﻿LOITDON. 



LOKDOy. 



the frecmcD, b«inf> lirnyoira, and the iohabitaot booMbolden ooon- 

 pyiog dwelliun of 10/. yml; tkIuv. 



Tbc Corpontion of Uie City of LoodoD U ootuervator of the Thame*, 

 and the Lord Mmyor U chief magietrate of the rirer its irrll as of the 

 cit J. The port of London ext Dd*, for genrral purposes, from London 

 Brid^ to a little below Blsckwiill ; but, in connection with the coal- 

 trade, it reachra to a little beluw Ornresend. The control of the 

 maritime afiain within the port of London rest* chiefly with the 

 barbour-ma(ter», of whom there are four, one principal and three 

 (ubordinate. The Corporation receive due* varying from one half- 

 penny to three farthingB a ton from every veswl that enters or 

 IcBvea the port, whether engaged in the foreign, colonial, or coasting 

 trad*. Thera dues amounted in the year ending July 25th 1851 to 

 16,088iL 18<. 6d. About a fourth of the whole British shipping trade 

 is oonducted through the jiort of London. The number and tonnage 

 of Tcaels brlonging to the port of London on December 81st 1853 

 were— under 60 tons 749, tonnage 24,621 ; above 60 tons 2209, 

 tonnage 454,694. Of steam-vesaels under SO tons, there were 116 of 

 8769 tons, and above 60 tons, 291 of 109,598 tons. In the coasting 

 trade during 1858 there entered the port 19,240 sailing-vessels, of 

 2,744,524 tons burden ; and 7721 steam-vessels of 658,452 tons ; and 

 there cleared 1692 sailing-vesselsof 446,925 tons, and 1665 steam-vessels 

 of 431,082 tons. In the colonial and foreign trade there entered 

 (including steamers) 6261 British vessels of 1,524,219 tons ; and 5502 

 foreign vesse l s of 1,069,894 tons; and drared 8807 British vessels, 

 tonnage 1,060,408; and 4954 foreign vessels, tonnage 946,684. The 

 amount of exports in the year 1852 was 18,802,122/., in 1853 it was 

 23,991,082^. 



Connected with the port of London are the Docks. Nearest to 

 the Tower, on the north side of the river, are the St. Katharine's 

 Docks, which include an area of 23 acres, II acres of which are 

 water. The London Docks are three ; — London Dock, with an area 

 of 20 acres. East London Dock, with an area of 7 acres, and Sbadwell 

 Basin, with an area of 8 acres. The West India Docks are about one 

 mile and a half east from the London Docks. The entire area occu- 

 pied by the.<e docks, including the canal cut to avoid the bend of the 

 Thames at the Isle of Dogs, is 295 acres. The East India Docks are 

 below Blackwall. The import dock has an ares of 1 9 acres ; the area of 

 the export dock is 10 acres. These docks, since the opening of the trade 

 to India, have been purchased by the proprietors of the West India 

 Docks, and are now open to vessels from all parts. On the south side 

 of the river are the Commercial Docks, the Orand Surrey Canal 

 Docks, the Greenland Dock, the East Country Dock, and some smaller 

 docks. 



The Oily and Liberty of Watmintter extends from Temple Bar on 

 the east, to Kensington and Chelsea on the west, and from the 

 Thames on the south to Marylebone on the north. It embraces the 

 parishes of St. Clement-Danes, St. Mary-le-Strand, St. Paul, Covcnt 

 Garden, St. )!artin-in-t)ie-Fields, St Anne, Soho, St Maigaret, West- 

 minster, St James, Westminster, St George, Hanover-square, and 

 St John the Evangelist It includes an area of 2855 acres. The popu- 

 lation in 1851 was 199,799. The Metropolitan Borough of West- 

 minster includes, in addition to the City and Liberty, the district of 

 the Savoy and the lordship of the duchy of Lancaster, which are 

 sitoated between the Strand and the bank of the Thames. The 

 Metropolitan Borough has an area of 2500 acres, and had in 1851 a 

 population of 241,611. It returns two members to the Imperial 

 Parliament 



Westminster, next to the City of London, contains the largest 

 number of public buildings of the metropolis. The most ancient of 

 these, and in many res|>ects the most interesting, is Westminstrr 

 Abbey. A church was built on the site by Sebert, king of the East 

 Saxons, and dedicated to St Peter; but the first Westminster Abbey 

 was erected by Edward the Confessor, 1049 to 1066. Henry III., in 

 1220, commenced the building of a chapel dedicated to the Virgin at 

 the east end of the church. In 1245 he began to take down and 

 rebuild the church. He died in 1272. The parts of the present 

 structure erected during his reign are not exactly known ; but he is 

 supposed to have completed the choir and transepts, besides trecting 

 the chapel to the Virgin and the chapel of Edward the Confessor. 

 Tbs building was afterwards carried on by suooessive abbots. 

 Heoiy VII. took down Henry IIl.'s chapel to the Virgin, in order 

 to inake mom for bis own Lady Chapel, which is now called 

 Henry VIL's ChapeL The upper parts of the two western towers 

 were adde<l by Sir Christopher Wren. The interior length of the 

 Abbey, including Henry Vll.'s Cliapel, is 611 feet; entire breadth, 

 aoross the tnnsepts, 203 feet ; length of the nave, 166 feet ; length of 

 tba dioir, 156 feet; breadth of the nave and aisles, 79 feet; breadth 

 of the choir, 88 feet; height of the roof, 102 feet; height of the 

 wartarn towers, 224 fest Henry VII.'s chapel is 103 feet long, 70 feet 

 wida, utd 60 feet high. 



Westminster contains, in addition to the Abbey, 42 cliurchei 

 belonging to the Established Church, amoni( which the most con- 

 spicuous are St Msrtin'sin-the-Kields and 8t. Mary-le-Strand, both 

 built by Qibbs; Whitehall Chapel, erected by Inigo Junes as the 

 faanqocting-hall for the intended palace of Whitehall ; and St. Mar- 

 garet's church, near Westminster Abbey, which posseiaes one of the 

 Baeat windows of painted glaa in tha metropolis. The church erected 



at the expense of Miss Btirdett Contts is a very fine example of the 

 modem gothia 



The Palace of Westminster, as it is called, which contains the new 

 Houses of Pariiament and other apartments appropriate<l to parlia- 

 mentary business, is not yet completed. Sir Charles Barry is the 

 architect The first stone was laid April 27th 1840. I'he east or 

 river front, which is finished, has a length of 900 feet, and is separated 

 from the Thames by a terrace formed of Aberdeen granita. The walla 

 of the whole structure are constructed externally of magnesian lime- 

 stone from Anston, in Yorkshire, and lined internally with briok. 

 The main beams and joists all through the building are made of iron : 

 the oak wainscoting, which covers a large portion of the interior 

 surface of the walls, is the only material used that can cause any 

 danger from fire. The style of the building is highly-decorated 

 |>alatial Tudor. The west or land front is the most picturesque of 

 the fronts, because the most varied in surface. The Central Tower, 

 which contains the Grand Central Octagon Hal], is nesrly finished, 

 and will, when completed, present one great lantern, three lights ia 

 height, with flying buttresses pinnacled; above this a second story 

 two lights high, and over all a richly-crocketed gotbic spire, the sum- 

 mit rising to the height of 800 feet The Victoria Tower, which 

 stands in the south-western angle of the building, and forms it* 

 grandest single feature, is 75 feet square, and rises over four magnifi- 

 cent pointed arches 60 feet in height, two of them opening on two 

 sides direct into the street ; the other two opening respectively oo tha 

 Guard lioom and the Iloyal Staircase. 'This stupendous tower ia 

 raised at the rate of only 30 feet a year ; it has not yet reached much 

 more thau a half of its intended height, 340 feet The Clock Tower, 

 which stands at the north-western angle of the building, is 40 feet 

 square. It is to bear an eight-day clock with four faces, each nearly 

 80 feet in diameter, striking the hourd on a bell weighing 9 tona, and 

 chiming the quarters on eight bells. It is to be surmounted by a 

 richly-decorat«d belfry spire, the summit of which will be 820 feet 

 above the ground. A large window in the western face of the Clock 

 Tower is to open into a wing which will displace all the houses on the 

 south side of Bridge-street, extend up to Matgaret-street, thenoe croaa 

 to the comer now occupied by the Law Courts, and thence return to 

 Westminster Hall, thus inclosing the whole area of New Palace Yard. 

 An additional tower of metal-work, of rather lai^e dimensions, is 

 being erected near to the princi|>al front To afibrd light to the 

 interior parts of the structure there is a long series of courts con- 

 nected together by groined archways under the chief buildings. 

 Westiniuster Hall, which is 270 feet long, 74 feet wide, aud 90 feet 

 high, will, when the Westminster Palace is completed, be incorporated, 

 and form a part of this magnificent whole. 



St James's Palace, a dingy brick structure opposite the bottom of 

 St James's-street, was originally built in 1532 by Henry VIII., after 

 a design by Holbein. Many of the kings and queens of England up 

 to the time of George IIL resided in it, and the court is still held 

 there. Buckinghitm Palace, at the west end of St James's Pork, is 

 the town residence of Queen Victoria. It was commenced by Nash 

 for George IV. : a new front towards St James's Park has been 

 recently added. Considerable improvements are in progress in the 

 vicinity of the palace. Behind the palace is a large garden. 



On the south side of Whitehall are some of the most important 

 government offices— the Treasur}-, extending from Downing-street to 

 the Horse Guards, and including the Board of Trade ; the Horse 

 Guards, which contains the offices of the Secretary-at-War, the Com- 

 mander-in-Chief, and the Quarter-Master-General ; and the Admiralty, 

 which contains the offices of the First Lord of the Admiralty and 

 the four Junior Lords. The office of the Master-General of the 

 Ordnance is in Pull MalL Other government offices are held in 

 Somerset House, Strand — the Stamp aud Tax offices, the offices of 

 the Poor-Law Commissioners, the Inland llevenue office, the Audit 

 office, and the office of the Duchy of Cornwall. In the buildings of 

 Somerset House the Royal Society, Attronomical Society, Geographical 

 Society, and Geological Society have apartments. The University of 

 London has a|>artuieuts in Somerset House : it is an examining body, 

 not educational, and confers degrees in arts, laws, and medicine. 

 King's College occupies the east wing of Somerset House. It was 

 foimded in 1828 for imparting a university education in accordance 

 with the principles of the Church of England. A hospital is attached 

 to the college, and it has museums and libraries. The matriculated 

 students, unlike those of University College, are distinguished by 

 an academical dress. In 1853 there were 79 theological students, 

 102 in general literature and science, 46 in engineering, manufac- 

 tures, and architecture, and 239 in medicine. This, college has 

 several exhibitions at Oxford and Cambridge, and some valuable 

 prises. 



In this borough are the Westminster, the St George's, and Charing- 

 cross hospitals. Westminster contains most of the theatres of the 

 metropolis. The old Corent Garden theatre was burnt down September 

 20th 1808, was rebuilt by Smirke, and was opened Seotember 18th 

 1809. 'i'he old Dmry-lane theatre was also burnt down Febmary 24th 

 1809, was rebuilt by B. Wyatt, and opened October 10th 1812. The 

 Opera House aud Haymarket theatre are both in the Haymarkot; the 

 St James's theatre ia in King-street, St James's ; the Adolpbi, Lyceum, 

 and Mew Stnmd are in the Strand ; imd the Olympic is in Wych-street. 



