CHELSEA. 



i liKl.TKXHAM. 



ad Roman Catholic*. The Grammar school, founded by Edward VL, 

 has an income from endowment of 4881. a year, and is free to 40 boys, 

 bat in 1852 the number of scholars was under 20. There are 

 National, British, and Infant schools, a philosophical society, a 

 mechanics institution with a museum and reading-rooms, a savings 

 bank, and a dispensary. The Shire Hall is a handsome building, 

 hiving a front of Portland atone. The new jail i* built on the 

 r~4..;r. g principle, and will accommodate 272 prisoner*. The county 

 astute* are held at Chelmsford ; also quarter section* and a county 

 court Beside* the (tone bridge already noticed, there are a cast-iron 

 bridge over the Cann and two bridge* over two branches of the 

 Chelmer, which surround a small island called Mesopotamia. Upon 

 this island a ludicrous mock election of a member of parliament has 

 been long conducted on the occurrence of elections of the county 

 member*. On the*" occasions there are the usual nomination, speech- 

 making, chairing, *c., and the proceedings end with the newly-elected 

 member receiving a ducking in the river. 



Chelmsford is chiefly dependent on agriculture for ita prosperity. 

 There are here tan-work*, corn-mills, coach-works, an organ factory, 

 and work* for the manufacture of agricultural implement*. The 

 river Chelmer was nude navigable from Chelmsford to Maldon (about 

 16 miles) towards the close of the but century ; the basin and wharfs 

 are at Springfield, near to the town : barges of 30 tons are employed 

 in the navigation. The channel U 30 feet wide at the top and 20 feet 

 at the bottom. The market is held on Friday : fairs are held on 

 May 12th and November 12th. 



(Morant, Ettts ; Wright, Ettex ; Communication from Chclmiford.) 



CHELSEA, Middlesex, formerly a village reckoned about 2 miles 

 from London, but now constituting a portion of the suburbs, is on 

 the left bank of the Thames, in the hundred of OasuLston. The 

 population of Chelsea district in 1851 was 56,538. The parish is a 

 rectory in the archdeaconry of Middlesex and diocese of London. 

 Chelsea is the seat of a Poor-Law Union, which is co-extensive with 

 the parish and district 



Chelsea stands on a slight eminence, about 15 feet above the Thames. 

 Sir Thomas More, who had a house here, wrote the name Chelchith. 

 In the 16th century it began to be written Chelsey. Many of the 

 nobility and gentry had residences here, and there were several noted 

 coffee-bouses, taverns, and public-houses with gardens, which were 

 much frequented in the 17th aud 18th centuries. 



The parish church of Chelsea being insufficient for the wants of the 

 rapidly increasing population, a new church was erected in Robert- 

 street, and consecrated in 1824. It is a spacious building, in the 

 pointed style of architecture. The old church is situated near Batter- 

 sea Bridge ; and is an interesting structure, both for the remains of 

 ancient work which it contains, and for ita monuments, several of 

 which are to persons celebrated in English history, or in literature. 

 The monument to Sir Thomas More is the most famous. The rapid 

 increase of buildings in and around Chelsea, within the present century, 

 has led to the construction of many new churches. Besides the two 

 churches above named, there are Christ church, in Queen's Road, and 

 St Jude's in Turk's Row ; together with Upper Chelsea church 

 and St Saviour's, also in Upiwr Chelsea. The new church and college 

 of St Barnabas, opened in June 1850, is near the eastern margin of 

 Chelsea. In Park Walk is on Episcopal chapel. There are al.o a 

 considerable number of chapels for Wesleyans, Independents, Baptists, 

 Presbyterians, and Roman Catholics. Among the educational estab- 

 lishments the chief is St Mark's Training College, a normal school 

 for schoolmasters belonging to the National Society, which had 72 

 student* in residence in 1852. A training institution for school- 

 mistresses, belonging to the same society, situated in King's Road, 

 had 90 student* in residence in 1852. There ore several National, 

 British, and Infant schools, and a savings bank. 



Chelsea is chiefly lighted by two gas companies, the Westminster 

 and the Imperial. Chelsea Water Works ore at Thames Bank. In tho 

 Fulham Road is the London and Westminster Cemetery. 



The Royal Hospital for invalid soldiers is at Chelsea. In the reign 

 of James I., Dr. SutcliflV, dean of Exeter, projected a college for the 

 study of polemical divinity, which met with the king's approbation. 

 The foundation stone of the building was laid on May 8th, 1609. In 

 the charter of incorporation it is styled 'King James's College at 

 Chelsey ' During the civil wars it was appropriated by the Parliament 

 to different purpose*. Charles II. gavo it to the then newly 

 established Royal Society ; but not being adapted to their use, it 

 was restored to tho king for 18001., in order that the site might be 

 occupied by the Royal Hospital. The architect of the Royal Hospital 

 was Sir Christopher Wren. The foundation-stone was laid on the 

 16th of February 1682 by the king, who was attended by a great 

 concourse of nobility and gentry. The building was completed in 

 1690, at an expense it is stated of 160,0001. It 1* of brick, ornamented 

 with stone quoin*, cornice*, pediment*, and columns. The building 

 consist* of three court*, two of which are spacious quadrangles ; the 

 third, the central one, i* open on the south side next the Thames. 

 It consist* of three side* of a square, ornamented with porticoes and 

 plauas, and ha* a pleating appearance. The north front is simple 

 in ita style, and consist* of a centre and wing*, in a straight line, 

 with no other ornament than a plain portico. In the centre of the 

 hospital are the chapel and the great dining hll. The business of 



the Royal Hospital at Chelsea is managed by commissioners appointed 

 under the great seal. The establishment consists of a governor and 

 lieutenant-governor, and various subordinate officers. There are 

 usually upward* of 500 invalid* in the hospital, who are divided into 

 clsses, and regulated by military discipline. In addition to their 

 provision and clothing they receive a weekly pension. There are 

 besides numerous out-pensioner*. The body of the late Duke of Well- 

 ington lay in state in Chelsea Hospital for a few days previous to the 

 public funeral, which took place on November 18th 1852. On Nov. 

 13th the pressure of the crowd who thronged to the hospital to 

 e the lying-in-state was so great, that several persons lost their lives. 



The Royal Military Asylum is also in Chelsea. The building is on 

 an extensive plan : the foundation-stone was laid by the Duke of 

 York in 1801, and it was completed in 1805. It is appropriated to 

 the support and education of children (especially orphans) of soldiers 

 and non-commissioned officers. In 1851 there were in the Normal 

 school 40 students, in the Model school 270 scholars, and in the 

 Infant school 80 scholars. The Apothecaries Company of London 

 have a botanical garden at Chelsea. In the centre of it is a statue, 

 by -Rysbrack, of Sir Hans Sloane, from whom the company received 

 the freehold of the ground, the consideration paid being an annual 

 presentation of plants to the Royal Society. 



A very large steam-boat traffic has become established at Chelsea ; 

 it is accommodated by three piers, one of which, erected by the Earl 

 of Cadogan, is a handsome structure. Cremorne House and gardens 

 have passed into the hands of proprietors wh have opened them as 

 a place of public amusement. A new bridge in connection with the 

 proposed Battersea Park is in process of erection ; the estimates for 

 the bridge amount to 70,0001. By the New Reform Bill, introduced 

 by Lord John Russell on February 13th, 1854, it is proposed to form 

 Chelsea and Kensington into an electoral district to return two 

 members to the Imperial Parliament. 



(Lysons, Environ! of London; Faulkuer, Historical Detcription of 

 Chdtea ; Communication from Ckdtea.) 



CHELTENHAM, Gloucestershire, a market-town, parliamentary 

 borough, and the seat of a Poor-Law Union, in the parish and 

 hundred of Cheltenham, and eastern division of the county, is 

 situated in 51 54' N. lat, 2 4' W. long. ; distant 8 miles N.E. from 

 Gloucester, 88 miles W. by N. from London by road, and 121 miles 

 by the Great Western railway. The population of the borough and 

 parish, which ore co-extensive, was 85,051 in 1851. The town is 

 governed by commissioners. For sanitary purposes the management 

 is in the hands of a Local Board of Health. The borough returns 

 one member to the Imperial Parliament. The living is a perpetual 

 curacy in the archdeaconry of Gloucester, and diocese of Gloucester 

 and Bristol Cheltenham Union contains 13 parishes and townships, 

 with an area of 24,303 acres, and a population in 1851 of 44,193. 



Cheltenham appears to have been of some importance at an early 

 period. British and Roman remains have been found in the neigh- 

 bourhood. A priory existed here at the commencement of the 9th 

 century. lu Queen Elizabeth's reign the inhabitants of Cheltenham 

 petitioned to be relieved from the burden of sending two member* 

 to Parliament, and the prayer of the petition was granted. The 

 franchise was re-conferred on the town by the Reform Act At the 

 close of the 17th century however, Cheltenham was a mere rural 

 village. In 1716 the discovery of the healing properties of a saline 

 spring first attracted visitors to Cheltenham. From that time the 

 place gradually increased till 1788, when it suddenly became a 

 fashionable resort in consequence of George III. having been directed 

 by his physicians to try the waters of Cheltenham, and having derived 

 benefit from them. In the present century the increase has been 

 remarkably rapid. In 1804 the town consisted of one long street, 

 through which a branch of the Chelt flowed, and was crossed at 

 intervals by stepping stones ; it then contained 710 houses and 3076 

 inhabitants; at the Census of 1851 there were found to be 6990 

 houses, and OB above stated, 35,051 inhabitants. 



The town is pleasantly situated in a valley along which runs the 

 streamlet from which the town derives ita name. The Cotswold hills 

 form a vast amphitheatre, sheltering the town on the north-east, and 

 causing the temperature of the valley to be equable and pleasant. 

 Cheltenham possesses no manufacture, and the houses and public 

 buildings being entirely of recent erection, and constructed especially 

 for the accommodation of visitors, the town is altogether an agreeable 

 place of residence. 



Cheltenham consists of a principal street above a mile long, with 

 numerous other streets, square*, crescent*, and terrace* on each side 

 of it. The different places of public resort, the pump-rooms, hotels, 

 and lodging-houses are considered to be superior to those of most 

 other watering places. The Promenade, Old Well Walk, and other 

 walk*, afford pleasant public promenade*. There are four spas, the 

 Royal Old Well, the Montpelier Spa, Pittville Spa, and the Cambray 

 Spa. There are also numerous baths. The waters are all saline, and 

 contain as their chief ingredients muriate of soda, sulphate of soda, 

 and sulphate of magnesia. 



The parish church, dedicated to St Mary, is almost the only ancient 

 building in Cheltenham. It is a spacious cruciform edifice, chiefly of 

 the decorated style, with a tower rising from tho intersection of the 

 cross, and a very lofty spire. The interior in incumbered and dis- 



