LONDON. 



joining vvhicti is tlie CJfeat committpe ronm ; ofTicc for notes 

 under 9/., 60 by 40 feet ; and the chief c:i(hipr's ofiico, 

 4^ by 30 feet. Belides thefe, the Bunk contains many other 

 offices and apartments : amon,fr which may be named llie fe- 

 cretary's office, bullion office, deputy governor's rooms, 

 peneral cafti-book office, out-teller's office, land-tax re- 

 demption office, loan, or property office, drawinp; office, 

 accomptant's office for the new fpecic, cheque office, re- 

 duced annuity office, dividend pay-office, armoury, bank- 

 note printing-office, engraver's rooms, the library, Src. 

 Such is the extenfive bufinefs of the bank, that above 1000 

 perfons are emoloyed in its various offices. Of the architec- 

 tural charaifterillics of -this edifice, its extent, arrangement, 

 and adaptation to the arcunr.ilated and iiie.eafing bufinefs of 

 the BritilTi bank, it will be impoffible to convey fatisfadory 

 information, in a limited fpace, and without illullrative 

 prints. We can only briefly defcribe a few of the principal 

 features. The oldeft part by Sampfon, combines a degree of 

 fimplicity united with grandeur ; and was admirably adapted 

 to its oricrinal purpofe. It be/poke the charaftcr of a pub- 

 lic edifice, with a rich and appropriate ilyle of delign. 

 The whole afTumed an air of dignity and importance, with 

 a fufficiency of ornament and drefs. On a rullicated bafe- 

 mentaretwo (lories vs-ith Ionic columns, and a bold entabla- 

 ture. An uniformity of character pervades the whole. With 

 f'jch a model before him, it is alloniffiing that fir Robert 

 Taylor did not defign his additions in the fame ftyle, or in 

 one that harmonized with it : but it feems evident that 

 he did not feel or appreciate the charms of fimplicity. 

 He preferred prettincfs to propriety, and gaiety to gran- 

 deur, and therefore defigned the wings, with the offices 

 immediately attached, in the moft gorgeous llyle of Ro- 

 man architeSure. Corinthian fluted columns, arranged in 

 pairs, are placed along the whole front, fupporting pe- 

 diments at both extremities, and a baluftraded entablature 

 between. 



In this facade, the arcliiteft'has copied a building of Bra- 

 mantes in the Belvidere gardens at Rome ; but this very 

 circumltance impeaches his tafte and judgment. For though 

 the ftvle and defign might have been appropriate and judi- 

 cious in a fmall ornamental building, it is very abfurd in a 

 great national itrufture, where folidity, fecurity, and fimple 

 grandeur were required. The four and five p.T cent. _ftock 

 offices are truly difgufting, as works of art ; and aifo very 

 defective as rooms for bufinefs. They are both exatl imi- 

 tations of the interior of the church of St. Martin's-in-the- 

 Fields. Tlie forms and proportions of the exterior columns 

 much excite our admiration. In the additions and improve- 

 ments made to the bank by Mr. Soane, fince liis appoint- 

 ment in 17S8, we find many novelties in defign, and flcilful 

 appropriations. The rotunda is a fpacious circular room, 

 with a lofty dome ; where a large and heterogeneous mafs 

 <if perfons of all nations and ciafies aifemble on public days 

 to buy and fell itock. The defign and conilruftion of the 

 dome, by the lail named architect, are entitled to the par- 

 ticular notice and admiration of fl:rangers. In the three 

 per cents, warrant office, the lame profound arti.l has dil- 

 plaved much talte and (1-cill. It is an oblong room, with a 

 vaulted ceiling fpri-nging from ornamented piers ; and in the 

 centre is a handfome dome, or lanthorn light, fupported by 

 caryatides. The foffites of the arches are decorated with pan- 

 nels, rofes, and other objefts in ftricl conformity to the 

 practice of the ancient arciiitedls. It is worthy of remark, 

 that the whole is conftrufted without timber. Branching 

 from this apartment is anotlier, called the inferior office, 

 adiipted to clerks whofe bufinefs is to guard againll forgery. 



It opens to I.othbury court, which is a grand difplay of 

 architeftural defign, two fides of it being formed by open 

 fcreens, with liandfome fluted co'umrts of the Corinthian 

 order. Thefe are copied from the little temple at Tivoli. 

 On the fouthern fide of this court is a noble arch of 

 entrance to the bullion court, and to other offices. This 

 arch and fa5ade are defigned after the model of tlie cele- 

 brated triumphant arch of Conftantine at Rome. On the 

 fides of the great archway, are four handfome fluted co- 

 lumns, fupporting an entablature, and four itatues emble- 

 matic of the four quarters of the globe. In pannels are 

 baffo-relievi, executed by that great mafter of fculpture. 

 Bank?, allcgorically reprcfcnting the Thames and Ganges. 

 The chief cafhier's office is a noble apartment, in the defign 

 of which the architeft has again (liewn his enthufiaftic at- 

 tachment to claffical antiquity. It is in imitation of the 

 temple of the fun and moon at Rome, and is fpacious, 

 fimple in decoration, and cheerfully lighted by large and 

 lofty windows. In the accomptant's office, governor's- 

 court,veftibule,and pafTage from Prince's-ftreet, and recefied 

 portico at the north-wellcrn angle, are fome fpecimens of 

 architeflural defign, which mull excite the admiration of 

 every accomplifhed connoilleur. In all thefe parts we 

 recognize the forms, ilyle, and detail of the beft antique 

 fpecimens, carefully adapted to their refpetlive fituations, 

 and calculated to gratify the eye and fatisfy the judgment. 

 Stability is certainly the moll effential objeft in fuch a 

 building ; but beauty and grandeur are equally deferving 

 of attention ; for the Britifli bank is rich, its proprietors 

 are prefumed to be men of learning and fcience, and under 

 their aufpiccs we are entitled to look for fuch a-tions and 

 fuch works as (hall be ornamental and honourable to the 

 charafter and tade of the kingdom. In the great enlarge- 

 ments that have been recently made in the prelent building, 

 it is evident, that the architcft has been particularly atten- 

 tive to the immediate bufinefs of the company, the fecurity 

 of their property from fire and depredation, and'a chaile, 

 claffical (lyle of embellifiiment. Thefe remarks and de- 

 fcriptions are the relult of a recent examination of the build- 

 ing. 



Places of Worfbtp. — London is didinguifhed by the num. 

 ber and variety of its places of worfhip. It contains 116 

 churches of the edablidied religion ; above 80 chapels of 

 eafe on the eftablifhment, in parilhes where the population 

 is too great for their refpedtive churches ; 1 1 Roman Catho- 

 lic chapels ; 1 7 churches and chapels belonging to foreign 

 Protedants ; fix fynagogues of the Jews ; and 132 meeting- 

 houfes of the diflcrciit denominatious of Englilh Protedant 

 diflenters. 



Of the 116 churches above-mentioned, 74 are within 

 the walls of the city, 10 in London, without the walls, 

 nine in the city and liberties of Wedminder, five in the 

 borough of Southwark, and 18 in the fubiirbs, not in- 

 cluded in thefe ciafies. Of thefe we can only particularife 

 a few ; for dcfcriptions of the whole would require a large 

 volume. Pre-eminent above all the buildings ot tUe metro- 

 pohs, is the 



Cathedral Church of St. Paul, which holds the mod 

 didinguilhed rank among the modern works of architefture 

 in the Britilh empire. The original cathedral was com- 

 menced in the year 610, by Ethelbert, king of Kent, and 

 the l5uilding, with 11 s revenues and privileges, were greatly 

 increafcd by fucceeding fovereigns. This llruflure was 

 dcdroyed by a conflngratirn in -1086; after which, Maurice, 

 then bidiop, commenced the magnificent edifice which im- 

 mediatcLy preceded the prefent cathedral. So great wrs 

 T t 3 the 



