484 
LON 
hind thefe houfes is a fmall church-yard, but without any 
tombs or grave-(tones : it is feparated from the (freet by 
an iron railing; and a couple of lime-trees wave in me¬ 
lancholy fiience over the long-forgotten a(hes of fome of 
our'anceftors. It belonged anciently to the parifh-church 
of St. Peter, which (food where thefe four houfes now 
are, and was a reffory, the patronage of which was an¬ 
ciently in the abbot and convent of St. Alban’s; in whom 
it continued till the fuppreffion of their monaftery, when 
Henry VIII. granted it to the earl of Southampton : it is 
now in the gift of private perfons. The church, being 
deftroyed by the fire in 1666, was not rebuilt; and the 
parifii was united to that of St. Matthew, Friday-ftreet. 
In the year 1401, a licenfe was granted to the inhabi¬ 
tants of this parifh, to ere< 5 t a (hed or (bop, before their 
church in Cheapfide, for which they were to pay, annu¬ 
ally, to the chamber of London, the furn of thirty (hillings 
and four pence; but, this ground-rent proving too high, 
it was reduced to thirteen (hillings and four pence. On 
the fite of this building, which was called the Long Shop, 
the four (hops above mentioned were afterwards erected 
with rooms over them. 
From this part of Cheapfide, which appears of a .noble 
breadth, and great extent, we may form an idea of our 
metropolis, and of its bufinefs which, alive every-where, is 
particularly remarkable in this large artery, leading to the 
heart of the city. We have alfo a good view of that 
handfome church, St. Mary-le-Bow, one of the bed con¬ 
ceptions of fir Chriftopher Wren. It is a magnificent 
pile, and one of the greateff ornaments of the neighbour¬ 
hood. The fteeple claims peculiar admiration for its light- 
nefs, elegance, and proportions; being built of Portland 
ftone, of feveral ftages, adorned with columns, and of the 
height of two hundred and twenty-five feet. The laft 
object at top is the vane, in the fiiape of a dragon, chofen 
as a compliment to the city, to whofe arms this fabulous 
being is the well-known fupporter. 
If we leave this church on the ea(f, vve find, in our re¬ 
turn to St. Paul’s, Friday-ftreet, at the north end of which 
Hands the parifh-church of St. Matthew the evangelift. 
The patronage of this church, which is a redory, was in 
the abbot and convent of Weftminlter, till their iuppref- 
fion ; when, the conventual church being converted into 
a cathedral, Henry VIII. conferred it upon the bifhop, 
But, the new bilhopric being diffolved foon after, Ed¬ 
ward VI. in the year 1551, granted the advowfon of this 
church to the biftiop of London and his fuccefTors, in 
■whom it (till continues. The old church was deftroyed 
by the fire of London, and the prefent flrudure erected 
upon its ruins. It is a plain Hone building, with one fe- 
ries of large arched windows; and at the eaft end is the 
Heeple, which confifts of a fiquare brick tower, wholly de¬ 
void of ornament. The length of this church is fixty 
feet, its breadth thirty-three, the height of the roof thirty- 
one, and that of the tower feventy-four feet. 
Old Change, the next fireet to this weftward, is a flight 
momento of the King’s Exchange, or office for receiving 
bullion in exchange for coin, once Handing there. This 
was farmed to the citizens of London, who received the 
old coining-irons, and delivered new ones to all the mints 
in England. The ftreet is dark, being highly built and 
narrow. The eallern part of Colet’s fchool occupies the 
welt fide of it; the eaft fide confifts of ref'pedable ware- 
houfes. It croffes Watling-ftreet at right angles, and goes 
with a gentle (lope and 1 'erpentir.e winding down to Old 
Fifh-ftreet. 
At the interfeftion of Watling-ftreet with Old Change, 
Hands the parilh-church of St. Atiftin, called, in old re¬ 
cords, Ecclfia SanEli Augujiirii ad Portam, becaufe it flood 
faft by the gate leading out of St. Paul’s-church-yard into 
Watling-ftreet. It is a reftory, the patronage of which 
appears to have been always in the dean and chapter of 
St. Paul’s ; for it is mentioned in their books in the year 
1181, vvhen Ralph de Diceto was dean. The old church 
was deftroyed by the fire of London, on the ruins of which 
D O N. 
the prefent edifice was erefted. It is a fubftantial ftruc- 
ture, built with ftone, and well pewed and wainfeoted 
within: the pulpit is finely embellished ; the altar-piece is 
fpacious and beautiful, with a very handfome pediment 
in the front, fupported by pillars in imitation of porphyry ; 
and on the top of the pediment are the king’s arms. The 
length of this church is fifty-one feet, the breadth forty- 
five, the height of the roof thirty, of the fteeple a hundred 
and forty-five. 
After the fire of London, this church was made pa¬ 
rochial for the parifh of St. Auftin and that of St. Faith, 
which was united to it.—The church of St. Faith was 
originally a diitimft building from St. Paul’s, at the eaft 
end of it; but was demolilhed between the years 1251 
and 1256, to make way for the enlargement cf that ca¬ 
thedral ; and, in lieu of it, a place of vvorfhip was given to 
the parifhioners in cryptis (corruptly the crowds), or welt- 
ern part of the vault, under the choir of the cathedral, 
which, being dedicated to St. Faith, acquired the appella¬ 
tion of Ecclefia Santltz Fidei in Cryptis. Here the inhabi¬ 
tants continued to perform their religious duties until the 
year.1551, when the Chapel of Jefus, at the eaft end of 
the vault, was fuppreffed ; which being much larger, and 
better lighted, they were permitted to remove into that, 
and continued to occupy it until the cathedral was de¬ 
ftroyed by the fire in 1666 ; after which, this parifh being 
united to St. Auftin’s, the pariffiioners were no longer 
in want of a church. It is a reftory, and one of the pe¬ 
culiars belonging to the dean and chapter of St. Paul’s, 
where they are both patrons and ordinaries. Part of the 
church-yard belonging to St. Faith’s parifh was taken to 
enlarge the ftreet at the eaft end of St. Paul’s church yard 3 
the remainder lies within the inclofure, and ferves for a 
burying-place forthe parifhioners of St. Faith. 
On the other fide of Cheapfide, and weftward from 
Wood-ftreet, Sadlers’ Hall has its opening, with an ele¬ 
gant front and the arms of the company boldly and ex- 
preffively carved over the gate. On the fame fide opens 
Gutter-lane —“ fo called of Guthurun, fometime owner 
thereof; the inhabitants of this lane (of old time) were 
gold-beaters, as does appear by records in the exchequer. 
For the Eafterling money was appointed to be made of 
fine filver, fuch as men made into foylt (‘feuille, 1 leaf;) 
and was commonly called filter of Guthurun's-lane .”—Hence 
arofe the word ferling, ufed to denote pure and genuine 
money, and in general every thing of undoubted value. 
A little farther in the fame direction is Fofter-lane ; 
on the eaft fide of which (lands the parochial church of 
St. Vedaft, alias Fofter. This church, which is a rec¬ 
tory, is fo denominated from being dedicated to St. 
Vedaft, bifhop of Arras. Siowe calls St. Fofer a corrup- - 
tion perhaps of the name as pronounced at Arras and 
other places, St. Vaafi —the letter V being often changed 
into an F in tranfition from one tongue to another.—The 
firft mention made of this church, is, that Walter de Lon¬ 
don was prefented thereto in the year 1308. The patro¬ 
nage of this church was anciently in, and continued with, 
the prior and convent of Canterbury, till the year 1352, 
when it was transferred to the archbifhop. It is one of the 
thirteen peculiars in this city belonging to the archiepif- 
copal fee. Though this church was not entirely deftroy¬ 
ed by the dreadful conflagration in 1666, yet it received 
very confiderable damage ; and was afterwards repaired, 
for the molt part^upon the old walls. The fteeple flood 
till the year 1694, when it was found in fuch a weak con¬ 
dition, that the pariftiioners had it taken down and re¬ 
built, at their own charge, entirely of ftone. It is fixty- 
nine feet long, fifty-one feet broad, and. thirty-fix feet 
high, to the roof, and is well lighted by a range of win¬ 
dows, placed fo high, that the doors open under them. 
The tower of this church is one of fir Chriftopher Wren’s 
happieft efforts. 
To this parifh was annexed, after the fire of London, the 
churchlefs parifh of St. Michael le Querne, anciently called 
Santtus Michael ad Bladum , in French St, Michel au Bled 9 
or 
