Chapter XII: Book II (5)

The old saying, “Where there is a will there is a way,” was never more clearly exemplified than in the erection of this chapel, which occupies the northern corner of Marlborough Square, and fully warrants the inscription engraven on its summit, “This is the Lord’s doing, it is marvellous in our eyes.” The necessity of having a place of worship in the Methodist connexion had long been felt by many in the neighbourhood, and a room was consequently taken in Pond Place, but as it proved unsuitable for the purpose, Mr. Cripps, of Keppel Street, was induced to open his large workshop for a Thursday evening service, and having obtained a minister from the Hinde Street Circuit to preach the first sermon, was amply repaid for his kindness by a very crowded and attentive congregation. Mr. Hunt, an active and zealous member, commenced a class on the following Sunday afternoon, which increased so rapidly as to make him extremely anxious for the purchase of a spot of ground for a chapel, and after many disappointments, and much discouragement, succeeded in obtaining the present site. The difficulty of raising funds for its erection was a subject of great moment, but, on communicating with many friends, their offers of assistance were so numerous, and accompanied with such generosity, that all doubt as to the result was at once removed. In a few weeks promises were made, and fulfilled, of all kinds of materials for its erection, both externally and internally, and, aided by the gratuitous labours of many devoted followers, was completed and opened July 30, 1849, about five months from its commencement. It is a neat and commodious structure, and will hold about 400 persons. It has lately undergone several alterations and improvements. There is an excellent Sunday School attached to the chapel, at which there is an average attendance of nearly 300 children.

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The Brompton District Letter Sorting Post Office is situated nearly opposite to the northern side of St. Luke’s Cemetery. It was erected a few years ago, and is well adapted and arranged for the intended purposes.

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Near to Sydney Street, and to the north of St. Luke’s Church, was formerly situated a solitary small house, known as Cock’s Hall. It was said to have been built by Captain Cock, a petty officer in the Royal Hospital. On a stone in the front of it was an inscription, “Built in 1710, rebuilt in 1767.”

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Dr. Biber, author of “The Life of Pestalozzi,” and editor of the _John Bull_ newspaper, resided for some time in Sydney Street, as did also Thomas Wright, Esq., the antiquary and historical writer.

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Henry Warren, Esq., President of the New Society of Water Colour Painters, resided for some time opposite St. Luke’s Church, and at a subsequent period at the corner of Church Street, which house has been recently pulled down.

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From the periodical publications of the time, and from other sources, it appears the following persons have resided in this parish at various periods:—

Robert Ratcliffe, the first Earl of Sussex of that family, and Lord High Chamberlain of England, died at his palace at Chelsea, November 26, 1542.

Robert Viscount Fitzwalter was created Earl of Sussex by Henry VIII. in 1527. He married first, Elizabeth, daughter of Edward Stafford, Duke of Buckingham; secondly, Margaret, daughter of Thomas, Earl of Derby; thirdly, Mary, daughter of Sir John Arundel.

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John Pym, a distinguished Member of the House of Commons, resided at Chelsea for several years. {218} He was Member for Tavistock, and was a remarkable instance of what wonders, strength of parts, and force of eloquence, could effect. His influence was superior to authority, but by many he was thought to have made a very bad use of power; his intent was to reform, not to abolish the Government; and yet he was a principal engine in bringing about a revolution, which he never intended, and which he did not live to see; he died December 8, 1643. His excessive application to public affairs is supposed to have hastened his death. “He was a man,” says Hume, “as much hated by one party as respected by the other. At London, he was considered as the victim of national liberty, who had abridged his life by incessant labours for the interest of his country. At Oxford, he was believed to have been struck with an uncommon disease, and to have been consumed with vermin, as a mark of Divine vengeance for his multiplied crimes and treasons. He had been so little studious of improving his private fortune in those civil wars, of which he had been one principal author, that the Parliament thought themselves obliged from gratitude to pay the debts which he had contracted.”

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Count D’Estrades, who came to England to negociate the sale of Dunkirk, as ambassador from Lewis XIV., resided at Chelsea during the years 1661 and 1662. This fact appears by the dates of his letters, of which a translation appeared in 1755. He had his first audience of his Majesty King Charles II. on the 27th of July of the former year. It was usual for the Foreign Ambassadors at that time to make their public entry from the Tower of London, but on this occasion the King sent his own coaches to Chelsea, to carry the Ambassador, and the Count was accompanied by the equipages of the whole of the diplomatic corps at that time in London.

Count D’Estrades was invited by letters from the Chancellor himself, in order to conclude the bargain; £900,000 were demanded, £100,000 were offered. By degrees the English lowered their demands, and the French raised their offers. The bargain was concluded at £400,000.

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Sir Robert Atkyns, either Chief Baron of the Exchequer, or his son, the historian of Gloucestershire, appears by the Parish Books to have resided in Chelsea in 1684.

Sir Robert Atkyns, K.B., was Lord Chief Baron of the Exchequer under William III., which office he held with distinguished ability and integrity. This gentleman, by his influence, promoted the Revolution, and by his pen defended it in tracts replete with legal knowledge.

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The Hon. Colonel Rieutort died at his house, Chelsea, on the 24th January, 1725–6, in his 66th year. He was born of a good family, at Montpelier, in France, where he early bore arms; and, having left his native country, on account of the Protestant religion, he attended William III. in the wars of Ireland. He afterwards served the Crown of Great Britain in Piedmont; and in 1703 assisted Count de Frise in the vigorous defence of Landau, then besieged by the French. In 1704, he went into Portugal with the Earl of Galway, who sent him to the relief of the Prince of Hesse, then closely beset in Gibraltar, where he contributed very much to the preservation of that important place. He was interred in Chelsea Church.

THE CANCER HOSPITAL.

This hospital is situated in the Fulham Road, almost facing the Consumption Hospital. The ceremony of laying the foundation stone was performed on Monday, May 30, 1859, by Miss Burdett Coutts, in the presence of a very numerous and respectable company, including Dr. Tait, Bishop of London, Archdeacon Sinclair, Rev. D. Coleridge, Rev. J. B. Owen, the Rev. Fathers Ballard and Bagshawe, Priests of the Oratory, at Brompton, &c.

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The Rev. Thomas Pearson commenced the proceedings with prayer, after which the Bishop of London addressed the assemblage, and said they were met to lay the foundation stone of a most excellent institution, destined to bestow great blessings on a large portion of the community—a house for the reception of persons afflicted with a most painful disease, demanding the greatest sympathy from all friends of humanity. His Lordship, at the close of his address, prayed for its permanency and success.

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Miss Coutts having deposited the bottle, with the usual contents, in a cavity in the lower stone and spread the mortar, the upper stone was duly lowered into its place, after which Miss Coutts gave the customary knocks and declared the stone duly laid.

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The Rev. J. B. Owen next addressed the assembly, after which John Abel Smith, Esq., proposed thanks to Miss Coutts for having done them the honour of laying the foundation stone of the hospital. The Bishop of London said that he had been requested by Miss Coutts to acknowledge the compliment paid her, and to assure them that she should continue to take the greatest interest in the prosperity of the Institution.

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The building has a frontage of 130 ft. and a depth of 50 ft., surrounded by an area of 10 ft., securing to the building the means of convenient external communication and ventilation. It is constructed of plain white Suffolk bricks, relieved with bands of red brick, keystones, and cornices of stone dressing. The lower story contains the kitchens, larders, and the rooms for the out-patients. The principal ground floor is approached by a flight of steps, and this contains the hall and a handsome staircase of stone, apartments for the house-surgeon and medical officers, and wards for patients. Apparatus for heating and ventilating the building is provided—everything, in short, that is calculated to add to the comforts and assist the recovery of the patients. On the first story are the wards. In the males it appears this direful disease shows itself more frequently in the face, lip, and tongue, and among some of them in the breast. Of the females nearly five-sixths suffer in the breast.

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The building, in all its details, has been open about six years. It was erected from the design of David Mocatta, Esq., by Messrs. Lawrence, at a cost of £7,000. William Marsden, M.D. was the founder.

HOSPITAL FOR CONSUMPTION.

This is another admirable Institution, and, although it is situated just beyond the boundary of Chelsea parish, on the north of the Fulham Road, it has a very strong claim to be noticed in this work. It is a beautiful Elizabethan structure, built in the shape of the letter H, the depth of each wing being 190 ft., and the width of the building 200 ft. It stands in a square piece of ground covering three acres, and faces the public road. On entering the Lodge-gate there are three broad drives, one to the central entrance, which opens to a cheerful hall upon the first floor; another to the east entrance, which leads to the offices for the transaction of the hospital business; and the third to the west entrance, which is for the use of inmates and the friends of the in-patients on visiting days.

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The ground floor is on a level with the gardens. The west wing and part of the centre of this floor contain the Dispensary and Out-patient-rooms, Laboratory, Museum, and Sitting-rooms of the Resident Clinical Assistants. The east wing contains the apartments of the Resident Medical Officer and Matron, Linen-room, Store-room, Secretary’s Office, Board-room, &c.

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The first floor is devoted exclusively to Female Patients, saving small rooms for the Chaplain, and for each of the two Head Nurses, and the two requisite Sculleries, Baths, and Lavatories.

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The arrangements of the second floor are precisely the same as those on the first floor; the wards being occupied by Male Patients, for whom there are about 107 beds.

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The attic floor has comfortable dormitories for the Nurses and Servants, and in the Tower-rooms are the sleeping apartments of the Resident Clinical Assistants.

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The Chapel stands on the north side of the hospital, and parallel with the centre portion. The approach is by a corridor opposite the front entrance, to which the patients have immediate access from their respective galleries. The chaplain is the Rev. E. B. Allen, B.A., whose faithful exhortations and kind manner of addressing the patients have gained for him the esteem of all who know his worth.

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His late R.H. the Prince Consort laid the foundation stone of the hospital in 1844.

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THE HOME.—This Institution is conducted and maintained by a few benevolent Ladies, as an auxiliary to the above hospital, for persons who are either waiting their turns for admission to the hospital, or after leaving it, during the necessary time occupied in the full re-establishment of their health and their search for employment. This excellent “Home” is at Manor House, near Durham Place, Chelsea.

CHELSEA IMPROVEMENTS.

The Metropolitan Board of Works (Loans) Bill, empowering the Metropolitan Board of Works to raise money to construct the Chelsea Embankment, and to effect other improvements, having received the Royal assent, there is now no doubt that the Chelsea Embankment works will be very shortly commenced.

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The Bills for the “Belgrave Market,” which will remove the unsightly block of buildings between Turk’s Row and Jew’s Row, and the “Belgravia and South Kensington New Road,” which will open a direct communication from Eaton Square to the South Kensington Museum, have also become law.

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The works of the Albert Bridge are still suspended, but there is reason to hope that they will shortly be recommenced, and rapidly completed.

FIRST ELECTION OF MEMBERS FOR THE BOROUGH OF CHELSEA.

I will now endeavour to record a few impartial particulars respecting the proceedings on the day of election, with the ultimate state of the poll, when the two first members for the Borough of Chelsea were elected. The nomination took place on Tuesday, the 17th of November, 1868, and the election on the following day.

The hustings were erected in an open and central place near the South Kensington Museum, and was capable of holding about 200 or 300 persons. C. A. Bannister, Esq., of Chelsea, was the Returning Officer, and he performed his duty with the utmost courtesy and fairness.

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The candidates originally were C. Wentworth Dilke, Esq., {223} Sir Henry Hoare, Dr. Russell, and C. J. Freake, Esq. Mr. Odger, a working man, who was warmly supported by a large number of the constituency, retired previous to the nomination from what may be fairly considered the most honourable motives.

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R. Freeman, Esq., of Kensington, proposed Mr. C. W. Dilke, and John Boyd, Esq., of Argyll House, King’s Road, seconded the nomination.

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Wingfield Baker, Esq., proposed Sir H. A. Hoare, and James Heywood, Esq., seconded.

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The Hon. E. C. Curzon proposed Mr. Freake, and the Hon. Capt. Maude seconded the nomination.

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General Sir A. S. Wangle proposed Dr. Russell, and Captain Morley seconded.

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The show of hands was then taken, and there being a large majority for Mr. C. W. Dilke and Sir H. A. Hoare, the two liberal candidates, a poll was demanded on behalf of Dr. Russell and Mr. Freake, which took place on the following day, the 18th of November, 1868. The proceedings were of the most orderly character, generally speaking, at all the thirteen polling booths.

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The state of the poll was declared to be as follows:—

Dilke 7,357 Hoare 7,183 Russell 4,177 Freake 3,929

About 2,000 persons were present, and the four candidates with their friends.

SINGULAR ASCENT IN THE CAPTIVE BALLOON.

A female inmate of St. George’s Workhouse, Fulham Road, named Hogg, having completed her hundredth year, August 3, 1869, was asked by Mr. Godrich, the medical officer, if, at her advanced age, there was any particular wish he could gratify. Her reply was that she should like to go up in the balloon, and see the world once more. Arrangements were made for the following Thursday, and, accompanied by the Matron and a few of Mr. Godrich’s friends, they ascended, and after enjoying themselves for some considerable time descended quite safely, the centenarian expressing herself much delighted with the aerial trip.

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I have at length arrived at the conclusion of my work, and it now only remains for me to bid the reader a respectful FAREWELL.

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ERRATA.—At page 68, line 10, _read_ “East Meon, Hants,” instead of “East Mere, Hants.”

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FREDERICK BELL, PRINTER, KING’S ROAD.

Footnotes

{7} For on account of the presentation of these colours, see “Ranelagh,” in a subsequent part of this work.

{19a} In 1534 he was attainted for denying the King’s supremacy, and executed at Tyburn, the 7th of March in that year.—_Holinshed’s Chronicle_.

{19b} He was ejected from the Rectory in 1554, for being a married priest, but was restored by Queen Elizabeth.—_Strype’s Stowe_.

{19c} He gave, by will, £15 to the poor of this parish, and to the repairing of the lead of the church. He was buried at Chelsea in 1615.

{23} From Dr. King’s MSS. it appears there had been a Clerk’s house and school-rooms on this site previous to the erection of the present building.

{26} There is on accidental mistake at page 3. The number of acres at Kensal, belonging to the parish, should have been, as above, 137¾ acres.

{27} This ancient manor house stood on the site of Lawrence Street, near the Old Church, and derived its name from having been the residence of the Lawrence family for a long period.

{41} Mr. Thomas Bettsworth was well known to the parishioners and much respected. He was Churchwarden at the New Church, and took an active part in parochial affairs.

{57} Life of A. R. Bowes, Esq., by Jesse Foot.

{71} Earl Cadogan’s Records.

{72} I was well acquainted with these particulars, but for the sake of accuracy I have taken an extract from “A Walk from Loudon to Fulham,” by the late T. C. Croker, Esq., a work of great worth and highly interesting. Published by William Tegg, London, 1860.

{82} See Old Church, page 14.

{85} Gent. Mag., 1753.

{87} Stephensiana, Monthly Magazine.

{100} Granger, vol. iv., p. 293.

{102} Gent. Mag. May, 1781.

{105} See History of the Manor, p. 24.

{107} Biog. Dram.

{108} Dr. Drake’s Essays.

{111} Pennant’s History of Whitford and Hollywell, p. 16.

{128} Mr. Goss, the present Organist of St. Paul’s Cathedral, was then Organist of the Church.

{137} The Act specifies £20,000 and a Sixpenny Rate.

{144} In allusion to a very impressive sermon preached by the late Rev. H. Blunt, from 1 Sam. xv. 14.

{147} The number that died of the plague this year in London was 30,578.

{150} The Writer’s father was one of the two Overseers of the Poor in 1805.

{153a} Drawn up in the hand-writing of the Rev. Dr. King, Rector.

{153b} We find mention of Bloody Gate and Bridge as early as the reign of Queen Elizabeth. This spot was situated at the eastern entrance into Sloane Square, and where Chelsea is divided from St. George’s, Hanover Square.

{153c} The whole of the land, now the site of Sloane Street, was anciently called “Blackland.” It extended as far as the Marlborough Road, some few years since known as Blackland Lane.

{155} Gent. Mag., 1753.

{159} Annual Register, 1771, p. 160.

{177} Queen’s Road West was formerly called Paradise Row.

{184} Gent. Mag. 1747. pp. 298, 400.

{188} Rev. G. R. Gleig’s “Chelsea Hospital.”

{199} These Colours are deposited in the Old Church.

{218} Granger’s Biog. Hist., vol. ii. p. 211.

{223} Now Sir Charles Wentworth Dilke.