SOS LON 
now outfide of the ancient fabrie; yet the fweep of the 
■windows, and the ftyle of the buttrefles, evince great an¬ 
tiquity. The accefs to it is narrow, and cramped by the 
building of many hotifes in the neighbourhood ; and in 
the church-yard is a fchool, which belongs to the efta- 
bliffiment of the church, and is called “ the Navy School.” 
It is old and neat, and over the door is a circular pedi¬ 
ment, under the fliell of which are reprefented two boys 
holding an open book. 
Adjoining to this church is Montague Clofe, fo called 
from the manfion of the lord Montague, which was form¬ 
erly fituated on this fpot, as was alfo that of the lord 
Monteagle. In this clofe it is laid the gun-powder plot 
was difeovered by the mifearriage of a letter, to one of 
which lords it was delivered by miftake inftead of the 
other; for which happy difeovery, Montague Clofe en¬ 
joyed feveral diftinguilhing privileges, particularly one, 
viz. that whoever dwelt there was exempt from having 
any aft ions of debt, trefpafs, & c. ferved on them. But 
this privilege, with feveral others, has been long fuppreffed. 
At the weltend of St. Saviour’s church was anciently fituated 
Winchelter-houfe, which was at firft erefted by William 
Gilford, bilhop of that fee, about the year 1107. Till the 
civil wars, this was the town-refidence of the prelates of 
that fee during their attendance on parliament. Much of 
it is yet handing, tenanted by different families, or con¬ 
verted into warehoufes. Adjoining to it on the fouth, 
flood the manfion of the bilhop of Rochelter; but when, 
or by whom, erefted, is not known. A faint remembrance 
of Winchefter-houfe Hill exiIts in a narrow, Ihort, and dirty, 
thoroughfare, at the well of the church, and called Win- 
chefter~ftreet. Mills of different kinds occupy the fpace 
from this to the bank of the river, to which the accefs is 
divided into feveral lanes and narrow paflages, which, when 
well known, Ihorten the way conliderably towards Lon- 
don-bridge. 
A little to the weft of St. Saviour’s is Stoney-ftreet, 
which, terminating on the bank of the Thames nearly op- 
polite to Dowgate, was probably the continuation of the 
Watling-road, with the intermediate afliltance of the ferry 
plying there. 
The church of St. Olave is at the entrance of Tooley- 
ftreet, which is long, but in tome parts narrow, and is in 
general exceedingly dirty, owing to the great number of 
carts that are continually palling with goods from the dif¬ 
ferent wharfs on the fouth tide of the river Thames. Though 
it cannot be ascertained at what time a church was fu ll litu- 
a ted on this fpot, yet it is mentioned as early as the year 1281. 
However, part of the old church falling down in 1736, and 
the reft being in a ruinous condition, the parilliioners ap¬ 
plied to parliament for a power to rebuild it; which being 
■granted, the remains of the old building were taken down 
in the year 1737, and the prefent ftrufture linifhed in 1739. 
It confifts of a plain body llrengthened with rultic quoin* 
at the corners 5 the door is well proportioned, without or¬ 
nament, and the windows are placed in three feries ; the 
lowed is upright, but conliderably broad; thofe above 
them circular, and the others on the roof are large and 
femi-circular. The tower conlifts of three ftages, the up- 
permolt of which is conliderably dirninilhed; in this is the 
clock, and in the ftages below are large windows. The 
top of the tower is lurrounded by a plain fubltantial ba- 
luiirade, and the whole has an air of plainriefs and limpli- 
city. This parifti is a reftory, the patronage of which is 
in the gift of the crown. 
The parilh of St. Olave, like many others in the fuburbs 
of London, being greatly increafed both in number of 
houfes and inhabitants, the commillioners forerefting fifty 
new churches within the bills of mortality, purchafed the 
ground, in which the trained bands of Southwark former¬ 
ly exercifed, and, from that circumltance, called the ar- 
tillery-grcund, whereon they erefted a parilh-church for 
the dil'trift of Horlleydown, and dedicated it to St. John 
the Evangelilt, the inhabitants having obtained an act of 
parliament tor conftituting this portion of the parifli of St. 
DON. 
Olave into a feparate parilh, and making a provi'ion for 
its reftor. This church was finilhed in 1732. The body 
of it is lighted by two ranges of windows, with a Vene¬ 
tian one in the centre, over the door. The eaft end i* 
circular, and with a dome; and at the weft end is a fquara 
tower riling from the roof, ornamented with pilafters, and 
having a baluftrade on the top, within which is a fquare 
courfe fupportinga neat fluted fpire crowned with the vo¬ 
lutes of the Ionic order. This parifti is a reftory; and, 
being taken out of St. Olave’s, the patronage is alfo in 
the crown. 
Near St. Olave’s church is fituated the Bridge-houfe, 
which confifts of. feveral buildings adapted as ftore-houles 
for timber, Hone, and other materials for repairing Lon- 
don-bridge. I11 former times here were feveral granaries 
for the fervice of the city in times of fcarcity; and alio 
ten ovens and a brew-houfe for making bread and beer for 
the relief of the poor citizens; hut thele granaries are now 
applied to the ufe of the cornfaftors, who here lay in con- 
liderable quantities of corn. The Bridge-houfe is under 
the management of the bridge-mafters, whofe office is to 
look after the reparation of London-bridge.—Adjoining 
to the Bridge-lioufe-yard formerly Hood a large houfe of 
Hone and wood, the city refidence of the abbot of St. Au- 
guftine’s in Canterbury; which afterwards defending to 
lir Anthony Sentlegar, or Saint Leger, SanSlus Ledgarius , 
a very ancient French family, the lite- thereof was con¬ 
verted into a wharf, which by an eafy tranfition, is now 
called Sellenger’s Wharf.—On the eaft fide of the Bridge- 
yard was formerly fituated the manfion of the abbot of 
Battle in Suflex, the name whereof is partly preferved by 
the place called Battle-Bridge; oppolite to which, on the 
fouth, lay its fine and fpacious garden, wherein was 3 
maze, or labyrinth, the name whereof is alfo preferved 
by the lpot of ground, which confifts of feveral ftreets, 
being at this time called the Maze. 
Oppofite to St. Olave’s is Church-yard Alley, leading 
to an inclofure before the opening of the church-yard 
belonging to that parilh. Here we find alms-houfoi called 
Queen Elizabeth's. A paffage on the north of tliefe alms- 
lioufes leads to High-ftreet in the Borough. Bermondfey- 
ftreet, a noble thoroughfare, opens on the left fide of 
Tooley-ftreet, and leads to the road called by the name 
of the Blue Anchor , where a public-houfe and tea-gardens 
under that name are well attended on fummer evenings. 
The Borough of Southwark, of which High-ftreet is 3 
principal and perhaps the moll ancient part inhabited, is a 
ward belonging to the city, but it may be faid to be only 
nominal; for, though it lias an alderman, he is not elefted 
by the inhabitants, nor have they any reprefentatives in 
the court of common-council. The fenior alderman of 
London, who is termed father of the city, is therefore re¬ 
moved to this ward, whenever a vacancy occurs, as an ho¬ 
nourable finecure, which relieves him from the fatigues of 
ward-bufinefs. 
Some authors have fuppofed that Southwark was the firft 
place of trade with the Romans, and that London arofe 
from it; but, although this opinion is without foundation, 
it is however certain that, ever fince London began to 
flotirifli, Southwark, as one of its appendages, and con- 
nefted with it in commerce, has experienced a propor¬ 
tionate profperity. The firft mention we find of South¬ 
wark in hiltory, is in the reign of Edward the Confeffor, 
about the year 1053 ; at tvhich time it appears to have 
been a corporation governed by a bailiff; and it continued 
in that ftate till the year 1327, when the city of London 
obtained a grant of it from the crown, and the mayor was 
to appoint all its officers. Some few years after, the inha¬ 
bitants recovered their former privileges, and kept pofiefi- 
feffion of them till the reign of Edward VI. when the 
crown made a fecond grant of it to the city of London, 
for a valuable confideration. At the lame time London 
purchafed all the privileges belonging to the archbifhops 
of Canterbury and the abbots of Bermondfey in South¬ 
wark j and from that period it has been annexed to Lon- 
don„ 
