CHAPTER IV.BELGRAVIA.

Robert Miller, a loyalist in the American War of Independence. He held two official situations in Virginia, which he lost in the revolution. He died at Knightsbridge, February, 17th, 1792.

Francis Xavier D’Oliveyra, a Portuguese chevalier, born in 1702, and filled the office of Secretary to the Embassy at Vienna. He was persecuted by the Inquisition on account of the publication of his travels, and accordingly came to England, where he abjured the Romish creed. Thus sacrificing fortune to the dictates of conscience, he first encountered great difficulties, but found friends, especially Archbishops Potter and Herring. Frederick, Prince of Wales, also assigned him a pension. He resided some years at Knightsbridge, whichhe quitted in 1775. He died October 11th, 1783.[211]

TheCountess of Orrery, friend of Swift, died at Knightsbridge, October 27th, 1758. He esteemed her highly “as a person of very good understanding, as any he knew of the sex.” In his will, Swift bequeathed to Lord Orrery “the enamelled silver plates to distinguish bottles of wine by,” given him by his “excellent lady.”

Seth Ward,Bishop of Salisbury, had his town residence at Knightsbridge. He was born April 15th, 1617, at Aspedon, near Buntingford. Brought up at the Free School of his native place, he was removed to Sydney Sussex College; but refusing to subscribe the covenant, lost his fellowship, and in 1643 removed to the neighbourhood of London. Part of his time he spent at Albury, in company with Oughte, and there the two prosecuted their mathematical studies together.

In 1649, the Savilian Professors of Astronomy and Geometry being removed from their offices by the Parliamentary Commissioners, Ward was chosen to fill the former chair. On this he took the oath of allegiance to the Commonwealth,and exerted himself to restore the lectures, which had been greatly neglected, and under him they speedily revived.

In 1652, he took his Doctor’s Degree, and in 1659 was made Principal of Jesus College, and afterwards Master of Trinity College; but at the Restoration he was compelled to resign these appointments. While at Oxford he gained the acquaintance of some of the most eminent men of the time, especially of Wilkins, afterwards Bishop of Chester. Their meetings led to the formation of the Royal Society, which Ward strongly supported, and of which he was one of the most efficient members.

Although he had taken office under the Commonwealth, he had friends under the Monarchy, who were able to forward his interests. Among them were Monk and Clarendon; and through their intercessions he was presented to St. Lawrence Jewry, and afterwards to the Precentorship of Exeter. His rise was now rapid, for in 1661 he was appointed Dean, and in the ensuing year Bishop of that Diocese.

In 1667 he was translated to the Bishopric of Salisbury, and in the House of Lords, being an able speaker, took a prominent part in thedebates. He has been accused of lending rather too complying an ear to the Court, both in Parliament and the rule of his diocese; probably these charges arose from his supporting the ill-advised and tyrannical Conventicle Act, which his predecessor, Bishop Earl, a man beloved by all parties, had opposed. On the other hand, it must be borne in mind he approved of the opposition to James II., and to two copies of the petition his signature was affixed.

His residence, when his duties called him to the metropolis, was at Knightsbridge, and here he was visited by all the leading literary and scientific men of the day. Evelyn, in his “Diary,” March 25th, 1674, writes, “I dined at Knightsbridge, with the Bishops of Salisbury, Chester, and Lincoln, my old friends.” The celebrated Isaac Barrow was also a frequent guest; and it was at the Bishop’s table he was seized with the illness which in a short time ended his days. The celebrated Sir Charles Scarborough was another friend—he also was Ward’s medical adviser; and Burnet states he was at Knightsbridge with him when the Queen’s coach came for him to attend her at the birth of the future Pretender.

The Bishop’s health towards the close of his life was very indifferent, and at length he was deprived of his faculties altogether, and died at Knightsbridge, January 6, 1689, in his seventy-second year. He was a very learned man, as his writings abundantly show, and a very charitable one. At his native place he founded almshouses, and also left a sum for apprenticing its poor boys. I know nothing more beautiful or pure in a great man’s character than to see him remembering in his old age those villagers among whom, in a comparatively humble sphere, he first drew breath. Such conduct indicates a benevolent mind and a good heart; and such public acts which seem to show a different spirit, I would rather attribute to a temporary fear or extraneous motive, other than the genuine constitution of the mind. A life of Ward was published by Dr. Pope, author of the celebrated ballad, “The Old Man’s Wish.”[214]

William Penn resided at Knightsbridge, atNo. 8, St. George’s Place, it is said; in order to be nearer the Court, where he was a great favourite with the Queen; he left it in 1706. Sir John Chardin, the famous Persian Ambassador of the time of Charles II., lived once in this same house. So imbued was he by his travels with Eastern ideas, that on Persian festivals he used to illuminate his windows with candles. He was buried at Chiswick, 29th December, 1713. The clever but unfortunate George Anne Bellamy also lived here in 1747. Dr. Richard Wright, F.R.S., and physician to St. George’s Hospital, died here, October 14th, 1786. J. Marshall, a botanist and gardener, and well known as a writer on such subjects, lived at Knightsbridge many years; and Edward Wakefield, author of “Ireland, Political and Statistical,” died here, May 18th, 1854, aged eighty-six. John Allen, of Knightsbridge, in 1685, left to the parish of Hammersmith 10s. annually to twenty poor people. The Countess of Yarmouth, mistress of George II., also numbered among its inhabitants.

“Belgravia! that fair spot of groundWhere all that worldlings covet most is found!Of this stupendous town—this mighty heart!Of England’s frame—the fashionablepart!”Belgravia:a Poem.

“Belgravia! that fair spot of groundWhere all that worldlings covet most is found!Of this stupendous town—this mighty heart!Of England’s frame—the fashionablepart!”

Belgravia:a Poem.

Betweenthe Hamlet of Knightsbridge and the district of Pimlico are a number of streets and squares to which the fashionable term of Belgravia has been given, and which is now the recognised name of the locality. Southward of the old King’s Road has for 200 years been known as Pimlico. To this boundary, sanctioned by usage, I shall adhere; considering only those places as in Belgravia between this line, and one formed from St. George’s Hospital, by Grosvenor Crescent and Motcomb Street; while the east boundary is Grosvenor Place; and the west, the sewer. The name is derived from a title of the Marquis of Westminster,taken from a village in Leicestershire, where he has great property. Halkin, Motcomb, and Kinnerton Streets, also derive their names from properties of the Marquis; Eaton Square from his seat, and Wilton Place, &c., from the title of his brother.

I need hardly say Belgravia is yet in its youth; of history, strictly speaking, it really has none. Where now stands this

“Oasis of the fashionable west,”

was, thirty years ago, nought but marshy fields—fields in a very forlorn condition, covered with rank grass and weeds in full luxuriance; bounded by mud-banks, and almost wholly given up to sheep and asses. I cannot do better than let the lady, who has chosen Belgravia for her theme, describe its former aspect.

Time was, when here, where palaces now stand,Where dwell at ease the magnates of the land,A barren waste existed, fetid, damp,Cheered by the ray of no enlivening lamp!A marshy spot, where not one patch of green,No stunted shrub, nor sickly flower was seen;But all things base, the refuse of the town,Loathsome and rank, in one foul mass were thrown;Breeding the vapours that in fever’s hourLend to Disease its desolating power,And quench the life of thousands, like the blight,Noiseless, but sure, that in a single nightUpon the blossoms’ opening bloom descends,And brooding rests, till all their promise ends.

Belgravia was and still is within the manor of Ebury, and in ancient times within the parish of St. Martin’s-in-the-Fields. It now belongs to St. George’s, Hanover Square, but subdivided; about half pertaining each to St. Paul’s, Knightsbridge, and St. Peter’s, Pimlico. The early history of this manor has been already noticed; now for its modern.

King George III., on taking up his residence at Buckingham House, wished to purchase the fields lying immediately contiguous, in order to prevent buildings being erected so as to overlook his garden. The Lock Hospital stood then alone, but it was apparent that the ground would soon be occupied, if the King should fix his abode so near. He therefore entered into a negotiation for its purchase, but George Grenville, then Minister, refused to sanction the expenditure of the sum demanded, viz., £20,000, and Grosvenor Place was accordingly commenced building in 1767. The streets running from this line were terminated byhigh mud banks, which formed a boundary no traveller ventured over. The other side formed a part of the Five Fields, and it was not till 1825 that the determination was come to to cover it with houses. Mr. Thomas Cubitt and Mr. Seth Smith then took leases from the Marquis of Westminster, and Belgravia speedily arose.

The Five Fields was an ominous name to our forefathers. Addison, in the “Tatler” (No. 34), refers to them as the place “where the robbers lie in wait;” and pages might easily be covered with the records of the frightful crimes here committed. The King’s Road, anciently only a trackway for the use of the farmers and gardeners, was the only road across. A lane led to it from Hyde Park Corner, and other paths intersected the fields into five large parts—hence the name; but it was not till Charles II. found the road a near way from Whitehall to Hampton Court that any public way was formed, and not then till after some discussion between the Government and the parishioners of Chelsea. In the reign of George I. disputes arose as to the right of way; but, after inquiry, the Government acknowledgedthe claims of the inhabitants to be just.[220]In the documents relating to this dispute the fields are said to be open, and the bridge, then called “Bloody Bridge,” now known as Grosvenor Bridge, only “a footbridge, with a plank or board,” till built in a regular manner in the time of Charles II. The road across the fields was very insecure; and for many years, under a royal order, fifty-two privates, and six non-commissioned officers, half every alternate night, patrolled the ground. On grand gala nights at Ranelagh the number was greater; but on all occasions it was customary for persons wishing to cross to wait for a sufficient number to meet together to ensure mutual protection, and then, with two men carrying lanterns on long poles, and who obtained their living by such service, sallying across under their guidance. Such a relation almost forces a smile now; but it must be borne in mind that no houses were situated along the King’s Road a hundred years since. It was also then very circuitous, running from the Palace garden wall along the present north garden of Eaton Square to Sloane Square. Itsdangers were very great, as the newspapers of the last century afford melancholy proof. I give one specimen:—

“On Saturday evening last, February 24th, a servant belonging to Mrs. Temple was robbed and barbarously wounded near Bloody Bridge in the King’s Road, leading from Chelsea. Her Royal Highness the Princess Amelia coming from Hampton Court, hearing a man groaning, ordered her servant to stop; and it proving to be the man above-mentioned, he was taken behind the coach and brought to town; and her Highness ordered all possible care to be taken of him.”[221]

Bloody Bridge seems to have gained its fearful character early; in Chelsea register is the following notice of the name:—“1590. John Dukes was this year enjoyned to make a Causie atbloodyGate.”

Charles Dartquineuve, the friend of Pope, and to whom Dodsley was once footman, was appointed surveyor of the King’s Private Roads, in 1731, in room of General Watkins. Pass-tickets of copper were issued in thatyear, and are prized by the curious in such matters.

Duellists also sought the Fire Fields, and Aubrey tells of one meeting near to Ebury farm, in the time of Charles I., between Lord Mohun and a foreign nobleman. The former was killed, not without suspicion of foul play; and the credulous antiquary relates that at the time of the duel, his mistress saw him approach her bed, draw the curtains, and go away without speaking!

Great numbers of the lower orders used to frequent the Five Fields, to indulge themselves with the brutal sports so prevalent formerly among them. Near where Coleshill Street now stands was a famous resort for cock-fighting, and every Good Friday numbers came to witness the barbarity. Duck-hunting in the ponds and bull and bear-baiting were also largely carried on; the head-quarters of the latter being at a house by the Willow Walk, once the habitation of the notorious Jerry Abershaw.

It is pleasant to quit such recollections for those of a purer kind. The old herbalists frequented these fields, where, they tell, the“wild clary” grew plentifully; and along the river’s bank the “bitter cresses” in great perfection. And Swift, walking to London from his Chelsea residence in 1711, mentions the hay-making in the fields; “it smells so sweet,” he says, “as we walk through the flowery meads;” but he spoils the idea by telling us that “the hay-making nymphs are perfect drabs.” The market gardens in the Five Fields, though not very numerous, were very valuable, being devoted chiefly to the culture of the asparagus and the rarer vegetables. Norden, in 1593, tells us,

“The deepe, and dirtie, loathsome soyle,Yields golden gaine to painefull toyle;”

and that the labourer “will refuse a pallace to droyle in these golden puddles.” The nursery ground of Messrs. Allen and Rogers was in being so late as 1832, adjoining to the King’s Road. The father of Mr. Redgrave, the distinguished artist, resided in a house on the King’s Road, and here his eminent son was born.

One historical reminiscence will conclude the notices of the fields. Clarendon tells us that he, Hampden, Pym, Marten, and Fienneshad dined together at Pym’s lodgings, when Fiennes proposed a ride into these fields. Accordingly they set off; and the conversation turning on the Episcopacy Bill, Fiennes asked Hyde why he so passionately adhered to the Church, Hyde’s reply was an expression of doubt as to the stability of the State, or of religion itself, if the government of the Church was altered; and Fiennes rejoining that much blood would be shed ere that would be submitted to, Hyde (Clarendon) remarks it was the first positive declaration he had heard from any particular man of the party. Hampden, Pym, and other leaders of those eventful times, are said to have sought the air and private intercommunication in the Five Fields. This anecdote concludes this early portion of Belgravia’s history; the reader’s attention will now be drawn to its streets and squares.

Belgrave Squarewas commenced in 1825, and designed by Basevi. It is 684 ft. in length, by 637 ft. in breadth. The two detached mansions on the western side were designed by H. E. Kendall. The one in the south-west was originally built for Mr. Kemp, of Kemp Town; afterwards it was occupied byLady Harriett Drummond, the Marquis of Tweeddale, and in 1837 became the residence of Lord Hill, for many years Commander-in Chief. After his death the late Earl Ducie lived here, and on his decease, in 1853, the house was sold, and enlarged to its present size. The mansion in the north-west was the residence of the late Earl Brownlow.

General Sir George Murray, the friend of Wellington and Peel, lived at No. 5, and died there in 1846, respected and regretted. No. 2 was the residence of the late James Goding, Esq., who formed a fine collection of paintings, and other works of art. No. 6 is the Duke of Bedford’s, and at No. 9 resides the celebrated Countess Dowager of Essex. At No. 10 lived M. Drouyn de l’Huys, while Ambassador at St. James’ from France. At 16 resides Sir Roderick Murchison, and at 18 lived the late Earl of Ellesmere. No. 36, sometimes called Ingestrie House, was in 1840 the residence of H.R.H. the Duchess of Kent, and at present of Colonel Douglas Pennant. Mr. Labouchere at 27, the Archbishop of York 41, Sir M. S. Stewart at 42, the Duke of Montrose, Mr. Abel Smith, and Field-Marshal LordCombermere, are also residents of Belgrave Square.

The last of the Dukes of Gordon died at his residence here, May 28th, 1836, aged 66; and Mr. Scrope, last male of a family illustrious in our historic annals, lived at No. 13. He was author of “Days of Deer Stalking,” published in 1839; and “Days and Nights of Salmon Fishing,” published in 1843. Mr. Scrope died in Belgrave Square, July 20th, 1852, in the 81st year of his age. His son-in-law, Mr. Poulett Scrope, M.P., and author of the “History of Castle Combe,” soon after quitted this mansion for one at Prince’s Gate.

Chapel Street, so named from the Chapel attached to the Lock Hospital, which abutted on it, was completed about 1811. Legh Richmond, while Chaplain of the Lock, resided in this street. Writing to his wife, he says, “It is surrounded by fields, has a very pleasing prospect, charming air, great retirement and quietness, with a little garden, a remarkably neat exterior, and as neat and comfortable an interior.” Nor was he the only one who found in Chapel Street a comfortable and happy home: the celebrated comedian, GentlemanJones as he is called generally, for many years lived at No. 14. “The very aspect of their rooms is exhilarating,” writes Lady Chatterton, “though small, and furnished without any show or expense. A vine which grows at the back of the house, half conceals the windows with its luxuriant branches; and some fresh flowers in the rooms are fit emblems of those who reared them.”[227]

Mr. Jones acquired fame both as an actor and author, but in his later years employed himself as a teacher of elocution. He died in Chapel Street, and lies buried in St. Peter’s vaults. A marble tablet to his memory, at the entrance to the Church, bears the following inscription:—

“Beneath rest the mortal remains of Richard Jones, for more than forty years in public life, a dramatic performer, he was admired; as in private life respected as a teacher of elocution, he was a public Benefactor. As a Christian and a Man his conduct was exemplary. He died 20th of August, 1851, aged 72. Here also repose the remains of Sarah, his wife. She died 18th of June, 1850, aged 71. And Eliza Jane his sister, who died 29th November, 1828, aged 40.”

General Sir W. K. Grant, one of the eight British officers who saved the Emperor of Germanyfrom capture, on the plains of Cambresis, in 1794, and who otherwise saw severe service in the last great war, died in 1852, at his residence, No, 24, Chapel Street. At her residence, in this street, also died, in March, 1818, the Hon. Miss Hawke, author of a poem on the “Fall of Babylon.”

Chesham Place, the freehold of which belongs to the Lowndes family, is so named from their seat in Buckinghamshire. No. 37 is the well known residence of Lord John Russell, and No. 35 was Sir Charles Wood’s. To Chesham Place the Russian Embassy was removed in 1852.

Chesham Street.—Henry Parish, Esq., of diplomatic celebrity, resided at No. 7.

Chester Street.—At No. 13, the residence of Lady Gipps, died Dr. Broughton, the first Bishop of Sydney. The Right Hon. Frederick Shaw lived at No. 5, and Colonel Sibthorpe at 27; at No. 7 resides Dr. W. V. Pettigrew,

“Whose sympathetic mindDelights in all the good of all mankind.”

Mr. Hurlstone and Miss Shirreff are also residents in Chester Street.

Eaton Place.—Among former residents maybe enumerated General Caulfield, author of several works on the Government of India; Sir Robert Gardiner, one of the bravest of the old Peninsulas; Sir H. Duncan, son of the victor of Camperdown, and himself atarof true British stamp, died here in 1836. Sir Thomas Troubridge was another of that mighty school; he fought with Nelson at Copenhagen, and elsewhere, and died here in 1852. Sir William Molesworth, one of our ablest and most advanced statesmen of modern times, and who has secured to himself a permanent position in our literature, died at his residence (No. 87) in 1855.

Among present residents are Dr. Lushington (18), Sir Erskine Perry (36), Sir George Grey (14), Mr. Justice Wightman (38), Mr. Heywood (5), Sir Arthur Elton, M.P., and the Bishop of Hereford.

At No. 80, the residence of Captain Massingberd, the Hungarian statesman, Kossuth, stayed on his first arrival in this country, in the autumn of 1851.

Eaton Place West.—General Sir Peregrine Maitland, who fought at Corunna, and commanded a brigade at Waterloo, died at hisresidence in this street, May 30th, 1852. Mr. Collier, M.P. (2), and Mr. H. F. Chorley (13), live in this street.

Eaton Squarewas commenced in 1827, but not wholly completed till 1853. It is 1,637 ft. long by a breadth of 371 ft. Among its distinguished residents may be noticed the late Lord Chancellor Truro, who died at his residence (No. 83) in 1853. Mr. Henry Redhead Yorke, at 81; Lord Alvanley, of celebrity in the days of the fourth George, at 62; General Sir Thomas Bradford, and Admiral Sir Edward Codrington, the victor of Navarino.

The late Ralph Bernal, Esq., resided at 75, and here formed one of the most splendid collections of ancient art ever brought together. He died here in 1853. No. 71 is the residence (official) of the Speaker of the House of Commons; in one year, says Mr. Cunningham, the rent, rates, and taxes of this house amounted to £964.

Among present residents in Eaton Square are the Earl of Ellenborough at No. 115, Sir Frederick Thesiger, now Lord Chelmsford (7), Mr. Justice Willes (16), Sir John Pakington (41), Sir Francis Baring (4), Mr. Fielder, Commissary-Generalin the Crimea (57), Colonel Tulloch (63), Mr. M. J. Higgins (71), Mr. Cardwell (74), Baron Martin (75), Sir Augustus Clifford (92), Sir W. Clay (93), and General Codrington, our Commander-in-Chief at the capture of Sebastopol, at 110.

At the east end stands St. Peter’s Church, built in 1826, and denounced by Mr. Cunningham as one of the “ugliest in all London.” The site is an excellent one, few superior in the metropolis; it is a just source of regret, therefore, that a more creditable design was not chosen. It was designed by Henry Hakewill, in the Ionic Order, and consecrated by Dr. Howley, then Bishop of London, July 27th, 1827. It was burnt down in 1835, when the altar-piece, “Christ crowned with Thorns,” a good specimen of Hilton, R.A., was with difficulty saved. It was presented to the Church by the British Institution.

Grosvenor Crescentis still unfinished. Here reside the Rev. A. P. Stanley, Sir Charles Trevelyan, and at No. 1 the Earl of Clarendon, late Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs. The Crescent is ultimately to be continued to open into Grosvenor Place, and thus it willform the main entrance to Belgravia; an improvement very greatly needed.

Grosvenor Place.—The story pertaining to the foundation of this street has been told already. Originally the houses were built no further than the Lock Hospital, which occupied the site of the Grosvenor Place Houses. At the bottom, where the junction with the King’s Road was formed, was a cluster of mean dwellings, and one inn, known as “The Feathers.”

At No. 1, Dr. Lane’s celebrated School of Anatomy and Medicine has for many years been established. No. 4 originally formed two houses, which were thrown together by the late Earl of Egremont, who here first formed the splendid collection of pictures now at Petworth. He was a great patron of English artists, and an excellent judge of their productions. Haydon, one of those he had befriended, declares he “never saw such a character, or such a man, nor were there ever many. ‘Live and let live’ seems to be the Earl’s motto.” Lord Egremont died in November, 1837.[232]

The mansion at the north corner of Halkin Street is that—

“Where the Howards’ noble raceFor many a year have made their resting place.”

The first nobleman of this title who resided here was Frederick, the fifth earl. He was born in 1748, and died in 1825, and is the nobleman often mentioned by Boswell as gaining Johnson’s praise for his literary performances. But however valuable these may be considered, he owes his literary immortality to the attacks made on him by Byron. He was guardian to the poet, who dedicated to him his “Hours of Idleness,” which the Earl is said to have coolly received, an affront which deeply rankled in Byron’s breast—causing a wound his mother did her best to widen. Byron, however, seems to have forgotten his animosity, for in his “English Bards and Scotch Reviewers,” as originally intended for the press, he compliments Carlisle:—

“On one alone Apollo deigns to smile,And crowns a new Roscommon in Carlisle.”

But the intended honour was not permitted to remain. Receiving, as he considered, a freshslight, Byron erased the praise, for the vituperative sarcasm still to be read:—

“Let Stott, Matilda, and the restOf Grub-street and of Grosvenor-place the best,Scrawl on, till death release us from the strain,Or common sense asserts her rights again.”

But the poet regretted the severity, and afterwards, in his noble tribute to Major Howard, gave utterance to his repentance;—

“Their praise is hymned by loftier harps than mine;Yet one I would select from that proud throng,Partly because they blend me with his line,And partly that I did his sire some wrong.”

And of the Major he writes with rapturous eloquence:—

“When shower’dThe death-bolts deadliest the thinn’d files along,Even where the thickest of war’s tempest lour’d,They reach’d no nobler breast than thine, young gallant Howard.”

Byron’s staunchest friend, Hobhouse—now Lord Broughton—lived about No. 7, when colleague with Burdett in the representation of Westminster; so also did Lady Ossory, the correspondent of Horace Walpole. Writing to her, on February 1st, 1775, he says:—“I hope this is the last letter I shall send you before you land atHyde Park Corner turnpike. You will have a very good neighbourhood there; Lord and Lady Apsley are mighty agreeable people.”

No. 15 in 1773 was the Duke of Athol’s; the Marquis of Titchfield, Lord-Lieutenant of the County fifty years ago, also resided in Grosvenor Place, as did Mr. Orby Hunter, a leading man in thetonin the days of George IV.

No. 44 is the residence of the Hanoverian Minister, and here his Sovereign stayed during his visit to London in 1853. No. 24 is the Bishop of Worcester’s, and No. 46 Sir James Graham’s. Earl Stanhope, the historian, resided some years at No. 41, but now at No. 3, Grosvenor Place Houses. The centre of these three is Sir Anthony Rothschild’s, the other Lord Harry Vane’s.

Near to the south end of Grosvenor Place stood, for above a century, a small hospital for invalided soldiers. The poet Armstrong, friend of Thomson, was in 1746 appointed physician to it. The establishment was closed when the improvements here were contemplated about 1846. Adjoining to it was “The Feathers,” to which a curious anecdote is attached. A Lodgeof Odd Fellows, or some similar society, was in the habit of holding its meetings in a room at “The Feathers,” and on one occasion when a new member was being initiated in the mysteries thereof, in rushed two persons, whose abrupt and unauthorised entrance threw the whole assemblage into an uproar. Summary punishment was proposed by an expeditious kick into the street; but, just as it was about to be bestowed, the secretary recognised one of the intruders as George, Prince of Wales, afterwards George IV. Circumstances instantly changed: it indeed was he, out on a nocturnal excursion; and accordingly it was proposed and carried that the Prince and his companion should be admitted members. The Prince was chairman the remainder of the evening; and the chair in which he sat, ornamented, in consequence, with the plume, is still preserved in the parlour of the modern inn in Grosvenor Street West, and over it hangs a coarsely executed portrait of the Prince in the robes of the order. The inn, the hospital, and various small tenements were removed in 1851, when the present stately erections were immediately commenced. On the ground being cleared away, various coins,old horse-shoes, a few implements of warfare, and some human remains were discovered.

At the intersection of the cross-roads at the end of Grosvenor Place, suicides were subjected to the revolting burial then awarded by the law. The last person on whom the law was carried out here was named Griffiths, the son of a colonel in the army, who had first murdered his father, and then destroyed himself. This took place on June 27th, 1823.

Halkin Street.—The north side is chiefly occupied by Mortimer House, the residence of the late Earl Fitzwilliam, and by Belgrave Chapel, built in 1812. Its ministers have been the Rev. John Pitman, author of “Practical Lectures on the Gospel of St. John,” the Revs. J. Thackeray, J. Jennings, and the present minister, the Rev. W. Thorpe, D.D.

The detached mansion at the corner, numbered as 49, Belgrave Square, finished in 1850, is the residence of Mr. Sidney Herbert. The premises now occupied by Messrs. Wimbush were those in which the same business was conducted by Mr. Vernon, the munificent patron of modern British art.

Halkin Street Westcontains a small chapel,now belonging to the National Scottish Church, and in which Dr. Cumming occasionally preaches. Its present minister is the Rev. L. Macbeth. Built by Mr. Seth Smith, it was originally attached to the Church of England, under the ministry of the Rev. J. Gibson.

Lock Hospital(The), which formerly stood on the site of Grosvenor Place Houses, was built in 1746, and patients admitted on January 31st, 1747, for the first time. The Institution included an asylum for the reception of penitent females, founded in 1787, and a chapel, built in 1764, with the primary view of aiding the income by its pew rents. The chapel was always celebrated for the powerful and popular preachers who occupied its pulpit, among whom may be mentioned Martin Madan, Thomas Scott, editor and commentator of the Scriptures, and C. E. De Coetlogon; while Legh Richmond, Romaine, Rowland Hill, and the celebrated Dr. Dodd, have often preached here. Of these, the one most connected with this locality was the Rev. Martin Madan.

Old Lock Hospital

His father was M.P. for Wootton Basset, and Groom of the Bedchamber to Frederick, Prince of Wales; his mother, a daughter ofSpence Cowper, and niece of the celebrated Chancellor; an accomplished woman, and authoress of several poems of considerable merit. Martin was originally brought up to the bar, which he forsook for the Church; was ordained, became Chaplain to the Lock, and one of the most popular ministers of the day. He was a distant relation of the poet Cowper, who first imbibed from him those religious principles which afterwards formed so predominant a feature of his mind.

In 1780 his popularity received a severe blow from the publication of his “Thelyphthora,” a singular work in defence of polygamy. There can be no doubt that the work was issued with good intentions, but the manner of treating the subject was at least novel, and especially so in a clergyman.

Madan was the author of various other works, and likewise of some repute as a musical composer. Many of the tunes and chants in the “Lock Hymn Book” have his initials attached. The “Song of Miriam” is, perhaps, his most popular piece. At the same time, mention must be made of his composition to Pope’s Ode, known as “Vital Spark,” also of the piece“Before Jehovah’s awful Throne.” I have heard him spoken of by elderly folks with deep respect; and whatever his shortcomings may have been, a want of charity was not among them. That he was equally respected in high society may be inferred from his friendship with Lord Chancellor Bathurst, who gave him a chaplaincy.

He died at Epsom in the 64th year of his age, and was buried at Kensington, May 8th, 1791.

The connection of Legh Richmond with the Lock was of very short duration. He was induced to accept the minor office of assistant to the Rev. Thomas Fry, then chaplain, and while here attracted the notice of Ambrose Serle, author of “Horæ Solitariæ,” a constant attendant of the chapel. Serle was applied to by Mrs. Fuller to recommend her a pious and practical clergyman to fill her living of Turvey; he immediately recommended Richmond, and thus it was that estimable man obtained the position he filled with such great credit to himself and the Church, and benefit to his people. His ministrations here extended only from February to October 1805.

Wilberforce strongly supported this Institution, and frequently attended the Chapel. He occasionally alludes to it in his “Diary;” and Legh Richmond mentions observing him at the communion-table on one occasion, with a negro at his side, a coincidence which he afterwards found was quite accidental. The incident was not without a lesson!

Lock Chapel

The buildings were of brick, and as plain as they possibly could be. They were pulled down in 1846, and the Institution removed to the Harrow Road.

Lowndes Street.—Colonel Gurwood, the editor of “Wellington’s Dispatches,” resided at 33, and Mrs. Gore, the novelist, once at 42.

Osnaburg Row, a court nearly at the lower end of Grosvenor Place, named after the Duke of York, who also was Bishop of Osnaburg. The Guards’ Hospital, before noticed, adjoined it, and the court was removed at the same time that building was cleared away.

Upper Belgrave Street.—Numbers 1 and 2 were the first houses finished by Mr. Cubitt. No. 3 is Lord Charles Wellesley’s, and previously the present Duke of Wellington’s; hither the great Duke might frequently be seen escorting the present Duchess home. Mrs. Gore lived at No. 2, and at 13 the late Earl of Munster. Several sketches of Lord Minister’s life are given in Mr. Jerdan’s “Autobiography,” in which it is inferred the fatal aberration of intellect which led to his self-destruction arose from the discordant feelings arising from the anomalous position he held, and which he was unable to brook. He was author of several works on thehistory of our eastern empire, and was a patron of literature and learning.[243]

Wilton Street.—Here Mr. Spencer Percival, eldest son of the minister killed by Bellingham in 1812, resided.

“Nor rough nor barren are the winding waysOf hoar antiquity, but strown with flowers.”Warton.

“Nor rough nor barren are the winding waysOf hoar antiquity, but strown with flowers.”

Warton.

Thedistrict parish of St. Paul’s, Knightsbridge, stretching southward to the Thames, embraces in its bounds a considerable part of Pimlico. When St. Barnabas’ Church was built, for the local management of the parish, this southern portion was allotted to its minister’s care, and therefore I follow a division most suitable for my plan, and give a brief outline of the history of this part of the parish, in order that my notice may not be incomplete.

Of course, I do not intend to describe the suburb now called Pimlico as a whole, but only that portion of it within the district of St. Paul’s; yet I cannot even do so withouttouching on one or two items of general history: and first, then, for the name.

The first mention of the name Pimlico appears in the parish books of St. Martin in the year 1626.[245a]The ancient name of the place was Eybury, from the manor of Eia or Eye, signifying water; a most appropriate name for a spot bounded on three sides by running streams. There was a Manor House once existing, which we may infer was of some importance, from its being one of those houses for which a licence to crenellate or fortify was granted. This privilege was granted in 1307 to John de Benstede, by Edward I.[245b]Hence the addition ofburyto the original name of Eye or Eia, such addition meaning fortifications.

But to the name. The true explanation of its origin is to be found in a rare, if not unique tract, entitled, “News from Hogsdon,” 1598:—“Have at thee then, my merrie boys, and hie for old Ben Pimlicoe’s nut brown.”[245c]This “old Ben Pimlico,” of Hoxton, kept, inthe days of Queen Bess, a right famous hostelrie, a popular place of resort, as numerous allusions in the dramatists[246]of the period testify. Pimlico Walk still exists at Hoxton, and doubtless indicates the pathway along which the pleasure-seekers wended their way to Old Ben’s.

It is evident in the above quotation that apersonis alluded to; but the word frequently expresses adrink, most probably derived from this worthy. This is evident from the following verses:—

“Let Hogsdon’s scrapers on their base,Sound fum—fum—fum—from tattered case,Nor Mean nor Treble now take place,But Tenor.A Counter-Tenor is that note.Tho’ easy—’tis ne’er sung by rote,But got with wetting well your throatWith claret.Or stout March beer, or Windsor ale,Or Labour-in-Vain (so seldom stale),OrPimlico, whose too great saleDid mar it.”The Counter Rat, 1670.

“Let Hogsdon’s scrapers on their base,Sound fum—fum—fum—from tattered case,Nor Mean nor Treble now take place,But Tenor.

A Counter-Tenor is that note.Tho’ easy—’tis ne’er sung by rote,But got with wetting well your throatWith claret.

Or stout March beer, or Windsor ale,Or Labour-in-Vain (so seldom stale),OrPimlico, whose too great saleDid mar it.”

The Counter Rat, 1670.

This Ben Pimlico, and the ale named after him, are both spoken of with equal laudation by the dramatists—by Ben Jonson more especially, who lived in the neighbourhood, and doubtless was familiar with both. But in his play of “The Alchemist,” the allusion, I think, points to a bygone place:—

“Lovewit: The neighbours tell me all here that the doorsHave still been open—Face: How, sir!Lovewit: Gallants, men and women,And of all sorts, tag-rag, been seen to flock hereIn threwes, these ten weeks, as to asecond HogsdonIn days of Pimlico and Eyebright.”

“Lovewit: The neighbours tell me all here that the doorsHave still been open—

Face: How, sir!

Lovewit: Gallants, men and women,And of all sorts, tag-rag, been seen to flock hereIn threwes, these ten weeks, as to asecond HogsdonIn days of Pimlico and Eyebright.”

This evidence of Jonson I think conclusive that the original Ben Pimlico’s had gone. The question is where; and my reply is, to Ebury. The reasons are—

1st. We had in this locality a pathway known as the Willow Walk, and there is such yet remaining at Hoxton.

2nd. The movement of places of amusement to the western suburbs commenced in the time of James I. At this time the Exchange, Islington, and Hoxton began to lose their charms, and pleasure-folk went to Spring Garden, the Mulberry Garden, &c.

Though this argument, if such it can be called, is wholly inferential, I do not think there is anything to oppose to it, unless the number of places called Pimlico[248]tells against the view taken. But here, again, the probability is that they borrowed their names from the one at Hoxton, because of its popularity; and the coincidence of the Willow Walk is moreover wanting: what I argue for is, that on the decay, for some reason or other, of Ben Pimlico’s establishment at Hoxton, he, or some one belonging to it, came to Ebury, formed his Willow Walk leading to the house, and his popularity being so great, the village became gradually to be called after him, and its ancient appellation imperceptibly lost.

That part of Pimlico now in St. Paul’s district was, in the last century, a complete moral wilderness. As is apparent to the present day, the dwellings were of the meanest character; and it was only the infamous who long lived here. Jerry Abershaw lived in a house along the Willow Walk; and Maclean the highwayman, whom the ladies went to see (accordingto Horace Walpole), also lived on this spot. Its secure condition for persons of this description may be imagined, when it is recollected that there was, previous to 1768, no direct road to this part. The only way was from Chelsea; the road through Belgrave Place was not fit for carriages till this time. It was then completed and carried on to the Stonebridge, a bridge over the Westbourne, by the end of Wilderness Row. Parties going to Ranelagh by coach went along the King’s Road, a roadway to the left leading to the Grove; but in that day the silent highway of the Thames was much used, and as the ballad tells, the “fine city ladies” delighted in a voyage to Ranelagh or Vauxhall.

The Grosvenor Canal, which forms the boundary of our district on one side, was formed in 1823; its head had been the property of the Chelsea Waterworks Company, who in that year removed their works to their late position at Ranelagh. The canal enters the Thames a few yards eastward of the new Pimlico Bridge, the story of which is too recent, and too much one of “discord dire” to obtain further notice in these pages.

At the foot, where the Pimlico Bridge now stands, was the “White House,” a lonely habitation by the river side, used once by anglers; opposite to which, on the Surrey side, stood the “Red House,” a still more noted place of resort. Fifty yards westward of this spot, according to Maitland, Cæsar crossed the Thames, on his second expedition into Britain; but the opinion of Maitland is not generally shared in by antiquaries, who, notwithstanding the arguments advanced by different writers, in favour of spots they themselves have fixed on, yet in general adhere to the opinion of the father of English antiquaries, and agree with Camden, that this passage of the Thames was at Coway Stakes. Nevertheless it must be borne in mind, that many relics of this period have been found in the bed of the Thames at and about this spot; and during the progress of the bridge, coins and relics of a later time, many of which were Roman, were also discovered.

St. Barnabas’ Collegeconsists of a Church, a Residentiary-house for the Clergy attached thereto, and a School-house, with residence for the teachers. The design originated with theRev. W. J. E. Bennett, and the ground was the gift of the Marquis of Westminster. The commencement of the work was with the School-house, the foundation-stone of which was laid June 11th, 1846 (St. Barnabas’ Day); the foundation-stone of the Church was laid twelve months later, on which occasion the new School-house was formally opened; and on St. Barnabas’ Day, 1850, the Church was consecrated by the late Bishop of London.

The architecture, chosen by Mr. Cundy, under whose superintendence the College was erected, is the Early Pointed. The Church has a tower and spire of Caen stone, containing ten bells, the gift of as many parishioners; it is 170 ft. high. The interior is of great splendour, the open roof being finely painted, and the windows throughout of stained glass, by Wailes, of Newcastle, and representing incidents of the life of St. Barnabas. The chancel is separated from the body of the Church by a carved oak screen; the other wood fittings are also of oak. The lectern (a brass eagle), the communion-plate, font, and other costly ornaments, were the gifts of private individuals.

The Church has sittings for about 1,000 persons,all of which are free. It was erected entirely by voluntary contributions, and under the energetic incumbency of Mr. Bennett. Its cost has been about £15,000, of which the expense of the carcase of the Church, vestries, and buildings attached, amounted to £10,232.

St. Barnabas is but a Chapel-of-Ease to St. Paul’s, and is under the same legal government. Churchwardens are, however, appointed by the Incumbent of St. Paul’s for the maintenance of order and other similar offices; but, in other respects, the usual legal duties devolve on the wardens of St. Paul’s. The Schools are designed for 600 children—200 each of boys, girls, and infants.

During the Anti-Papal agitation of 1850, this Church was more than once the scene of unseemly disturbances on the part of the mob, and, to suppress which, it was necessary to call in the aid of the police.

Avery Farm Rowdoubtless is a remnant in name of some rural time. A family named Avery frequently appear in the registers of Knightsbridge Chapel, from 1663 to 1691; the probability is they were farmers here. Another Avery Row runs parallel to Bond Street.

Blomfield Terracewas so named after the late Bishop of London. At No. 1, the late Captain Warner, so well known for hisinventionof the “long range,” died in December 5th, 1853. He had long resided in the locality, and was well known in it. He left seven children with their mother, in great distress, for whom the Hon. and Rev. Robert Liddell made a public appeal; but it afterwards transpired his wife was living in receipt of parochial relief at Ashford. Warner was buried in the West Brompton Cemetery.

Commercial Road(The), on the right-hand side of the canal, is occupied almost entirely by factories, workshops, and the dwellings of those employed therein. A “House of Refuge,” under the management of the clergy of the parish, is situated here; and also a Ragged School, both supported by public contributions.

Jenny’s Whim Bridge, sometime called the Wooden, and now Ebury Bridge, crosses the canal at the north end of the Commercial Road. Here was a turnpike, similarly named, till 1825. Jenny’s Whim was a very celebrated place of amusement, on the site of St.George’s Row. It was equally the resort of high and low, and with all classes was for a lengthened period a favourite place of recreation. I never could unearth the origin of the name, but presume the tradition told me by an old inhabitant was the correct account, viz., that it was so called from its first landlady, who caused the gardens to be laid out in so fantastic a manner, as to cause the expressive little noun to be affixed to the pretty and familiar christian name she bore. Angelo says it was established by a celebrated pyrotechnist in the reign of George I. The house had a large breakfast room, and the grounds, though not large, contained a bowling green, alcoves, arbours, and flower beds, with a fish pond in the centre. There was also a cock-pit; and in a pond adjacent the brutal sport of duck-hunting was carried on. This is alluded to in the following sketch, quoted from theConnoisseur, May 15, 1775:—“The lower sort of people have their Ranelaghs and their Vauxhalls as well as the quality. Perrot’s inimitable grotto may be seen, for only calling for a pint of beer; and the royal diversion of duck-hunting may be had into the bargain, together with a decanterof Dorchester, for your sixpence, at Jenny’s Whim.”

Angelo says:—“It was much frequented, from its novelty being an inducement to allure the curious, by its amusing deceptions. Here was a large garden; in different parts were recesses, and by treading on a spring—taking you by surprise—up started different figures, some ugly enough to frighten you—a harlequin, a Mother Shipton, or some terrific animal. In a large piece of water facing the tea alcoves, large fish or mermaids were showing themselves above the surface.” Horace Walpole, in his Letters, occasionally alludes to Jenny’s Whim; in one to Montagu he spitefully says—“Here (at Vauxhall) we picked up Lord Granby, arrived very drunk from Jenny’s Whim.”

Towards the close of the last century, Jenny’s Whim began to decline; its morning visitors were not so numerous, and opposition was also powerful. It gradually became forgotten, and at last sunk to the condition of a beer-house, and about 1804 the business altogether ceased.

Jenny’s Whim has more than once served the novelist for an illustration; see “Maids ofHonour; a Tale of the Times of George the First:”—“There were gardens,” says the writer, mentioning the place, “attached to it, and a bowling green; and parties were frequently made, composed of ladies and gentlemen, to enjoy a day’s amusement there in eating strawberries and cream, syllabubs, cake, and taking other refreshments, of which a great variety could be procured, with cider, perry, ale, wine, and other liquors in abundance. The gentlemen played at bowls—some employed themselves at skittles; whilst the ladies amused themselves at a swing, or walked about the garden, admiring the sunflowers, hollyhocks, the Duke of Malborough cut out of a filbert tree, and the roses and daisies, currants and gooseberries, that spread their alluring charms in every path.

“This was a favourite rendezvous for lovers in courting time—a day’s pleasure at Jenny’s Whim being considered by the fair one the most enticing enjoyment that could be offered her; and often the hearts of the most obdurate have given way beneath the influence of its attractions. Jenny’s Whim, therefore, had always, during the season, plenty of pleasantparties of young people of both sexes. Sometimes all its chambers were filled, and its gardens thronged by gay and sentimental visitors.”[257]

The house is still partly standing, and by its red brick and lattice-work may be easily identified.

Graham Street.—In this street lived and died a man for many years well known in London, James Thornton. He wascookto the Duke of Wellington throughout the Peninsular and Waterloo campaigns. When, on the death of his great master, it was stated in the papers that the Duke’s dinner on the eventful 18th of June was dressed by a Frenchman, he indignantly wrote to theTimes, claiming his honour. He possessed an unlimited fund of anecdote, and used to boast he buried Lord Anglesea’s leg, and helped to support Raglan at the amputation of his arm. Thornton died in 1853.

Grosvenor Row, together with Queen Street and Jews’ Row, form one thoroughfare. Itformerly was one of the most remarkable streets in or around the metropolis, and, to a great extent, is so now. To Jews Row came Wilkie to sketch his “Chelsea Pensioner reading the Account of the Battle of Waterloo,” painted for the Duke of Wellington. The iron gate shown in the picture is still to be seen. The numerous signs bear witness to the military air of the neighbourhood, such as “The Snow Shoes,” a recollection of Wolfe’s glorious campaign, the “General Elliott,” and the “Duke of York.”

Grosvenor Row, which terminates at the Stone Bridge (as the place is marked in old plans), was built in 1768. At the end is the “Nell Gwynn,” a tavern named after the mistress of Charles II. Its sign-board was originally decorated with her likeness; and the legend, firmly believed by old Chelsea folk, that to her the noble institution adjacent owes its foundation, was painted underneath. Nell’s residence at Sandy End has been doubted by Mr. Cunningham. It is certain that her mother resided near the Neate Houses in Pimlico; and, in the records of Knightsbridge Chapel, there are occasionally entries of thename—connections not improbably of the royal mistress. One of the entries, Jan. 13, 1667, records the marriage of Robert Hands and Mary Gwin, the former being the name of a family long resident freeholders in Pimlico, and to whom Chelsea Bun House, which I am now about to notice, belonged.

Chelsea Bun Housewas established early in the eighteenth century, but the exact time is unknown. It had obtained a reputation for its buns as early as 1712; for in that year, Swift, who then resided at Chelsea, mentions buying one of them in his walks. It soon became quite a fashionable resort of a morning: even the Royal Family used familiarly to visit Mrs. Hands, who was a complete living history of all the affairs of the district, and of those who came thither. To her customers her garrulous anecdote was a fund of amusement, and her house and colonnade were continually crowded with loungers. George II., his Queen, and their family, patronised the place, and were frequently to be seen laying siege to its delicacies. George III., too, after he had ascended the throne, did not forget the spot where, in his childhood, he had paid many a pleasantvisit; and in his turn, when his family was young, he and Queen Charlotte frequently accompanied it thither. The latter presented Mrs. Hands with a silver half-gallon mug, highly ornamented, and five guineas at its bottom, as a testimony of her appreciation of the attentions bestowed on the royal children.

On Good Fridays the concourse of people drawn hither was immense. Business on this day was always commenced at four o’clock in the morning, by which time numbers of customers were waiting; and on some occasions it has been estimated that fifty thousand persons have assembled here for hours before eight o’clock. Occasionally the crowd became unruly, and disturbances ensued, and it was found necessary to close the establishment partially. Handbills of a warning character were issued, and constables stationed to preserve order.

When Ranelagh declined from its zenith, the Bun House experienced the reverse of fortune. Parties visiting the former generally called to patronise the latter before they entered; and the success of the one depended more perhaps than would have been easilycredited on that of the other, and it gradually dwindled away to complete insignificance.

The Bun House consisted of but one storey, was about 50 ft. in length by 14 ft. in breadth, with a colonnade in front projecting over the pavement, and affording a convenient shelter in wet weather. The interior was fitted up in a perfectly unique manner; the array of curiosities of every kind, and various countries, forming a collection amusing and grotesque. There were artificial and natural curiosities, the former including models of St. Mary Redcliffe, and of a ship; clocks of curious devices, and a model on horseback of the Duke of Cumberland, in the costume worn at Culloden; two grenadiers in the costume of the same period, four feet in height, in lead, and weighing each nearly two hundredweight. There were also some paintings, the most famous of which was the portrait of Aurungzebe, Emperor of Hindostan. The natural curiosities consisted of stuffed birds and animals, minerals, ores, and similar rarities, arranged in cases; while the furniture, antique in manufacture, multifarious in design, strong in make, and comfortable in use, added to the peculiarity ofthe place, and its attractions. In the King’s collection in the British Museum is an engraving of “A Perspective View of Richard Hands’ Bun House, at Chelsea, who has the Honour to serve the Royal Family.”

Various improvements being carried out in this part of Pimlico, in accordance with an Act of Parliament (introduced by Sir Matthew Wood), passed in 1839, the Bun House was condemned and pulled down in that year; preserving its ancient appearance, though not its ancient reputation, to the last.

After Mrs. Hands died, her son carried on the business. He was a most eccentric character, and dealt also largely in butter, which in all weathers he carried about the streets in a basket. He, like his mother, was thoroughly versed in the lore of the district, and like the old Bluegown in Scott’s “Antiquary,” was the bearer of its news as well as butter. He was much respected in the neighbourhood; and on his death, an elder brother, who had entered the army, and was then a poor knight of Windsor, became proprietor. He also was eccentric in manner, and peculiar in costume; and on his death, leaving no friends orrelatives, the property was claimed by the Crown.

Chelsea Bun, House has given name to one of Miss Manning’s novels, published in 1854.

Opposite to the Bun House stood Stromboli House and gardens, a minor place of recreation, at its height about 1788; on the site of St. Barnabas’ College stood the Orange tavern and tea-gardens. Here was a private theatre, at which the local genii of the sock and buskin performed to their admiring neighbours; and at the junction of Grosvenor Row and Ebury Street stood an old inn, a relic of the Republicans in the neighbourhood, and which bore one of the peculiar and enthusiastic appellations of that period—God encompasseth us. This was corrupted into “The Goat and Compasses,” an absurd and unmeaning sign, but the modern inn is now called simply “The Compasses.”

Ranelagh Grove and Terraceis so named from the celebrated place of amusement of our ancestors; but is in the parish of Chelsea, and therefore not within our design. At No. 2, Ranelagh Terrace, died the Rev. Thomas Pennington, nephew of the celebrated ElizabethCarter. He was author of two works of foreign travel, and also of “Memoirs of the Grand Dukes of the House of Medici.” He died December 21st, 1852, in his 92nd year.

Upper Ebury Street.—Part only of this street is within the district of St. Paul’s; in it died Rodwell, the composer, and William Skelton, a celebrated engraver. Skelton’s productions are numerous, and extend over a lengthened period, among them a series of portraits of the reigning family from George III. to our present Queen. He died here, August 13th, 1848, in his 86th year, and was buried in Brompton Cemetery.

Several places of public entertainment were in the neighbourhood of Ebury Street, the chief of which were “The Star and Garter” and “The Dwarf;” both were in their heyday about 1760; and notices of them were frequent in the papers of the time. “The Cherokee Chiefs,” objects of wonder in 1760, and alluded to in Goldsmith’s “Citizen of the World,” were frequently to be seen here. “The Star and Garter” stood near to the end of Burton Street, “The Dwarf” on the site of the factory in Elizabeth Street. There were besidesthese, places of minor resort, mere tea-gardens. “To drink tea at Pimlico” became proverbial in the last century. Here came from the close streets, to inhale the purer air of the fields, hundreds of the working-classes; more especially on the Sunday they poured forth, old and young, married and single. Gay says of the spring-time—

“Then Chelsea’s meads o’erhear perfidious vows,And the press’d grass defrauds the grazing cows.”

One of these places was attached to the house now numbered 75.

Westbourne Placeis a neat double row of houses (deriving its name from the stream) joining Eaton and Sloane Squares. No. 2 was the house taken in 1808 by Colonel Wardle for the notorious Mary Ann Clarke, as part recompense for the services she was to render in the prosecution of the inquiry into the conduct of the Duke of York. Into the history of this disgraceful connection I do not intend to enter, any more than to say, that afterwards an action was brought against Colonel Wardle for the value of the furniture supplied to this house, as was alleged, on the faith of his personal promise. William Thomas Lewis, for manyyears a popular comedian, and acting manager of Covent Garden Theatre, died at his residence in Westbourne Place on January 13th, 1811. No. 23 was once the residence of Miss Corbaux, celebrated as a painter, and for her knowledge in those most recondite of studies, the histories and languages of the ancient nations of the East.

Westbourne Streetbranches off Westbourne Place. Mr. Smith, author of “A History of Marylebone,” once lived here. In this street is a Baptist Chapel. Formerly, on a part of this ground, was York Hospital, a depôt for invalid soldiers, and named after the Duke of York. Here for two years,without pay, Mr. Guthrie, the eminent surgeon, attended on the poor fellows maimed at Waterloo. The establishment, in 1819, was removed to Chatham.

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