Chapter VI: Book 4: ) (3)

Near at hand, on the eastern corner of the next turning down Piccadilly (_Dover Street_), is HATCHETT’S HOTEL, adjoining The White Horse Cellars, once a well-known coaching establishment. On the opposite side of the way stood in days of yore the old “White Horse Cellars,” of which Hazlitt writes:—

“The finest sight in the Metropolis is the setting out of the
mail-coaches from Piccadilly. The horses paw the ground and are
impatient to be gone, as if conscious of the precious burden they
convey. There is a peculiar secrecy and despatch, significant and
full of meaning, in all the proceedings concerning them. Even the
outside passengers have an erect and supercilious air, as if proof
against the accidents of the journey; in fact, it seems indifferent
whether they are to encounter the summer’s heat or the winter’s cold,
since they are borne through the air on a winged chariot.”

From this well-known Booking Office, _Mr. Pickwick_ and his friends—accompanied by the fierce _Dowler_ and his fascinating wife—started for Bath, one “muggy, damp, and drizzly morning, by the mail coach; on the door of which was displayed, in gilt letters of a goodly size, the magic name of ‘Pickwick’; a circumstance which seems to have occasioned some confusion of ideas in the mind of the faithful Sam, as evidenced by his indignant inquiry—‘An’t nobody to be whopped for takin’ this here liberty?’”

Readers of “Bleak House” will remember this locality as the destination of the Reading Coach; so indicated by _Messrs. Kenge and Carboy_ in their first communication to _Esther Summerson_. Here she was met, one foggy November afternoon, on her arrival in London, by the susceptible _Mr. Guppy_, and by him conducted to Old Square, Lincoln’s Inn. The incident was afterwards feelingly referred to by that young gentleman, on the occasion of his offer of heart, hand, and income to Esther:—

“I think you must have seen that I was struck with those charms on
the day when I waited at the Whytorseller. I think you must have
remarked that I could not forbear a tribute to those charms when I
put up the steps of the ’ackney coach.”

For the full narrative, see “Bleak House,” chapter 9.

The Rambler can now take an eastward course up PICCADILLY, and may casually observe, on the left, past Burlington House, THE ALBANY, where _Mr. Fledgby_ had chambers. The next turning on the same side is SACKVILLE STREET, in which it may be recollected that _Mr. and Mrs. Lammles_ resided during the short term of their social prosperity. Mention of these localities in such connection will be found in the pages of “Our Mutual Friend.” Passing onwards on the same side, we arrive at No. 28, St. James’s Hall. It was at this well-known place of assembly that several of those popular Readings were given by Charles Dickens, which always commanded the attention and sympathetic interest of his audience. On these occasions he invariably adopted the extreme of fashionable evening attire, being dressed in irreproachable style, with, perhaps, more of shirt-front than waistcoat; and so “got up” as to present a staginess and juvenility of appearance, possibly somewhat out of keeping with his time of life. Some of his hearers may have desired a more natural and less conventional mode; but they knew that beneath the big shirt and fashionable coat, there throbbed the genial heart of the man they loved, as he read of the sorrows of “Little Emily,” or stood with them in spirit at the bedside of “Paul Dombey.” On the occasion of his final Reading, given here in March 1870, he tendered his last public farewell to his London audience in the following words:

“It would be worse than idle, it would be hypocritical and unfeeling,
if I were to disguise that I close this episode of my life with
feelings of very considerable pain. For some fifteen years, in this
hall and many kindred places, I have had the honour of presenting my
own cherished ideas before you for your recognition; and, in closely
observing your reception of them, have enjoyed an amount of artistic
delight and enjoyment, which perhaps it is given few men to know. In
this task and every other, I have ever undertaken as a faithful
servant of the public—always imbued with a sense of duty to them, and
always striving to do his best—I have been uniformly cheered by the
readiest response, the most generous sympathy and the most
stimulating support. Nevertheless, I have thought it well, at the
full flood-tide of your favour, to retire upon those older
associations between us, which date from much further back than
these; and henceforth to devote myself exclusively to the art that
first brought us together. Ladies and gentlemen, in but two short
weeks from this time, I hope that you may enter, in your own homes,
on a new series of Readings, at which my assistance will be
indispensable; but from these garish lights I vanish now for ever,
with one heartfelt, grateful, respectful, and affectionate farewell.”

On the right-hand side of Piccadilly, adjacent to the _Prince’s Hall and Institute of Painters_, there may be noted, _en passant_, the premises No. 193, now occupied by the Boys’ Messenger Co. This, for many years, was the address of Messrs. Chapman and Hall, the publishers of the works of Dickens. Previous to 1850, the earlier books—“Pickwick” to “Martin Chuzzlewit” inclusive—together with the first issue of their cheaper edition, were published by this well-known house at 186 _Strand_, the site now occupied by the premises of W. H. Smith and Son. The firm have, for many years past, removed their offices to _No._ 11 _Henrietta Street_, _Covent Garden_.

Passing on to _Piccadilly Circus_, and crossing northward from the same, we turn (left) into _Sherwood Street_, which leads, by a short walk, to _Brewer Street_, in the neighbourhood of GOLDEN SQUARE. Continuing by _Lower James Street_, opposite, we reach the square itself, in which was formerly situated the Office of Ralph Nickleby. Readers of Dickens will remember that it was a large house, with an attic storey, in which Ralph committed suicide. The house No. 6, on the east side, was probably the one assigned by the author as the usurer’s residence. It is now let off in various suites of offices, professional and otherwise. The neighbourhood has somewhat changed since the time when the “Adventures of Nicholas Nickleby” was first issued, and the following description, given by Dickens, became public property:—

“It is one of the squares that have been—a quarter of the town that
has gone down in the world, and taken to letting lodgings. Many of
its first and second floors are let, furnished, to single gentlemen,
and it takes boarders besides. It is a great resort of foreigners.
The dark-complexioned men who wear large rings and heavy
watch-guards, and bushy whiskers, and who congregate under the Opera
Colonnade, and about the box-office in the season between four and
five in the afternoon, when they give away the orders—all live in
Golden Square, or within a street of it. Two or three violins and a
wind instrument from the opera-band reside within its precincts.”

We read in the same book of the whereabouts of _Mr. Kenwigs_ as being in this neighbourhood—

“A bygone, faded, tumble-down street, with two irregular rows of tall
meagre houses, which seem to have stared each other out of
countenance years ago; the very chimneys appear to have grown dismal
and melancholy from having had nothing better to look at than the
chimneys over the way.”

There are many streets in the district of Soho, in this vicinity, which will in some respects correspond with the description given; but much alteration has taken place during the last sixty years. Recollecting that _Newman Noggs_ lodged in the upper part of the same house, it must have been conveniently near Golden Square. In Carnaby Street (immediately north of the Square) there may be remarked a white-fronted, old-fashioned house (No. 48), which, being in proximity to Ralph Nickleby’s Office, may be assigned as aforetime comprising the apartments of the Kenwigs Family.

At the corner of _Beak Street_ and _Upper James Street_ is still existent “The Crown Inn,” well known to Newman Noggs; though, since his time, it must have undergone considerable alteration. In his first letter to Nicholas Nickleby, Newman writes:—

“If you ever want a shelter in London, . . . they know where I live at the sign of the Crown, Golden Square. It is at the corner of Silver Street” [now Beak Street] “and James Street, with a bar door both ways.”

In this neighbourhood, also, Martha’s Lodgings were situated, in the days of David Copperfield, who says:—

“She laid her hand on my arm, and hurried me on to one of the sombre
streets of which there are several in that part, where the houses
were once fair dwellings, in the occupation of single families, but
have, and had, long degenerated into poor lodgings let off in rooms.”

Such a house may be found in _Marshall Street_, No. 53, close at hand. But at this distance of time it is difficult to assign the exact locality intended by Dickens. We are all familiar with the welcome episode in David’s history when Martha rescued _Little Emily_, bringing her to these lodgings, and _Mr. Peggotty’s_ dream came true.—See chapter 50.

Proceeding half-way up _Marshall Street_, we turn (right) through _Broad Street_, to (left) _Poland Street_, by which we again attain the main thoroughfare of Oxford Street. Turning eastward, on the north side, we come at a short distance (by No. 90) to Newman Street, in which was situated _Mr. Turveydrop’s Dancing Academy_, “established in a sufficiently dingy house, at the corner of an archway” (Newman Passage), with Mr. Turveydrop’s great room built out into a mews at the back. The house intended is No. 26, on the east side of the street. Here _Caddy Jellyby_ resided with her husband, _Prince Turveydrop_, in the upper rooms of the establishment, leaving the better part of the house at the disposal of Mr. Turveydrop, senior; that “perfect model” of parental and social “deportment.” Returning to Oxford Street and passing onwards on the south side, we shortly arrive at _Dean Street_, leading southward.

At a short distance, running east and west, is Carlisle Street, at the further end of which, to the right, is an old house (by name Carlisle House) which stands facing the observer. It is now occupied by _Messrs. Edwards and Roberts_, dealers in antique furniture. Readers of “The Tale of Two Cities” will recollect the lodgings of Doctor Manette and daughter Lucie, as described in the 6th chapter (Book the Second) of the Tale, being situated in a quiet street-corner, not far from Soho Square:—

“A quainter corner than the corner where the Doctor lived was not to
be found in London. There was no way through it, and the front
windows of the Doctor’s lodgings commanded a pleasant little vista of
street that had a congenial air of retirement on it. There were few
buildings then, north of the Oxford Road, and forest-trees
flourished, and wild flowers grew, and the hawthorn blossomed, in the
now vanished fields.”

The garden behind the house, referred to in the above-mentioned book, has been converted to the uses of a warehouse, a glass roof having been long ago built over the same. A paved court now exists at the side for the convenience of foot-passengers, giving egress at the end of Carlisle Street, so that the “wonderful echoes” which once resounded in this “curious corner” are now no longer to be heard.

It may be interesting to note that a thoroughfare leading from _No._ 119 _Charing Cross Road_ to _No._ 6 _Greek Street_, _Soho_, is now named _Manette Street_; in remembrance of the worthy Doctor, whose London residence in Carlisle Street, as indicated, was near at hand.

We may return to Oxford Street through Soho Square, conveniently terminating the ramble at Tottenham Court Road, just beyond. From this central point there is omnibus communication to all parts of London; and a commodious resting-place may be here recommended to those disposed for dinner, at THE HORSESHOE RESTAURANT; which stands in a prominent position near at hand, on the east side of the street.

RAMBLE V _Bank of England to Her Majesty’s Theatre_

The Bank; Dombey and Son, Tom Pinch—George and Vulture Inn; Mr. Pickwick’s Hotel—“The Green Dragon,” _alias_ “The Blue Boar,” Leadenhall Market; Tony Weller’s Headquarters—Newman’s Court (_alias_ Freeman’s Court), Cornhill; The Offices of Messrs. Dodson and Fogg—House of Sol Gills, Leadenhall Street; The Wooden Midshipman—St. Mary Axe; Pubsey and Co.—House of Sampson Brass in Bevis Marks—“The Red Lion;” Mr. Dick Swiveller’s recommendation—Bull Inn, Aldgate; Starting-place of the Ipswich Coach—The Minories—Aldgate Pump; Mr. Toots’s Excursions—Mincing Lane; Messrs. Chicksey, Veneering, and Stobbles—Boarding House of Mrs. Todgers, King’s Head Court—London Bridge; Meeting-place of Rose Maylie and Nancy—“The White Hart Inn”; its Pickwickian Associations—The Marshalsea Prison; The Dorrit Family—St. George’s Church; Little Dorrit’s Night Refuge and Marriage—Lant Street; Dickens and Bob Sawyer’s Lodging—King’s Bench Prison—Horsemonger Lane Gaol—Mr. Chivery’s Shop—St. George’s Obelisk; “the long-legged young man”—The Surrey Theatre; Fanny Dorrit and Uncle—Bethlehem Hospital; “Uncommercial Traveller”—Astley’s Theatre; visit of the Nubbles Family—Millbank; Poor “Martha”—Church Street, Smith Square; the Dolls’ Dressmaker—Julius Handford—Westminster Abbey—The Red Lion, Parliament Street; the “Genuine Stunning”—The Horse Guards’ Clock—St. James’s Park; Meeting between Martin and Mary—Her Majesty’s Theatre.

Our starting-point is now the BANK OF ENGLAND, Dombey and Son’s

“Magnificent neighbour; with its vaults of gold and silver, ‘all
among the dead men, underground.’”

_Tom Pinch_, diffident of requesting information in London, resolved that, in the event of finding himself near the Bank of England,

“He would step in, and ask a civil question or two, confiding in the
perfect respectability of the concern.”

Adopting the route _viâ Lombard Street_, we come, on the left (No. 56), to GEORGE YARD, traversing which, there will be found, at the corner of Castle Court (No. 3), the George and Vulture Inn, at which Mr. Pickwick resided when in London, subsequent to his removal from Goswell Street; and which has honourable mention in the history of the Pickwickians.

Through _Lombard Street_, and turning left into _Gracechurch Street_, we shortly arrive, on the right, at _Bull’s Head Passage_ (turning by the Branch Post Office, No. 82), in which, at No. 4, is the GREEN DRAGON TAVERN, in close proximity to Leadenhall Market. This is, in all probability, the house mentioned in “Pickwick” as “The Blue Boar,” _Leadenhall Market_, a favourite house of call with the elder Weller, and the place where Sam indited his “Valentine” to _Mary_, the pretty housemaid, afterwards Mrs. Sam. But the neighbourhood of the Market has undergone considerable renovation since the old coaching-days, and it is difficult to fix the _locale_ of the tavern with certainty.

Proceeding onwards through _Gracechurch Street_, we come into the thoroughfare of CORNHILL; and at No. 73, on the opposite side, arrive at Newman’s Court. It will be remembered that in “Pickwick” the offices of _Messrs. Dodson and Fogg_ (Mrs. Bardell’s attorneys) are located in Freeman’s Court, Cornhill. There is no such place in Cornhill; Freeman’s Court being in Cheapside. It is evident, therefore, that Dickens, for reasons of his own, emulated the special contributor to the _Eatanswill Gazette_, and so “combined his information.” Taking Cornhill to be the locality intended, we shall find Dodson and Fogg’s Office at the furthest end of the Court, No. 4, still associated with legal business, being in possession of Messrs. Witherby and Co., law stationers.

Passing onwards in Cornhill, past Bishopsgate Street, we come into Leadenhall Street, and may be interested to note, at No. 157 (now an outfitting establishment), the original position of the HOUSE OF SOL GILLS, ships’ instrument maker, at whose door was displayed the figure of

“The Wooden Midshipman; eternally taking observations of the hackney
coaches.”

Here our eccentric friend _Captain Cuttle_ remained in charge during the absence of old Sol Gills and his nephew; here _Florence_, accompanied by the faithful Diogenes, found asylum; and here _Walter Gay_ returned after shipwreck, to make everybody happy and marry the gentle heroine of the story. (See “Dombey and Son” for information _in extenso._) Until recent years, these premises were in occupation of Messrs. Norie and Wilson, ships’ instrument makers and chart publishers. They have removed to the Minories, No. 156, where the quaint effigy of _the Wooden Midshipman_, with his cocked hat and quadrant complete, may now be seen, as bright and brisk as in old days. “When found, make a note of.”

Farther on, on the same side of Leadenhall Street, we reach St. Mary Axe, turning northward at No. 117, which we notice _en passant_ as the thoroughfare in which _Pubsey and Co._ had their place of business; “a yellow overhanging plaster-fronted house”—reconstructed, with many others, some years since—at the top of which _Riah_ (the manager) arranged his town garden; where the Dolls’ Dressmaker invited _Fascination Fledgby_ to “come up and be dead.” All of which is duly set forth in the pages of “Our Mutual Friend.” The position of the house cannot now be localised.

Proceeding to the other end of St. Mary Axe, we may turn (right) into _Bevis Marks_, where there once existed the House of Mr. Sampson Brass, No. 10, but this and others have long since been rebuilt and re-enumerated. Here lived that honourable attorney and his sister the fair Sally; aided in their professional duties by a young gentleman of eccentric habits and “prodigious talent of quotation.” Here the _Marchioness_ lived, or rather starved, in attendance as maid-of-all-work, and first made the acquaintance of Dick Swiveller, her future husband; being by him initiated into the mysteries of cribbage and the peculiarities of purl. Here lodged the “single gentleman,” who evinced such exceptional interest in the national drama, and so discovered a clue to the retreat of Little Nell and her grandfather.

On the north side of the street there still flourishes the old RED LION INN, an establishment patronised in his time by Mr. Richard, and once eulogised by that gentleman on the occasion of his specifying “the contingent advantages” of the neighbourhood. “There is mild porter in the immediate vicinity.”

For these and the other associations of this spot the tourist is referred to the pages of the “Old Curiosity Shop.”

Following downwards through Bevis Marks and Duke Street beyond, we come into _Aldgate_, keeping still on the left-hand side of the way to _Aldgate High Street_, where at a short distance we pass the Station of the Metropolitan Railway. At No. 24, just ahead, is the Bull Inn Yard, once the City Terminus of Coaches travelling north-east. From this point Mr. Pickwick started per coach for Ipswich, accompanied by the red-haired Mr. Peter Magnus; Mr. Tony Weller officiating as driver. On which occasion we read that Mr. Weller’s conversation, “possessing the inestimable charm of blending amusement with instruction,” beguiled “the tediousness of the journey during the greater part of the day.”

Returning westward on the other side of the way, the Rambler may turn, at No. 81, into the _Minories_; and, at the second house on the right, may observe the figure of _the Wooden Midshipman_, previously referred to as removed from its original position in Leadenhall Street. The route being continued (same side) from the Minories, we can note, as we pass into _Fenchurch Street_, Aldgate Pump, standing at the top of Leadenhall Street. There is a reference to this old pump in “Dombey,” as being a stated object of _Mr. Toots’s_ special evening excursions from “The Wooden Midshipman,” when that gentleman desired some temporary relief from the hopeless contemplation of Walter Gay’s happiness.

The tourist will now soon arrive at (No. 42) Mincing Lane, leading to Great Tower Street. This short street is entirely occupied by wholesale merchants and brokers, and it will be remembered that _Messrs. Chicksey_, _Veneering_, _and Stobbles_, wholesale druggists, flourished in this locality in the days of the “Golden Dustman.” The fourth house on the left from Fenchurch Street, next to _Dunster Court_, has been indicated as the probable whereabouts of the firm. We may remember that R. Wilfer’s office was on the ground-floor, next the gateway.

Here, then, in this prosaic neighbourhood, _John Rokesmith_, following _Bella Wilfer_, came to the warehouse where Little _Rumty_ was sitting at the open window at his tea, and much surprised that gentleman by a declaration of love for his daughter; what time “The Feast of the Three Hobgoblins” was so agreeably celebrated. This place is also associated with other pleasant episodes connected with the history of the Wilfer family, the details of which are fully furnished in the pages of “Our Mutual Friend.”

Proceeding through Mincing Lane, we turn to the right through _Eastcheap_, which leads westward to the top of FISH STREET HILL. The tourist now proceeds southward, passing the _Monument_ on the left. At a short distance beyond (No. 34) we arrive at _King’s Head Court_, “a small paved yard,” in which are certain city warehouses and a dairy. On the south side of the court, now occupied by the warehouses aforesaid, once stood the Commercial Boarding-House of Mrs. Todgers—an old-fashioned abode even in the days of Mr. Pecksniff—which has long since given place to other commercial considerations. In the 9th chapter of “Martin Chuzzlewit” full, true, and particular account is given of this establishment as it used to be. We may here call to remembrance the characters of _Bailey junior_, _Mr. Jinkins_, _Augustus Moddle_, and others in connection with the domestic economy of Mrs. Todgers and the several Pecksniffian associations of the place; notably, the festive occasion of that Sunday’s dinner when Cherry and Merry were first introduced to London society; the moral Mr. Pecksniff thereafter exhibiting alarming symptoms of a chronic complaint. (See chapter 9.) And we may indulge in a kindly reminiscence of good-hearted Mrs. Todgers herself, worried with the anxieties of “gravy” and the eccentricities of commercial gentlemen. “Perhaps the Good Samaritan was lean and lank, and found it hard to live.” We now come to London Bridge, the scene of Nancy’s interview with Mr. Brownlow and Rose Maylie (see “Oliver Twist”), which took place on the steps near St. Saviour’s Church, on the Surrey side of the river—

“These stairs are a part of the bridge; they consist of three
flights. Just below the end of the second, going down, the stone
wall on the left terminates in an ornamental pilaster, facing towards
the Thames.”

And it will be remembered that _Noah Claypole_ here ensconced himself as an unseen listener.

As we come to the Surrey side of the Thames, a passing thought may be given to _Mrs. Rudge_ and her son Barnaby, who lived near at hand “in a by-street in Southwark, not far from London Bridge”; and we may recall the incident of _Edward Chester_ being brought hither by _Gabriel Varden_, having been found wounded by a highwayman on the other side of the river. But it is altogether impossible to locate the house, the neighbourhood having so entirely changed during the present century. Onwards by the main thoroughfare of the Borough, we shall find, on the left-hand side of the way (No. 61), the (former) location of “The White Hart,” described in “Pickwick” as

“An old inn, which has preserved its external features unchanged, and
which has escaped alike the rage for public improvement and the
encroachments of private speculation. A great, rambling, queer old
place, with galleries and passages and staircases, wide enough and
antiquated enough to furnish materials for a hundred ghost stories.”

The old inn has been pulled down some years since; the original gateway only remains, leading to White Hart Yard. A tavern and luncheon-bar of modern erection now occupy one side of the old coach-yard in which _Messrs. Pickwick_, _Wardle_, and _Perker_ made their first acquaintance with _Mr. Samuel Weller_, on that memorable occasion when _Mr. Jingle_ had eloped from _Dingley Dell_ with _Miss Rachael Wardle_, and had brought the lady to this establishment. Farther on, towards the end of the Borough, we arrive at Angel Place, a narrow passage near to St. George’s Church. It leads into _Marshalsea Place_, of which Dickens writes as follows in his preface to “Little Dorrit”:—

“Whoever goes into Marshalsea Place, turning out of Angel Court,
leading to Bermondsey, will find his feet on the very paving-stones
of the extinct Marshalsea jail; will see its narrow yard to the
right, and to the left, very little altered if at all, except that
the walls were lowered when the place got free; will look upon the
rooms in which the debtors lived; and will stand among the crowding
ghosts of many miserable years.”

This, then, was The Marshalsea Prison, in which, during Dickens’s youthful days, his father was imprisoned for debt; and the place is intimately associated with the story of _Little Dorrit_ and her family. We must be all familiar with the Father of the Marshalsea, his brother Frederick, Maggie, and the several others of the _dramatis personæ_ of that charming tale.

St. George’s Church, close at hand, will be remembered in connection with the above, as once affording refuge in its vestry for Little Dorrit, when the sexton accommodated her with a bed formed of the pew-cushions, the book of registers doing service as a pillow. She was afterwards married to Arthur Clennam in this church. Full particulars of the ceremony will be found in the last chapter of the tale. At a short distance from this point, down Blackman Street, on the right, is (No. 90) Lant Street. In Forster’s Biography it is narrated that Dickens, when a boy, lodged in this street what time his father was imprisoned in the Marshalsea. The house stood on part of the site now occupied by the Board School adjoining No. 46—

“A back attic was found for me at the house of an insolvent-court
agent, who lived in Lant Street, in the Borough, where _Bob Sawyer_
lodged many years afterwards. A bed and bedding were sent over for
me, and made up on the floor. The little window had a pleasant
prospect of a timber-yard; and when I took possession of my new
abode, I thought it was a Paradise.”

This opinion of his boyhood seems to have been somewhat modified fifteen years later, when the “Pickwick Papers” were written, and Mr. Robert Sawyer had taken residence in the locality. We read—

“There is an air of repose about Lant Street, in the Borough, which sheds a gentle melancholy upon the soul. A house in Lant Street would not come within the denomination of a first-rate residence, in the strict acceptation of the term; but it is a most desirable spot, nevertheless. If a man wished to extract himself from the world, to remove himself from within the reach of temptation, to place himself beyond the possibility of any inducement to look out of the window, he should by all means go to Lant Street.”

Walking onwards from “this happy valley” past Suffolk Street, to the westward, turning off _Borough Road_, we may note on the north corner the site of the old King’s Bench Prison, in which _Mr. Micawber_ was detained—in the top storey but one—pending the settlement of his pecuniary liabilities. Later on in the Copperfield history, Micawber appointed a meeting for David and Tom Traddles as follows:—

“Among other havens of domestic tranquillity and peace of mind, my
feet will naturally tend towards the King’s Bench Prison. In stating
that I shall be (D.V.) on the outside of the south wall of that place
of incarceration on civil process, the day after to-morrow, at seven
in the evening, precisely, my object in this epistolary communication
is accomplished.”

See chapter 49 for particulars of the subsequent interview. This “_dead wall_” of the prison is also mentioned in the same book as the place where young David requested “the long-legged young man”—who had charge of his box for conveyance to the Dover coach-office—to stop for a minute while he (David) tied on the address. It will be remembered that poor David lost his box and his money on this occasion, when he started for Dover,

“Taking very little more out of the world, towards the retreat of his
aunt, Miss Betsy, than he had brought into it on the night when his
arrival gave her so much umbrage;”

the total sum of his remaining cash amounting to three half-pence.—See chapter 12.

The first reference of our author to King’s Bench Prison will be found in “Nicholas Nickleby” (chapter 46), on the occasion of the hero’s first visit to _Madeline Bray_, who resided with her father in one

“Of a row of mean and not over cleanly houses, situated within ‘the
rules’ of the King’s Bench Prison; . . . comprising some dozen
streets in which debtors who could raise money to pay large fees—from
which their creditors did not derive any benefit—were permitted to
reside.”

We learn from Allen’s “History of Surrey” that these rules comprehended all St. George’s Fields, one side of Blackman Street, and part of the Borough High Street, forming an area of about three miles in circumference. They could be purchased by the prisoners at the rate of five guineas for small debts, eight guineas for the first hundred pounds of debt, and about half that sum for every subsequent hundred.

The site of the prison is now occupied by workmen’s model dwellings named “Queen’s Buildings,” divided, north and south, by Scovell’s Road.

At the opposite side (east) of _Newington Causeway_, which here commences, is _Union Road_, late _Horsemonger __Lane_; a short distance down which, on its south side, is “THE PUBLIC PLAYGROUND FOR CHILDREN,” formerly the site of Horsemonger Lane Gaol, erected at the back of the Surrey Sessions House. Here the execution of the Mannings took place, November 13th, 1849, on which occasion Charles Dickens was present. The same day he sent a notable letter to the _Times_, directing general attention to the demoralising effect of such public exhibitions; thus setting on foot an agitation which shortly resulted in the adoption of our present private mode of carrying out the last penalty of the law. After giving a forcible and graphic picture of the night scenes enacted by the disorderly crowd in waiting, the letter was thus continued:—

“When the sun rose brightly—as it did—it gilded thousands upon
thousands of upturned faces, so inexpressibly odious in their brutal
mirth or callousness, that a man had cause to shrink from himself as
fashioned in the image of the devil. When the two miserable
creatures who attracted all this ghastly sight about them, were
turned quivering into the air, there was no more emotion, no more
pity, no more thought that two immortal souls had gone to judgment,
no more restraint in any of the previous obscenities, than if the
name of Christ had never been heard in this world, and there was no
belief among men but that they perished like the beasts. I have
seen, habitually, some of the worst sources of general contamination
and corruption in this country, and I think there are not many phases
of London life that could surprise me. I am solemnly convinced that
nothing that ingenuity could devise to be done in this city, in the
same compass of time, could work such ruin as one public execution;
and I stand astounded and appalled by the wickedness it exhibits.”

Mr. Chivery resided with his family in _Horsemonger Lane_, in close proximity to the old prison, and kept a tobacconist’s shop for the supply of his Marshalsea customers and the general public of the neighbourhood—

“A rural establishment one storey high, which had the benefit of the
air from the yards of Horsemonger Lane Jail, and the advantage of a
retired walk under the wall of that pleasant establishment. The
business was of too modest a character to support a life-size
Highlander, but it maintained a little one on a bracket on the
door-post, who looked like a fallen cherub that had found it
necessary to take to a kilt.”

In the little back-yard of the premises, “Young John”—disappointed in love—was accustomed to sit and meditate; taking cold among the “tuneless groves” of the newly-washed family linen, and composing suitable epitaphs to his own memory, in melancholy anticipation of an early decease.

Proceeding along the Borough Road, we arrive in due course at St. George’s Obelisk, which stands at the meeting-point of six roads. In the twelfth chapter of “David Copperfield” we read of the Obelisk as the place near to which the “long-legged young man with a very little empty donkey-cart” was standing, whom David engaged to take his box to the Dover coach-office for sixpence. And we all remember the sad _dénouement_ of that engagement, as previously mentioned. Near at hand, at the top of Blackfriars Road, stands The Surrey Theatre, at which _Fanny Dorrit_ was engaged as a dancer, while her Uncle Frederick played the clarionet in the orchestra.

Crossing over to the opposite thoroughfare of _Lambeth Road_, the Rambler will find, at a short distance on the left, the entrance to Bethlehem Hospital, familiarly known as Bedlam. A reference to this asylum will be found in the pages of “The Uncommercial Traveller,” where our author implies the idea that the sane and insane are, at all events, equal in their dreams—

“Are not all of us outside this Hospital, who dream more or less, in
the condition of those inside it, every night of our lives?”

The question may afford us matter for speculation as the route is continued through Lambeth Road, at the end of which we turn to the right, in the direction of the river. At the angle of the roads, past the Lambeth Police Office, we reach Christchurch, conspicuous for style and position, at which the Rev. Newman Hall some years since officiated. We may here recall the criticism given by Dickens with reference to this popular preacher in the book above referred to. See “_Two Views of a Cheap Theatre_,” as contained in “The Uncommercial Traveller.”

We now come onwards by _Westminster Bridge Road_, passing beneath the span of the London and South-Western Railway. Near Westminster Bridge, on the left, is the old site of Astley’s Theatre (non-existent since 1896). This establishment had cause to bless itself once a quarter, in days gone by, when Christopher Nubbles, Barbara, and friends patronised the performance. We may here remember the occasion when Kit knocked a man over the head with his bundle of oranges for “scroudging his parent with unnecessary violence;” also the happy evening that followed, when little Jacob first saw a play and learnt what oysters meant (_vide_ the “Old Curiosity Shop”). On the site formerly occupied by this favourite place of entertainment, there now stand five handsome houses and shops, Nos. 225 to 233 Westminster Bridge Road.

Past a few doors beyond these, above, on the same side, we reach Lambeth Palace Road, turning by which we may walk (or ride by tramcar) a short distance southward. Leaving on the right the seven handsome buildings of ST. THOMAS’S HOSPITAL, we pass—on the left—farther on, LAMBETH EPISCOPAL PALACE, and cross the Thames by LAMBETH SUSPENSION BRIDGE.

On the Middlesex shore we come into _Millbank Street_, and bestow a brief thought on Poor “Martha,” following her in imagination as she took her melancholy way southward in this same street, towards the waste riverside locality, “near the great blank prison” of Millbank, long since replaced by _Tate’s Gallery_.

Here it will be remembered that _David Copperfield_ and his trusty friend _Mr. Peggotty_ saved the despairing girl from a self-sought and miserable death.

At a few minutes’ distance northward from the bridge, _Church Street_ will be found, leading (left) to _Smith Square_. In this street lived The Dolls’ Dressmaker, little _Jenny Wren_. The whimsical description of the central church—ST. JOHN THE EVANGELIST’S—as given in the pages of “Our Mutual Friend,” may be worth comparison with the original—

“In this region are a certain little street called Church Street, and
a certain little blind square called Smith Square, in the centre of
which last retreat is a very hideous church, with four towers at the
four corners, generally resembling some petrified monster, frightful
and gigantic, on its back with its legs in the air.”

The house in which Jenny and her father lived is stated to have been one of the modest little houses which stand at the point where the street gives into Smith Square. The Rambler will observe four houses answering this description on the north side of Church Street; No. 9 has been indicated as the humble home in question, where “_the person of the house_” and her “_bad boy_” resided. Here, also, _Lizzie Hexam_ lodged for some time after the death of her father, during the days when her uncertain lover, _Eugene Wrayburn_, was yet a bachelor.

We may now return to the main road and continue the northward route by _Abingdon Street_, crossing _Old Palace Yard_. A passing thought may here be given to Mr. John Harmon, the _Julius Handford_ of “Our Mutual Friend,” who furnished the Police authorities with his address—The Exchequer Coffee House, Palace Yard, Westminster. Such a house of resort no longer exists in this vicinity.

On the west side the Rambler passes the precincts of Westminster Abbey, beneath whose “high embowed roof” repose the sacred ashes of the illustrious dead. To this venerable fane—the especial resting-place of English literary genius—we will return after our concluding ramble to the birthplace of our greatest English novelist.

The onward road takes us past the HOUSES OF PARLIAMENT, on the right, to PARLIAMENT STREET, leading to Whitehall and Charing Cross. At a short distance up this thoroughfare is Derby Street—the first turning on the right; on the north corner of which there stood—until 1899—an old public-house, “The Red Lion” (No. 48). This place may be specially noted as the house at which _young David Copperfield_ gave his “magnificent order” for a glass of the “Genuine Stunning,” and where the landlord’s wife gave him back the money and a kiss besides. This was an actual experience in the boyhood of Dickens, and is referred to in Mr. Forster’s Biography, where the house is indicated as above. It is now being rebuilt and modernised.

Proceeding by Whitehall, and crossing to the opposite side of the street, we shortly arrive at The Horse Guards, and may take passing observation of the OLD CLOCK—famed for its perfection of time-keeping—by whose warning note _Mark Tapley_ regulated the period of the interview next referred to. Passing through the arched passage beneath, we now attain the eastern side of St. James’s Park. This locality will be remembered as the place of meeting between _Mary Graham_ and _Martin Chuzzlewit_, previous to his departure for America. As the young lady was escorted by Mark in the early morning from a City hotel, we may be certain that the interview must have taken place on this side of the Park, doubtless near the principal gate of the promenade facing the Horse Guards’ entrance.

Leaving the Park northward, by _Spring Gardens_, we come into _Cockspur Street_, shortly leading (left) to PALL MALL. At the first corner of the latter stands Her Majesty’s Theatre. At this establishment, as reconstructed during the early years of the century, _Mrs. Nickleby_ attended, by special invitation of _Sir Mulberry Hawk_, Messrs. Pyke and Pluck assisting on that notable occasion, when, by a prearranged coincidence, Kate and the Wititterlys occupied the adjoining box.—_Vide_ “Nicholas Nickleby,” chapter 27.

This Opera House was burnt down 1789, and rebuilt the following year. It was remodelled 1818, and again destroyed by fire, December 6, 1867. Being a second time rebuilt, it was, for some seasons, closed since 1875. The present theatre is of recent and splendid erection.

At this central position, from which we may readily take departure for any point in London, the present Ramble will terminate. To all those needing reparation of tissue, a visit to Epitaux’s Restaurant, near the Haymarket Theatre, will be satisfactory.

RAMBLE VI _Excursion to Chatham_, _Rochester_, _and Gadshill_

Emmanuel Church; Mr. Wemmick’s Wedding—Dulwich; Mr. Pickwick’s Retirement—Dulwich Church; Marriage of Snodgrass and Emily Wardle—Cobham—“The Leather Bottle;” Tracy Tupman’s Retreat—Mr. Pickwick’s Discovery—Chatham—Railway Street; Rome Lane Elementary School—The Brook; Residence of the Dickens Family—Clover Lane Academy; Rev. William Giles, Schoolmaster—Fort Pitt; Dr. Slammer’s Duelling-Ground; the Recreation Ground of Chatham—Star Hill; Old Rochester Theatre; Mr. Jingle’s Engagement—Rochester; Eastgate House; The Nuns’ House—Mr. Sapsea’s Residence—Restoration House; Residence of Miss Havisham, “Satis House”—[Joe Gargery’s Forge; Parish of Cooling]—The Monk’s Vineyard—Minor Canon Row—Rochester Cathedral; The Crypts—Durdles—The Cathedral Tower—St. Nicholas Church—The College Gate; John Jasper’s Lodging—Watts’s Charity; “The Seven Poor Travellers”—[Watts’s Almshouses]—Miss Adelaide Procter—The Bull Hotel; the Ball-room—The Crown Hotel; “The Crozier”—The Esplanade—Rochester Bridge; Richard Doubledick—Gadshill Place; Residence of Dickens—Gravesend; Embarkation of Mr. Peggotty and friends—Greenwich Park; “Sketches by Boz”—Church of St. Alphege; Bella Wilfer’s Marriage—Quartermaine’s Ship Tavern; “An Innocent Elopement;” The Rokesmith Wedding Dinner.

Starting from the _Holborn Viaduct_ or _Ludgate Hill Station_ of the London, Chatham, and Dover Railway, we cross the Thames and proceed _en route_ for the Kentish uplands. At ten minutes’ distance from the London terminus, passing the Elephant and Castle and Walworth Road Stations, we may observe (on the left) the back of Emmanuel Church, as the train slackens speed for _Camberwell_. This may be noted as the place where _Mr. Wemmick_ and _Miss Skiffins_ were united in the bonds of matrimony; so we may here suitably recall the scene narrated in “Great Expectations,” and the informal and unexpected procedure adopted by Mr. W. on that occasion—

“We went towards Camberwell Green, and when we were thereabouts,
Wemmick said suddenly, ‘Halloa! Here’s a church!’ There was nothing
very surprising in that; but again I was rather surprised when he
said, as if he were animated by a brilliant idea, ‘Let’s go in!’ We
went in and looked all round. In the meantime Wemmick was diving
into his coat pockets, and getting something out of paper there.
‘Halloa!’ said he. ‘Here’s a couple of pairs of gloves! Let’s put
’em on!’ As the gloves were white kid gloves, I now began to have my
strong suspicions. They were strengthened into certainty, when I
beheld the Aged enter at a side door, escorting a lady. ‘Halloa!’
said Wemmick. ‘Here’s Miss Skiffins! Let’s have a wedding!’ . . .
True to his notion of seeming to do it all without preparation, I
heard Wemmick say to himself, as he took something out of his
waistcoat pocket before the service began, ‘Halloa! Here’s a ring!’
. . . ‘Now, Mr. Pip,’ said Wemmick triumphantly, as we came out,
‘let me ask you whether anybody would suppose this to be a wedding
party.’”

The route being continued past _Herne Hill Station_, the train arrives at Dulwich, which we may recollect _en passant_ as being the locality of Mr. Pickwick’s retirement, before the days of railway locomotion. The house—a white, comfortable-looking residence—stands (left) near the station, as we approach, corresponding in style and position with its Pickwickian description. _Mr. Tupman_, too, may have been met with in olden time, walking in the public promenades or loitering in the Dulwich Picture Gallery—“with a youthful and jaunty air”—still in the enjoyment of single blessedness, and the cynosure of the numerous elderly ladies of the neighbourhood.

_Mr. Snodgrass_ and _Emily Wardle_, as we all know, were married at DULWICH CHURCH, in this vicinity; the wedding guests—including “the poor relations, who got there somehow”—assembling at Mr. Pickwick’s new house on that interesting occasion; and we may remember the general verdict then unanimously given as to the elegance, comfort, and suitability of our old friend’s suburban retreat—

“Nothing was to be heard but congratulations and commendations.
Everything was so beautiful! The lawn in front, the garden behind,
the miniature conservatory, the dining-room, the drawing-room, the
bedrooms, the smoking-room; and, above all, the study—with its
pictures and easy chairs, and odd cabinets and queer tables, and
nooks out of number, with a large cheerful window opening upon a
pleasant lawn, and commanding a pretty landscape, just dotted here
and there with little houses, almost hidden by the trees.”

Mr. and Mrs. Samuel Weller and family—retainers in the Pickwickian establishment—also flourished aforetime in these arcadian groves, in faithful attendance on their illustrious patron.

The journey being resumed, we pass onwards (Crystal Palace on the right side of the railway) _viâ Penge_ and _Bromley_, and several country towns beyond—a pleasant ride of about an hour’s duration—arriving in due course at Sole Street Station (30 miles from London), about a mile south-west from the village of Cobham. A pleasant walk of twenty minutes on the high road will lead the wayfarer through Owlet to the pretty parish aforesaid; the rural retreat—famous in the annals of Pickwickian history—selected by _Mr. Tracy Tupman_ for his retirement from the world, after his disappointment at the hands of Miss Rachael Wardle.

[Picture: The “Leather Bottle”, Cobham]

“The Leather Bottle Inn”—where he was found at dinner by his anxious friends—is described as “a clean and commodious village ale-house,” and still maintains its favourable repute. It stands opposite the church at Cobham—

“At Muggleton they procured a conveyance to Rochester. By the time
they reached the last-named place, the violence of their grief had
sufficiently abated to admit of their making a very excellent early
dinner; and having procured the necessary information relative to the
road, the three friends set forward again in the afternoon to walk to
Cobham.

“A delightful walk it was; for it was a pleasant afternoon in June,
and their way lay through a deep and shady wood, cooled by the light
wind which gently rustled the thick foliage, and enlivened by the
songs of the birds that perched upon the boughs. The ivy and the
moss crept in thick clusters over the old trees, and the soft green
turf overspread the ground like a silken mat. They emerged upon an
open park, with an ancient hall, displaying the quaint and
picturesque architecture of Elizabeth’s time. Long vistas of stately
oaks and elm-trees appeared on every side; large herds of deer were
cropping the fresh grass; and occasionally a startled hare scoured
along the ground with the speed of the shadows thrown by the light
clouds which swept across a sunny landscape like a passing breath of
summer. ‘If this,’ said Mr. Pickwick, looking about him, ‘if this
were the place to which all who are troubled with our friend’s
complaint came, I fancy their old attachment to this world would very
soon return.’

“‘I think so too,’ said Mr. Winkle.

“‘And really,’ added Mr. Pickwick, after half-an-hour’s walking had
brought them to the village, ‘really, for a misanthrope’s choice,
this is one of the prettiest and most desirable places of residence I
ever met with.’

“In this opinion also both Mr. Winkle and Mr. Snodgrass expressed
their concurrence; and having been directed to the Leather Bottle, a
clean and commodious village ale-house, the three travellers entered,
and at once inquired for a gentleman of the name of Tupman. The
three friends entered a long, low-roofed room, furnished with a large
number of high-backed leather-cushioned chairs, of fantastic shapes,
and embellished with a great variety of old portraits. At the upper
end of the room was a table, with a white cloth upon it, well covered
with a roast fowl, bacon, ale, and et ceteras; and at the table sat
Mr. Tupman, looking as unlike a man who had taken his leave of the
world as possible.”

Resting here awhile, we may recall the “immortal discovery” made by Mr. Pickwick, “which has been the pride and boast of his friends and the envy of every antiquarian in this or any other country”—that famous stone found by the chairman of the Pickwick Club himself; “partially buried in the ground in front of a cottage door,” in this same village of Cobham, on which “the following fragment of an inscription was clearly to be deciphered”:—

[Picture: Cobham Inscription]

Full particulars are duly recorded in “The Pickwick Papers,” chapter 11. We may also remember the celebrated controversy in scientific and erudite circles, to which this remarkable stone gave rise; Mr. Pickwick being “elected an honorary member of seventeen native and foreign societies for the discovery.”

The journey being resumed from Sole Street, we travel _viâ Strood_, ten miles, to the important station of

CHATHAM.

Mr. Pickwick’s description (taken from his note-book sixty years since) is a fairly correct view of the general appearance of Chatham at present:—

“The principal productions of these towns appear to be soldiers,
sailors, Jews, chalk, shrimps, officers, and dockyardmen. The
commodities chiefly exposed for sale in the public streets are marine
stores, hard-bake, apples, flat-fish, and oysters. The streets
present a lively and animated appearance, occasioned chiefly by the
conviviality of the military.”

In this city five years of Dickens’s boyhood were passed. Mr. Dickens, senior, was appointed in 1816 to a clerkship at the Naval Pay Office, in connection with the Royal Dockyard, and the Dickens family here resided till little Charles was nine years of age.

On arrival at the Chatham Station, we may enter the town on the right from the railway exit (north side of the line), shortly passing under an archway into Railway Street—formerly Rome Lane—in which was once situated the elementary school where the boy first attended, with his sister Fanny. Revisiting Chatham in after years, Dickens found that it had been pulled down

“Ages before, but out of the distance of the ages, arose,
nevertheless, a not dim impression that it had been over a dyer’s
shop; that he went up steps to it; that he had frequently grazed his
knees in doing so; and that in trying to scrape the mud off a very
unsteady little shoe, he generally got his leg over the scraper.”

At the upper end of Railway Street we proceed (right) by the _High Street_, and at a short distance (left) by _Fair __Row_ to the _Brook_. Turning to the left, we shall find, standing immediately beyond the corner, on the west side, the old Residence of the Dickens Family, No. 18, next door to _Providence Chapel_. The house is a modest-looking dwelling of three storeys, with white-washed plaster front as in former days, six steps leading up to the front door, and a small garden before and behind. The chapel previously referred to has been, in more recent years, used for meetings of the Salvation Army, since becoming a clothing factory. During the residence of the family at Chatham, the minister of this place of worship was a _Mr. William Giles_, who was also the schoolmaster of Clover Lane Academy. For the last two years of Charles’s Chatham experience he was placed under the educational supervision of this young Baptist minister, whose influence seems to have been favourable to the development of his pupil’s youthful talents.

Regaining the High Street by _Fair Row_, and turning to the left for a short distance onwards, we reach, on the right hand of the street, past the Mitre Hotel, Clover Street, on the south side of which (at the corner of Richard Street) the Academy, with its playground behind, may still be seen. Forster says:—

“Charles had himself a not ungrateful sense in after years, that this
first of his masters, in his little-cared-for childhood, had
pronounced him to be a boy of capacity; and when, about half-way
through the publication of Pickwick, his old teacher sent a silver
snuff-box with admiring inscription to ‘the inimitable Boz,’ it
reminded him of praise far more precious obtained by him at his first
year’s examination in the Clover Lane Academy.”

Coming through Clover Street, and turning (right) into the _New Road_, we shortly regain the neighbourhood of Chatham Station, on the south side of which a road in the westward direction leads to Fort Pitt, now the Chatham Military Hospital. Pickwickians will remember that Fort Pitt was indicated by Lieutenant Tappleton, the friend of the choleric _Doctor __Slammer_, as being in the vicinity of a field where the quarrel between the doctor and Mr. Winkle could be adjusted. This old field, and the contiguous land surrounding the Fort, now form The Recreation Ground of the City. Visitors may hence obtain an interesting and comprehensive view of the town and neighbourhood. We are, doubtless, all familiar with the happy termination of the affair of honour above referred to; the unworthy Jingle being at the bottom of the mischief. Full particulars of the dilemma may be found in chapter 2 of “The Pickwick Papers.”

Returning to the New Road, the Rambler, passing ST. BARTHOLOMEW’S HOSPITAL (founded in the eleventh century) on the right, may proceed by _Star Hill_, in the outskirts of Rochester. On the south side (left) of the descent there may be noted _en passant_ the new building of the ROCHESTER CONSERVATIVE CLUB, which stands on the site of The Old Theatre. Here the versatile Mr. Jingle and his melancholic friend, “elegantly designated Dismal Jemmy,” were engaged to perform “in the piece that the Officers of the Fifty-second” got up, when Mr. Pickwick commenced his travels, May 1827.

The theatre was demolished December 1884.

Continuing the route, we soon arrive at the central street of the old City of

ROCHESTER.

This place will be interesting to readers of Dickens for its several associations with his books, including “Pickwick,” “Great Expectations,” “The Seven Poor Travellers,” and “The Mystery of Edwin Drood,” his latest and uncompleted work. In chapter 3 of this last-mentioned tale is the following description:—