483 ' LON 
fically of the tafte of ancient times, when Grecian orders 
were employed to decorate the fanes of the gods, the pa¬ 
laces of emperors, public edifices, and the private abodes 
of the rich. The Albion is a very refpeftable tavern for 
the accommodation of clubs, parties, See. 
Barbican, on the left, calls our attention. Its name 
roules ideas of ancient fortifications, and connects topo¬ 
graphy with hiftory by an interefting alliance. The ety¬ 
mology of the name is ftill enveloped in obfcurity : Stow 
derives it from Burgh-Kenning, a fort of watch-tower, or 
vedette; fpecula from which, through loop-holes, the be- 
fieged could fee, without being feen, the approach of the 
enemy. Some have thought fit to derive Barbican from 
two Latin words, Barba and cana, “grey-beard,” a ludi¬ 
crous appellation, which might have originated from the 
hoary vifages of the old watchmen appearing through the 
loop-holes. For the fecurity of Cripplegate, this Barbican 
flood as an advanced poll. We ought to remark here, 
that thefe barbicans were confidered of fuch importance, 
that the cuftody of them was always intruded to fome 
perfon of confequence in the (late. This tower, being 
granted by Edward III. to the earl of Suffolk, became his 
city reiidence. It afterwards defeended to lord Wil¬ 
loughby de Parham, and acquired the name of Wil- 
loughby-houfe. Adjoining to the Barbican, on the eaft, 
was another ftately edifice, called the Garter-houfe, which 
was erefted by fir Thomas Wriothefley, Garter king of 
arms, uncle to the firft earl of Southampton. On the top 
of this building was a chapel, called by the name of San- 
. tijjima: Trinitatis in alto. The fite is now occupied by Gar¬ 
ter-place. But the prefent Garter claims no fort of right 
, to this place. 
At a Ihort diftance- to .the north-weft is Bridgewater- 
fquare, a (mail neat quadrangle of plain but handfome 
houfes, with a grafs-plot and gravel-walk furrounded 
with iron-rails. This fquare is built on the fite of the 
; houfe and gardens belonging to the earls of Bridgewater. 
From the eaft end of Barbican runs Beech-lane, which 
Strype copjeftures was qamed from Nicholas de la Beech, 
lieutenant of the Tower of London, difiniffed from that 
office, in the 13th of Edward III. In this ftreet, a part of 
the ftately inanfion-houfe of the abbot of Ramfey in Hun- 
tingdonfhire is ftill remaining, the rooms whereof are very 
fpacious and lofty ; and, judging by the dimenfions of the 
kitchen, it muft have been built for the ufeof a numerous 
family. In the time of Charles II. this was the refidence 
of prince Rupert. It afterwards came into the poffeffion 
of fir Drew Drewrie, and obtained the name of Drewrie- 
houfe. It is now let out in tenements. At the north- 
eaft end of Beech-lane is a fet of alms-houfes, built in the 
year 1540, purfuant to the will of lady Anne Alkew, wi¬ 
dow of fir Chriftopher Afkew, lord-mayor of London in 
the year 1533, for eight poor widows of the Drapers'com¬ 
pany, with an allowance of three pounds per annum, and 
half a chaldron of coals ; which endowment was left in 
truft to the company of Drapers. On the fouth fide of 
Beech lane is Glovers’ Court, in which Hands Glovers’ 
Hall, a very old building, which has been i'ome time de- 
..ferted by the company, who now tranfaft their bulinefs 
at the George-and-Vulture Tavern, Lombard-ltreet. 
At the eaft end of Barbican we enter Redcrofs-ftreet, 
which, if we follow it to the fouth, will bring us back to 
Cripplegate-clnirch.—This ftreet is well built; and on the 
eaft fide, near the middle, is a library, founded by Daniel 
Williams, D. D. a Prefbyterian minilter, for the ufe of-the 
diffenting miniftersof the Prefbyterian, Independent, and 
Baptift, perfuafions. This gentleman, in 1711, bequeathed 
his valuable colleftion of books and manuferipts, for this 
.purpofe, with a handfome falary for a librarian and a 
houfekeeper; and, in purfuance of his will, a neat build¬ 
ing was erefted in Redcrofs-ftreet, with a genteel apart¬ 
ment for the librarian, See. and a room, capable of con- 
f.ining forty thouftmd volumes. In this library is a re- 
gifter, in which diffenters may record the births of their 
children. This foundation, which has been greatly aug- 
D O No 
mented fince its firft inftitution, is under the direction 6f 
twenty-three truftees, viz. fourteen minifters and nine lay¬ 
men, who muft be all Prefbyterians, under whom there is 
a fecretary and a fteward. Here are likewife fome curio- 
fities; as, an Egyptian mummy, and a glafs bafon which 
held the water wherewith queen Elizabeth was baptized. 
This Jaft is kept in a bag, whereon is fixed a paper, that 
explains how the bafon came into the poffeffion of the ma¬ 
nagers of the library. This and Whitecrofs-ftreet de¬ 
rived their names from a red and white crofs, which flood 
in Beech-lane. 
Eaft ward we find the celebrated Grub-ftreet; but it re¬ 
tains no fign of its having been once the refidence of 
wit and learning, of Apolioand his court. It afterwards 
became noted as the refidence of needy and inferior 
writers ; fo that, if a produftion is mean and illiberal, it 
is almoft proverbial to fay it comes out of Grub-ftreet. 
(See Gent. Mag. vol. i.) The different artifans employed 
in archery, fuch as bowyers, bowftring-makers, See. inha¬ 
bited in old times Grub-ftreet, the laft ftreet, in this part 
of the town, in being about the time of Aggas’s Map of 
London ; all beyond, as far as Bifhopfgate Without, were 
gardens, fields, or morafs. Grub-ftreet, however, had 
beer, very long built, as its exiftence, by the fame name, 
is identified in charters as far back as the year of Edward II. 
—In Hanover-fquare, on the eaft fide of this ftreet, is the 
houfe formerly occupied by general Monk, who was 
created duke of Albemarle for his fervices in reftoring 
Charles II.—-Farther to the north is Sun-alley, which 
forms the boundary of the city on this fide. 
Proceeding weftward, the next ftreet is Whitecrofs-ftreet, 
which is of conliderable length. In this ftreet was an hof- 
pital of St. Giles, founded in the reign of Edward I. but, 
being a cell to a French priory, it was fuppreffed, among 
other foreign foundations, by Henry V. who foon after¬ 
wards re-founded it for a domeftic fraternity of St. Giles, 
and referved the appointment of a cuftos to himfelf and his 
fucceflors. This ftreet, with Grub-ftreet, Golden-lane, and 
Chifwell-ftreet, in Cripplegate parifli, remained unpaved 
until the 35th of Henry VIII. when they were become al¬ 
moft impaflable; in confequence of which an aft of par¬ 
liament was paffed for paving them. According to Pen¬ 
nant, a certain row of houfes on this fpot had been ufed as 
a nurfery for the children of Henry VIII. The building 
was afterwards converted into a play-houfe; and was re¬ 
built in 1599 by Alleyne the player, founder of Dulwich- 
college. It was called the Fortune Theatre, and had a figure 
of the goddefs in front. “ The prefent ftructure in Golden- 
lane,” fays Howes’s Chron. “ having in front the figures of 
Hope and Charity, appears to have been built about the 
year 1621, the old one having fliared the common fate of 
theatres , in being deftroyed by fire.” Golden-lane Brew¬ 
ery was built on this feite in 1805. 
If we turn back to Whitecrofs-ftreet, we fitall have to no¬ 
tice the progrefs of a large edifice now building there, and 
intended to be a city and county prifon for debtors onlv. 
The walls and their buttrefles are in the new lfyle; that 
is, inftead of having the wall ftraight and perpendicular 
and the buttreffes Hoping, thefe are perfeftly vertical and 
the gentle Hope is put upon the walls. The top of the 
buttreffes is adorned with a pediment in ftone ; and the 
whole, according to the plan, will have a great and imppfi- 
ing appearance.—This prifon, which is built for the pur¬ 
pofe of diftinguifhing the confinement of debtors from 
that- of criminals in the crowded prifons of Newgate 
and the Compters, had its origin in the obfervations 
publifhed by fir Richard Phillips in his Letter to the Li¬ 
very of London, which were ably fupported by a com¬ 
mittee of the corporation of London, appointed to re¬ 
port on them. The firft ftone was laid by Mr. Alderman 
Wood in July 1813; and the part intended for city deb¬ 
tors is finiihed. It is to be regretted that the high price 
of ground has too much limited the areas forexercife; and 
that there is at prefent no entrance from Redcrofs-ftreet 
for the city-fide, which is kept diltinft from the county- 
