Chapter VII: Part 7

There were north and south aisles, which must have been of considerable height to admit of the galleries which were subsequently added. They appear to have been of three bays,[657] with two windows in each. All the windows, except the westernmost one in the north aisle, were glazed with coloured and painted glass. There were three doors to the church, one beneath the west window and others under the third window from the east of the north aisle and the westernmost window of the south aisle.

No window is mentioned by Strype at the west end of the north aisle, so that it is probable that the tower was attached to the church in this situation. This had battlements and was provided with a vane.

The interior was well furnished and provided with numerous ornaments, many of which were the gift of Lady Dudley.[658] Chief among the latter must be mentioned an elaborate screen of carved oak placed where one had formerly stood in the old church. This, as stated in a petition to Parliament in 1640,[659] was “in the figure of a beautifull gate, in which is carved two large pillars, and three large statues: on the one side is Paul, with his sword; on the other Barnabas, with his book; and over them Peter with his keyes. They are all set above with winged cherubims, and beneath supported by lions.”

The church had a pair of organs with case richly gilded, and the organ loft was painted with a representation of the Twelve Apostles.

Very costly and handsome rails were provided to guard the altar. This balustrade extended the full width of the chancel, and stood 7 or 8 feet east of the screen at the top of three steps.

The altar stood close up to the east wall, with a desk raised upon it in various degrees of advancement.

The upper end of the church was paved with marble, and six bells were provided in the steeple.

In 1640 the reformers were very bitterly incensed against the rector with regard to the fittings in the church, and a petition was presented to Parliament enumerating the various articles which were considered superstitious and idolatrous. The result of this action was that most of the ornaments were sold in 1643, while Lady Dudley was still alive.

After the Restoration the church was repaired and decorated, and a striking clock and dials added to the tower.

In 1716 the church had a very valuable addition made to its plate in the form of an engraved gold communion cup, weighing 45 ozs., which had been purchased pursuant to the will of Thomas Woodville, a parishioner who died at sea. This valuable chalice, together with the rest of the sacramental and other plate, was stolen from the vestry room in 1804.

The church was obviously not well constructed, for by 1715 it was reported to be in a ruinous condition. Under a moderate computation it appeared that it would cost £3,000 to put it in order. The ground outside being above the floor of the church, caused the air to be damp and unwholesome, and proved inconvenient in other ways. In these circumstances it was thought better to recommend a complete reconstruction of the church.

The parishioners accordingly petitioned that the church should be included in the 50 new churches to be built in the cities of London and Westminster and the suburbs, and the necessary authority for this was eventually obtained in 1718.[660] Nothing, however, was done until 1729, when an arrangement was come to whereby the Parish of St. Giles agreed to make provision for the stipend of the rector of the new parish of St. George, Bloomsbury, on condition that the Commissioners acting under the Act of Queen Anne should pay a sum not exceeding £8,000 for the rebuilding of St. Giles Church. The arrangement was sanctioned by an Act of Parliament of the same year.[661] By 1731, Henry Flitcroft had prepared plans and entered into an agreement to begin pulling down by 31st August of that year, and to have the new church completely finished on or before 25th December, 1733. For this work the architect was to receive £7,030, but in fact the contract was exceeded by over £1,000, Flitcroft’s receipt being for £8,436 19s. 6d.[662]

THIRD CHURCH.

The interior dimensions of the church are as follows: length from the west wall to the east wall of the chancel, 102 feet; length from the west wall of the nave to the east wall of the nave, 74 feet; depth of the chancel, 8 feet; width of the nave and aisles, 57 feet 6 inches.

The plan is a nave of five bays with side aisles (Plate 43), over which are galleries, these being connected by a western one in the last bay of the nave. A shallow sanctuary is placed at the eastern end, and at the west is the steeple and a vestibule containing the entrances and the staircases to the galleries and tower.

The general treatment of the exterior of the church (Plates 45 and 47) is plain in character, but of pleasing effect. The walling is faced with Portland stone rusticated (chamfered at the joints) to a projecting band marking the gallery level. Above, the walling is of plain ashlaring with rusticated quoins. The gallery windows have semi-circular heads with keystones, moulded architraves and plain impost blocks. The whole is surmounted by a bold modillion cornice, with blocking course above.

Emphasis is given to the sanctuary by a pediment and by a large semi-circular-headed window with panels on either side forming a decorative composition.

The western end has a similar pediment with the tower rising above. The central entrance doorway lacks emphasis and the importance which its position seems to require, and is almost the same in design as those to the vestibules facing north and south, which are relatively unimportant. On the main frieze below the cornice is the inscription—H. FLITCROFT, ARCHITECTUS.

Rising immediately behind the western pediment is the steeple of about 150 feet in height.

Flitcroft’s able design was evidently influenced by that of Gibbs for the neighbouring church of St. Martin-in-the-Fields, but it lacks the vigorous character of that noble structure. The banding to the obelisk above the belfry tends to make this feature appear somewhat overheavy in comparison with the graceful lantern beneath. The change from square to octagon at the clock face level is cleverly managed, and will bear comparison with the same feature at St. Martin’s Church.

The following extract from _A Critical Review of the Public Buildings, Statues and Ornaments in and About London and Westminster_ made by Ralph in 1734, is of interest, as it gives an opinion upon the architecture of this church shortly after its erection:—

“The new church of St. Giles’s is one of the most simple and
elegant of the modern structures: it is rais’d at very little
expence, has very few ornaments, and little beside the propriety
of its parts, and the harmony of the whole, to excite attention,
and challenge applause: yet still it pleases, and justly too; the
east end is both plain and majestick, and there is nothing in the
west to object to but the smallness of the doors, and the poverty
of appearance that must necessarily follow. The steeple is light,
airy and genteel, argues a good deal of genius in the architect,
and looks very well both in comparison with the body of the
church, and when ’tis consider’d as a building by itself, in a
distant prospect.”

Ralph disliked the position of the church, and would have altered its direction, making what is the east end the main front, and placing it in such a manner as to have ended the vista of Broad Street.

The interior (Plate 49) is much finer than the exterior would suggest, and is an excellent example of a well thought-out design. Square panelled piers rising to the underside of the galleries support Ionic columns with block entablatures, all of Portland stone (Plate 46). These carry the roof and ceiling. The ceiling of the nave is barrel-vaulted in form, panelled and divided into bays by mouldings. The ceilings of the aisle-galleries (Plates 44 and 51) take the form of a species of groined vaults intersecting the barrel ceiling of the nave. The whole is covered by a roof of one span.

The treatment of the galleries is more than usually satisfactory, for the fronts, instead of being housed into the columns—giving the suggestion of a necessary after addition—rest comfortably upon the piers supporting the columns, and, if taken away, would mar the proportion of the columns to their pedestals.

The shallow sanctuary is almost the full width of the nave. It is ceiled with an ornamental panelled barrel vault following that of the nave, and the eastern wall is filled by an architectural composition harmonising with the general treatment of the nave.

On the frieze of the altar piece (Plate 51) is carved a cherub’s head, and above is a scrolled pediment having in the centre a pelican feeding her young in the nest.

The lower panels on either side of the altar and of the sanctuary, are four in number, and enclosed in carved wood frames. Two contain pictures; that of Moses to the left (Plate 52) and of Aaron to the right of the altar.

The pulpit is of carved oak with inlay panels. The ironwork to the choir balustrade is of wrought work, and the old iron bound chest in the north-west vestibule is of interest.

The organ (Plate 50) is of considerable interest, and Mr. George E. Dunn, the organist, has been good enough to supply the following information. The instrument was built by the celebrated Bernard Schmidt (known as Father Smith) for the second church in 1671, when he was 41 years old. He was known chiefly for the perfection of his diapason stops—the true organ tone—and those in this organ are among his best specimens. When the church was rebuilt by Flitcroft he evidently did not desire to interfere with the organ, and adopted the unusual expedient of erecting the tower of the new church partially round the organ; consequently the back and part of two sides are covered by the walling of the tower. Father Smith’s original specification remained until 1856, when many of the stops had become decayed after 180 years’ use. Dr. G. C. Verrinder, the organist at that time, had it restored and enlarged by Messrs. Gray and Davidson, and further repairs and alterations were made in 1884 by the same firm, under the instructions of the late Dr. W. Little, the organist at that date. In 1889–1900 further alterations were made by Messrs. Henry Jones and Sons, in collaboration with the present organist. But through all the decay and changes the organ has undergone Father Smith’s original diapasons in the front organ remain and are still perfect. The blowing is done by hand, but the well-balanced lever renders this comparatively easy, while, despite the retention of the old tracker action, the instrument is quite free from the “rattling” so often found in these old actions. In front are carved the royal arms of George I.

All the glass to the windows, except a small panel (Plate 52) in the west window of the south vestibule, is modern. This fragment, which is probably from the earlier church, represents St. Giles’s tame hind struck by the arrow.

The majority of the monuments in the church belong to the 19th century. Those of earlier date are as follows:—

On the north-east wall of the nave is a tablet of white marble, on a black marble slab, with the following inscription:

H. S. E.
GULIELMUS WATSON EQUES
SOCIETATIS REGALIS APUD LONDINUM,
ET COLLEGII REGALIS MEDICORUM SOCIUS,
REGALI ETIAM ACADEMIÆ MADRITENSI ADSCRIPTUS,
IN UNIVERSITATIBUS HALÆ ET VIRTEMBERGIÆ
MEDICINÆ DOCTOR
HONORIS ERGO ELECTUS
VIR SUI TEMPORIS
SCIENTIÆ INDAGATOR STUDIOSISSIMUS:
ARTIS MEDICÆ ET BOTANICÆ, NECNON PHILOSOPHIÆ NATURALIS,
PRÆCIPUE QUOD AD VIM ELECTRICAM ATTINET
INTER PRIMOS PERITUS.
OBIIT DIE MAII 10. A.D. 1787. ÆTAT. SUÆ 72.
HOC MARMOR NEC SUPERBUM,
NEC QUIDQUAM HABENS ORNATUS:
PRAETER IPSUM EJUS NOMEN,
FILIO PIENTISSIMO LEGANTE,
TESTAMENTI CURATORES
PONI JUSSERUNT.

Above, surmounted by a crest, is placed a coat of arms: (_Argent_) on a chevron engrailed (_Azure_) between three martlets (_Sable_) as many crescents (_of the first_).

On the wall of the north aisle is a white marble tablet to the memory of John Barnfather, who died on 17th September, 1793, in the 75th year of his age. A tribute is paid to his strictness and impartiality in the execution of his duties as a justice of the peace, and to his “mildness of Temper and benignity of mind” in private life. The tablet is surmounted by a mourning female figure, and fixed on an oval slab of black marble.

A little to the west along the aisle is a tablet of black marble, with white marble cornice and base, bearing an inscription to the memory of other members of the same family, viz., Robert Barnfather, who died on 23rd October, 1741, aged 54, and his wife Mary, who died on 6th December, 1754, aged 67. A long account of the latter’s many good qualities is contributed by “their most Affectionate Son.”

Still further westward is a tablet with the following inscription:—

NEAR UNTO THIS PLACE LYETH THE BODY OF
ANDREW MARVELL ESQUIRE, A MAN SO ENDOWED BY NATURE
SO IMPROVED BY EDUCATION, STUDY & TRAVELL, SO CONSUMMATED
BY PRACTICE & EXPERIENCE: THAT JOINING THE MOST PECULIAR GRACES
OF WIT & LEARNING WITH A SINGULAR PENETRATION & STRENGTH OF
JUDGMENT, & EXERCISING ALL THESE IN THE WHOLE COURSE OF HIS LIFE
WITH AN UNALTERABLE STEADINESS IN THE WAYS OF VIRTUE, HE BECAME
THE ORNAMENT & EXAMPLE OF HIS AGE; BELOVED BY GOOD MEN, FEAR’D
BY BAD, ADMIR’D BY ALL, THO IMITATED ALASS! BY FEW, & SCARCE FULLY
PARALLELLED BY ANY. BUT A TOMB STONE CAN NEITHER CONTAIN HIS CHARACTER,
NOR IS MARBLE NECESSARY TO TRANSMIT IT TO POSTERITY, IT WILL BE ALWAYS
LEGIBLE IN HIS INIMITABLE WRITINGS. HE SERVED THE TOWN OF KINGSTON
UPON HULL, ABOVE 20 YEARS SUCCESSIVELY IN PARLIAMENT, & THAT WITH SUCH
WISDOM, DEXTERITY, INTEGRITY & COURAGE AS BECOMES A TRUE PATRIOT
HE DYED THE 16. AUGUST 1678 IN THE 58^{TH}. YEAR OF HIS AGE.
SACRED
TO THE MEMORY OF ANDREW MARVELL ESQ^{R.} AS A STRENUOUS ASSERTER OF
THE CONSTITUTIONS, LAWS & LIBERTIES OF ENGLAND,
AND OUT OF FAMILY AFFECTION & ADMIRATION OF
THE UNCORRUPT PROBITY OF HIS LIFE & MANNERS
ROBERT NETTLETON OF LONDON MERCHANT HIS GRAND NEPHEW
HATH CAUSED THIS SMALL MEMORIAL OF HIM
TO BE ERECTED IN THE YEAR 1764.

Further is a tablet of white marble, in the form of an ornamental cartouche, recording the death of John Hawford and Elizabeth his wife, and their two sons John and William. All four deaths occurred between December, 1712, and July, 1715.

Next is a tablet to the memory of Thomas Edwards, who died on 9th July, 1781, in the 71st year of his age. The tablet is of white marble, surmounted by a black cinerary urn, on an oval slab of painted marble. The inscription records his various bequests for the use of the poor of the parish, and explains that the monument was erected by his widow not only as a tribute of gratitude and affection, but with a view to inciting others “whom God has blessed with Abilities and Success” to follow his example. Her own death, on 23rd November, 1818, is also mentioned.

Still in the north aisle, but near the entrance, is a tomb bearing a white marble recumbent effigy of Lady Frances Kniveton, resting on a black marble slab above a stone base. This is one of the two memorials preserved from the second church. The inscription, contained on a white marble tablet, reads as follows:—

In Memory of the Right Hon^{ble.} Lady FRANCES KNIVETON, (Wife of S^{r.} GILBERT KNIVETON,/of Bradley, in the County of Derby Bar^{t.}) lyeth buried in the Chancel of this Church./She was one of the 5 Daughters & Co-heirs of the R^{t.} Hon^{ble.} S^{r.} ROBERT DUDLEY K^{t.} Duke of the/Empire; by the Lady ALICE his Wife & Dutchess. which ROBERT. was Son of the R^{t.} Hon^{ble.}/ROBERT DUDLEY, late Earle of LEICESTER. & his Dutchess was Daughter of S^{r.} THO: LEIGH,/and Aunt to the R^{t.} Hon^{ble.} THO^{s.} late Lord LEIGH of Stoneleigh, in the County of Warwick./And the said Honour & Title of Dutchess DUDLEY, was by Letters Patents of his late Majesty,/of glorious Memory, King CHARLES y^e 1^{st} allowed; & since graciously confirmed to her, by his/now Majesty King CHARLES y^e 2^d and She lived & died worthy of that Honour.

_Since the rebuilding of this_ Church _this_ Monument _was resett up by the/Hon^{ble.}_ CHARLES LEIGH _of_ Leighton, _in_ Bedfordshire: 1738.

At the west end of the north aisle is the stone monument, originally in the churchyard, of George Chapman, the poet, said to have been designed and given by Inigo Jones. The stone on which the inscription is cut was inserted in 1827.

On the west wall of the nave is an oval tablet of white marble, recording the gift by the Hon. Robert Bertie, son of the 1st Earl of Lindsey, of fifty pounds, the interest of which was to be utilised in the distribution of bread and money to the poor of the parish.

On a pillar on the north side of the nave is the other memorial which was originally in the second church. This is to the memory of Sir Roger L’Estrange.

In the centre of a cartouche under a coat of arms: (_Gules_) two lioncels passant guardant (_Argent_), is the inscription:

In the Middle Isle near
this Place lyeth the Body of
S^R ROGER L’ESTRANGE
Kn^t.
Born y^e 17^{th} of Dec^{r.} 1616
Dyed y^e 11^{th} of Dec^{r.} 1704

On a pillar on the south side of the nave is an oval tablet of white marble, mounted on a black marble slab, and bearing an inscription to the memory of the Rev. Richard Southgate, rector of Warsop, sub-librarian of the British Museum, and Curate of St. Giles-in-the-Fields, who died on 21st January, 1795.

_Reader_

_If thou canst = excell him:
It will be well,
If thou canst equal him._

In the south porch are three tablets. The first, which is of marble, and was formerly affixed to a monument which stood on the north side of the chancel in the second church[663], reads as follows:—

This Monument was Erected in the Year of Our Lord 1736. by the Pious Direction of the Honourable/Dame BARBARA WEBB wife of S^{r.} JOHN WEBB of Canford Magna in the County of Dorset Bar^{t.} and the Honourable/CATHERINE TALBOT wife of the Honourable JOHN TALBOT of Longford in the County of Salop Esq. Surviveing/Daughters and Coheirs of the Right Honourable JOHN Lord BELASYSE Second Son of THOMAS Lord Viscount/FAUCONBERG, in memory of their most dear Father his wives and Children./

Who for his Loyalty Prudence and Courage was promoted to Several Commands of great Trust by their/Majesty’s King CHARLES the First and Second (Viz.) Having raised Six Regiments of Horse and Foot in the late Civil Wars/He commanded a Tertia in his Majesty’s Armies att the Battles of Edge Hill, Newbury, and Knaseby, y^e Seiges of Reading/and Bristol. Afterwards being made Governour of York and Commander in Chief of all his Majesty’s Forces in/Yorkshire, He fought the Battle of Selby with the Lord Fairfax, then being Lieutenant General of y^e Countys of Lincoln,/Nottingham, Darby, and Rutland, and Governour of Newark. He Valiantly defended that Garrison against the English/and Scotch Armies, till his Majesty Came in Person to the Scotch Quarters and Commanded the surrender of it./At which time he also had the honour of being General of the Kings Horse Guards. in all which Services dureing/the Wars and other Atchievements, he deported himself with eminent Courage & Conduct & received many wounds/Sustained Three Imprisonments in the Tower of London, and after the Happy Restauration of King CHARLES the second/He was made Lord Lieutenant of the East Rideing of the County of York, Governour of Hull, General of His Majesty’s/Forces in Africa, Governour of Tangier, Captain of his Majesty’s Guards of Gentlemen Pensioners, & First Lord/Commissioner of the Treasury to King JAMES the Second. He dyed the 10^{TH} day of September 1689. whose remaines/are deposited in this Vault./

He married to his first wife JANE daughter and Sole Heiress of S^{r.} ROBERT BOTELER of Woodhall in the/County of Hertford, Kn^{t.} by whom he had S^{r.} HENRY BELASYSE Kn^{t.} of the most Honourable Order of the Bath/interr’d in this Vault, MARY Viscountess DUNBAR, and FRANCES both Deceased.

He married to his second Wife ANN Daughter and Coheir to S^{r.} ROBERT CRANE of Chilton in y^e County/of Suffolk Bar^{t.} who also lyes interr’d here.

He married to his third Wife the Right Honourable the Lady ANN POWLET Second Daughter of the/Right Noble JOHN Marquiss of Winchester, sister to CHARLES late Duke of Bolton, and is here interr’d, the/Issue by that Marriage as above.

The two remaining memorials in the south porch consist of inscribed marble tablets containing a record (1) of the gift of Richard Holford, who left the sum of £29 a year, issuing out of three houses in the parish, to be distributed quarterly amongst the “most aged & necessitated poore people of the said parish”; and (2) of the gift of John Pearson (died 1707), who bequeathed the sum of £50 a year for 99 years, one half to be utilised for the apprenticeship of boys “Sons of poor decay’d Houskeepers,” and the other half to go to “the 20 Women in the Almeshouses at y^e end of Monmouth Street.

In the north porch is an inscribed marble tablet recording the provision made by Sir William Cony for the interest on £50 to be utilised in the distribution of bread to the poor, “that is to say twelve penyworth every Sunday in every yeare and eight holy dayes in the same yeare.”

Of the tombs in the churchyard only a few bear inscriptions which can be dated before 1800.

A stone, now placed against the east wall of the churchyard, records the birth and death of several persons named Hammond, including George Hammond, died 13th September, 1789; George Aust. Hammond, born 6th May, 1761, died 8th November, 179–; Mrs. P. Hammond, died 11th June, 1798; and John Hammond (inscription mutilated).

A stone, now placed against the west wall of the churchyard, records the death of William Harding on 23rd January, 1749, aged 76; and of his wife, Margaret, on 29th October, 1754, aged 82. On the same stone have been cut the later names (19th century) of persons named Orme.

By the side of the path running past the east end of the church is the tomb of Richard Pendrell “Preserver and Conductor to his sacred Majesty King Charles the Second ... after his escape from Worcester Fight.” The visible tomb is not the original one, the raising of the churchyard in the early part of the 19th century[664] having made it necessary for a new monument to be erected. This stands upon the black marble top of the older one.

On the plinth at the west end of the church is a stone recording the death of William Collins on 14th April, 1785, at the age of 27 years.

A lich gate (Plate 53) is placed at the western side of the churchyard, opposite the entrance to the church. It is of stone, in the Roman Doric order, and bears the following inscription on the east side of the tympanum: “This gate formerly stood in High Street, A.D. 1800—John, Lord Bishop of Chichester, D.D., Rector—W. L. Davies, William Leverton—Churchwardens—was built in this place A.D. 1865. Anthony W. Thorold, M.A., Rector. J. F. Corben, Thomas Willson—Churchwardens.”

The west side of the tympanum contains a carved oak lunette representing the Resurrection (Plate 54). Other representations of the same subject are to be seen at St. Mary-at-Hill, in the north-west vestibule (stone); St. Stephen, Coleman Street, in the vestry (wood), a replica of which is over the doorway to the churchyard from the street; St. Andrew, Holborn, in the north wall facing Holborn (stone); and St. Nicholas, Deptford, on the east wall of the south aisle (oak, now in a glass case).

The carving is probably the work of a wood-carver, named Love. In 1686, directions were given by the vestry to erect “a substantial gate out of the wall of the churchyard near the round house.” The gateway, which was of brick, was completed in 1687. It cost, with the necessary alterations to the churchyard, £185 14s. 6d., Love’s bill being £27.[665] In 1800, according to the inscription, it was rebuilt, this time in stone, and remained on the north side of the churchyard until 1865. The main entrance to the church is still from a gate in the iron railings, at about the same spot.

To the south-west of the church, and now connected by a corridor, are the church rooms which form the vestry. The larger room (Plate 55) is panelled in deal with a wood cornice. Over the chimneypiece is a list of rectors of the parish from 1547, and portraits of rectors hang on the walls. There is a fine large oak table, dating from 1701, and on the walls is a cast iron enlargement facsimile of the old seal of St. Giles’ Hospital.

The Rectors of the Parish up to the year 1800, according to Hennessy,[666] were as follows:—

_Date of Appointment._
William Rowlandson, pr. 1547, April 20.
Galfridus Evans, cl. 1571, Nov. 8.
William Steward, cl. 1579, Aug. 3.
Nathaniel Baxter, A.M. 1590, Aug. 15.
Thomas Salisbury, A.B. 1591, Dec. 24.
John Clarke, A.M. 1592, Sept. 16.
Roger Maynwaring, A.M. 1616, June 3.
Wm. Heywood, S.T.B. 1635–6, Jan. 8 (ejected 1636).
Gilbert Dillingham (died Dec., 1635).
Brian Walton, A.M. 1635–6, Jan. 15.
Wm. Heywood, S.T.B. 1660 restored.
Robert Boreman, S.T.P. 1663, Nov. 18.
John Sharp, A.M. 1675–6, Jan. 3.
John Scott, S.T.B. 1691, Aug. 7.
William Haley, cl. 1695, April 4.
William Baker, S.T.P. 1715, Nov. 10.
Henry Gally, D.D. 1732, Dec. 9.
John Smyth, A.M. 1769, Sept. 21.
John Buckner, LL.B. 1788, May 22.
John Buckner, LL.D. 1798, Sept. 17.

IN THE COUNCIL’S COLLECTION ARE:—

[667]Old Church of St. Giles in 1718 (print).

[667]Plan of Church at ground level (measured drawing).

[667]Plan of Church at gallery level, looking up (measured
drawing).

[667]West front (measured drawing).

[667]West front, cross section (measured drawing).

[667]The exterior from the north-west (photograph).

[667]The exterior from the north-east (photograph).

The exterior from the south-east (photograph).

[667]Sectional view of the interior looking east (photograph).

General view of the interior from the west gallery (photograph).

[667]General view looking west (photograph).

[667]The columns and ceiling from the gallery (photograph).

The upper part of the chancel from the gallery (photograph).

[667]The altar and altar piece (photograph).

[667]Picture of Moses and carved frame, left-hand side of altar
(photograph).

Wrought iron chancel railing (photograph).

[667]Recumbent effigy of Lady Frances Kniveton (photograph).

[667]Painted glass panel in window over south-west staircase
(photograph).

Iron bound chest in north porch (photograph).

Plan of Vestry (measured drawing).

[667]General view of Vestry (photograph).

[667]Cast iron enlargement of Seal (photograph).

[667]Monument to Chapman drawn by J. W. Archer, 1844 (preserved in
the British Museum) (photograph).

[667]The Lich Gate (measured drawing).

The Lich Gate (photograph).

[667]Oak panel in the tympanum of the Lich Gate (photograph).

OLD PRINTS, ETC.

The christening of Joey. View of old church of St.
Giles-in-the-Fields. Heal Collection, Holborn Public Library, No.
320 (engraving).

The outside north-west view of St. Giles’ Church in the Fields,
built 1733. H. Flitcroft, Architect. D. F. Donnowell, Del. A.
Walker, Sculp. 16 × 12½, 1753. (British Museum Crace Collection,
Port. 28, No. 118) (engraving).

North-west view of St. Giles’s Church, in the style of T. H.
Shepherd, ink and watercolour, 25½ × 21½. Preserved in the Church
Vestry.

“The old entrance gateway to St. Giles’s Church Yard with the
bas-relief of the Resurrection, 1687.” (A water colour drawing by
T. H. Shepherd, 1851. 7 × 10. British Museum Crace Collection.
Portfolio 28, No. 122.)

“The new entrance gateway to St. Giles’s Church Yard, introducing
the old bas-relief. W. Leverton, Architect.” (A watercolour
drawing by T. H. Shepherd, 1851. 7 in. × 6½ in. British Museum
Crace Collection. Portfolio 28, No. 123.)

LV.–LVII.—NOS. 14 TO 16, NEW COMPTON STREET.

GROUND LANDLORD.

— Brinckman, Esq.

GENERAL DESCRIPTION AND DATE OF STRUCTURE.

The laying out of Stidwell Street on the pasture ground formerly appertaining to the Hospital has already been referred to.[668]

In 1775–6, concurrently with the rebuilding of a great many of the houses, the name of the street was changed to New Compton Street, and the thoroughfare was at the same time extended over what had formerly been known as Kendricke’s Yard.

In common with many other houses, Nos. 14 to 16, New Compton Street seem, from the evidence of the rate books, to have been rebuilt in 1776, and it is not possible to equate them with any premises existing before that date.

Plate 42 shows three interesting 18th-century shop fronts. Nos. 14 and 15 have unfortunately lost the original bow glazing, the outline of which is indicated by the fascias. No. 16 still retains its original square bay windows.

CONDITION OF REPAIR.

The premises are in fair repair.

THE COUNCIL’S COLLECTION CONTAINS:—

[669]Nos. 14 to 16, New Compton Street. Shop fronts (photograph).

No. 6, New Compton Street. Shop front (photograph).

LXVIII.–LXIV.—NOS. 4, 5, 6, 7, 9, 10 AND 11, DENMARK STREET.

GROUND LANDLORDS.

The ground landlord of No. 5 is Archibald Lawrence Langman, Esq.; of No. 6, Messrs. E. E. Belfour and C. H. Turner; of No. 7, the Combined Estates Company; and of No. 11, the Rev. R. N. Buckmaster.

GENERAL DESCRIPTION AND DATE OF STRUCTURE.

From the description which has been given of the sites of the buildings appurtenant to the Hospital, it would seem that Denmark Street occupies the site of one or perhaps two of those immediately north of the Master’s house. The street appears to have been formed a little before the year 1687. It is not shown in Morden and Lea’s Map of 1682, but is referred to in a deed of the former year[670] as containing plots unbuilt on. Its name was apparently given in honour of Prince George of Denmark, who had in 1683 married the Princess (afterwards Queen) Anne.

Nos. 4, 5, 6, 7, 9 and 10, Denmark Street seem all to be the original houses erected towards the end of the 17th century, but have been considerably altered both externally and internally.

No. 4 retains its original deal doorcase with carved consoles; it has a lion’s head in the centre over the doorway. The staircase has a continuous newel with winders housed into it.

No. 5 still has its original deal staircase with panelled walls, close strings and twisted balusters, a detail of which is given on Plate 56.

No. 6 is somewhat similar.

No. 7 has a doorcase somewhat similar to that of No. 4, but with a pediment (Plate 57). The interior is of interest, as the original staircase remains (Plate 58). It has close moulded strings, square newels and turned and twisted balusters.

No. 9 has the original staircase with turned and twisted balusters.

No. 10 has a somewhat similar staircase, but the doorcase shown on Plate 59 is an 18th-century addition.

No. 11 has been demolished. It was an 18th-century building. The stone doorhead is shown on Plate 59.

Hidden behind the rear of No. 27, Denmark Street is the old-fashioned smithy shown on Plate 60. It is not a little surprising to discover an example of such manual labour surrounded by firms using modern mechanical labour-saving devices.

BIOGRAPHICAL NOTES.

Dr. John Purcell, a prominent London physician, who published _A
Treatise on Vapours or Hysteric Fits_ and _A Treatise of the
Cholick_ was living at No. 10 in 1730. He died in the same year.

The “Rev. Mr. Majendie,” afterwards “Rev. Dr. Majendie,” is shown
by the ratebooks as occupying No. 10 from 1758 to 1771. He was
probably John James Majendie, son of the Bishop of Chester and
Bangor. He was the author of several religious works in English
and French, and in 1774 became Canon of Windsor. He died in 1783.

IN THE COUNCIL’S COLLECTION ARE:—

Denmark Street. View of south side from the east (photograph).

[671]No. 5, Denmark Street. Details of staircase (measured
drawing).

No. 7, Denmark Street. Entrance doorway (photograph).

[671]No. 7, Denmark Street. Entrance doorway (measured drawing).

[671]No. 7, Denmark Street. Details of staircase (measured
drawing).

[671]Nos. 10 and 11 Denmark Street. Doorcases (photograph).

[671]Blacksmith’s forge (photograph).

LXV.—NORTH OF DENMARK PLACE.

To the north of Denmark Place the frontage to High Street seems to have been fully built on before 1658 (Plate 3). Originally the garden of the Hospital extended as far as here, for the limits of the parish of St. Margaret, Westminster, are described in 1222, as stretching along what is now Oxford Street as far as the Hospital garden.[672] In somewhat later times the principal feature of this triangular plot was _The Crown_ inn and brewhouse, which is referred to as early as 1452[673] as “a brewhouse called _The Crowne_” with six cottages adjoining. It will be seen, therefore, that even at that date there were a number of buildings on this plot. Included in the portion of the Hospital’s property which fell to the share of Katherine Legh were “one close rent xij^s and iiij^d by the yere there goinge oute of a mese called _The Crowne_, and one chieff rente of vi^s by yere goyng oute of a brew house there, nowe so late in the tenure or occupacion of one Richard Lightfoot.” When next heard of _The Crown_ brewhouse, with a close of 3 acres[674] and an orchard and garden adjoining, belonged to John Vavasour, whose son Nicholas in 1615 sold it to William Bowes.[675]

At a spot immediately opposite _The Crown_ at one time stood the pound, and according to Maitland[676], this was also the situation of the gallows, between the date of their removal from the Elms in Smithfield about the year 1413, and their further subsequent removal to Tyburn. It does not appear, however, that Maitland had any authority for the statement as to the removal of the gallows from Smithfield. As regards the further removal to Tyburn, if it ever took place it must have been before the year 1478, when it is quite certain that the gallows were already in the position occupied by them for centuries to come, viz., opposite the southern end of Edgware Road. There is, indeed, a very considerable probability that this was the case even in Edward I.’s reign,[677] and it seems improbable that a permanent gallows ever stood in St. Giles at all.[678]

The pound was originally[679] in High Street, St. Giles, just to the west of where Endell Street now issues, and was removed thence in 1656 to the junction of High Street, Oxford Street and Tottenham Court Road.[680]

LXVI.—SITE OF “THE ROOKERY” (BAINBRIDGE STREET, LAWRENCE STREET, MAYNARD
STREET, ARTHUR STREET AND BUCKNALL STREET).

Included in that part of the Hospital property which fell to Lord Lisle’s share was “one close lyinge before the greate gate there conteyninge by estimacion 16 acres, with appurtenances, nowe or late in the occupacion of Maister Magnus.”[681] From this description Parton had some justification in assuming that the ground covered the site of Baynbridge Street, Arthur Street, etc. If this is correct, however, the close must have been split up by the early part of Elizabeth’s reign, and that part which covered the sites of the streets in question was, in 1583, in the possession of George Harrison. On his death in that year it was found[682] that he was seized _inter alia_ of “a close ... called _Le Church Close_ in the parish of St. Giles, containing by estimation five acres of pasture.” He also owned 13 messuages with gardens on the north side of High Street, stretching westward from _The Maidenhead_,[683] which he had purchased from Lord Mountjoy,[684] but no record has been found which might enable the previous owners of Church Close to be traced. In 1632 John Barbor _alias_ Grigge bought[685] a number of the houses, together with “all that close of meadow or pasture ... called ... Church Close _alias_ Williamsfeild ... conteyning 5 acres,” and in 1649 the property was further transferred to Henry Bainbridge.[686]

Hollar’s Plan of 1658 (Plate 3) shows the commencement of building on this area, and Parton[687] notes that Bainbridge Street and Buckridge Street were built on before 1672. These two streets, with Maynard Place and Dyott Street, obviously took their names from the persons mentioned in a fine of 1676,[688] from which it seems probable that Maynard, Buckridge and Dyott were the married names of Bainbridge’s three daughters. Church Lane and Church Street had obvious reference to Church Close. The locality subsequently became one of the most disreputable districts in London,[689] a state of things which was finally put an end to by driving New Oxford Street[690] through the midst. At the same time several of the old streets were abolished, and some of those which remained had their names altered.

PRINTS, WATER COLOUR DRAWINGS, ETC.:—

In the collection of water colour drawings by J. W. Archer,
preserved at the British Museum are three of The Rookery,
representing:

Entrance from High Street.

Part of The Rookery in 1844.

A cellar in The Rookery.

In the Heal Collection, preserved in the Holborn Public Library,
are a series of views illustrating The Rookery.

LXVII.—NOS. 100, 101 AND 102, GREAT RUSSELL STREET.

GROUND LANDLORD.

His Grace the Duke of Bedford, K.G.

GENERAL DESCRIPTION AND DATE OF STRUCTURE.

Northward from the site of The Rookery extends the manor of Bloomsbury, a full account of which is reserved for the volume dealing with the parish of St. George, Bloomsbury.

A plan of part of the manor in 1664–5, preserved in the British Museum and reproduced in Clinch’s _Bloomsbury and St. Giles_, shows that the western end of Great Russell Street and the whole of Bedford Square[691] occupy the sites of two fields called Cowles Field and Cowles Pasture.

In Morden and Lea’s map of 1682, the only buildings shown on the site of these fields are a few at the southern end of Tottenham Court Road. Great Russell Street had, however, already been formed,[692] and houses were in existence on the south side.

Nos. 100 to 102 formed originally one house, which in 1785–6 was in the occupation of John Sheldon. It would therefore seem that this was the house referred to by Elmes, who stated[693] that Sir Christopher Wren designed a fine mansion in this street which was afterwards occupied by his son, and “more recently by the celebrated surgeon and anatomist, Mr. Shelden.”

The records of His Grace the Duke of Bedford, however, lend no countenance whatever to the suggestion that Wren’s son occupied the house, and indeed show Stephen Wren as residing in a house, afterwards known as No. 32, on the south side of the street, in 1751, when he wrote the letters “headed Great Russell Street,” on which Elmes apparently relied in making his statement. As regards the ascription of the design of the house to Sir Christopher Wren, the Bedford Estate records afford no direct evidence.

There is, however, no doubt that these premises were originally “Thanet House,” the Earl of Thanet having taken a lease of the house for a term of 62 years from Michaelmas, 1693. It would seem, indeed, that the Earl was actually in occupation some years previously, if this was the mansion referred to in the statement that the Earl’s eldest son was born “at Thanet House in Great Russell Street, on April 29th, 1686.”[694]

After 1787 it was divided into two houses, and is thus shown in the illustration included in Parton’s _Hospital and Parish of St. Giles_, a reproduction of which is given on the next page. A further division took place about 1820.

Writing in 1823, Elmes says:[695] “Sir Christopher’s noble front, with its majestic cantaliver cornice, has now been taken down by a speculative builder, and common Act of Parliament fronts run up.” The present elevation corresponds to this description, and the interiors of the houses are without any noteworthy features. It is interesting to note that the “speculative builder” is shown by the Bedford Estate records to have been Thomas Cubitt.

_G. Scharf. Lithog._

_Thanet House. Great Russell Street._
]

CONDITION OF REPAIR.

The premises are in good repair.

BIOGRAPHICAL NOTES.

Thomas Tufton, 6th Earl of Thanet, was born in 1644, and died in
1729.[696] Parton[697] mentions that the autograph of the Earl, as
a vestryman of St. Giles, occurs in the parish books between the
years 1684 and 1690. The death of his eldest son at “Thanet House
in Great Russell Street,” in 1686 has already been referred to.

When the Bloomsbury Rentals of His Grace the Duke of Bedford begin
in 1729 they show Sir Thomas Coke, Lord Lovel, in occupation of
the house. Sir Thomas Coke was a son of Edward Coke of Holkham. In
1718 he married Lady Margaret Tufton, daughter and co-heir of the
6th Earl of Thanet. In 1728 he was raised to the peerage as Baron
Lovel, of Minster Lovel, and in 1744 was created Viscount Coke, of
Holkham, and Earl of Leicester. He died in 1759.

In 1755, on the expiration of the Earl of Thanet’s lease, he had
obtained a reversionary lease of Thanet House, and the Countess of
Leicester is shown by the parish ratebooks in occupation for
1759–60.

For the years 1760–62 the same books give the name of “John
Bristow” in connection with the premises.

In 1765, until his death in 1767, the Marquess of Tavistock was in
occupation. This was Francis, son of John, fourth Duke of Bedford,
by his second wife, Gertrude, eldest daughter of John, first Earl
Gower.

In 1768 Lady Tavistock was still residing at the house, and in
1770 Richard Heron was the occupier.

In 1771 the house was taken by Lord Apsley, afterwards Earl
Bathurst. Henry Bathurst, second Earl Bathurst, was born in 1714.
He was called to the Bar in 1736, and became King’s counsel ten
years after. From 1735 to 1754 he represented Cirencester in
Parliament, and his attachment to the party of the Prince of Wales
secured for him the offices of solicitor-general and
attorney-general to the Prince. In 1754 he was appointed judge of
the common pleas. In 1770 the great seal was entrusted to three
commissioners, of whom Bathurst was one, and in the following
year, to every one’s surprise, he was created Lord Chancellor and
raised to the peerage as Baron Apsley. In 1775 he succeeded his
father in the earldom. He resigned the seal in 1778, but from 1779
to 1782 was again a member of the ministry as lord president of
the Council. He died at Oakley Grove near Cirencester in 1794. “By
a universal consensus of opinion Earl Bathurst is pronounced to
have been the least efficient lord chancellor of the last
century.”[698] His residence at Thanet House lasted until 1778.

In the following year the Bloomsbury Rentals show that the Hon.
Topham Beauclerk was in occupation. Topham Beauclerk, born in
1739, was the only son of Lord Sydney Beauclerk. A man of wide
reading and sprightly conversation, he owes his fame principally
to his great friendship with Dr. Johnson, and the space which he
occupies in the latter’s great biography. He married Lady Diana
Spencer, eldest daughter of the second Duke of Marlborough,
formerly wife of Lord Bolingbroke. Lady Diana was an amateur
artist, whose abilities excited the enthusiasm of Horace Walpole.
Beauclerk died at Thanet House on 11th March, 1780, and his
library of 30,000 volumes, housed in a building “that reaches half
way to Highgate,”[699] was sold by auction in the following year.
Lady Diana survived him for many years, dying in 1808.

In 1905 His Grace the Duke of Bedford affixed at Nos. 101 and 102,
Great Russell Street, a bronze tablet commemorative of the
residence of Topham and Lady Diana Beauclerk.

In 1781 William Murray, first Earl of Mansfield took up his
residence at the house. Particulars of his life have already been
given in the previous volume of this series dealing with St.
Giles-in-the-Fields.[700] His occupation of Thanet House dates
from the destruction of his mansion in Bloomsbury Square by the
Gordon Rioters in 1780. At Michaelmas, 1785, he removed to Nos.
57–58, Lincoln’s Inn Fields.

The next occupant was John Sheldon, a distinguished anatomist,
whose residence here was apparently confined to the period 1786–7.
He was born in London in 1752. In due course he was apprenticed to
Henry Watson and studied anatomy at the latter’s private museum in
Tottenham Court Road. From 1777 to 1786[701] he maintained a
private theatre at No. 70, Great Queen Street, where he taught and
carried on research work. He died in 1808.

After 1787 the house was divided into two, the residents at which,
up to 1800, were Harvey Christian Combe and Charles Steers.

IN THE COUNCIL’S COLLECTION ARE:—

No. 19, Great Russell Street—View of front (photograph).

[702]“Thanet House,” Great Russell Street—Lithograph by G. Scharf
(print).

LVIII.—BEDFORD SQUARE (GENERAL).

During the period including the latter half of the 17th and the early years of the 19th century, several large estates were laid out in the western district of London. The planning of these generally included several squares, each provided with a central garden for the use only of the residents living in the surrounding houses.

When the 112 acres composing the Duke of Bedford’s Bloomsbury estate were developed, over 20 acres were laid out as gardens for the use of the occupiers of the houses overlooking them.[703] This estate, with its wide streets and spacious squares, is an excellent example of early town planning, and affords an illustration of the advantages gained by the community when a large area such as this is dealt with on generous lines by the owner.

Bedford Square is about 520 feet long and 320 feet wide between the houses, and the oval and beautifully wooded garden (Plate 61) measures 375 feet on the major and 255 feet on the minor axis.

The general architectural scheme of the square is interesting. Each side is separately treated as an entire block of buildings, having a central feature and wings. The central feature of each side is carried out in stucco, having pilasters and pediments in the Ionic order, those to the north and south having five pilasters (Plate 97), and those to the east and west, four (Plate 89). The western house being smaller, however, has not the additional walling extending beyond the pilasters.

The houses at the ends of each block have balustrades above the main cornice, and, generally, the windows are ornamented with iron balconies at the first floor level.

The round-headed entrance doorways, other than those to the central houses, are rusticated in Coade’s artificial stone,[704] and enclose a variety of fanlights, of which a typical example is shown in No. 15 (Plate 80).

No drawing has been found showing the design for the laying out of Bedford Square, which was carried out between the years 1775 and 1780. The plots were leased by the Duke to various building owners. One plot was taken by Thomas Leverton, architect, and 24 by Robert Crews and William Scott, builders.[703]

These builders acquired many more plots on the estate, and it may be supposed that, as they at times worked in partnership, the whole of the buildings in the square and the houses in several of the adjoining streets were erected by them, partly as a speculation and partly as builders for other lessees.

There is much to support the view that Thomas Leverton was the author of the general scheme and the designer of the houses. He took up a building lease of No. 13 in 1775, practically at the beginning of building operations. He was a well-known architect, who adopted the style of the period as represented by Henry Holland and the Brothers Adam.[705] His work shows well-balanced composition and refinement of detail. He employed, moreover, many of the designers who worked for the Brothers Adam, such as Bonomi, the clever draughtsman and architect, Angelica Kauffmann and Antonio Zucchi, the Italian artist. It is also said that he employed Flaxman to execute carving, and skilled Italian workmen to carry out his beautiful designs for plaster work on ceilings, several of which are illustrated in this volume.

An example of his work has already been described in the previous volume dealing with this parish,[706] namely at No. 65, Lincoln’s Inn Fields, erected in 1772. It will be seen, by examining plates Nos. 86 and 97 in that volume, that these designs show a similar architectural expression to the houses of this square, and the internal decoration (especially of his own house, and of No. 44) follows the general character of that in Lincoln’s Inn Fields.

With regard to the suggestion[707] that the Brothers Adam were the designers of Bedford Square, it may be said that the only drawings found appertaining to the square by these celebrated architects are preserved in the Soane Museum, and represent two ceilings designed for Stainsforth, Esq., dated 1779. Geo. Stainsforth took up his residence at No. 8, Bedford Square in that year,[708] but the house had already been in existence for some time, as it is referred to as the northern boundary of No. 7, on 20th November, 1777.[709] There is no evidence that designs for the ceilings referred to were actually carried out, as the present ceilings of the house are plain.

IN THE COUNCIL’S COLLECTION ARE:—

Bedford Square—

General view looking north-east (photograph).

[710]General view looking south-east (photograph).

General view of north side (photograph).

LXIX.—NO. 1, BEDFORD SQUARE.[711]

GROUND LANDLORD AND LESSEE.

Ground landlord, The Crown; lessee, Weedon Grossmith, Esq.

GENERAL DESCRIPTION AND DATE OF STRUCTURE.

This house fills a gap between the premises in Bloomsbury Street (formerly Charlotte Street) and those forming the eastern block of the square. It is distinctive in its elevation (Plate 63), and has marked characteristics of a Leverton design. The well-proportioned entrance, though finished in plaster work, is highly ornamented, the detail being unusually refined (Plate 64). The introduction of an ornamental panel above the main cornice of the building gives a graceful balance to the composition. In passing, it may be noticed that the cornice of No. 2, although not in alignment with that of this house, is of the same section.

The entrance doorway affords direct access to a hall of uncommonly beautiful design, extending the full width of the house, and divided by piers into three bays (Plate 62). The central bay has two recesses, and is ceiled with a decorative plaster oval dome resting on pendentives and segmental arches (Plate 66). The right-hand bay has semi-circular ends (Plate 65) flanked by niches, and there is also a niche in the centre of the side wall, over which is placed a circular plaque. The bay to the left contains the staircase (Plate 65). This also has semi-circular ends. The stone steps have shaped soffits, the balustrades being of bronze, of graceful curvature and tasteful design. The principal rooms have fine decorative detail to the doors and windows, and rounded internal angles are given to the walls. The dining room contains a carved wood mantelpiece (Plate 67) and “Empire” grate; the chimney breast above being ornamented with an oval plaque surrounded with floral festoons. The lowest member of the cornice should be noticed, as it is similar to that in the dining room of No. 13, Leverton’s own house, and is composed of diminutive Greek Doric pillars suspended by their capitals, a somewhat unusual form of decoration suggestive of tassels.

The first floor has two rooms, that in the front containing a white marble chimneypiece. The rear room is the studio. The chimneypiece is of white marble, very delicately carved with a fine pier glass over. Great care has been taken with the ornamental plaster frieze (illustrated on the next page) and ceiling (Plate 68), both of which are of exceptional merit. The painted panels are said[712] to be by Antonio Zucchi. It is difficult to dissociate his work from that of Angelica Kauffmann, whom he afterwards (1781) married, but on close examination it will be noticed that the panels reputed to be by the latter in No. 25[713] (Plate 85) are somewhat different in arrangement and composition.

The studio cornice and ceiling have been repeated in No. 10, even to the paintings, a fact which points to one controlling influence in the decorative treatment of these houses.

CONDITION OF REPAIR.

The premises are in good repair.

BIOGRAPHICAL NOTES.

According to the ratebooks the first occupier of No. 1 was Sir
Lionel Lyde, who took up his residence here in 1781. In 1791 he
was succeeded by Geo. Gosling, who remained until after the close
of the century.

IN THE COUNCIL’S COLLECTION ARE:—

[714]Ground and first floor plans (measured drawing).

[714]Front view (photograph).

[714]Entrance porch (measured drawing).

[714]Entrance hall, view looking south (photograph).

[714]Entrance hall, view looking north, showing staircase
(photograph).

[714]Centre portion of ornamental ceiling in entrance hall
(photograph).

[714]Chimney breast in rear room on ground floor (photograph).

General view of rear room on first floor (photograph).

Chimneypiece in rear room on first floor (photograph).

[714]Ornamental plaster frieze in rear room on first floor
(photograph).

[714]Ornamental plaster ceiling with painted panels in rear room
on first floor (photograph).

LXX.—NOS. 6 AND 6A, BEDFORD SQUARE.[715]

GROUND LANDLORD AND LESSEES.