If, instead of the Strand and Piccadilly route, or the Holborn and Oxford
Street route, a visitor takes the northernmost main route, he will find
less to interest him. The New Road, in its several parts of City Road,
Pentonville Road, Euston Road, and Marylebone Road, forms a broad line of
communication from the city to Paddington, four miles in length. Though
very important as one of the arteries of the metropolis, it is singularly
deficient in public buildings. In going from the Bank to Paddington, we
pass by or near Finsbury Square and Circus, the buildings and grounds of
the Artillery Company at Moorfields, the once famous old Burial-ground at
Bunhill Fields, St. Luke’s Lunatic Asylum, the Chapel in the City Road
associated with the memory of John Wesley, the old works of the New River
Company at Pentonville, the Railway stations at King’s Cross (Great
Northern), and St. Pancras (Midland),—the vast span of this station’s
roof is noteworthy,—and Euston Square (L. and N. Western), several
stations of the Metropolitan Underground Railway, St. Pancras and
Marylebone churches, and the entrance to the beautiful Regent’s Park.
But beyond these little is presented to reward the pedestrian.
It is well for a visitor to bear in mind, however, that all the routes we
have here sketched have undergone, or are undergoing, rapid changes,
owing chiefly to the wonderful extension of railways. Cannon Street,
Finsbury, Blackfriars, Snow Hill, Ludgate Hill, Smithfield, Charing
Cross, Pimlico, &c., have been stripped of hundreds, nay, thousands of
houses.
PALACES AND MANSIONS, ROYAL AND NOBLE.
[Picture: St. James’s Palace and Park. (Green Park in the distance.)]
These two preliminary glances at the City and the West End having (as we
will suppose) given the visitor some general idea of the Metropolis, we
now proceed to describe the chief buildings and places of interest,
conveniently grouped according to their character—beginning with
_Palatial Residences_.
St. James’s Palace.—This is an inelegant brick structure, having its
front towards Pall Mall. Henry VIII. built it in 1530, on the site of
what was once an hospital for lepers. The interior consists of several
spacious levée and drawing rooms, besides other state and domestic
apartments. This palace is only used occasionally by the Queen for
levées and drawing-rooms; for which purposes, notwithstanding its
awkwardness, the building is better adapted than Buckingham Palace. The
fine bands of the Foot Guards play daily at eleven, in the Colour Court,
or in an open quadrangle on the east side. The Chapel Royal and the
German Chapel are open on Sundays—the one with an English service, and
the other with service in German.
Buckingham Palace.—This edifice stands at the west end of the Mall in St.
James’s Park, in a situation much too low in reference to the adjacent
grounds on the north. The site was occupied formerly by a brick mansion,
which was pulled down by order of George IV. The present palace (except
the front towards the park) was planned and erected by Mr. Nash. When
completed, after various capricious alterations, about 1831–2, it is said
to have cost about £700,000. The edifice is of stone, with a main
centre, and a wing of similar architecture projecting on each side,
forming originally an open court in front; but the palace being too small
for the family and retinue of the present sovereign, a new frontage has
been built, forming an eastern side to the open court. There is,
however, little harmony of style between the old and new portions. The
interior contains many magnificent apartments, both for state and
domestic purposes. Among them are the Grand Staircase, the Ball-room,
the Library, the Sculpture Gallery, the Green Drawing-room, the Throne
Room, and the Grand Saloon. The Queen has a collection of very fine
pictures in the various rooms, among which is a _Rembrandt_, for which
George IV. gave 5000 guineas. In the garden is an elegant summer-house,
adorned with frescoes by Eastlake, Maclise, Landseer, Stanfield, and
other distinguished painters. This costly palace, however, with all its
grandeur, was so badly planned, that in a number of the passages lamps
are required to be kept lighted even during the day. Strangers are not
admitted to Buckingham Palace except by special permission of the Lord
Chamberlain, which is not easily obtained. In the front was once the
_Marble Arch_, which formed an entry to the Palace, and which cost
£70,000; but it was removed to the north-east corner of Hyde Park in
1851.
[Picture: Buckingham Palace, and West End of St. James’s Park. (Queen’s
Garden and Hyde Park Corner in the distance.)]
Marlborough House.—This building, the residence of the Prince and
Princess of Wales, is immediately east of St. James’s Palace, being
separated from it only by a carriage-road. It was built by Sir
Christopher Wren, in 1709, as a residence for the great Duke of
Marlborough. The house was bought from the Marlborough family by the
Crown in 1817, as a residence for the Princess Charlotte. It was
afterwards occupied in succession by Leopold (the late king of the
Belgians) and the Dowager Queen Adelaide. More recently it was given up
to the Government School of Design; and the Vernon and Turner pictures
were for some time kept there. The building underwent various
alterations preparatory to its occupation by the Prince of Wales.
Kensington Palace.—This is a royal palace, though no longer inhabited by
royalty, occupying a pleasant situation west of Hyde Park. It was built
by Lord Chancellor Finch late in the 17th century; and soon afterwards
sold to William III. Additions were made to it from time to time.
Certain portions of the exterior are regarded as fine specimens of
brickwork; and the whole, though somewhat heavy in appearance, is not
without points of interest. During the last century Kensington Palace
was constantly occupied by members of the royal family. Many of them
were born there, and many died there also. The present Queen was born in
the palace in 1819. The Prince and Princess of Teck reside there at
present. This, like the other royal palaces, is maintained at the
expense of the nation; though not now used as a royal residence,
pensioned or favoured families occupy it.
[Picture: Lambeth Palace from the River]
Lambeth Palace.—This curious and interesting building, situated in a part
of the metropolis seldom visited by strangers, is the official residence
of the archbishops of Canterbury. It is on the south bank of the Thames,
between Westminster and Vauxhall Bridges. The structure has grown up by
degrees during the six centuries that Lambeth has been the archiepiscopal
residence; and on that account exhibits great diversities of style.
Leaving unnoticed the private and domestic apartments, the following are
the portions of the irregular cluster possessing most interest. The
_Chapel_, some say, was erected in the year 1196; it is in early English,
with lancet windows and a crypt; but the roof, stained windows, and
carved screens, are much more recent. The archbishops are always
consecrated in this chapel. The _Lollard’s Tower_, at the western end of
the chapel, was named from some Lollards or Wickliffites supposed to have
been imprisoned there. It is about 400 years old. The uppermost room,
with strong iron rings in the walls, appears to have been the actual
place of confinement; there are many names and inscriptions cut in the
thick oak wainscoting. The _Hall_, about 200 years old, is 93 feet long
by 78 feet wide; it is noticeable for the oak roof, the bay windows, and
the arms of several of the archbishops. The _Library_, 250 years old,
contains about 15,000 volumes and numerous manuscripts, many of them rare
and curious. The _Gatehouse_ is a red brick structure, with stone
dressings. The _Church_, near it, is one of the most ancient in the
neighbourhood of London; it has been recently restored in good taste.
Simon of Sudbury, Archbishop of Canterbury, was murdered here, in 1381,
by Wat Tyler’s mob, who stormed the palace, burned its contents, and
destroyed all the registers and public papers. Lambeth Palace is not, as
a rule, shewn to strangers.
[Picture: Lambeth Palace—Lollard’s Tower]
Mansions of the Nobility.—London is not well supplied with noble mansions
of an attractive character; they possess every comfort interiorly, but
only a few of them have architectural pretensions. _Northumberland
House_, lately alluded to, at the Charing Cross extremity of the south
side of the Strand, looks more like a nobleman’s mansion than most others
in London. It was built, in about 1600, by the Earl of Northampton, and
came into the hands of the Percies in 1642. _Stafford House_ is perhaps
the most finely situated mansion in the metropolis, occupying the corner
of St. James’s and the Green Parks, and presenting four complete fronts,
each having its own architectural character. The interior, too, is said
to be the first of its kind in London. The mansion was built by the Duke
of York, with money lent by the Marquis of Stafford, afterwards Duke of
Sutherland; but the Stafford family became owners of it, and have spent
at least a quarter of a million sterling on the house and its
decorations. _Apsley House_, at the corner of Piccadilly and Hyde Park,
is the residence of the Dukes of Wellington, and is closely associated
with the memory of _the_ Duke. The shell of the house, of brick, is old;
but stone frontages, enlargements, and decorations, were afterwards made.
The principal room facing Hyde Park, with seven windows, is that in which
the Great Duke held the celebrated Waterloo Banquet, on the 18th of June
in every year, from 1816 to 1852. The windows were blocked up with
bullet-proof iron blinds from 1831 to the day of his death in 1852; a
rabble had shattered them during the Reform excitement, and he never
afterwards would trust King Mob. [Picture: Apsley House, Hyde Park
Corner, Wellington Statue. (Knightsbridge and Sloane Street in the
distance.)] _Devonshire House_, in Piccadilly, faces the Green Park, and
has a screen in front. It has no particular architectural character; but
the wealthy Dukes of Devonshire have collected within it valuable
pictures, books, gems, and treasures of various kinds. _Grosvenor
House_, the residence of the Marquis of Westminster, is situated in Upper
Grosvenor Street, and is celebrated for the magnificent collection of
pictures known as the _Grosvenor Gallery_; a set of four of these
pictures, by Rubens, cost £10,000. _Bridgewater House_, facing the Green
Park, is a costly modern structure, built by Sir Charles Barry for the
Earl of Ellesmere, and finished in 1851. It is in the Italian Palazzo
style. Its chief attraction is the magnificent _Bridgewater Gallery_ of
pictures, a most rare and choice assemblage. This gallery contains no
fewer than 320 pictures, valued at £150,000 many years ago—though they
would now, doubtless, sell for a much higher sum. {40} _Holland House_,
Kensington, is certainly the most picturesque mansion in the metropolis;
it has an old English look about it, both in the house and its grounds.
The mansion was built in 1607, and was celebrated as being the residence,
at one time of Addison, at another of the late Lord Holland. The stone
gateway on the east of the house was designed by Inigo Jones.
_Chesterfield House_, in South Audley Street, was built for that Earl of
Chesterfield whose “Advice to his Son” has run through so many editions;
the library and the garden are especially noted. _Buccleuch House_, in
Whitehall Gardens, is recently finished. _Lansdowne House_, in Berkeley
Square, the town residence of the Marquis of Lansdowne, contains some
fine sculptures and pictures, ancient and modern. Scarcely less
magnificent, either as buildings or in respect of their contents, than
the mansions of the nobility, are some of those belonging to wealthy
commoners—such as Mr. Holford’s, a splendid structure in Park Lane; Mr.
Hope’s, in Piccadilly, now the _Junior Athenæum Club_; and Baron
Rothschild’s, near Apsley House, lately rebuilt.
HOUSES OF PARLIAMENT; WESTMINSTER HALL; GOVERNMENT OFFICES.
Houses of Parliament.—This is the name usually given to the _New Palace
of Westminster_, which is not only Sir Charles Barry’s greatest work, but
is in all respects one of the most remarkable structures of the age. The
building, which occupies a site close to the river, and close also to the
beautiful new Westminster Bridge, was constructed in consequence of the
burning of the old Houses of Parliament in 1834. It is perhaps the
finest modern Gothic structure in the world—at least for civil purposes;
but is unfortunately composed of a stone liable to decay; and, to be
critical, its ornaments and details generally are on too minute a scale
for the magnitude of the building. The entire structure covers nearly
eight acres. [Picture: Houses of Parliament from the River] Certain old
plain law courts on the north are intended to be removed. The chief
public entrance is by Westminster Hall, which forms a vestibule to the
Houses of Parliament and their numerous committee-rooms. The rooms and
staircases are almost inconceivably numerous; and there are said to be
two miles of passages and corridors! The river front, raised upon a fine
terrace of Aberdeen granite, is 900 feet in length, and profusely adorned
with statues, heraldic shields, and tracery, carved in stone. The other
façades are nearly as elaborate, but are not so well seen. It is a
gorgeous structure, which, so long ago as 1859, had cost over two
millions. A further cost of £107,000, for frescoes, statuary, &c., &c.,
had been incurred by the end of March, 1860; and the constant outgoings
for maintenance of the fabric, and additions thereto, must every year
represent a heavy sum. Nevertheless, the two main chambers in which
Parliament meets are ill adapted for sight and hearing. On Saturdays,
both Houses can be seen free, by order from the Lord Chamberlain, easily
obtained at a neighbouring office; and certain corridors and chambers are
open on other days of the week. Admission to the sittings of the two
Houses can only be obtained by members’ orders; as the benches
appropriated in this way are few in number, such admissions are highly
prized, especially when any important debate is expected. On the
occasion when the Queen visits the House of Lords, to open or prorogue
Parliament, visitors are only admitted by special arrangements.
Among the multitude of interesting objects in this stupendous structure,
the following may be briefly mentioned. The _House of Peers_ is 97 feet
long, 45 wide, and 45 high. It is so profusely painted and gilt, and the
windows are so darkened by deep-tinted stained glass, that the eye can
with difficulty make out the details. At the southern end is the
gorgeously gilt and canopied throne; near the centre is the woolsack, on
which the Lord Chancellor sits; at the end and sides are galleries for
peeresses, reporters, and strangers; and on the floor of the house are
the cushioned benches for the peers. At either end are three
frescoes—three behind the throne, and three over the strangers’ gallery.
The three behind the throne are—“Edward III. conferring the Order of the
Garter on the Black Prince,” by C. W. Cope; “The Baptism of Ethelbert,”
by Dyce; and “Henry Prince of Wales committed to Prison for assaulting
Judge Gascoigne,” by C. W. Cope. The three at the other end are—“The
Spirit of Justice,” by D. Maclise; “The Spirit of Chivalry,” by the same;
and “The Spirit of Religion,” by J. C. Horsley. In niches between the
windows and at the ends are eighteen statues of Barons who signed Magna
Charta. The _House of Commons_, 62 feet long, 45 broad, and 45 high, is
much less elaborate than the House of Peers. The Speaker’s Chair is at
the north end; and there are galleries along the sides and ends. In a
gallery behind the Speaker the reporters for the newspapers sit. Over
them is the Ladies’ Gallery, where the view is ungallantly obstructed by
a grating. The present ceiling is many feet below the original one: the
room having been to this extent spoiled because the former proportions
were bad for hearing.
Strangers might infer, from the name, that these two chambers, the Houses
of Peers and of Commons, constitute nearly the whole building; but, in
truth, they occupy only a small part of the area. On the side nearest to
Westminster Abbey are _St. Stephen’s Porch_, _St. Stephen’s Corridor_,
the _Chancellor’s Corridor_, the _Victoria Tower_, the _Royal Staircase_,
and numerous courts and corridors. At the south end, nearest Millbank,
are the _Guard Room_, the _Queen’s Robing Room_, the _Royal Gallery_, the
_Royal Court_, and the _Prince’s Chamber_. The river front is mostly
occupied by _Libraries_ and _Committee Rooms_. The northern or Bridge
Street end displays the _Clock Tower_ and the _Speaker’s Residence_. In
the interior of the structure are vast numbers of _lobbies_, _corridors_,
_halls_, and _courts_. The Saturday tickets, already mentioned, admit
visitors to the _Prince’s Chamber_, the _House of Peers_, the _Peers’
Lobby_, the _Peers’ Corridor_, the _Octagonal Hall_, the _Commons’
Corridor_, the _Commons’ Lobby_, the _House of Commons_, _St. Stephen’s
Hall_, and _St. Stephen’s Porch_. All these places are crowded with rich
adornments. The _Victoria Tower_, at the south-west angle of the entire
structure, is one of the finest in the world: it is 75 feet square and
340 feet high; the Queen’s state entrance is in a noble arch at the base.
The _Clock Tower_, at the north end, is 40 feet square and 320 feet high,
profusely gilt near the top. After two attempts made to supply this
tower with a bell of 14 tons weight, and after both failed, one of the
so-called ‘Big Bens,’ the weight of which is about 8 tons, (the official
name being ‘St. Stephen,’) now tells the hour in deep tones. There are,
likewise, eight smaller bells to chime the quarters. The _Clock_ is by
far the largest and finest in this country. There are four dials on the
four faces of the tower, each 22½ feet in diameter; the hour-figures are
2 feet high and 6 feet apart; the minute-marks are 14 inches apart; the
hands weigh more than 2 cwt. the pair; the minute-hand is 16 feet long,
and the hour-hand 9 feet; the pendulum is 15 feet long, and weighs 680
lbs.; the weights hang down a shaft 160 feet deep. Besides this fine
Clock Tower, there is a _Central Tower_, over the Octagonal Hall, rising
to a height of 300 feet; and there are smaller towers for ventilation and
other purposes.
Considering that there are nearly 500 carved stone statues in and about
this sumptuous building, besides stained-glass windows, and oil and
fresco paintings in great number, it is obvious that a volume would be
required to describe them all. In the _Queen’s Robing Room_ are painted
frescoes from the story of King Arthur; and in the _Peers’ Robing Room_,
subjects from Biblical history. The _Royal Gallery_ is in the course of
being filled with frescoes and stained windows illustrative of English
history. Here, among others, specially note the late D. Maclise’s
stupendous fresco, 45 feet long by 12 feet high, representing “The
Meeting of Wellington and Blucher after the Battle of Waterloo;” and the
companion fresco, “The Death of Nelson.”
Westminster Hall.—Although now made, in a most ingenious manner, to form
part of the sumptuous edifice just described, _Westminster Hall_ is
really a distinct building. It was the old hall of the original palace
of Westminster, built in the time of William Rufus, but partly
re-constructed in 1398. The carved timber roof is regarded as one of the
finest in England. The hall is 290 feet long, 68 wide, and 110 high.
There are very few buildings in the world so large as this unsupported by
pillars. The southern end, both within and without, has been admirably
brought into harmony with the general architecture of the Palace of
Parliament. Doors on the east side lead to the House of Commons; doors
on the west lead to the _Courts of Chancery_, _Queen’s Bench_, _Common
Pleas_, _Exchequer_, _Probate_, _and Divorce_, &c. No building in
England is richer in associations with events relating to kings, queens,
and princes, than Westminster Hall. _St. Stephen’s Crypt_, lately
restored with great splendour, is entered from the south end of the Hall.
Somerset House, in the Strand, was built in 1549 by the Protector
Somerset; and, on his attainder and execution, fell to the Crown. Old
Somerset House was pulled down in 1775, and the present building erected
in 1780, after the designs of Sir Wm. Chambers. The rear of the building
faces the Thames, its river frontage being 600 feet long, and an
excellent specimen of Palladian architecture. In Somerset House are
several Government offices—among the rest, a branch of the Admiralty, the
Inland Revenue, and the Registrar-General’s department. More than 900
clerks are employed in the various offices. The rooms in which Newspaper
Stamps are produced by ingenious processes, and those in which the
Registrar-General keeps his voluminous returns of births, marriages, and
deaths, are full of interest; but they are not accessible for mere
curiosity. The learned Societies are removed to Burlington House,
Piccadilly.
[Picture: Somerset House, King’s College, Waterloo Bridge, &c. (St.
Clement’s and St. Mary’s Churches in the distance.)]
Government Offices.—A few words will suffice for the other West-End
Government offices. The _Admiralty_, in Whitehall, is the head-quarters
of the Naval Department. The front of the building was constructed about
1726; and the screen, by the brothers Adam, about half-a-century later.
Most of the heads of the Admiralty have official residences connected
with the building. The _Horse Guards_, a little farther down Whitehall,
is the head-quarters of the commander-in-chief. It was built about 1753,
and has an arched entrance leading into St. James’s Park. [Picture:
Whitehall, Horse Guards, Government Offices, &c. (Westminster Abbey and
Houses of Parliament in the distance.)] The two cavalry sentries,
belonging either to the Life Guards or to the Oxford Blues, always
attract the notice of country visitors, to whom such showy horsemen are a
rarity. The _Treasury_, the _Office of the __Chancellor of the
Exchequer_, the _Home Office_, the _Privy-council Office_, and the _Board
of Trade_, together occupy the handsome range of buildings at the corner
of Whitehall and Downing Street. The interior of this building is in
great part old; after many alterations and additions, the present front,
in the Italian Palazzo style, was built by Sir Charles Barry in 1847.
The _Foreign Office_, the _India Office_, and the _Colonial Office_,
occupy the handsome new buildings southward of Downing Street. The _War
Office_ in Pall Mall is a makeshift arrangement: it occupies the old
quarters of the Ordnance Office, and some private houses converted to
public use. After many discussions as to architectural designs, &c., the
so-called “Battle of the Styles” ended in a compromise: the Gothic
architect (Mr. G. G. Scott, R.A.) was employed; but an Italian design was
adopted for the new Foreign and India Offices.
ST. PAUL’S; WESTMINSTER ABBEY; CHURCHES; CHAPELS; CEMETERIES.