578 t 0 N 
■volumes; Wc ftouft therefore confine durfelves to the 
duty of a furveyor, and merely point out ftreets and 
fquares as they fuggeft any thing interefting to our readers. 
—The late duke of Manchelter built a houfe in a fquare 
which from it received its name. The fquare is ifnall, 
but neat; and the centre, furrounded with iron railing, is 
taftefully laid out in compartments of llirubs and flowers. 
Near this, is the Spanifli ambaflador’s chapel, which was 
kept open all through the French revolution, and even 
when we were at war with Spain, for the accommodation 
of the Roman catholics of the neighbourhood. And, in¬ 
deed, what has war to do with the religious fenfibilities of 
man ? Nothing but a narrow-minded fpeculation would 
have fuggefted the idea of Ihutting up this and other 
places of worlhip, viz. the Sardinian, Bavarian, See. chapels. 
Thanks to the fpirit of toleration, this was not the cafe. 
On the ealf of Cavendilh-fquare, is one of the broadeft 
ftnd beft-built ftreets in the metropolis: it is called Port¬ 
land Place. Its breadth is upwards of a hundred and 
twenty feet; and the houfeson each fide are regular, lofty, 
and elegant ; the middle ones are particularly adorned 
with compofition bas-reliefs and cornices. This place 
leads to the New Road ; and the extenfive plantations and 
preparations made, or making, on the crown-land, to the 
north of the New Road, called Marybone Park, though 
more commonly the Regent’s Park, and the palling of an 
a< 5 t of parliament for a grand new ftreet from the pro- 
pofed Park to Charing Crofs, having attracted the general 
attention of the public, we fubmit to our readers fomuch 
of the accepted Plan of Mr. John Nath, architect, as will 
convey a dear idea of the intended improvements. 
“ Marybone Park lies on the north-weft boundary of 
the town, abutting fouth on the New Road from Padding¬ 
ton to Iflington; and part of it advances fouthward of 
the New Road to the ends of Portland Place, Harley- 
ftreet, and Portland Road, all which parts of the town 
liave long flnee been built upon to the fouthern boundary 
of Marybone Park. The northern boundary lies open to 
Hampftead and Highgate ; and, great as the (peculations in 
building are, the period mult be very remote when Mary¬ 
bone Park (hall be enclofed on its northern fide. The 
houfes forming the flreets abutting on the fouthern boun¬ 
dary of Marybone Park, f'uch as Baker-ltreet, Notting- 
ham-ftreet, Nottingham Place, High-ftreet, Devonfliire 
Place, Harley-(ireet, and Portland Place, are of the ge¬ 
neral clafs of houfes occupied by the gentry of the me¬ 
tropolis. Portland Place is the molt magnificent ftreet in 
London ; and, in point of breadth, Devonfliire Place and 
Baker-ltreet are next in rank. 
“The artificial caufes of the extenfion of London are 
the fpeculations of builders, encouraged and promoted by 
merchants dealing in the materials of building, and at¬ 
torneys with moneyed clients facilitating, and indeed put¬ 
ting in motion, the whole fyftem, by dilpefing of their 
clients’ money in premature mortgages, the (ale of im¬ 
proved ground-rents, and by numerous other devices, by 
which their clients make an advantageous ufe of their 
money, and the attorneys create to themfelves a lucrative 
bulinefs from the agreements, alignments, leafes, mort¬ 
gages, bonds, and other inftruments of law, which be¬ 
come neceflary throughout fuch complicated and intricate 
tranfaftions. It is not neceflary for the prelent purpofe 
to enumerate the bad confequences and pernicious eftaiffs 
which arife from fuch an unnatural and forced enlarge¬ 
ment of the town, further than to obferve, that it is the 
intereft of thole concerned in fuch buildings that they 
ftiould be of as little colt as polfible, preferving an attrac¬ 
tive exterior, which Parker’s (tucco, coloured bricks, and 
balconies, accomplifn ; and a falhionable arrangement of 
rooms on the principal floors, embellifhed by the paper- 
hanger, and a few fiimfy marble chimney-pieces, are the 
attractions of the interior. Thefe are fufficient allure¬ 
ments to the public, and enfure the fale of the houfes, 
which is the ultimate object of the builders; and to this 
Jinery every thing out of light is facrificed, or is no fur- 
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ther an objett of attention!, tfia'tt that no defers in th^ 
conltruCtive and fubftantial parts lhall make their appear¬ 
ance while the houfes are on fale. 
“ The principles on which this Plan, and the deligns 
accompanying it, are formed, and the objects propofed to 
be obtained, are, that Marybone Park (hall be made to 
contribute to the healthfulnefs, beauty, and advantage, 
of that quarter of the metropolis; that the houfes and 
buildings to be ereCted lhall be of that ufeful defeription, 
and permanent conftruCtion, and poflefs fuch local ad¬ 
vantages, as lhall be likely to allure a great augmentation 
of revenue to the crown at the expiration of the leafes ; 
that the attraction of open fpace, free air, and the feenery 
of nature, with the means and invitation of exereife on 
horfeback, on foot, and in carriages, lhall be preferved or 
created in Marybone Park, as allurements and motives for 
the wealthy part of the public to eftablilh themfelves there ; 
and, that the advantages which the circumftances of the 
lituation itfelf prefent lhall be improved and advanced ; 
and that markets, and conveniences effential to the com¬ 
forts of life, lhall be placed in lituations, and under fuch 
circumftances, as may induce tradefmen to fettle there. 
“ It is propofed that the two principal entrances into 
Marybone Park lhall be Portland Place and Baker-ftreet ; 
that Portland Place lhall be continued in the prefent di¬ 
rection, and of the fame width, for the length of fifty 
yards northwards into Marybone Park ; that Baker-ftreet 
(widened to the fame breadth as Portland Place) lhall alfo 
be continued northward to the fame diltance, and that the 
extreme ends of thofe ftreets (hall be united by a crofs 
ftreet. The whole area enclofed by thofe ftreets (which 
will contain a fpace conliderably larger than St. James’s 
and the Green Parks together) is propofed to be laid 
out and planted as a Park, and appropriated to houfes of 
the firft magnificence ; for which reai'on there will be no 
other accefs to them but Portland Place, Baker-ftreet, and 
a ftreet oppofite Devonfliire Place; and todifguife the ap¬ 
pearance, and to prevent the impreffion of having crofted 
the New Road, it is propofed that the field immediately 
adjoining die end of Portland Place, together with the 
like quantity of the field beyond the New Road, lhall he 
converted into a large circus : the intervention of the plan¬ 
tation in the area within the railing of which circus, and 
the continuation of the ftreet jll round, will effectually 
connect Portland Place with Marybcne Park, without pro¬ 
ducing the leaft fenfation of having eroded tile New Road, 
This Circus will enclofe an area equal to that'of Lin- 
coln’s-inn-fields, and be in unifon with the magnificent 
fcale of Portland Place. 
“ In the centre of the Park, on the fummit of the riling 
ground from which if falls on every fide, it is propofed 
to ereCt another circus, with the fronts of the houfes 
looking externally over the Park which furrounds it ; and 
round the circus fo formed, to make a circular road, fe- 
parated only from the Park by a hah3, or funk fence, fuch 
as divides Kenfuigton Gardens from Hyde Park; the cir¬ 
cumference of the road will be 3-4ths of a mile. Within 
the external curve of houfes an inner circus is propofed 
to be formed, of equal magnitude with that propofed at 
the end of Portland Place. TheParkmay .be embellifhed 
with a lake of water in the form of a river, equal in mag¬ 
nitude to the Serpentine River in Hyde Park. At th's 
upper part of the Park it is propofed to make a canal or 
balm of water, of the length and breadth of that in St, 
James’s Park ; and round the Tides of the Canal to form 
three terraces of gravel, the upper terrace being the ftreet, 
with ealy Hopes of turf between, and rows of trees regu¬ 
larly planted, forming avenues to the terraces. The canal 
or bafin to be furrounded by a ltone bahiftrade, and fed 
from the fpring on Prirnrofe hill, through an ornamented 
fountain ereCted in the centre of the canal; thofe pro¬ 
menades, and that Ityle of decoration, will be novelties 
to the metropolis, and the houfes which furround the ter¬ 
races will alio participate in the feenery of the parks be¬ 
hind them. A fquare is alio propofed to be built on the 
fouth 
