London (England) -- History; London (England) -- Social life and customs
Let us walk abroad and view the streets. They are changed, indeed, since
Stow led us from St. Andrew's Undershaft to St. Paul's. The old gabled
houses are all gone, except in the narrow limits of that part spared by
the fire; in their places are tall houses with large sash windows and
flat façade. Within, they are wainscoted, the fashion of tapestry having
completely gone out. Foot-passengers are protected by rows of posts at
intervals of four or five feet. Flat paving-stones are not in general
use, and those that have been laid down are small and insecure. The
shops are small, and there is little pretence at displaying the goods;
they have, however, all got windows in front. A single candle, or two at
the most, illuminate the wares in the evening or the short afternoons of
winter. A sign hangs out over every door. The drawing of St. Dunstan's
in the West shows that part of Fleet Street before the paving-stones
were laid down. The only pavement both for the road and the footway
consisted of large, round pebbles, over which the rolling of the
vehicles made the most dreadful noise. In the year 1762, however, an
improvement was introduced in Westminster, followed by the City of
London in 1766. The roads were paved with squares of Scotch granite
laid in gravel; the posts were removed; a curb was laid down; gutters
provided, and the footway paved with flat stones. About the same time
the corporation took down the overhanging signs, removed the City gates,
covered over Fleet Ditch, and broadened numerous narrow passages. The
drawing here reproduced of the Monument and the beginning of London
Bridge dates between 1757 and 1766; for the houses are already down in
the bridge--this was done in 1757, and the posts and signs are not yet
removed from the street. The view gives an excellent idea of a London
street of that time. The posts were by no means all removed. The
drawing of Temple Bar from Butcher Row, taken as late as 1796, in which
they are still standing, shows this. It also shows the kind of houses in
the lower streets. Butcher Row, though it stood in the Strand at the
back of St. Clement's Church, a highly respectable quarter, was one of
the most disreputable places in the whole of London--given over to
crimps, flash lodging-houses, and people of the baser sort.
[Illustration: ST. DUNSTAN'S IN THE WEST]
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Elsewhere in the archive
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account