The Gardens at Sheen, etc. 63 



present aspect of the site would lead one to 

 suppose, for the Protector Somerset cleared 

 a large area before he erected his residence 

 here, partly to obtain with greater facility 

 from the demolished buildings the material 

 for his own. This was in 1549. Part of the 

 clearance consisted of the old inn of Chancery, 

 called Strand Inn. 



The scholar in these lines was doubtless 

 Randolph himself. He speaks of the place 

 as the haunt of glittering courtiers. It was 

 one of the splendid inns, as they were called, 

 along the south side of the Strand, and the 

 grandest, perhaps, of all. Is it changed for 

 the better or the worse ? Since the last 

 century the river front has suffered much 

 alteration. 



I would add that Mr. Wheatley, in the 

 chapter on Hyde Park printed with his 

 Round About Piccadilly (1870). has collected 

 some very interesting information concerning 

 that park itself and Kensington Gardens, and 

 the Green and St. James's Parks are treated 

 in the next section. 



The same writer has pointed out the 



