. There are brief biographical notes on the illustrious tenants, and very often clever portraits in pen and ink, borrowed from the best or the most picturesque authorities.' — Times. ' A book which gives infinitely the best account of the memorable London houses that has yet appeared. . . . The writer ... has the true literary sensi- bility ; and in the notes which he adds in regard to each of the houses described he recalls just the associations which ought to be suggested. He is, besides, a capiul raconteur, and every page has some pleasant and apposite story connected with the famous dead. Indeed, Mr. Harrison, as he leads us through the London streets, is the merriest of guides ; for hardly a building before which he pauses fails to remind him of a good thing of one or other of its inhabitants. Then, too, Mr. Harrison's book is thoroughly well edited, and not a mass of random notes flung at our heads to enjoy as best we may.' Spectator. '.Mr. Wilmot Harrison has accomplished what was doubtless a congenial task with much skill, and given us a very readable and interesting little hand- lxx)k to all the houses in London which have at one time or another been occupied by famous people. . . . There are many illustrations and capital sketches of most of the lamous houses, by Mr. G. N. Martin, while there is a plan of London, with all the houses marked, and due reference to them in the text, and no pains have been spared to make the book a really valuable guide •'.Memorable Ix)ndon Houses" is a delightful work, and should be very jmpul.-ir.'— C'jcrt Circular. HY THE SAME AUTHOR. .MEMOkAiSLH PARIS HOl^SHS. \ Hanrly Guide, with Illustmlive, Critical, and Aticcdotal Notices. With over 60 original Illustrations of CelcliritiLS and their houses from Drawings made exjiressly for this work by Taris .Artists. Crown 8vo. cloth, price 6s, London: SAMPSON LOW, MAKSTON «t COMPANY, LIMITKD. SI Iiiii, ,i:iii\ Mouse, Fcllcr Lane, Fleet Street, E.C'. ( A nd 0/ all liockscllcrt, J SOME FURTHER PRESS OPINIONS ON MEMORABLE LONDON HOUSES. By WILMOT HARRISON. Price zs. 6d. ' When it is said that over one hundred and fifty celebrities are recalled, their residences (often two or three occulted successively) located, it will be seen that there is no lack of eniertainment for those whose minds are not too much taken up with the jircsent to allow of retrospection into days when Dryden wrote poetry in Gerrard Street, when Lord Kldon ate his homely dinners in Hedford Square, or when the author of " \"anity Fair " gave a party to cele- brate his removal to what he persisted for one night in dcscrijjing as "W. Empty House." Enough is told about each jiersonage re- called to assist the memory of the wanderer, and the little sketches which Mr. Martin has in many cases provided are a welcome and useful feature of the book.' — Morning Post. 'A very interesting and handy little volume.' — Pall Mall Gazette. 'The idea is a happy one, well carried out and certain to be welcomed not only by visitors to the metropolis, but by Londoners as well.'— The Glohe. ' On the whole we find this neat, unpretending little book a very pleasant and useful pocket companion in the western jiortion of London.'— Saturday Review. ' An excellent little volume, useful as a guide to the stranger, equally useful as a book of reference, is Mr. Wilmot Harrison's "Memorable London Houses," being a fairly comiilete list of the various residences of distinguished Londoners— politicians, authors, artists, actors, &c. This handy little guide can easily be carried in a side-pocket, is ]irofusely illustrated, and is provided with a numbered plan. The necessity of such a book is obvious ; one wonders that it was never before thought of.' —The World. "'Memorable London Houses' . . . should be in the hands not only of every visitor to the metropolis, l)ut of every Londoner who takes a pride in the city in which he dwells.' — Echo. 'A good idea, well carried out.' — Daily Chronicle. ' Evident pains have Ijeen taken to make this handy guide to the houses of the great in history, literature, art, or science com- plete. ... A reference plan enhances the value of the work, which is well indexed.' — Public Opinion. ' Its author . . . has gone very thoroughly to work, and, with illustrative anecdotes, a hundred illustrations, and a reference plan, has ))roduced a book which everj' cultivated Londoner and every ■ intelligent visitor to London will be glad to possess and to use on occasion.' — The Star. London: SAMPSON LOW, MARSTON & COMPANY, LIMITED, St. Dunstan's House, Fetter Lane, E.C. S55 THE LIBRARY UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA Santa Barbara THIS BOOK IS DUE ON THE LAST DATE STAMPED BELOW. UC SOUTHERN REGIONAL LIBRARY FACILITY iillllilli nil lliilil iililllllllllllJII AA 000 238 381 8 ; -J .- .ii> u<«»il-H.itl»»-TJb*:, niio :i,--^ lf!,-j ,,\7--.j;n t'-''^--'- : ^^^^^^W^ -'\- I