﻿LONDON. 



LONDON. 



long and 60 feet wide. The Custom House in Lower Thames-street, 

 was erected 1814-17, from the designs of David Laing, but in conse- 

 quence of the foundation having given way, the original centre was 

 taken down and the present front towards the Thames erected by 

 Sir Robert Smirke. The East India House, the house of business of 

 the East India Company, was built by Mr. R. Jupp, in 1799, and 

 subsequently enlarged from designs by C. K. Coekerell and W. 

 Wilkins. The facade is 200 feet in length. The pediment is of the 

 Ionic order. The Mint, on Tower Hill, was by Mr. Johnson, but the 

 eotrancee, Ac, were by Sir Robert Smirke, who finished the works 

 ia 1811. 



The Com Exchange, Mark-lane, opened in 17i7, was enlarged and 

 partly rebuilt and reopened June 21th, 182S. The Coal Exchange, 

 Lower Thames-street, was built by Mr. J. B. Biinning, between 

 December 1847, and October 30th, 1849, on which day it was opened 

 by Prince Albert. The new building for Billingsgate Market is a 

 baodaome and commodious structure, affording great facilities for the 

 landing and sale of fish of all kinds. 



The principal educational establishments of the city are Christ's 

 Hospital, St. Paul's school, the Merchant Taylors' school, the Mercers' 

 Bcfaool, the Charter-House school, and the City of Loudon school. 

 Christ's Hospital, in Newgate-street, commonly called the Blue Coat 

 ■ohool, was founded by Edward VI., June 2(ith, lad3, and occupies 

 the lite of the Gray Friai-s Monastery. The fimt stone of the new 

 hall was laid April 2Sth, 1825, and the hall publicly opened May 29tb, 

 1829. The architect was James Shaw. In 1853 there were 950 boys 

 on the foundation in London, who are instructed in the classics and 

 mathematics, and 450 boys and 70 girls in a branch school at Hert- 

 fonl, which waa founded in ltfS3, 8t. Paul's sohool is opposite the 

 «aat etid of St. Paul's cathedral The number of scholars is limited 

 to 15S, the number of flsh taken in the miraculous draught (John, xxi. 

 11). The Merchant Taylors' school, founded in 1561 by the Merobaot 

 Taylors' Company, in 1853 ba<l 260 scholars, to which number it is 

 limited. The City of London school. Milk-street, Cheapside, is partly 

 an old foundation of 1442. The present structure waa erected in 

 1835. The school is open to the sons of any respectable persona 

 recommended by a member of the corporation. Each pupil has to 

 pay 8/. Ss. a year school fees. The number of scholars in July 1852 

 waa 679. 



Doctors' Commons, on the south side of St. Paul's Churchyard, 

 are so called because the doctors of the civil law here dine in common. 

 The ori^nal boildings were destroyed by the great lire in 1666, and 

 rebuilt at the expense of the professors. It is here that the Eccle- 

 in.»riAi»l and Admiralty Courts are held. 



There are live principal markets within the limits of the city and 

 liberties of London — Smithfield Market, for the sale of live cattle and 

 shasp ; Newgate Market, chiefly for the sale of meat in the carcase ; 

 Leadenhall Market, chiefly for poultry and game ; BilUngagate 

 Market, for fish ; and Fariingdon Market fur general purposes. A 

 new market for the sale of live cattle and sheep in being constructed 

 at Copenhagen Fields, near Holloway, on the completion of which 

 Smithfield Market will be discontinued. 



Throe bridges cross the Thames within the limits of tbo city. 

 London Bridge was built after the designs of John Iteimie, under the 

 superintendence of his son Sir John Rennie. It was commenced 

 March 15, 1824, and opened by King Wilhom IV., Aui^ust 1, 1831. 

 The bridge and its approaches coat little less than two millions sterling. 

 It stands about 180 feet higher up the river than old Loudon Bridge, 

 which was not pulled down till after the new one was completed. 

 London Bridge is built of granito, and has five semi-elliptic arches, of 

 which the central arch has a span of 150 feet The total length of 

 the bridge, including piers and abutmenU, is 920 feet. It combines 

 maaaive strength with elegance of structure, and ia a truly magnificent 

 work. Southwark Bridge was erected by John Rennie, between 1815 

 and 1819, at the expense of a company of propiietors. It conaiata of 

 three arches, the central arch being 240 feet in span, and the other 

 arches 210 feet e^ich. The two piers and abutments are of atone; 

 all the rest of the bridge is of iron, 5780 tons of cast iron and 60 tons 

 of wrought iron being uned in t.he work. Tolls are levied on this 

 bridge, foot-paesengprs being charged one penny each. Bla':kfriarB 

 Bridge waa erected by Mr. Mylne, a Sootch engineer, between 1760 j 

 and 1769. The funds for the work were raised by a city loan, to be 

 repjiid by tolls. The government purchased tlie tolls, and made the 

 bridge free in June, liSS. The bridge conaiata of nine elliptic arches, 

 of which tlM central arch is 100 feet in span. The length, between 

 the abatnMDts, is 996 feet This bridge is in a somewhat insecure 

 condition. • ' 



The Monument on Finh-street Hill, ia a fluted oolamn of the Doric ' 

 order, erected by Sir Christopher Wren, 1671-1677, to commemor.ite j 

 the great fire of I^ondon. The bas-relief on the pediment is the work 

 of fJaiua Gabriel Cibber. 



Tfinple Bar, the gateway which separates the liberties of the city of 

 London from the city of Westminnter, was erected by Sir Christopher 

 Wren in 1670. The statues in niches (Queen Klizalieth and James I. 

 on the evet aide, t/'harln 1. and Charles II. on the west side), are all by 

 John I'tmhiiell. who Hied in 1701. 



Tli" Inn of Court called the Temple, is nearly all within the limits 

 of the City Liberties, bat is extra-parochial. The buildinga belong to 



the two law societies of the Inner Temple and the Middle Temple- 

 The Temple ia so called from the Knights Templars, to whom it 

 originally belonged. The buildings, which for the most part consist 

 of chambers, are arranged in various courts. Each Temple has a hall, 

 and the beautiful Temple Church, the restoration of which was com- 

 pleted in 1842, is common to both societies. The Hall of the Middle 

 Temple is one of the most magnificent in the metropolis. The Inner 

 Temple Grarden ia an extensive lawn, bordered on three sides with 

 shrubs and flowers, and open in front to the Thames. The public are 

 admitted to it on summer evenings. 



Some of the insurance societies possess handsome structures of 

 stone. Several of the banks have massive fronts of gi-anite, and 

 present an appearance of great solidity, and even grandeur. 



The Halls, as they are called, of the various London Companies are 

 for the most part extensive quadrangular buildings with a courtyard 

 in the centre ; some of these consist of two quadrangles which are 

 separated by the banqueting-hall. With the exception of the Gold- 

 smiths' Hall in Fostrr-lane, Fishmongers' Hall at the foot of London- 

 bridge, and Ironmongers' Hall in Fenchurch-street, few of these struc- 

 tures have any pretensions to architectural elegance of exterior ; the 

 interiors however ore in some instances of considerable extent. The 

 Goldsmiths' Hall is a magnificent structure of atone, of classic 

 architecture, designed by P. Hardwick, and opened July loth, 1835. 



For municipal purposes the City and Liberties of London are divided 

 into 26 wards, and are governed by a Lord Mayor, 26 aldermen, includ- 

 ing the Lord Mayor, and 240 common-councilmeu. There are two 

 sheriffs, who are jointly sherifib of London and Middlesex, a recorder, 

 common nerjeant, chamberlain, town-clerk, and a variety of other 

 officers. The Lord Mayor is elected annually from among those aller- 

 men who have served the office of sheriff. He enters upon the duties 

 of his oi&re on the IHh of November, when there is a procession called 

 the Loril Mayor's Show. The aldermen are chosen for life by such 

 householders of the wanis as are freemen. They constitute the court 

 of aldermen, and every alderman is a justice of peace for the city of 

 London, and presides iu the court of wardmote in his ward. The 

 common-oouocilmen are elected annually on St. Thomas's Day, at a 

 wardmote in each ward, the electors being the same as iu the elections 

 of aldermen. They do' not meet in any court exclusively their own, 

 their sittings being presided over by the Lord Mayor, and the alder- 

 men having the right to attend. The sheriffs arc chosen annually by 

 such of the freemen as are liverymen of some of the City Companies. 

 The reoorder is elected for life by the court of aldermen. The livery 

 of London is tlie aiigregate of the members of the several City 

 Companies, of which 81 still exist. 



London is the seat of a bishopric^ The diocese comprises the 

 county of Middlesex and several parishes in the counties of Essex, 

 Kant, and Surrey : the number of benefices is 313, The chapter 

 comprises a dean, 2 archdeacons, 4 canons, a precentor, chancellor, 

 28 prebendaries, and 12 minor canons. The income of the present 

 bishop is returned at 11,700^ ; that of his successors is fixed by 

 Act 6 and 7 Win. IV. o. 77, at 10,000^ The Bishop of London 

 takes precedence of tbo other bishops, ranking next after the arch- 

 bishops. 



Besides the Central Criminal Court, tJiere are the Lord Mayoi's 

 Court, a court held by each of the sheriffs, and two police-courts, 

 one held at the Mansion Houae, before the Lord Mayor, and the other 

 at Guildhall, before one of the aldermen. The London sessions are 

 held eight times a year, before the Lord Mayor, aldermen, and 

 recorder, for minor misdemeanors and poor-law appeals. 



The police of the City and Liberties of London are under the control 

 of a commissioner, who ia appointed by the common council, but sub- 

 ject to the approval of the crown. The number of policemen, usually 

 about 500, ia fixed by the mayor, aldermen, and common-council. 



The sewers are under the management of commissioners of sewers 

 appointed by the corporation. They have authority to compel the 

 proper drainage of houses, and they also attend to the repairs of tbo 

 streets. A medical officer has been recently aiijiointed by the corpo- 

 ration to take cognisance of matters affecting the public health within 

 the city. Gas is supplied chiefly by two companies, and the total 

 consumption is about 750.000,000 cubic feet per annum. 



The City and Liberties of Lomlon are under three Poor-Law 

 Unions, which are denominated respectively the City of London 

 Union, Ea«t London Union, and West Lundou Union. The Lomlon 

 workhouse admits about 1000 inmates, the East London 600, and the 

 West London about 650. 



The revenue of the corporation amounts to about 190,000Z. Tho 

 expenditure in 1850 was about 170,000/. Besides this revenue, wliiuh 

 strictly belongs to the corporation, a conaiderable income is collected 

 from duties on cOials and other sources, which is appropriated to 

 public improvements, including the construction of new streets, the 

 repair of tho bridges, and some other specific purposes. The total 

 amount of dues collected in the port of Lomlon on the importation 

 of coal or coke in the year 1851 was about 110,001)/. By the siimo 

 duties char.'ed on coals brought by railway to Loudou, the Corporation 

 collected in 1851 about 7500/.; and on coals brought by tho Grand 

 Junction Canal and by mad, about 765/. was collected. The duty 

 on wiuo produced 6620/. The City and Liberties of Loudon return 

 four members to the House of Commons. Tho right of election is in 



