little less indebted than we are to those of the old historian himself,
gives us but few particulars concerning the rebuilding of St. Magnus’
Church; stating only that it was erected of free-stone, with ‘a tower
and steeple of curious workmanship; to which Church,’ he adds, ‘is
united the Parish of St. Margaret, New Fish-street, that Church not
being rebuilt.’ Newcourt, in his account of the Rectory of St. Magnus,
says likewise very little as to its history; though he tells us, that
when the Parishes were united, the yearly value of them was made £170,
whereas, in 1632, that of St. Magnus amounted only to £83, and that of
St. Margaret to £70: and he states also, that part of their Church,
before it was rebuilt, was laid into the street, for enlarging the
passage. We have, however, a very fair though brief description of the
new Church of St. Magnus, in the ‘_Memoirs of the Life and Works of
Sir Christopher Wren_,’ by James Elmes; London, 1823, quarto, pages
357, 490; wherein he states that it was begun in 1676, and that the
lofty tower, lanthorn, cupola, and spire, were added in 1705. It is
then, as all may see for themselves, an elegant and substantial Church,
built of stone and oak timber, covered with lead, and crowned with a
handsome lofty steeple, consisting of a tower, a lanthorn containing
ten bells, and a cupola surmounted by a well-proportioned spire. The
interior, measuring 90 feet in length, 59 in breadth, and 41 in height,
is divided into a nave and two aisles, by columns, and an entablature
of the Ionic Order; whilst the roof, over the nave, is camerated,
and enriched with arches of fret work, executed in stucco. For the
monuments, epitaphs, and benefactors of this Church, both ancient and
modern, I must refer you to Strype’s Stow, volume i., page 494; and
will mention only the gift of the clock by Sir Charles Duncomb, in the
year 1700, at the cost of £485. 5_s._ 4_d._ The dial of this clock was
formerly ornamented with several richly gilded figures, which have
since been removed, but a view of the Church, before the archway was
opened,--of which we shall speak hereafter,--having also the clock in
its original state, will be found in Stow’s ‘_Survey_,’ at my last
reference, and in Maitland’s ‘_History of London_,’ volume ii., page
1124. Tradition says, that it was erected in consequence of a vow made
by the donor, who, in the earlier part of his life, had once to wait
a considerable time in a cart upon London Bridge, without being able
to learn the hour, when he made a promise, that if he ever became
successful in the world, he would give to that Church a public clock,
and an hour-glass, that all passengers might see the time of day. There
is in ‘_The Protestant Mercury_,’ of September the 11th, 1700, the
following rather curious mention of this clock: ‘On Monday last, the
Right Honourable the Lord Mayor, accompanied by the worshipful Aldermen
and Sheriffs, went, with the usual formalities, to proclaim Southwark
fair; after which they were nobly entertained at the Bridge House,
according to an ancient annual custom. In their passing by St. Magnus’
Church, they were presented with the view of that noble and magnificent
Dial erected at the West end, at the charge of the generous Sir Charles
Duncomb, which equalizing, if not exceeding, all others of that kind,
seems to answer the design of the donor.’ This donation is also
recorded upon the clock itself; for upon a small metal plate, shaped
like a shield, and silvered, screwed to the interior, are engraven the
giver’s arms,--a chevron between three talbot’s heads erased,--with
the following inscription: ‘The Gift of Sir Charles Duncomb, Knight,
Lord Major, and Alderman of this Ward. Langley Bradley fecit, 1709.’
The same liberal Citizen also presented the modern fane of St. Magnus
with an organ, of which the ‘_Spectator_’ of February the 8th, 1712,
thus speaks: ‘Whereas Mr. Abraham Jordan, senior and junior, have,
with their own hands, joynery excepted, made and erected a very large
organ in St. Magnus’ Church, at the foot of London Bridge, consisting
of four sets of keys, one of which is adapted to the art of emitting
sounds by swelling notes, which never was in any organ before; this
instrument will be publicly opened on Sunday next, the performance by
Mr. John Robinson. The above-said Abraham Jordan gives notice to all
masters and performers, that he will attend every day next week at
the said Church, to accommodate all those gentlemen who shall have a
curiosity to hear it.’ I will conclude these notices by referring you
to Malcolm’s ‘_Londinum Redivivum_,’ volume iv., pages 30-35, where you
will find several other particulars concerning St. Magnus.
“Upon the rebuilding of London, after the Great Fire, it was the
proposal of Sir Christopher Wren to form a grand quay, or esplanade,
from the foot of London Bridge to the Temple; of which scheme there is
the fullest information, from an original manuscript, in Mr. Elmes’s
‘_Memoirs_,’ pages 270 to 284, _Notes_. It was proposed that the Quay
should be 40 feet in width, between the Thames and the houses on its
banks; and, in the year 1670, a petition from the inhabitants of this
part of London was presented to the Privy Council, stating that it
would be of great detriment to them if such way or wharf should not
be carried into effect, from London Bridge to Bridewell Dock, the
petitioners having commenced their several houses near the Bridge,
as well as the pipes and engines of the Water-House. Of the ancient
Water-House at this place, I have already given you some idea; but
I may observe, from the authority last cited, that its supplies were
constantly defiled by the public drains, and other offensive buildings
erected upon this spot. Notwithstanding that the Commissioners of
Sewers had ordered their removal, and the King’s Surveyor General
had directed that no such contagious places should be constructed
here, even so late as 1670 they had been again renewed, polluting
both the water and the passage across the Thames. In consequence of
the petition, Sir Christopher Wren, assisted by the City Surveyors,
inspected the whole line of the intended wharf; and his report
was:--That the houses then begun to be built fronting the Thames, which
were not a third in number of what the range would contain, were, in
general, conformable to the act, as to their being 40 feet distant
from the River, and that some of them towards the Bridge were not
ungraceful; but that others were unequally low, and, as well as the
warehouses, irregularly built; whilst some habitations were constructed
only of board. The Quay between the row of houses and the River, which
should have been left open for passage, was every where enclosed either
with pales or brick walls; and covered with stacks of timber, faggots,
and coals. The cranes erected West of the Bridge, he states to be
unhandsome, and larger than were required, boarded down to the ground,
and having warehouses beneath them. The old towers of Baynard’s Castle,
he observes, were also still standing upon the wharf; the walls,
wharfings, and landing-stairs, were, for the most part, unrepaired;
and, in some places, the Quay was likely to be broken by bridges and
docks. Sir Christopher’s report also mentions numerous other obstacles,
in consequence of which, their immediate removal was ordered, and the
construction of the Quay directed, by an Act of Parliament, in the 22nd
of Charles II., 1670, chapter 11, Sections xliv.-xlix.; as well as by a
Patent passed in the year following.
“The impediments to this design, however, were never entirely removed;
and, in modern times, their number has considerably increased. Of
these, Calvert’s Brewery is one of the most prominent, which is
supposed to occupy the exact site of the mansion anciently called Cold
Harbour; where it now forms the two sides of Champion-lane, formerly
called Quay-Wharf-lane, which, with All-hallows and Red-bull lanes, was
once open to the river. The last important remains of Sir Christopher’s
grand Civic esplanade was shewn in a line of wharf 40 feet in width,
and extending from London Bridge to the Steelyard, entitled New Quay;
and it may be seen in the plans in Strype’s ‘_Stow’s Survey_,’ volume
i., pages 486, 510; and in Maitland’s ‘_History_,’ volume ii., pages
790, 1046.
“The Act of Parliament which I have recently cited, also contains a
very considerable portion of information relative to the new buildings
of London; and from section liii. we learn, that the Water-House at
London Bridge was not renewed at the time of its being passed, though
in the Act for rebuilding London, passed in 1667, the 19th of Charles
II., chapter 3, section xli., it is ordained: ‘that it shall and may be
lawful for the Water-House, called Mr. Thomas Morris his Water-House,
formerly adjoining to London Bridge, to be rebuilt upon the place it
formerly stood, with timber, for the supplying the South side of the
City with water, as it for almost an hundred years hath done.’ Most
of the ancient engravings of London Bridge, after the Fire, present
us with a view of this Water-House, by which it appears that it was a
lofty narrow wooden building, standing close to the North West corner
of the Bridge. On its Western side, a flight of stairs led down to the
river; and its front looked on to the wooden stage which supported the
Water-works. Strype, in his ‘_Stow’s Survey_,’ volume i., page 500,
says, that ‘by wheels, iron chains, &c., it drinketh, or rather forceth
up water through leaden pipes to the top, where there is a cistern,
and from thence descendeth in other leaden pipes to the bottom, and
thence, received by other pipes, is conveyed under the pavements of the
streets, and so serveth many families in this part of the City with
water; who have branches, or small pipes, laid from the main ones unto
their houses, to their great convenience, and no small profit to the
City.’ In the very amusing ‘_Voyages_’ of Mons. Aubri De la Motraye,
Hague, 1727-32, folio, volume iii., pages 360-362, and plate iv., we
have an engraving of the interior mechanism of a public fire-engine
erected near this building, with an account of the means employed
in it for raising of the water. One of the most picturesque and
interesting representations of this modern WATER-HOUSE at LONDON BRIDGE,
[Illustration]
is contained in a series of five views by S. and N. Buck, which forms
a sort of panoramic prospect of London, from Westminster to below the
Tower; each being taken from a different point of observation. They are
dated September the 11th, 1749, and the Bridge as it then appeared,
covered with buildings, forms a very prominent feature. I have to add
only, that you will find a set of these prints in volume xiii. of Mr.
Crowle’s Illustrated Pennant in the British Museum.”
“Well, Master Barnaby,” said I, as well as I was able for yawning,
“though _you_ can find no more to say about this Water-House, I must
add a few fragments which would otherwise be lost; even as the song
says,
‘Mister Speaker, though ’tis late,
_I_ must lengthen the debate.’
I have been informed, upon the evidence of a very ancient servant
of the present London Bridge, that the water rose in this Tower to
the height of 128 feet, through a pipe 12 inches in calibre, often
bringing very fine fish up with it; and that from beneath the cistern
at the top, issued nine main pipes which supplied all London. As the
particular direction of each of these pipes was, of course, entirely
different, in the event of a fire, all of them were stopped excepting
the one which led immediately through that district; and thus the whole
weight of water was thrown towards any place desired. From the same
source, I have also received a curious and very particular drawing
upon vellum, in colours, representing the North end of London Bridge,
the Water-House and works, and the directions of the pipes issuing
therefrom, taken from actual measurement, and executed, as I should
suppose, before the fire by which they were destroyed, on Sunday,
October the 31st, 1779; but this view shall be referred to hereafter.
The fire to which I have alluded, brake out in the warehouse of Messrs.
Judd and Sanderson, Hop Merchants, at the foot of London Bridge, and
having speedily communicated to the Water-works, in less than an
hour they were reduced nearly to a level with the river. The wooden
Water-Tower having been pitched but a few days before, all the efforts
of its engines were, therefore, ineffectual. But enough of water, Mr.
Postern: what say you to another draught of sack, and then another
spell at the history of London Bridge itself?”
“I like your motion mightily,” replied my companion, “and, once more,
here’s your health. In speaking of the Great Fire of London, its
consequences, and the new buildings to which it gave birth, I have
brought forwards many fragments of our Bridge annals, and anticipated
several events, because I wished to draw my information, as much as
possible, into one focus. We next pass to the year 1669, though I
should not mention to you the short notice of London Bridge by Lorenzo
Magalotti, which occurs in ‘_The Travels of Cosmo III., Grand Duke of
Tuscany, through England, during the reign of King Charles II. 1669_,’
London, 1821, quarto; but that it affords something like a proof that
the destruction occasioned by the Fire of London was not extensive, so
far as it regarded this building, which by that time seems to have been
repaired. You will find the passage at page 317, and it runs thus. ‘On
the morning of the 27th’--of May,--‘after hearing Mass, his Highness
went through the City as far as London Bridge, on which are erected
many large buildings, almost half of which escaped the fire there; and
those which were consumed have been rebuilt of smaller size, the upper
part being used as dwellings, and the lower part as Mercers’ shops, all
of which are abundantly filled with goods of various sorts. We crossed
the Bridge with some difficulty, owing to the number of carts which
are constantly passing and repassing.’ He then proceeds to speak of
the Marshalsea, the prisoners of which, he adds, have liberty to take
a walk over the Bridge, their promise being first taken that they will
not pass the limits, which they very rarely infringe.
“Having mentioned to you, Mr. Geoffrey, several famous Frosts which
occurred in the earlier periods of our history, I must not omit to
notice that which overspread the Thames from the beginning of December,
1683, until the 5th of February, 1684. ‘It congealed the River
Thames,’--says Maitland, in his ‘_History_,’ volume i., page 484,--‘to
that degree, that another City, as it were, was erected thereon; where,
by the great number of streets, and shops, with their rich furniture,
it represented a great fair, with a variety of carriages, and
diversions of all sorts; and, near Whitehall, a whole ox was roasted
on the ice.’ Evelyn, however, who was an eye-witness of this scene,
furnishes the most extraordinary account of it in his ‘_Diary_,’ volume
i., page 568; where, on January the 24th, 1684, he observes that ‘the
frost continuing more and more severe, the Thames before London was
still planted with boothes in formal streetes, all sorts of trades and
shops furnish’d, and full of commodities, even to a printing-presse,
where the people and ladyes tooke a fancy to have their names printed,
and the day and yeare set down when printed on the Thames: this humour
tooke so universally, that ’twas estimated the printer gain’d £5. a
day, for printing a line onely, at sixpence a name, besides what he got
by ballads, &c. Coaches plied from Westminster to the Temple, and from
several other staires to and fro, as in the streetes; sleds, sliding
with skeetes, a bull-baiting, horse and coach races, puppet-plays, and
interludes, cookes, tipling, and other lewd places, so that it seem’d
to be a bacchanalian triumph, or carnival on the water.’”
“It is singular, Master Postern,” said I, as he finished this extract,
“that the author whom you have now quoted, never once mentions that
King Charles the Second visited these diversions, and even had his
name printed on the ice, with those of several other personages of the
Royal Family. The author of some curious verses, entitled, ‘_Thamasis’s
Advice to the Painter, from her Frigid Zone: or Wonders upon the Water.
London: Printed by G. Croom, on the River of Thames_,’ 74 lines, small
folio half sheet, says,
“‘Then draw the _King_, who on his _Leads_ doth stay,
To see the _Throng_ as on a _Lord Mayor’s day_,
And thus unto his _Nobles_ pleas’d to say;
With these _Men_ on this _Ice_, I’de undertake
To cause the _Turk_ all _Europe_ to forsake:
An Army of these _Men_, arm’d and compleat,
Would soon the _Turk_ in _Christendom_ defeat.’
“The original of this poem is in the possession of my friend, Mr.
William Upcott, of the London Institution, whose invaluable collection
of rarities can also boast one of the very papers on which the King and
his Royal companions had their names printed! This truly interesting
document consists of a quarter sheet of coarse Dutch paper, on which,
within a type border, measuring 3-1/4 inches by 4, are the magnificent
names of
[Illustration:
CHARLES, KING.
JAMES, DUKE.
KATHERINE, QUEEN.
MARY, DUTCHESS.
ANN, PRINCESSE.
GEORGE, PRINCE.
HANS IN KELDER.
_London_: Printed by _G. Croom_, on the ICE, on
the River of _Thames, January 31, 1684_.]
“Here, then, we have King Charles the Second; his brother James,
Duke of York, afterwards James the Second; Queen Catherine, Infanta
of Portugal; Mary D’Este, sister of Francis, Duke of Modena, James’s
Second Duchess; the Princess Anne, second daughter of the Duke of York,
afterwards Queen Anne; and her husband, Prince George of Denmark: and
the last name, which I think was doubtless a touch of the King’s
humour, signifies ‘Jack in the Cellar,’ alluding to the pregnant
situation of Anne of Denmark. This most remarkable paper may, with
great probability, be considered _unique_; and not to mention several
of a similar nature containing common names, I may notice to you that
there is in the same collection another bearing the noble titles of
‘Henry, Earl of Clarendon,’ son of the Chancellor; ‘Flora, Countess of
Clarendon,’ and ‘Edward, Lord Cornbury.’ The date of this is February
the 2nd, and I will conclude these notices of printing on the ice, by
some lines from the poem I have already quoted, which tell its readers
‘---------------- to the _Print-house_ go,
Where _Men_ the _Art of Printing_ soon do know:
Where, for a _Teaster_, you may have your _Name_
Printed, hereafter for to shew the same;
And sure, in _former Ages_, ne’er was found,
A _Press_ to _print_, where men so oft were dround!’”
“I am very much bounden to you, honest Mr. Geoffrey,” recommenced the
Antiquary, as I concluded, “for these most appropriate and interesting
illustrations: for although the sports of this frost can hardly be
said to form an immediate portion of the history of London Bridge, yet
so memorable an event on the Thames well deserves some pains to be
bestowed in recording it.
“The principal scene of this Blanket-Fair, indeed,--for so the
tents and sports on the Thames were denominated,--was opposite to
the Temple stairs, for few, or none, of the festivities approached
very near to London Bridge; as we are informed by the many rude, but
curious memorials of it, which are yet in existence. One of the most
interesting of these is an original and spirited, though unfinished,
sketch in pencil, slightly shaded with Indian ink; supposed to have
been the production of Thomas Wyck, an artist particularly eminent
for his views at this period. In the right hand corner, at the
top, the drawing is dated in an ancient hand, ‘_Munday, February
the 4_: 1683-4;’ and it consists of a view down the River from the
Temple-stairs to London Bridge, the buildings of which are faintly seen
in the back ground. In front appear various groups of figures, and a
side prospect of that line of tents which stretched all across the
Thames, known during the frost by the name of Temple-street. You will
find this drawing in volume viii. of Mr. Crowle’s Illustrated Pennant,
in the British Museum, after page 262; and it measures 28 inches by
9-3/8. Gough, in his ‘_British Topography_,’ volume i., pages 731,
784,* mentions several other publications ‘illustrative of this frost,
some of which are also in the same volume of Mr. Crowle’s Pennant,
and the principal particulars of them I shall give you briefly in the
following list.
“A large copper-plate, 20-1/2 inches by 16-5/8, entitled ‘_A Map of
the River Thames, merrily call’d Blanket Fair, as it was frozen in
the memorable year 1683-4, describing the booths, footpaths, coaches,
sledges, bull-baiting, and other remarks upon that famous river_.’
Dedicated to Sir Henry Hulse, Knt. and Lord Mayor, by James Moxon, the
Engraver.
“A large and coarse engraving on wood, representing the sports, tents,
and buildings on the ice, taken from opposite the Temple buildings,
which are shewn in the back ground; beneath are 106 lines of very
inferior verse, and the title:--‘_A true description of Blanket-Fair,
upon the River Thames, in the time of the great Frost. In the year of
our Lord 1683._’ Broadside sheet, 12-3/4 inches by 16-1/2.
“‘_Wonders on the deep, or the most exact description of the frozen
river of Thames; also what was remarkably observed thereon in the last
great frost, which began about the middle of December, 1683, and ended
the 8th of February following: together with a brief Chronology of all
the memorable strong frosts for almost 60 years, and what happened in
the Northern kingdoms._’ A wood-cut.
“‘_A wonderfull fair, or a fair of wonders; being a new and true
illustration and description of the several things acted and done on
the river of Thames in the time of the terrible frost, which began
about the beginning of Dec. 1683, and continued till Feb. 4, and held
on with such violence that men and beasts, coaches and sledges, went
common thereon. There was also a street of booths from the Temple to
Southwark, where was sold all sorts of goods: likewise bull-baiting,
and an ox roasted whole, and many other things, as the map and
description do plainly shew._’ Engraved and printed on a sheet, 1684.
“A volume of coarse and worthless narratives, entitled ‘_An historical
account of the Late Great Frost, in which are discovered, in several
Comical Relations, the various Humours, Loves, Cheats, and Intreagues
of the Town, as the same were mannaged upon the River of Thames during
that season_.’ London. 1684. 12mo.
“‘_Freezland-Fair, or the Icey Bear Garden. 1682._’
“‘_News from the Thames; or the frozen Thames in tears. January
1683-4._’ Half sheet, folio.
“‘_A winter wonder, or the Thames frozen over; with remarks on the
resort there. 1684._’
“‘_A strange and wonderfull relation of many remarkable damages
sustained, both at sea and land, by the present unparaleled Frost._’
London. 1684. Half sheet small folio, 2 pages.
“Notwithstanding the admiration with which London Bridge had long
been regarded, on account of its appearance as an actual street over
the Thames; in 1685 its very confined limits seem to have attracted
attention, and to have produced at least somewhat of reformation. There
is a tradition extant, though I have not as yet been able to trace it
to any printed authority, that the cross over the dome of St. Paul’s
having been cast in Southwark, the street of London Bridge was too
narrow, and its numerous arches too low, to allow of it being that
way brought into the City: and Hatton, in his ‘_New View of London_,’
volume ii., page 791, shews us that in his time the enlarging of the
Bridge was recorded upon the North side of the Nonesuch House, in the
following inscription:--
“‘ANNO MDCLXXXV., ET PRIMO JACOBI II. REGIS,
This Street was opened and enlarged from 12, to the
width of 20 foot:
SIR JAMES SMITH, KNIGHT, LORD MAYOR.’
“Even until the time, however, when London Bridge was entirely cleared
of its houses, the street over it has always been described as dark,
narrow, and dangerous. ‘The houses on each side,’--says Pennant, page
320,--‘overhung, and leaned in a most terrific manner. In most places
they hid the arches, and nothing appeared but the rude piers.--I well
remember the street on London Bridge, narrow, darksome, and dangerous
to passengers, from the multitude of carriages: frequent arches of
strong timber crossing the street, from the tops of the houses to keep
them together, and from falling into the river. Nothing but use could
preserve the repose of the inmates, who soon grew deaf to the noise
of falling waters, the clamors of watermen, or the frequent shrieks
of drowning wretches. Most of the houses were tenanted by pin or
needle-makers, and economical ladies were wont to drive from the St.
James’s end of the town, to make cheap purchases.’
“The ‘_New and Universal History, Description, and Survey of the
Cities of London and Westminster, the Borough of Southwark, and their
adjacent parts_,’ by Walter Harrison, London, 1776, folio, furnishes
some few additional features to this scene: although the work itself
is, perhaps, anything but reputable; being chiefly a compilation from
Stow and Strype, without much acknowledgment of the originals. Some
particulars of London Bridge, however, the compiler himself actually
knew, and on page 24, he says,--‘Across the middle of the street there
were several lofty arches, extending from one side to the other, the
bottom part of each arch terminating at the first story, and the upper
part reaching near the top of the buildings. These arches were designed
to support the houses on each side the street, and were therefore
formed of strong timbers bolted into the houses, which, being covered
with lath and plaister, appeared as if built with stone.’ The Rev. J.
Motley, in his ‘_Seymour’s Survey of London_,’ volume i., page 48, also
says,--‘On each side, between the houses, are left three vacancies,
opposite to each other, two with stone walls, upon which are iron
rails, that people passing along may take a view of the river East
and West, and may also step out of the way of carts and coaches, the
passage being formerly very narrow, and the floors of the houses that
lay cross the streets being low, they not only rendered those places
dark, but likewise obstructed the free passage of carts, if they were
loaded any way high, and coaches, so that they could not pass by one
another, which oftentimes occasioned great stops upon the Bridge, and
was a great hindrance to passengers.’ As there was no regular foot-way
over the Bridge, it was therefore the most usual and safest custom to
follow a carriage which might be passing across it. The brief notice
of London Bridge in Hoffmann’s ‘_Lexicon Universale_’ is not worth
repeating, but you will find it in volume iii., page 833, column i.,
character ξ [Greek: x]: and though a much better account of it in 1697
appears in Motraye’s ‘_Voyages_,’ volume i., page 150, it contains
nothing new. He calls it ‘one of the strongest buildings which he had
seen in this nation.’