4G0 n LON 
this door is as afcent by a ftraight flight of fteps. Over 
the entrance is a round window, and on each fide a fmall 
tower covered with a dome, and ornamented with two 
windows in front, one of the ufual form, and another over 
it, anfwering to that over the door. The tower is carried 
up fquare, and behind it the roof of the church forms to 
the well a kind of pediment, broken by the rife of the 
tower, to which it joins on each fide. The uppermoft 
Itage of the tower diminifhes very confiderably; and this, 
which is the bale of an obelilk, fupports on each fide a 
dial. From hence rifes, as a fteeple, a fluted obelilk, which 
reaches to a great height, diminilhing flowly, and being 
of a confiderable thicknefs towards the lop, where the up¬ 
per edges are Hoped off, and the whole is terminated by a 
ball and vane. We mult confefs that we cannot admire the 
architecture of this fteeple, which, at a diftance feems to 
be the point, or apex, of fome civic or military monument, 
as it recedes greatly from the common ftyle of ecclefialtical 
buildings. But it may be obferved, in extenuation of the 
fault, it there be any, that, fo many churches having been 
ordered to rile from their allies in a given time, all plans, 
forms, and lhapes, appeared to have been nearly exhaulted ; 
and the architect, appalled with the fear of being ranked 
with the common herd of imitators, was obliged to wing 
his fancy athwart the trodden paths to the regions of pol- 
fibilities, oddities, and whimlies. 
Not far from this, at the end of Old-ftreet, rifes in fimple 
but awful majefty the folid building devoted to thofe un¬ 
fortunate beings who fuller under mental derangement. 
St. Luke’s Hofpital was firft eftablifhed by voluntary con¬ 
tributions in the year 1751, for the reception of luna¬ 
tics; and was intended not only in aid of, but as an im¬ 
provement upon, Bethlein Hofpital, which, at the time of 
this inftitution, was incapable of receiving and providing 
for the relief of all the unhappy objects for whom appli¬ 
cation was made. With this view, a houfe was ereCfed 
on the north fide of Moorfields, and called St. Luke's Hof¬ 
pital, from the name of the parilh ; but the utility of the 
inftitution was fo evident, and benefactors increafed with 
fuch rapidity, that the governors foon determined to ex¬ 
tend its benefits to a much larger number of patients; and 
for that purpofe purchafed the piece of ground on which 
the prefent edifice (the foundation ftone of which was laid 
the 20th of July, 178a) was erected, at an expenfe of forty 
thouland pounds. The north and f'outh fronts of this 
building, which are of brick, ornamented with Hone, are 
exactly the fame. The centre and ends project a little, 
and are higher than the intermediate parts. The former 
is crowned with a triangular pediment, under which is in- 
feribed in large letters, “Saint Luke’s Hofpital for Luna¬ 
tics.” The two latter are furmounted with an attic baluf- 
trade, which conceals the roof. The whole building is di¬ 
vided into three ftorics; and the fpaces between the centre 
and ends are formed into long galleries ; the female patients 
occupying the weftern galleries ; and the male the ealtern. 
Between the hofpital and the llreet is a broad fpace, fepa- 
rated from the ftreet by a wall, in the centre of which is 
the entrance, leading to the door by a flight of fteps un¬ 
der a roof fupported by Tufcan columns. The Ample 
grandeur of the exterior of this building, the length of 
which is four hundred and ninety-three feet, produces an 
effcdl upon the mind, which is only fuperfeded by a know¬ 
ledge of the propriety, decency, and regularity, which 
reigns within, notwithftanding the unhappy ftate of its 
inhabitants. Behind the houfe are two large gardens, one 
for the men, the other for the women ; where fuch of the 
patients as can be permitted with fafety are allowed to 
walk and take the air. Thofe in a more dangerous ftate, 
who are obliged to be confined with ftrait waiftcoats, have, 
with very few exceptions, the range of the galleries, in 
which there are fires, fo protected by iron bars, reaching 
from the floor to the breaft of the chimney, that no acci¬ 
dent can^poflibly occur; and, in thofe cells where the mod 
dangerous and hopelefs patients are confined, every thing 
DON. 
which can contribute to alleviate their miferable ftate is 
attended to. 
To the north of Old-ftreet .Road is a fpring, formerly 
much celebrated, which now forms an excellent cold-bath, 
and is called St. Agnes-le-Clair, from the purenefs of the 
water. Near this Ipot ftands Afke’s Hofpital, more com¬ 
monly called the Haberdafhers’ Alms-houfes. Robert 
Afke, efq. left thirty thoufand pounds towards building 
and endowing this fpacious afylum for the aged and the 
young who are deftitute of fupport. He reftri&ed its be¬ 
nefits to twenty poor members of the Haberdafhers’ Com¬ 
pany ; and an equal number of boys, defeended from pa¬ 
rents belonging to the fame body. The old men are com¬ 
fortably fupplied with every thing neceflary; and the chil¬ 
dren are educated fuitably to their condition of life. The 
building extends a great length, and has a piazza in front, 
fupported by Tufcan pillars, which forms a covered walk. 
In the centre is a chapel, ornamented with a llatue of the 
founder. 
Another objeft of generality, and a moll worthy one, is 
the poor woman blefled with the hope of becoming a mo¬ 
ther, but to whom Providence has not allowed, or worldly 
circitmftances denied, the means of procuring the comforts 
neceflary for the birth of a child. The London Lying- 
in-Hofpital is at a fliort diftance from the above-deferibed 
place. The internal management is well regulated ; and 
the exterior appearance of the edifice, though fimple, is 
entitled to praife. 
We pafs by another hofpital, or work-houfe, which is ex- 
clufiveiy devoted to the poor French proteftant refugees 
and their defeendants refiding in Great Britain.—It was 
ereCted in 1717, and was calculated to receive two hundred 
and twenty poor men and women ; one hundred and forty- 
fix of whom are on the foundation, and the other ieventy- 
four are paid for, by their friends, at the rate of nine 
pounds per annum each; all of whom are plentifully lop- 
plied with all the neceflaries of life, from the revenues of 
the hofpital. This charity alfo extends to lunatics, for 
whole accommodation a large infirmary is provided. There 
are a chaplain, phyfician, furgeon, and other proper officers, 
belonging to this foundation. 
Can we avoid lifting up our hands and eyes, but molt 
particularly our hearts, in fincere gratitude to heaven, 
when we find ourfelves furrounded by fo many charitable 
eftablifhments—molt of them fupported by voluntary fub- 
feriptions, a fort of fund which proves as folid as if thefe 
hofpitals and alms-houfes had been endowed with large 
properties in money or the moft improving ellates. 
Oppofite to the French Hofpital, and behind St. Luke’s 
and the London Lying-in Hofpitals, is an elegant plea- 
fure bath called Peerlej's Pool. O11 the fpot where this 
bath is lituated was formerly a dangerous pond, which, 
from the number of perfons drowned in it, had obtained 
the name of Perilous Pool. To prevent thefe accidents, 
the principal part of it was filled up ; but, in the year 
1743, one Mr. Kemp, an ingenious proje&or, converted 
it to the purpofes it is now ufed, and altered its name 
from Perilous to Peerlefs Pool. This pleafure-bath is ef- 
teemed the completeft of a public nature of any in the 
kingdom. It is a hundred and feventy feet long, and 
above a hundred feet broad, having a imooth gravel bot¬ 
tom, five feet deep in the middle, four feet at the fides, 
and but three feet at one end. The delcent to it is by 
feveral flights of fteps, con veniently dilpofed round it, ad¬ 
joining to which are boxes and arbours for drefling and 
undrelfing, fome of them open, and'ethers enclofed. On 
the fouth fide is a neat arcade, under which is a looking- 
glaf's over a marble ilab, and a fmall collection of books 
for the entertainment of the fubferibers. The ground, 
about the pleafure-bath, is agreeably laid our, and well 
planted with trees. Here is alfo a cold bath, generally 
allowed to be the largelt in England ; it being forty feet 
long, and twenty feet broad/with flights of fteps and 
drelling-rooms at each end. Bcfides thefe, there is alfo 
a very 
