522 
LON 
weft ot itfconfifting of a middle and two fide aifles; to 
which the old church ferved as a choir. It was originally 
a re&ory in the patronage of the abbot and convent of 
Weftminfter, and is fiippofed to have been converted to 
a vicarage about the year 1529. When Henry VIII. dif- 
folved the convent of Weftminfter, and formed it into a 
biihopric, this church was conferred upon the new biftiop ; 
and, when Edward reltored the deanery, the patronage was 
granted to the dean and chapter, in whom it has ever fince 
continued, except during the reign of Mary, who re- 
eftabliffied the diffolved convent. In 1610, the earl of 
Porfet gave a parcel of ground, on the weft fide of Fleet- 
ditch, for a new church-yard; which was confecrated on 
the'2d of Auguft that fame year, by Dr. George Abbot, 
biftiop of London. The old church having been deftroyed 
by the fire of London in 1666, the prefent edifice which 
was defigned by fir Chriftopher Wren, was completed by 
him within fourteen years, in fuch a mafterly and elegant 
manner, as to exceed molt of our parifh-churches in de¬ 
licacy and beauty; it is itt feet long, 87 broad, and the 
fleeple is 234. feet high, which is thirty-two feet higher than 
the monument. It has a plain and regular body, the 
openings all anfwering to each other: the roof is railed 
on pillars; and the altar-piece, like the outfide of the 
church, is very magnificent. The circular pediment, over 
the lower part, isfupported by fix Corinthian columns. 
The fteeple is a fpire of extremely-delicate workmanfhip, 
raifed upon a folid yet light tower : and the feveral ftages 
by whichthe fpire gradually decreafesare well defigned, and 
Ikilfully executed. In this fteeple is a ring of twelve bells 
fo much noticed for the melody of their tones, that, when 
they are rung by day, it is not uncommon to fee groups 
«f gaping people, imbibing with open mouth and-ears the 
fweet harmony. 
Under the eaft end of the church-yard was a fpring of 
the pureft water, which had anciently a very great name 
for curing difeafed eyes. It has been forfome years con¬ 
fined into a well, and is dealt out by means of a pump 
under an arch of brick without any ornament, which is 
vifited by many people, and even by fome who live far 
. from the place.—Moft ancient churches have fuch fprings; 
the reafon of which is, that thofe churches belonged to 
convents, or particular congregations, who would natu¬ 
rally feek for a fpot where clear and perennial water was 
flowing for their ufe. The lame coincidence is obfervable 
nearly every-where on the continent.- 
The convent of the Carmelites, or White Friars, fo 
called from their clothing, which according to the rules 
of the order, is white, occupied the fpace from Fleet-ftreet 
down to the Thames, on the banks of which was their 
garden. Thefe friars were mendicant, although fome 
lands and mefluages belonged to their community. Their 
convent was founded in 1241, by fir Richard Grey, 
anceftor of the lords Grey of Codnor in Derbylhire ; and 
was rebuilt by Hugh Courteney, earl of Devonftiire, about 
the year 1350, when the ground given to the order by 
Edward I. to enlarge their buildings was taken in. Many 
perfons of diftinflion were interred in the conventual 
church, which was built by fir Robert Knolles, a great 
warrior in the reigns of Edward III. and Richard II. 
The company of Curriers had a guild in this church, 
whence it is probable that many of that profeflion refided 
in the vicinity. At the dilTolution of this convent in the 
30th of Henry VIII. the revenues of the houfe were va¬ 
lued at 62I. 7s. 3d. when the king conferred different 
portions of the building upon his favourites; and in 1557, 
Edward VI. granted the church, chapter-houfe, and other 
parts of the priory, to the biftiop of Worcefter and his 
fucceffors. In the year 1608, the inhabitants of this dif- 
trict obtained a charter from James I. to entitle them to 
feveral liberties and privileges, and an exemption from 
the jurildiflion of the city of London; which foon ren¬ 
dered the place an afylum for infolvent debtors, cheats, 
and gamefteis, who gave it the name of Allatia, But the 
inconventcncits produced by this fanctuary, and the riot- 
D O N. 
ous proceedings carried on there, at length induced the’ 
legiflature to interpofe their authority ; and, in the year 
1696, an aft of parliament was pafled to deprive the dif- 
trifl of privileges fo injurious to the community. 
Between St. Bride’s and the fpot where the White Friars 
were, we have Salilbury-court, ftreet, and fquare, Dorfet- 
ftreet, &c.—Salilbury-court is ftill famous for a long- 
eftablifhed cook’s (hop, where, five-and-tbirty years ago, 
when it was under the diredlion of Mr. Simpfon, a man 
could get a very fubftantial plate of “ roaft or fodden 
meate” for4d. and dine for 5|d. beer and bread included. 
—From the profits of fuch moderate charges, Simpfon 
made a handfome fortune, and retired; but afterwards, 
by fpeculations in building, and the extravagance of his 
fon, became poor, and, we underftand, died lately in the 
poll: of beadle to St. Bride’s parilh. 
Salifbury-fquare is fo called from being the fite of the 
bifiiops of Saji {bury, who refided there when their parlia¬ 
mentary duties required that they Ihould live in or near 
the metropolis. But, when the clergy became lefs con- 
nefted with affairs of ftate, the earls of Dorfet inhabited 
the houfe, and caufed the name of the ftreet abovemen- 
tioned. 
Between Salifbury-fquare and the Thames is the office 
belonging to the New River Company, with all its appen¬ 
dages and wharfs.—It is a handfome brick edifice, built 
in a very neat and uniform ftyle. Del'cending the hill 
from the top of Dorfet-ftreet, this fabric, divided in three 
corps, each adorned with a pediment, and the middle one 
with a portico, brings to the recolleftion of a claffical 
mind, the fanes of Athens and Rome. The wide ex- 
panfe of the river behind, and the mafs of buildings on 
the other fide of the Thames, add confiderable intereft to 
a view, of which very few people ever take any notice. 
Somewhere about the bottom of Bouverie or Silv'er- 
ftreet, and below the Bolt-and-Tun inn, was a magnificent 
and fpacious theatre, wherein plays were a&ed till the ab¬ 
dication of James II. A few years fince a plan was in 
agitation to enliven this part of the city by the pre¬ 
fence of a third play-houfe, but leave has not yet been 
obtained ; and it is worthy of remark, that the city has 
not had a play-houfe within her walls for a great number 
of years. However, there is (fill a large piece of ground 
unoccupied ; and indeed, this is perhaps the largeft fpot 
of land within the limits of the city which has remained 
unbuilt upon for fo many years. Perhaps the owners of it 
may ftill indulge the hope of obtaining a patent or licenfe- 
and that the only abfolute monopoly exilting in this coun¬ 
try may yet be got rid of. See Letters Patent, vol, 
xii. p. 541. 
The north fide of Fleet-ftreet does not furnilh us with 
any thing worthy of being pointed out to our readers._ 
Several courts communicating with the market, and Harp- 
alley (a row of houfes occupied by brokers), and Shoe- 
lane, are hardly worth mentioning. The Jait winds 
gently towards Holborn-hill, where it ends at the north- 
eaft wall of Sr. Andrew’s church-yard. Lower down to¬ 
wards the fouth, on the fame fide of Shoe-lane, is a bu¬ 
rial-place, belonging to the parilh of St. Andrew, over 
the entrance to which is a carving of the general refur- 
rection, which is well executed but, having been re¬ 
peatedly covered with paint, all the iharpnefs of the figures 
is loft. 
Nearly oppofite to this, is Bangor-court, and the re¬ 
mains of the city-manfion of the bilhops of Bangor; the 
eaft end of which has fome appearance of having been 
formerly ufed as a chapel. In the window, at this end 
is a coat of arms, in Itained glafs, with the name of Flet- 
wood. On the fouth fide of the building is an ancient 
door-way, ornamented with military trophies. The re- 
verfion of this mefluage, with a. quantity of walte-land 
belonging to it, mealuring a hundred and lixty-eight feet 
in length from north to fouth, and a hundred and fixty- 
four in breadth from eaft to weft, was fold in the year 
1647, by the trultees for the fale of biffiops’ lands, to 
John 
