London (England) -- History -- 17th century; London (England) -- Social life and customs -- 17th century
to afford an entrance from the City. The old churchyard of Bethlehem,
about 200 feet by 300 feet, lay on the north-east side of Lower
Moorfields; the site of St. Mary Bethlehem is preserved in the name of
a street or court: “Bethlehem”—between the yard and Bishopsgate Street
Without. St. Botolph’s without Bishopsgate has taken a large piece of
the town ditch for an extension of churchyard; the lane running along
its north side leads into Petty France, now called North Broad Street.
All the ground about this part is now swallowed up by the Liverpool
and Broad Street Stations. Bishopsgate Street Without, with the ground
east and west, is completely built up and covered with houses. The site
of Old Artillery Garden is still marked by Artillery Lane, which led
into it. East of Bishopsgate Street we find Petticoat Lane, Wentworth
(then called Wentford) Street, Brick Lane, Carter Street, Fashion
Street, Dean and Tower Streets, and other streets and lanes, lined with
houses but not yet filled in with courts; the houses, in nearly all
cases, have gardens behind them. One wishes for a drawing of one of
these early Whitechapel streets, but in vain. Tenter fields fill up the
spaces not yet built over.
We next come to the third line of maps. On the north of this line runs
the noble highway of Holborn; on its north side we pass Warwick House,
Gray’s Inn; and Brook House, evidently a stately building in the form
of a court, with a gateway to the street and gardens behind; this is
separated from Furnival’s Inn by a narrow lane. The Inn, whose gardens
we have already noticed, presents in plan an oblong outer court, a
hall and chapel, and an unfinished inner court; Ely House has a court,
gardens and buildings, and a hall. In the street itself stands the
Middle Row, only taken down a few years ago; at its east end, and just
west of Staple Inn, are the Holborn Bars. We next observe Chancery
Lane; its west side is largely taken up with Lincoln’s Inn. The Inn
itself consists of the first two courts, the chapel, and the hall; the
rest is all garden, open on the east to Chancery Lane, and on the west
to the Fields. Lincoln’s Inn Fields are not enclosed and are crossed by
paths; the south side is occupied by “Portugal Row.” South of the Inn,
on the ground now covered by part of New Square and by part of the High
Courts of Justice, is an open space called Lower Lincoln’s Inn Fields,
the existence of which appears to have been neglected by writers on
topography. On the east side of Chancery Lane there are continuous
houses, and behind them the gardens of Staple Inn, the Rolls with the
Master’s house, the chapel, and the gardens.
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