435 LON 
they were taken down by ladders, It is to be deplored, 
that two orphan fillers, whom Mil’s Kelly had brought up 
in her fervice, perilhed in the flames. Mils Kelly, by her 
fhrieks, endeavoured to awaken them; for it was impof- 
fiLle for her to reach the chamber in which they flept. 
The fire, according to the report of the firemen, would 
have been got under very loon ; but, the explofion of 
fome gunpowder having (truck terror into the men who 
worked the engines, they fled, and left the flames for fome 
time to range uncontrouled. This powder was for the 
ufe of the volunteer corps, and did not, it is now faid, 
amount to a larger quantity than two barrels; but the af- 
fertion that there were many more barrels, threw an in- 
ffant panicon all around, and throughout the neighbour¬ 
hood. Certain however it is, that, had not this explo¬ 
fion taken place, the fire would not have fpread. As it 
is, there is great confolation in knowing that many of the 
important papers of office were recovered ; and feveral 
chelts of valuables, with the principal records, were faved. 
It is a remarkable circu m fiance,that the parents of the poor 
girls, whofe lives fell a facrificeto the devouring flames, both 
met a melancholy and premature end. The father, who was 
a labourer at the London Docks, was drowned in the ca¬ 
nal ; the mother then went to live fervant to Mifs Kelly at 
the Cuftom-houfe ; and one night, about five years, fince, 
fhe went into the cellar, to get lome tow to fluff a chair, 
when the watchman, hearing fome difrrial groans, alarmed 
the family, who, on going down, perceived the clothes of 
the poor woman in a blaze, and herfelf fo dreadfully 
burnt as to caufe her death the next day. Mifs Kelly 
then took the elded girl under her protection, fent her to 
i'chool, and, about three weeks before, having completed 
her 14th year, put her on her eftablilhment as afiiftant to 
the houfe-maid, and fent for the youngeft filler from the 
workhoufe, with intent to provide for her in a fimilar 
manner—hut the ways of Providence are infcrutable to 
fliort-fighted man, and the late melancholy cataftrophe 
has fruilrated her charitable intentions. 
An old clerk made many efforts, in the courfe of the 
day, to force his way through the ruins, to the place where 
he ufually officiated. He was fure that fome of his papers, 
from the care he had taken in their depofit, would be 
found fafe, could he only get to the fpot. On Sunday, 
with fome workmen, he fucceeded in getting through the 
ruins from the fide next the river. The pick-axe at Jail 
Jlruck on an iron cheft—the rubbilh was cleared away, 
the key introduced, and out came four hundred guineas , 
which the clerk carried off in his hat. 
The Cuftom-houfe which was tints deflroyed had al¬ 
ready been condemned, and a contraCl made for ereCting 
a new one. This contract was undertaken by Mr. Miles, 
a very refpeCtable architect ; and is in a fiate of forward- 
jtefs. The firlt Hone was laid in October laft. The fatal 
illnefs which occafioned Mr. M.’s death, prevented his at¬ 
tending that ceremony ; he died on the 5th of February ; 
and, during the time his remains were configned to dujl 
in the family-vault in St. Helen’s church, on the 12th, 
the entire range of building cotnprifing the old Curtom- 
houfe and warehoufes was reduced to afies, the ruins 
forming as it were a funeral pile to his manes. 
From the fite of the new Cufiom-lioufe, which will oc¬ 
cupy the greatell part of the quays oppofite to Harp-lane 
cn the ealt, and St. Dunltan’s Hill on the well, we re- 
afcend the hill by Beer-lane, pafs by Beckford-court, fo 
named from the celebrated lord-mayor of London, and 
reach Tower-ftreet, where vve find the noble church of 
Allhallows Barking, on the welt fide, next to Barking- 
alley, leading to Tower-hill, and in Seething-lane. This 
part, this ealtern verge of the city, is interefiing and plea- 
fant; and, had we not fet our limits as dole as the nature 
of our work bade us, we might long expatiate in this dif- 
triCl, immediately under the Tower guns, and in their 
reach. We fuppofe this part to have been originally 
much awed by the prefence of thefe neighbouring fpit- 
fires, and in conflant fear of being called to order. The 
DON. 
church of Allhsllows was difringuifhed by the name a? 
epithet of Barking, on account of its having been in old 
times a vicarage in the gift cf the abbefs of Barking, i« 
the convent of that place in Elfex. See p. 398 of this vo¬ 
lume.—After the difiolution of religious houfes, Hen¬ 
ry VIII. gave the advowfon to the archbilhop of Canter¬ 
bury, in whofe fuccefibrs it Hill remains. So ancient was 
this church, that a chapel in it was, as records atteft, 
founded by Richard I. This is one of the few churches 
which, being ea ft ward of the fpot where the fire in 1666 
began, efcaped its levelling fury. It is of confiderable 
extent, being a hundred and eighty feet long, fixty-feven 
broad, and thirty-five high. The fteeple is a plain tower, 
with a well-proportioned turret, the altitude of which, 
al! together, is about eighty feet. Round the church is a 
battlement; and the body of it is well lighted by two rows 
of Gothic windows.—We take this opportunity to ob- 
ferve upon the general height of ancient church fieeples- 
and towers, that nearly all thefe elegant appendages of 
churches, which were originally, as they are partly now, 
devoted to the belfry, and calculated to call the pa- 
rifhioners to their refpective duties, were rather low, as 
they feldom exceeded a hundred feet in height. From 
this circumftance vve draw this natural conclufion, that 
the roofs of the houfes were at thole times much lower 
than they have been fince. The reafon is obvious; the 
greater the population, the higher the houfes ; and, if all 
the buildings of Salilbury were as high as the late Com¬ 
mercial Hall in Skinner-llreet, the noble and elegant fpire 
of that cathedral would look like a pigmy. 
At the north-well corner of Seething-lane is Hart-fireet, 
in which is fituated the parilh-church called St. Olave, Hart- 
ftreet; fo denominated from its dedication to Olave, or 
Olaus, king of Norway, who took part with the Englilh. 
againft the Danes in defence of the Chriltian religion ;' 
for which, and the punilhment he fuffered on account of 
this religion, he had the honour of being canonized. This 
church alfo efcaped the fire of London, fince which time 
it has had feveral repairs and additions; particularly a 
new portico, which is formed of Corinthian pilafters, with 
an arched pediment. The church is built of brick and 
ftone, and the body of it forms an exaCt fquare of fifty- 
four feet in length and breadth ; the height of the roof is 
thirty feet, and that of the fteeple fixty. The windows 
are large and Gothic; and every thing exceedingly plain, 
except the portico. The tower confilts of a Angle ltory 
above the roof, and is alfo very plain; but it is crowned 
with a well-proportioned turret. 
We were directed to fearch in Hart-llreet for the re¬ 
mains of the fuppofed refidence of the celebrated Whit¬ 
tington ; but it is now either choaked up by warehoufes 
and modern buildings, or entirely deflroyed. We could 
find no trace of it; and mull borrow our defeription from 
thofe who have feen it. “ In the old leafes, it is deferibed 
by the name of Whittington’s Palace; and the appearance 
of it, efpeciaily externally, leaves no doubt of the fact* 
It forms three fides of a fquare; but the original appear¬ 
ance of the lower part of it is much altered. Under the 
windows of the nrlt ltory, are the arms of the twelve com¬ 
panies of London, carved in bafto relievo ; the one on the 
right is, however, concealed by a ciftern. The principal 
room has the remains of grandeur: it is twenty-five feet 
long, fifteen broad, and ten high ; the cieling is elegantly 
carved in fancied compartments; the wainlcot, which is 
alfo carved, is carried up to the height of fix feet; above 
it is a continuation of Saxon arches, in balfo relievo; be¬ 
tween each arch is a human figure.” Lambert ,—:This build¬ 
ing efcaped the inquiring eyeof Stow; neitheris it mention¬ 
ed by Maitland ; and, were we to fet tip a conjecture, we 
jnight give our readers an idea that this fuppofed palace 
of the worthy mayor was, when it was lately taken no¬ 
tice of, exaCliy what it happened originally to be, fome 
fort of warehoufes. However, it mult be oblerved, that 
the architectural tafte did not improve in this country fo 
rapidly as it did in Italy, or even in France; and that, 
vyhilS 
