London (England) -- Antiquities; London (England) -- History
This fine building was destroyed by the Great Fire, when all the
statues fell down save that of the founder, Sir Thomas Gresham. His
trustees, now known as the Gresham Committee, set to work to rebuild
it, and employed Edward German as their architect, though Wren gave
advice concerning the project. As usual, the citizens were not very
long in accomplishing their task, and three years after the fire the
second Exchange was opened, and resembled in plan its predecessor. Many
views of it appear in the Crace collection in the British Museum. In
1838 it was entirely destroyed by fire. In the clock-tower there was
a set of chimes, and the last tune they played, appropriately, was,
"There's nae luck about the house." As we have seen, in a few years the
present Royal Exchange arose, which we trust will be more fortunate
than its predecessors, and never fall a victim to the flames.
* * * * *
There is much else that we should like to see in Old London, and record
in these Memorials. We should like to visit the old fairs, especially
Bartholomew Fair, Smithfield, either in the days of the monks or with
my Lady Castlemaine, who came in her coach, and mightily enjoyed a
puppet show; and the wild beasts, dwarfs, operas, tight-rope dancing,
sarabands, dogs dancing the Morrice, hare beating a tabor, a tiger
pulling the feathers from live fowls, the humours of Punchinello, and
drolls of every degree. Pages might be written of the celebrities of
the fair, of the puppet shows, where you could see such incomparable
dramas as _Whittington and his Cat_, _Dr. Faustus_, _Friar Bacon_,
_Robin Hood and Little John_, _Mother Shipton_, together with "the
tuneful warbling pig of Italian race." But our pageant is passing,
and little space remains. We should like to visit the old prisons. A
friend of the writer, Mr. Milliken, has allowed himself to be locked
in all the ancient gaols which have remained to our time, and taken
sketches of all the cells wherein famous prisoners have been confined;
of gates, and bars, and bolts and doors, which have once restrained
nefarious gaol-birds. Terrible places they were, these prisons, wherein
prisoners were fleeced and robbed by governors and turnkeys, and, if
they had no money, were kicked and buffeted in the most merciless
manner. Old Newgate, which has just disappeared, has perhaps the most
interesting history. It began its career as a prison in the form of a
tower or part of the city gate. Thus it continued until the Great Fire,
after which it was restored by Wren. In our illustration of the old
gatehouse, it will be seen that it had a windmill at the top. This was
an early attempt at ventilation, in order to overcome the dread malady
called "gaol distemper," which destroyed many prisoners. Many notable
names appear on the list of those who suffered here, including several
literary victims, whose writings caused them grievous sufferings.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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