LON 
rpp.s anciently a large done building, called the Prince’s 
Wardrobe ; but for what ufe erected, or by whom, is now 
forgotten. 
Stepping a little further to the north, we enter Cole- 
man-ftreet, which is fpacious and broad, and inhabited 
by reputable merchants; but offers not anything to the 
obfervation of the antiquary, except Armourers’ Hall, an 
old plain brick building; and the parochial church of St. 
Stephen, fo called from its dedication to the proto-mar¬ 
tyr. it is of great antiquity, and was originally a chapel 
belonging to the dean and chapter of St. Paul’s, who, be¬ 
tween the years 1171 and 1181, granted the church of 
St, Olave Jewry,, with this chapel as an appendage to it, 
to the prior and abbot of Butley in Suffolk. This chapel 
was made parochial in the year 1456; but continued un¬ 
der the patronage of the prior and canons of Butley till 
the fuppreflion of that convent, when it came to the crown. 
However, in the year 1577, queen Elizabeth granted the 
patronage, together with the church and reftory, to Tho¬ 
mas Palkins, and others; and, in 1590, to William Da¬ 
niel, ferjeant at law, and other parilhioners; which rec¬ 
tory impropriate, and right of advowl'on, have been held 
by the parilh, in fee-farm of the crown, ever fince. The 
old church fharing the common fate in the dreadful fire 
of London, the prefent ftrubture was eredted about four 
years after. It is a neat and folid building, principally 
of (tone, llrengthened with rultic at the corners, and 
lighted by one levies of large windows, with a handfome 
cornice ; it has a very extenfive roof, without a fingle pil¬ 
lar to fupport it. The iteeple is a fquare tower, crowned 
with a lantern, which has four faces, and enclofes a bell 
to call the parilhioners to prayers. The front is adorned 
with a cornice, two pine-apples, and the figure of a cock, 
handfomely carved. The length of this church, is feventy- 
fivefeet, its breadth thirty-five, height of the roof twenty- 
four, of the tower fixty-five. On the north fide is the 
church yard ; and on the fouth is a large pavement, that 
covers a burial-vault, the whole length of the church. 
To this pavement there is an afeent by feveral fteps, 
through a gate, over which is cut, in ftone, a reprefenta- 
tion of the general refurredtion ; a curious piece of work- 
jnanlbip ; and, although it bears no date, Teems to have 
been executed in the fitteenth century. Chrilt, holding a 
flag in his right hand, appears in the centre upon the 
clouds which divide earth from heaven ; and a quantity 
of naked bodies, intended to reprefent the awakened na¬ 
tions, endeavour to rife, and to be admitted in the com¬ 
pany of the faints. Some are partly concealed under rocks, 
but Itriving to get out; unlefs by thofe places of confine¬ 
ment are meant the prifons of hell. This bas-relief has 
been fo often covered with paint, that it is impoffible to 
judge fairly of the merit due to the chifel; but the whole 
defign taftes of the incorredtnefs of the times when it was 
executed.—At our vilit, we found the church beautifully 
adorned with nofegays, each candlefiick bearing one, whe¬ 
ther becaufe it was the day of Pentecoft, or Whitfunday, 
correfponding with the Jewilh feaft of tabernacles, or on ac¬ 
count of the reftoration of king Charles II. which this year 
coincided, we did not learn; but the church added to a neat 
and elegant appearance a mod delightful perfume. We ob- 
f'erved feveral monuments, whole ftyle proves their eredtion 
to have been at the end of the 17th or beginning of the 
18th century; and two old paintings of Moles and Aaron, 
one of each fide of the altar. The font is in a finall recefs 
contrived in the wall on the fouth fide, and fenced by an 
iron wicket. 
The north end of Coleman-ftreet opens into that called 
London Wall, near the fouth end of Old Bedlam ; and its 
fouth entrance is in Cateaton-ftreet, the etymology of 
which mult be curious, but which we have not been able 
to bring into a fatisfadtpry lhape. To the eaft is Loth- 
bury, which has been lately much improved and deco¬ 
rated by the north front of the bank, a grand fpecimen of 
Englifti Ikill in modern architecture: it appears heavy 
when compared to the fouth front, but has a majeitic 
DON, 479 
mien, fuitable to the repofitory of the wealth, or rather 
the credit, of a great nation. The corners, adorned with 
loggie and columns, do honour to the architect, Mr. Soane; 
and the north-eaft corner of Princes-ftreet being made to 
correfpond renders this part very interefting and worthy 
attention.—Speaking of Lothbury, Stow fays: “This 
ftreet is poffeffed, for the molt part, by founders, whocait 
candlelficks, chaifing-difiies, fpice-mortars, and fuch-hkc 
copper or latten wares, and do afterwards turn them with 
the foot, and not with the wheel, to make them fmooth 
and bright, which turning and feratting, as fome do term 
it, making' a loatfifume noife to the by-paffers, that have 
not been ufed to the like, it is therefore by them difdain- 
fully called Lothbury.”—With all the refpedt we bear foe 
our favourite hiltorian, we cannot help feelinga little reluc- 
tancy at coinciding with him in this etymology ; although, 
the neighbourhood of Armourers’ hall Teems ttrongly to 
countenance it. 
The parifli-church of St. Margaret, Lothbury, is a recr- 
tory, the foundation of which is of great antiquity, as ap¬ 
pears from John de Haflingfield, who was prefented to it, 
by the abbefs and convent of Barking in Effex, on the 
16 th of Auguft, in the year 1303. The patronage conti¬ 
nued in that convent till the general fupprefiion of reli¬ 
gious houfes, when it fell to the crown, in whom it has 
continued to the prefent time. The original church be¬ 
ing greatly decayed by time, a new one was built in the 
year 1440; but, that being deftroyed by the general con¬ 
flagration, the prefent edifice was erected in its.dead, and 
completely finifhed in the year 1690. It is a plain neat 
building, and is fituated on the ancient water-courfe 
of Wall-brook. It is fixty-fix feet long; fifty-four broad,. 
thirty-fix in height to the roof, and a hundred and forty 
to the top of the ffeeple. The body is well-lighted by a 
row of lofty windows, over which the wall is terminated 
by a baluftrade; and the principal door is ornamented 
with Corinthian columns, which fupport an angular pedi¬ 
ment. The tower has large windows in the uppermolt 
ftage, and is terminated a little above by a plain cornice, 
upon which is raifed a finall dome, that fupports a (len¬ 
der fpire. The infide is wainfeoted, the floor neatly paved, 
and the altar-piece handfomely ornamented,. The font 
for baptifin is extremely beautiful, being .carved with .a 
representation of the Garden of Eden and the Fall of Man, 
the Salvation of Noah and his Family in the Ark ; the Bap- 
tifin of Jelus by John Baptift, and Philip baptizing the 
Eunuch.. The cover is ornamented with the figure of St. 
Margaret, and with thofe of Faith, Hope, and Charity. 
The ornamenting of the facred pilcina, where ouroriginal 
ftain is fuppofed to be wathed away in the waters of bap- 
tifm, has been from remote times an object of attention 
for the Sculptor; and the workmanlhip of this font has 
fo many curious and interefting parts, that it is a very 
favourable fpecimen of performances of this kind. The 
compartments have been chofen with great knowledge 
and talte, as every one of them alludes to the facred rr.yfi- 
ter) f performed on the margin of the holy pool. Were 
we ttf enter into a differtation upon the ancient, and even 
pagan, ctiftom of baptizing, bathing, or performing ablu¬ 
tions, ftill in pradtice at this moment with the Mahome¬ 
tans, the Hindoos, as well as with all Chriftian fedts, we 
Ihould be led to draw a conclufion from no later time 
than the deluge itfelf; for it Teems that originally fwper- 
ftition hinted this ceremony as a prefervatiye .againit 
the vindictive waters of the flood. We find remnants of 
the fame idea, in the Eleufinian myfteries, in the proce.f- 
fion of Adonis at Alexandria ; and the firlt volume of the 
Memoirs of the Academy of Iufcriptions and Belles Lettre.s, 
will fatisfy the molt curious inquirer on the fubjedt.. 
'A few lteps to the welt from this church, is Founders’ 
Court, fo called from its neighbourhood to Founders’ Hall, 
which is a plain but convenient building, not only ferving 
the purpoles of the company jt belongs to, but is alio 
ufed as a place of worthip by a prelbyterian congregation. 
At the comer of Throgmorton-ftreet and JSartholomevy- 
1ms 
