LON 
{twee which it has c®me into the poffeflion of the earls of 
Oxford ; in whofe hands it ftill remains. At a (liort dif- 
tance from the church, in the New Road, is the work- 
hoi) le for this pai'ifh, which is one of the Iargeft and moft 
commodious eftablifhments of that defcription, in or near 
the metropolis. It was erefted in the year 1775, and, 
avith the infirmary adjoining, is fitted up with every con¬ 
venience which philanthropy could fugged, for the com¬ 
fort of thofe whofe age or infirmities compels them to 
feek fuch an afylum. 
To the eaft of the church was a place of public enter¬ 
tainment, nearly upon the plan of Vauxhall, called Mary¬ 
bone Gardens. In the reign of queen Anne there had been 
e noted tavern in this place, with bowling-greens, much 
frequented by perfons of the firft: rank. It afterwards grew 
into difrepute, and is made by Gay the feene of Macheatli’s 
debauches. About the year 1740, Marybone Gardens were 
famed for public breakfafis and evening concerts. Some 
.of the firft fingers were generally engag 'd there ; and fire¬ 
works were frequently exhibited. In 1777, or 1778, the 
gardens were flint up, and the life let to builders. Tile 
ground is • now occupied by Beaumont-ftreet, part of 
Devonlbire-ftreet, and part of Devonftiire-place. From 
the name of Bowling-green-alley, ftill given to the Itreet 
which formed their fouthern boundary, tiiis was pro¬ 
bably the place alluded to by lady Mary Wortley Mon¬ 
tague, in this line: “Some dukes at Marybone bowl 
time away;” and which is meant by Pennant, who, when 
(peaking of the duke of Buckingham’s defcription of 
the houie, now the Queen’s Palace, and his manner of 
living there, inferted in Dodftey’s London and its Envi¬ 
rons, fays, “ He has omitted his conltant vilits to the noted 
gaming-lioufe at Marybone ; the place of affemfthge of all 
the infamous (harpers of the tjmeto whom his grace 
always gave a dinner at the conclufion of the feafon ; and 
liis parting toaft was, “May as many of us as remain un¬ 
hanged, next fpring, meet here again.” 
Near this fpot, and to a coniiderahle diftance to the 
north and weft of it, was once a royal park, well (locked 
with game; and in queen Elizabeth’s Progreffes it is re¬ 
corded, that, “on the third of February, 1600, the am- 
ba-ffadors from the emperor of Rul’ia, and other Mufco- 
vites, rode through the city of London to Marybone Park, 
and there hunted at their pleafure ; and fliortly after re¬ 
turned homeward.” If, two hundred years ago, the anna- 
lift was proud to mention the proceflion of anibaffadors 
from the Hyperborean countries through the city of Lon¬ 
don to Marybone Park, with what felf-latisla£lion may we 
not look at our own times, when the very wrift of the em¬ 
peror of Ruljia fell down benumbed with the long cere¬ 
mony of (baking hands with Mr. Bull and his numerous 
family. Had feme prophet at that time been able to re¬ 
veal to our anceitors the fum of our happinefs, they would 
have died with regret at having been born loo foon. 
Near the place where the lord-mayor’s banqueting-houfe 
flood,is Stratford Place, which,for uniformity and neatnefs, 
may be chaffed among the principal ornamentsof this parifti. 
It confifts of two uniform rows of lioufes, leading into a 
(mail area, or fquare, the tipper or north fide ot which is 
formed by an elegant edifice, with a (tone front, which ig 
cornpofed of a ruttic bafsment-ftory, fupporting a range of 
columns cf the Ionic order, crowned with an entablature, 
decorated with ox-fculls, from the horns of which hang 
neat feftoons of flowers and foliage. Above this entabla¬ 
ture rifes a triangular pediment, from the (ides of. which 
a baluftrade, ornamented with elegant vafes, is continued 
along the top of the building. From each fide of this 
building, a Doric colonnade, crowned with a baluftrade, 
and ornamented with vafes, extends to the eaft and welt 
tides of the area, the fronts of the lioufes in which are 
ftuccoed, and the windows of the principal (lory orna¬ 
mented with a triangular and a circular pediment, alter¬ 
nately. The (ides of the ftreet, leading into the area, are 
exadly fimilar. AH the lioufes are of brick ; but thole in 
the centre, and at the ends, are ornamented with ftone, in 
Vol. XIII. No. 929, 
BON. 577 
a ftyle correfponding with the principal building in the 
area. On each fide of the entrance is a fmall houfe for a 
watchman, on the top of which is the figure of alion, carved 
in (lone. • 
Farther to the eaft, in Vere-ftreet, is Oxford Chapel ; a 
handlome brick building, (Lengthened with ruftic quoiti3 
of (lone. The principal entrance, at the weft end, is by 
a flight of fteps leading to a porch of the Doric order; the 
entablature of which Aipports a triangular pediment, con¬ 
taining a Carving in (lone of the arms of the founder, who 
appears from them to have been a defeendant of Aubrey de 
Vere, the laft earl of Oxford of that family, who died in 1702. 
The (leeple (firings from the centre of the roof, at this end, 
and confifts of three ftnges, viz. a fquare tower of brick, 
above which is an octagon tower^ open on all the fides, 
and crowned with a dome, from which fprings a fecond, 
and fmaller, oflagon tower, which fupports a ball and 
vane. At the eaft end is a Venetian window, above which 
is a triangular pediment. A modillion-cornice of (lone 
is continued all round the building, and at each cornice is 
a handlome (lone Vafe. 
The particular increafe of this part of Marybone began 
between the years 1716 and 1720, by the building of Ca- 
vendifli-fquare, which contains an area of between two and 
three acres, and is encompaffed with handfome buildings, 
particularly on the north fide, which is formed by four de¬ 
tached edifices. Of thefe, the two in the centre have ele¬ 
gant ltone fronts, and, as well as the two at the extre¬ 
mities, are exactly fimilar to each other. They contain a 
ruftic bafemint-ftory, which Aipports a range of handfome 
Corinthian columns, crowned with their proper entabla¬ 
ture. Above thefe is a triangular pediment, in which is 
a circular port-hole window, ornamented with a wreath ; 
and the roof is concealed by ail attic baluftrade. The 
other two lioufes on this fide are neat brick buildings, with 
ruftic quoins of flone; the ornaments of the windows are 
alfo of (tone, and above the centre one is a carved tablet, 
with a handfome feftoon of flowers. Oil the weft fide of 
the fquare is the noble manfion of the earl of Harcourt; 
but it is entirely concealed from view by a high brick 
wall. In the centre of the fquare is an equeltrian ftatue 
of William duke of Cumberland, who gained the battle 
of Culloden, which terminated the rebellion in Scotland, 
in the reign of George II. 
Maitland, in his Hiftory of London, publifhed in the 
year 1739, ftates the number of houfes in Marybone to 
be five hundred and feventy-feven, and the perfons who 
kept coaches to be thirty-five. At prefent, the number 
of houfes is more than twelve thoufand, and the number 
of coaches muft have increafed in a proportionate, if not 
a greater, ratio. Some idea may be formed of the i 111 menfe 
increafe in the rental of this parifti, from the land-tax af- 
feffment; the quota to which, 564.I. 5s. id. was raifed eight 
years ago by a rate of only one farthing in the pound. 
This, allowing for fome deficiencies, in collefling, makes 
the rental amount to nearly five hundred and fifty thou¬ 
fand pounds. All the north fide of Oxford-ftreet, which 
Pennant fays he remembered “a deep hollow road, full of 
(loughs, with here and there a ragged houfe, the lurking 
place of cut-throats,” is in this parifti. 
Portman-fquare is one of the iargeft and liandfomeft 
fquares in the metropolis. The centre is laid out in (lirub- 
beries and grafs-plats, interfeffed with gravel-walks ; and 
the furrounding buildings are very elegant; it is, how¬ 
ever, to be regretted, that the coup d'cril is wounded by the 
want of correfpondence among them ; fume being remark¬ 
able for a profuficn of architectural elegance, while others 
are ditlinguiftied only by a neat fimplicity. At the north- 
welt angle is the elegant manfion which was the refidence 
of the late Mrs. Montague, who was celebrated for the 
dinner (lie annually gave to the chimney-fweepers, on the 
ill of May, on the lawn before her houfe. 
Were we to notice all the private houfes which de- 
ferve to be looked at for their elegance and neatnefs in 
this part of the town, we might fwell this article to many 
7. H- volumes^. 
