At length at the solicitation of Bishop Ridley, King Edward VI. gave the old palace of Bridewell to the city, for the lodging of poor wayfaring people, the correction of vagabonds, strumpets, and idle persons, and for finding them work; and as the city had appointed the Grey Friars, now called Christ’s Hospital, for the education of poor children; St. Bartholomew’s and also St. Thomas’s in Southwark for the maimed and diseased, his Majesty formed the Governors of these charitable foundations into a corporation; allowed them a proper authority for the exercise of their offices, and constituted himself the founder and patron. For this purpose he gave to the Lord Mayor, Commonalty and Citizens, and their successors for ever, several pieces of land to the yearly value of 450_l._ and at the same time suppressing the hospital of the Savoy, gave for the above charitable uses a great part of the revenue, together with the bedding and furniture. In the following reigns granaries and storehouses for coals were erected at the expence of the city within this hospital, and the poor were employed in grinding corn with hand-mills; which were greatly improved in the reign of Queen Elizabeth, when a citizen invented a mill, by which two men might grind as much corn in a day as could be ground by ten men with the other mills, and being to be worked either by the hands or feet, if the poor were lame in the arms, they earned their living with their feet, and if they were lame in their legs, they earned their living with their arms. In the year 1666, this edifice was entirely consumed by fire, and likewise all the dwelling houses in the precinct of Bridewell, from whence had arisen two thirds of its revenue; the hospital however was rebuilt in 1668, in the manner in which it at present appears. It consists of two courts, in which the buildings are convenient, and not very irregular. The chapel has a square roof, and galleries on the north and west side, supported by columns of the Tuscan order, and the floor is paved with black and white marble. At the west end are places for the hospital boys, and others for the prisoners. The wainscoting and finishing are very neat. The altar piece is adorned with two pilasters, with their entablature and a circular pediment of the Corinthian order, between which the commandments are done in gold upon a black ground, and the Lord’s prayer and the creed wrote on a blue ground; these pieces are enriched with gilt cherubims, leaves and fruit, and placed in gilt frames. The court room is adorned with columns of the Composite order, a gallery, and the names of all the benefactors to the hospital wrote in gold. There is here a chair for the President, and convenient seats for the Governors.