The Street Architecture of London. 177 



with utter astonishment that fashion and false taste unfor- 

 tunately prevail so much at the present day, that some of these 

 beautiful interiors have been martyred at the hands of the 

 medievalists. Our friend, we think very justly, remarked 

 upon the bald and incomplete appearance of the exterior of 

 St. James's Church, Piccadilly ; surely, in so wealthy a parish 

 and royal neighbourhood, the necessary funds might readily be 

 subscribed for the properly facing the walls with stone, and 

 the raising a glorious tower and spire, to become as great an 

 ornament to this quarter of London as the matchless spire of 

 Bow Church is to the City. The church of St. Mary-le- Strand, 

 and the glorious portico of St. Martin's, both by Gibbs, made 

 a most favourable impression on our visitor ; but, on proceed- 

 ing to Whitehall, the view of the Banqueting House raised his 

 enthusiasm to boiling heat. He jumped and clapped his hands 

 for very joy, and pronounced it to be one of the finest works 

 he had ever seen, either for the grandeur of the pile or the 

 refinement and exquisite delicacy of the detail. From this 

 fragment, judge what the effect would have been if the whole 

 of the intended palace had been completed ! Both the Escurial 

 and the Louvre would have been inferior to it ! The National 

 Gallery and Trafalgar Square of course formed the subject of 

 some criticism ; and when it was asked how long the pedestal 

 vis-a-vis to George IV. had been without its equestrian termi- 

 nation, and Nelson without his guardian lions, we pretended 

 a little deafness, and hurried on to Pall Mall ; here we felt 

 more at ease, and took some little pride and pleasure in pointing 

 out the several palatial clubs. This is certainly London's 

 first street for architectural effect, occasioned very much by 

 the buildings being insulated, and not mere facades , and the lines 

 of some (the War Office, for instance) , being set back with a cortile 

 in front. The " Travellers'," the " Keform," and the " Carlton" 

 were particularly pointed out ; the former seemed to bear 

 away the palm for grace and beauty. St. James's Palace was 

 regarded more historically than architecturally interesting ; 

 but, as for Pjuckingham Palace, I don't know how many shrugs 

 of disappointment our friend made, and^ when he saw the 

 equestrian statue in the distance, high in air, and heard that 

 it was the Duke, he was appalled at such an outrage. He 

 recovered somewhat in being shown Bridgewater House, and 

 Lord Spencer's, adjoining ; the one quite Palladian, the other 

 of Eome's best period. A long discussion ensued as to their 

 rival merits, resulting perhaps in favour of Spencer House as 

 being the more graceful of the two. 



The Marble Arch, in Hyde Park, was the next object we 

 viewed, and our young friend was so jocose in his criticisms 

 upon this work that we were positively ashamed that he should 

 vol. x. — NO. III. N 



