BELGRAVIA.
“Belgravia! that fair spot of ground
Where all that worldlings covet most is found!
Of this stupendous town—this mighty heart!
Of England’s frame—_the fashionable_ part!”
BELGRAVIA: A POEM.
BETWEEN the Hamlet of Knightsbridge and the district of Pimlico are a
number of streets and squares to which the fashionable term of Belgravia
has been given, and which is now the recognised name of the locality.
Southward of the old King’s Road has for 200 years been known as Pimlico.
To this boundary, sanctioned by usage, I shall adhere; considering only
those places as in Belgravia between this line, and one formed from St.
George’s Hospital, by Grosvenor Crescent and Motcomb Street; while the
east boundary is Grosvenor Place; and the west, the sewer. The name is
derived from a title of the Marquis of Westminster, taken from a village
in Leicestershire, where he has great property. Halkin, Motcomb, and
Kinnerton Streets, also derive their names from properties of the
Marquis; Eaton Square from his seat, and Wilton Place, &c., from the
title of his brother.
I need hardly say Belgravia is yet in its youth; of history, strictly
speaking, it really has none. Where now stands this
“Oasis of the fashionable west,”
was, thirty years ago, nought but marshy fields—fields in a very forlorn
condition, covered with rank grass and weeds in full luxuriance; bounded
by mud-banks, and almost wholly given up to sheep and asses. I cannot do
better than let the lady, who has chosen Belgravia for her theme,
describe its former aspect.
Time was, when here, where palaces now stand,
Where dwell at ease the magnates of the land,
A barren waste existed, fetid, damp,
Cheered by the ray of no enlivening lamp!
A marshy spot, where not one patch of green,
No stunted shrub, nor sickly flower was seen;
But all things base, the refuse of the town,
Loathsome and rank, in one foul mass were thrown;
Breeding the vapours that in fever’s hour
Lend to Disease its desolating power,
And quench the life of thousands, like the blight,
Noiseless, but sure, that in a single night
Upon the blossoms’ opening bloom descends,
And brooding rests, till all their promise ends.
Belgravia was and still is within the manor of Ebury, and in ancient
times within the parish of St. Martin’s-in-the-Fields. It now belongs to
St. George’s, Hanover Square, but subdivided; about half pertaining each
to St. Paul’s, Knightsbridge, and St. Peter’s, Pimlico. The early
history of this manor has been already noticed; now for its modern.
King George III., on taking up his residence at Buckingham House, wished
to purchase the fields lying immediately contiguous, in order to prevent
buildings being erected so as to overlook his garden. The Lock Hospital
stood then alone, but it was apparent that the ground would soon be
occupied, if the King should fix his abode so near. He therefore entered
into a negotiation for its purchase, but George Grenville, then Minister,
refused to sanction the expenditure of the sum demanded, viz., £20,000,
and Grosvenor Place was accordingly commenced building in 1767. The
streets running from this line were terminated by high mud banks, which
formed a boundary no traveller ventured over. The other side formed a
part of the Five Fields, and it was not till 1825 that the determination
was come to to cover it with houses. Mr. Thomas Cubitt and Mr. Seth
Smith then took leases from the Marquis of Westminster, and Belgravia
speedily arose.
The Five Fields was an ominous name to our forefathers. Addison, in the
“Tatler” (No. 34), refers to them as the place “where the robbers lie in
wait;” and pages might easily be covered with the records of the
frightful crimes here committed. The King’s Road, anciently only a
trackway for the use of the farmers and gardeners, was the only road
across. A lane led to it from Hyde Park Corner, and other paths
intersected the fields into five large parts—hence the name; but it was
not till Charles II. found the road a near way from Whitehall to Hampton
Court that any public way was formed, and not then till after some
discussion between the Government and the parishioners of Chelsea. In
the reign of George I. disputes arose as to the right of way; but, after
inquiry, the Government acknowledged the claims of the inhabitants to be
just. {220} In the documents relating to this dispute the fields are
said to be open, and the bridge, then called “Bloody Bridge,” now known
as Grosvenor Bridge, only “a footbridge, with a plank or board,” till
built in a regular manner in the time of Charles II. The road across the
fields was very insecure; and for many years, under a royal order,
fifty-two privates, and six non-commissioned officers, half every
alternate night, patrolled the ground. On grand gala nights at Ranelagh
the number was greater; but on all occasions it was customary for persons
wishing to cross to wait for a sufficient number to meet together to
ensure mutual protection, and then, with two men carrying lanterns on
long poles, and who obtained their living by such service, sallying
across under their guidance. Such a relation almost forces a smile now;
but it must be borne in mind that no houses were situated along the
King’s Road a hundred years since. It was also then very circuitous,
running from the Palace garden wall along the present north garden of
Eaton Square to Sloane Square. Its dangers were very great, as the
newspapers of the last century afford melancholy proof. I give one
specimen:—
“On Saturday evening last, February 24th, a servant belonging to Mrs.
Temple was robbed and barbarously wounded near Bloody Bridge in the
King’s Road, leading from Chelsea. Her Royal Highness the Princess
Amelia coming from Hampton Court, hearing a man groaning, ordered her
servant to stop; and it proving to be the man above-mentioned, he was
taken behind the coach and brought to town; and her Highness ordered
all possible care to be taken of him.” {221}
Bloody Bridge seems to have gained its fearful character early; in
Chelsea register is the following notice of the name:—“1590. John Dukes
was this year enjoyned to make a Causie at _bloody_ Gate.”
Charles Dartquineuve, the friend of Pope, and to whom Dodsley was once
footman, was appointed surveyor of the King’s Private Roads, in 1731, in
room of General Watkins. Pass-tickets of copper were issued in that
year, and are prized by the curious in such matters.
Duellists also sought the Fire Fields, and Aubrey tells of one meeting
near to Ebury farm, in the time of Charles I., between Lord Mohun and a
foreign nobleman. The former was killed, not without suspicion of foul
play; and the credulous antiquary relates that at the time of the duel,
his mistress saw him approach her bed, draw the curtains, and go away
without speaking!
Great numbers of the lower orders used to frequent the Five Fields, to
indulge themselves with the brutal sports so prevalent formerly among
them. Near where Coleshill Street now stands was a famous resort for
cock-fighting, and every Good Friday numbers came to witness the
barbarity. Duck-hunting in the ponds and bull and bear-baiting were also
largely carried on; the head-quarters of the latter being at a house by
the Willow Walk, once the habitation of the notorious Jerry Abershaw.
It is pleasant to quit such recollections for those of a purer kind. The
old herbalists frequented these fields, where, they tell, the “wild
clary” grew plentifully; and along the river’s bank the “bitter cresses”
in great perfection. And Swift, walking to London from his Chelsea
residence in 1711, mentions the hay-making in the fields; “it smells so
sweet,” he says, “as we walk through the flowery meads;” but he spoils
the idea by telling us that “the hay-making nymphs are perfect drabs.”
The market gardens in the Five Fields, though not very numerous, were
very valuable, being devoted chiefly to the culture of the asparagus and
the rarer vegetables. Norden, in 1593, tells us,
“The deepe, and dirtie, loathsome soyle,
Yields golden gaine to painefull toyle;”
and that the labourer “will refuse a pallace to droyle in these golden
puddles.” The nursery ground of Messrs. Allen and Rogers was in being so
late as 1832, adjoining to the King’s Road. The father of Mr. Redgrave,
the distinguished artist, resided in a house on the King’s Road, and here
his eminent son was born.
One historical reminiscence will conclude the notices of the fields.
Clarendon tells us that he, Hampden, Pym, Marten, and Fiennes had dined
together at Pym’s lodgings, when Fiennes proposed a ride into these
fields. Accordingly they set off; and the conversation turning on the
Episcopacy Bill, Fiennes asked Hyde why he so passionately adhered to the
Church, Hyde’s reply was an expression of doubt as to the stability of
the State, or of religion itself, if the government of the Church was
altered; and Fiennes rejoining that much blood would be shed ere that
would be submitted to, Hyde (Clarendon) remarks it was the first positive
declaration he had heard from any particular man of the party. Hampden,
Pym, and other leaders of those eventful times, are said to have sought
the air and private intercommunication in the Five Fields. This anecdote
concludes this early portion of Belgravia’s history; the reader’s
attention will now be drawn to its streets and squares.
BELGRAVE SQUARE was commenced in 1825, and designed by Basevi. It is 684
ft. in length, by 637 ft. in breadth. The two detached mansions on the
western side were designed by H. E. Kendall. The one in the south-west
was originally built for Mr. Kemp, of Kemp Town; afterwards it was
occupied by Lady Harriett Drummond, the Marquis of Tweeddale, and in 1837
became the residence of Lord Hill, for many years Commander-in Chief.
After his death the late Earl Ducie lived here, and on his decease, in
1853, the house was sold, and enlarged to its present size. The mansion
in the north-west was the residence of the late Earl Brownlow.
General Sir George Murray, the friend of Wellington and Peel, lived at
No. 5, and died there in 1846, respected and regretted. No. 2 was the
residence of the late James Goding, Esq., who formed a fine collection of
paintings, and other works of art. No. 6 is the Duke of Bedford’s, and
at No. 9 resides the celebrated Countess Dowager of Essex. At No. 10
lived M. Drouyn de l’Huys, while Ambassador at St. James’ from France.
At 16 resides Sir Roderick Murchison, and at 18 lived the late Earl of
Ellesmere. No. 36, sometimes called Ingestrie House, was in 1840 the
residence of H.R.H. the Duchess of Kent, and at present of Colonel
Douglas Pennant. Mr. Labouchere at 27, the Archbishop of York 41, Sir M.
S. Stewart at 42, the Duke of Montrose, Mr. Abel Smith, and Field-Marshal
Lord Combermere, are also residents of Belgrave Square.
The last of the Dukes of Gordon died at his residence here, May 28th,
1836, aged 66; and Mr. Scrope, last male of a family illustrious in our
historic annals, lived at No. 13. He was author of “Days of Deer
Stalking,” published in 1839; and “Days and Nights of Salmon Fishing,”
published in 1843. Mr. Scrope died in Belgrave Square, July 20th, 1852,
in the 81st year of his age. His son-in-law, Mr. Poulett Scrope, M.P.,
and author of the “History of Castle Combe,” soon after quitted this
mansion for one at Prince’s Gate.
CHAPEL STREET, so named from the Chapel attached to the Lock Hospital,
which abutted on it, was completed about 1811. Legh Richmond, while
Chaplain of the Lock, resided in this street. Writing to his wife, he
says, “It is surrounded by fields, has a very pleasing prospect, charming
air, great retirement and quietness, with a little garden, a remarkably
neat exterior, and as neat and comfortable an interior.” Nor was he the
only one who found in Chapel Street a comfortable and happy home: the
celebrated comedian, Gentleman Jones as he is called generally, for many
years lived at No. 14. “The very aspect of their rooms is exhilarating,”
writes Lady Chatterton, “though small, and furnished without any show or
expense. A vine which grows at the back of the house, half conceals the
windows with its luxuriant branches; and some fresh flowers in the rooms
are fit emblems of those who reared them.” {227}
Mr. Jones acquired fame both as an actor and author, but in his later
years employed himself as a teacher of elocution. He died in Chapel
Street, and lies buried in St. Peter’s vaults. A marble tablet to his
memory, at the entrance to the Church, bears the following inscription:—
“Beneath rest the mortal remains of Richard Jones, for more than
forty years in public life, a dramatic performer, he was admired; as
in private life respected as a teacher of elocution, he was a public
Benefactor. As a Christian and a Man his conduct was exemplary. He
died 20th of August, 1851, aged 72. Here also repose the remains of
Sarah, his wife. She died 18th of June, 1850, aged 71. And Eliza
Jane his sister, who died 29th November, 1828, aged 40.”
General Sir W. K. Grant, one of the eight British officers who saved the
Emperor of Germany from capture, on the plains of Cambresis, in 1794, and
who otherwise saw severe service in the last great war, died in 1852, at
his residence, No, 24, Chapel Street. At her residence, in this street,
also died, in March, 1818, the Hon. Miss Hawke, author of a poem on the
“Fall of Babylon.”
CHESHAM PLACE, the freehold of which belongs to the Lowndes family, is so
named from their seat in Buckinghamshire. No. 37 is the well known
residence of Lord John Russell, and No. 35 was Sir Charles Wood’s. To
Chesham Place the Russian Embassy was removed in 1852.
CHESHAM STREET.—Henry Parish, Esq., of diplomatic celebrity, resided at
No. 7.
CHESTER STREET.—At No. 13, the residence of Lady Gipps, died Dr.
Broughton, the first Bishop of Sydney. The Right Hon. Frederick Shaw
lived at No. 5, and Colonel Sibthorpe at 27; at No. 7 resides Dr. W. V.
Pettigrew,
“Whose sympathetic mind
Delights in all the good of all mankind.”
Mr. Hurlstone and Miss Shirreff are also residents in Chester Street.
EATON PLACE.—Among former residents may be enumerated General Caulfield,
author of several works on the Government of India; Sir Robert Gardiner,
one of the bravest of the old Peninsulas; Sir H. Duncan, son of the
victor of Camperdown, and himself a _tar_ of true British stamp, died
here in 1836. Sir Thomas Troubridge was another of that mighty school;
he fought with Nelson at Copenhagen, and elsewhere, and died here in
1852. Sir William Molesworth, one of our ablest and most advanced
statesmen of modern times, and who has secured to himself a permanent
position in our literature, died at his residence (No. 87) in 1855.
Among present residents are Dr. Lushington (18), Sir Erskine Perry (36),
Sir George Grey (14), Mr. Justice Wightman (38), Mr. Heywood (5), Sir
Arthur Elton, M.P., and the Bishop of Hereford.
At No. 80, the residence of Captain Massingberd, the Hungarian statesman,
Kossuth, stayed on his first arrival in this country, in the autumn of
1851.
EATON PLACE WEST.—General Sir Peregrine Maitland, who fought at Corunna,
and commanded a brigade at Waterloo, died at his residence in this
street, May 30th, 1852. Mr. Collier, M.P. (2), and Mr. H. F. Chorley
(13), live in this street.
EATON SQUARE was commenced in 1827, but not wholly completed till 1853.
It is 1,637 ft. long by a breadth of 371 ft. Among its distinguished
residents may be noticed the late Lord Chancellor Truro, who died at his
residence (No. 83) in 1853. Mr. Henry Redhead Yorke, at 81; Lord
Alvanley, of celebrity in the days of the fourth George, at 62; General
Sir Thomas Bradford, and Admiral Sir Edward Codrington, the victor of
Navarino.
The late Ralph Bernal, Esq., resided at 75, and here formed one of the
most splendid collections of ancient art ever brought together. He died
here in 1853. No. 71 is the residence (official) of the Speaker of the
House of Commons; in one year, says Mr. Cunningham, the rent, rates, and
taxes of this house amounted to £964.
Among present residents in Eaton Square are the Earl of Ellenborough at
No. 115, Sir Frederick Thesiger, now Lord Chelmsford (7), Mr. Justice
Willes (16), Sir John Pakington (41), Sir Francis Baring (4), Mr.
Fielder, Commissary-General in the Crimea (57), Colonel Tulloch (63), Mr.
M. J. Higgins (71), Mr. Cardwell (74), Baron Martin (75), Sir Augustus
Clifford (92), Sir W. Clay (93), and General Codrington, our
Commander-in-Chief at the capture of Sebastopol, at 110.
At the east end stands St. Peter’s Church, built in 1826, and denounced
by Mr. Cunningham as one of the “ugliest in all London.” The site is an
excellent one, few superior in the metropolis; it is a just source of
regret, therefore, that a more creditable design was not chosen. It was
designed by Henry Hakewill, in the Ionic Order, and consecrated by Dr.
Howley, then Bishop of London, July 27th, 1827. It was burnt down in
1835, when the altar-piece, “Christ crowned with Thorns,” a good specimen
of Hilton, R.A., was with difficulty saved. It was presented to the
Church by the British Institution.
GROSVENOR CRESCENT is still unfinished. Here reside the Rev. A. P.
Stanley, Sir Charles Trevelyan, and at No. 1 the Earl of Clarendon, late
Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs. The Crescent is ultimately to be
continued to open into Grosvenor Place, and thus it will form the main
entrance to Belgravia; an improvement very greatly needed.
GROSVENOR PLACE.—The story pertaining to the foundation of this street
has been told already. Originally the houses were built no further than
the Lock Hospital, which occupied the site of the Grosvenor Place Houses.
At the bottom, where the junction with the King’s Road was formed, was a
cluster of mean dwellings, and one inn, known as “The Feathers.”
At No. 1, Dr. Lane’s celebrated School of Anatomy and Medicine has for
many years been established. No. 4 originally formed two houses, which
were thrown together by the late Earl of Egremont, who here first formed
the splendid collection of pictures now at Petworth. He was a great
patron of English artists, and an excellent judge of their productions.
Haydon, one of those he had befriended, declares he “never saw such a
character, or such a man, nor were there ever many. ‘Live and let live’
seems to be the Earl’s motto.” Lord Egremont died in November, 1837.
{232}
The mansion at the north corner of Halkin Street is that—
“Where the Howards’ noble race
For many a year have made their resting place.”
The first nobleman of this title who resided here was Frederick, the
fifth earl. He was born in 1748, and died in 1825, and is the nobleman
often mentioned by Boswell as gaining Johnson’s praise for his literary
performances. But however valuable these may be considered, he owes his
literary immortality to the attacks made on him by Byron. He was
guardian to the poet, who dedicated to him his “Hours of Idleness,” which
the Earl is said to have coolly received, an affront which deeply rankled
in Byron’s breast—causing a wound his mother did her best to widen.
Byron, however, seems to have forgotten his animosity, for in his
“English Bards and Scotch Reviewers,” as originally intended for the
press, he compliments Carlisle:—
“On one alone Apollo deigns to smile,
And crowns a new Roscommon in Carlisle.”
But the intended honour was not permitted to remain. Receiving, as he
considered, a fresh slight, Byron erased the praise, for the vituperative
sarcasm still to be read:—
“Let Stott, Matilda, and the rest
Of Grub-street and of Grosvenor-place the best,
Scrawl on, till death release us from the strain,
Or common sense asserts her rights again.”
But the poet regretted the severity, and afterwards, in his noble tribute
to Major Howard, gave utterance to his repentance;—
“Their praise is hymned by loftier harps than mine;
Yet one I would select from that proud throng,
Partly because they blend me with his line,
And partly that I did his sire some wrong.”
And of the Major he writes with rapturous eloquence:—
“When shower’d
The death-bolts deadliest the thinn’d files along,
Even where the thickest of war’s tempest lour’d,
They reach’d no nobler breast than thine, young gallant Howard.”
Byron’s staunchest friend, Hobhouse—now Lord Broughton—lived about No. 7,
when colleague with Burdett in the representation of Westminster; so also
did Lady Ossory, the correspondent of Horace Walpole. Writing to her, on
February 1st, 1775, he says:—“I hope this is the last letter I shall send
you before you land at Hyde Park Corner turnpike. You will have a very
good neighbourhood there; Lord and Lady Apsley are mighty agreeable
people.”
No. 15 in 1773 was the Duke of Athol’s; the Marquis of Titchfield,
Lord-Lieutenant of the County fifty years ago, also resided in Grosvenor
Place, as did Mr. Orby Hunter, a leading man in the _ton_ in the days of
George IV.
No. 44 is the residence of the Hanoverian Minister, and here his
Sovereign stayed during his visit to London in 1853. No. 24 is the
Bishop of Worcester’s, and No. 46 Sir James Graham’s. Earl Stanhope, the
historian, resided some years at No. 41, but now at No. 3, Grosvenor
Place Houses. The centre of these three is Sir Anthony Rothschild’s, the
other Lord Harry Vane’s.
Near to the south end of Grosvenor Place stood, for above a century, a
small hospital for invalided soldiers. The poet Armstrong, friend of
Thomson, was in 1746 appointed physician to it. The establishment was
closed when the improvements here were contemplated about 1846.
Adjoining to it was “The Feathers,” to which a curious anecdote is
attached. A Lodge of Odd Fellows, or some similar society, was in the
habit of holding its meetings in a room at “The Feathers,” and on one
occasion when a new member was being initiated in the mysteries thereof,
in rushed two persons, whose abrupt and unauthorised entrance threw the
whole assemblage into an uproar. Summary punishment was proposed by an
expeditious kick into the street; but, just as it was about to be
bestowed, the secretary recognised one of the intruders as George, Prince
of Wales, afterwards George IV. Circumstances instantly changed: it
indeed was he, out on a nocturnal excursion; and accordingly it was
proposed and carried that the Prince and his companion should be admitted
members. The Prince was chairman the remainder of the evening; and the
chair in which he sat, ornamented, in consequence, with the plume, is
still preserved in the parlour of the modern inn in Grosvenor Street
West, and over it hangs a coarsely executed portrait of the Prince in the
robes of the order. The inn, the hospital, and various small tenements
were removed in 1851, when the present stately erections were immediately
commenced. On the ground being cleared away, various coins, old
horse-shoes, a few implements of warfare, and some human remains were
discovered.
At the intersection of the cross-roads at the end of Grosvenor Place,
suicides were subjected to the revolting burial then awarded by the law.
The last person on whom the law was carried out here was named Griffiths,
the son of a colonel in the army, who had first murdered his father, and
then destroyed himself. This took place on June 27th, 1823.
HALKIN STREET.—The north side is chiefly occupied by Mortimer House, the
residence of the late Earl Fitzwilliam, and by Belgrave Chapel, built in
1812. Its ministers have been the Rev. John Pitman, author of “Practical
Lectures on the Gospel of St. John,” the Revs. J. Thackeray, J. Jennings,
and the present minister, the Rev. W. Thorpe, D.D.
The detached mansion at the corner, numbered as 49, Belgrave Square,
finished in 1850, is the residence of Mr. Sidney Herbert. The premises
now occupied by Messrs. Wimbush were those in which the same business was
conducted by Mr. Vernon, the munificent patron of modern British art.
HALKIN STREET WEST contains a small chapel, now belonging to the National
Scottish Church, and in which Dr. Cumming occasionally preaches. Its
present minister is the Rev. L. Macbeth. Built by Mr. Seth Smith, it was
originally attached to the Church of England, under the ministry of the
Rev. J. Gibson.
LOCK HOSPITAL (The), which formerly stood on the site of Grosvenor Place
Houses, was built in 1746, and patients admitted on January 31st, 1747,
for the first time. The Institution included an asylum for the reception
of penitent females, founded in 1787, and a chapel, built in 1764, with
the primary view of aiding the income by its pew rents. The chapel was
always celebrated for the powerful and popular preachers who occupied its
pulpit, among whom may be mentioned Martin Madan, Thomas Scott, editor
and commentator of the Scriptures, and C. E. De Coetlogon; while Legh
Richmond, Romaine, Rowland Hill, and the celebrated Dr. Dodd, have often
preached here. Of these, the one most connected with this locality was
the Rev. Martin Madan.
[Picture: Old Lock Hospital]
His father was M.P. for Wootton Basset, and Groom of the Bedchamber to
Frederick, Prince of Wales; his mother, a daughter of Spence Cowper, and
niece of the celebrated Chancellor; an accomplished woman, and authoress
of several poems of considerable merit. Martin was originally brought up
to the bar, which he forsook for the Church; was ordained, became
Chaplain to the Lock, and one of the most popular ministers of the day.
He was a distant relation of the poet Cowper, who first imbibed from him
those religious principles which afterwards formed so predominant a
feature of his mind.
In 1780 his popularity received a severe blow from the publication of his
“Thelyphthora,” a singular work in defence of polygamy. There can be no
doubt that the work was issued with good intentions, but the manner of
treating the subject was at least novel, and especially so in a
clergyman.
Madan was the author of various other works, and likewise of some repute
as a musical composer. Many of the tunes and chants in the “Lock Hymn
Book” have his initials attached. The “Song of Miriam” is, perhaps, his
most popular piece. At the same time, mention must be made of his
composition to Pope’s Ode, known as “Vital Spark,” also of the piece
“Before Jehovah’s awful Throne.” I have heard him spoken of by elderly
folks with deep respect; and whatever his shortcomings may have been, a
want of charity was not among them. That he was equally respected in
high society may be inferred from his friendship with Lord Chancellor
Bathurst, who gave him a chaplaincy.
He died at Epsom in the 64th year of his age, and was buried at
Kensington, May 8th, 1791.
The connection of Legh Richmond with the Lock was of very short duration.
He was induced to accept the minor office of assistant to the Rev. Thomas
Fry, then chaplain, and while here attracted the notice of Ambrose Serle,
author of “Horæ Solitariæ,” a constant attendant of the chapel. Serle
was applied to by Mrs. Fuller to recommend her a pious and practical
clergyman to fill her living of Turvey; he immediately recommended
Richmond, and thus it was that estimable man obtained the position he
filled with such great credit to himself and the Church, and benefit to
his people. His ministrations here extended only from February to
October 1805.
Wilberforce strongly supported this Institution, and frequently attended
the Chapel. He occasionally alludes to it in his “Diary;” and Legh
Richmond mentions observing him at the communion-table on one occasion,
with a negro at his side, a coincidence which he afterwards found was
quite accidental. The incident was not without a lesson!
[Picture: Lock Chapel]
The buildings were of brick, and as plain as they possibly could be.
They were pulled down in 1846, and the Institution removed to the Harrow
Road.
LOWNDES STREET.—Colonel Gurwood, the editor of “Wellington’s Dispatches,”
resided at 33, and Mrs. Gore, the novelist, once at 42.
OSNABURG ROW, a court nearly at the lower end of Grosvenor Place, named
after the Duke of York, who also was Bishop of Osnaburg. The Guards’
Hospital, before noticed, adjoined it, and the court was removed at the
same time that building was cleared away.
UPPER BELGRAVE STREET.—Numbers 1 and 2 were the first houses finished by
Mr. Cubitt. No. 3 is Lord Charles Wellesley’s, and previously the
present Duke of Wellington’s; hither the great Duke might frequently be
seen escorting the present Duchess home. Mrs. Gore lived at No. 2, and
at 13 the late Earl of Munster. Several sketches of Lord Minister’s life
are given in Mr. Jerdan’s “Autobiography,” in which it is inferred the
fatal aberration of intellect which led to his self-destruction arose
from the discordant feelings arising from the anomalous position he held,
and which he was unable to brook. He was author of several works on the
history of our eastern empire, and was a patron of literature and
learning. {243}
WILTON STREET.—Here Mr. Spencer Percival, eldest son of the minister
killed by Bellingham in 1812, resided.