Strand, The (London, England); Streets -- England -- London
The pictures inside are exceptionally valuable and beautiful,
including paintings by Vandyke, Murillo, Carlo Dolci, Paul Veronese
(attributed), and many others. On the opposite side of the street
Messrs. Crosse and Blackwell's factory also covers a house owning
historical associations. No. 21 was the "White House," and 22,
"Falconberg House," in former times. The latter was the residence of
Oliver Cromwell's third daughter, Lady Falconberg, who died in 1712.
Sutton Street takes its name from the county seat of the Falconbergs. In
this house Sir Cloudesley Shovel's body lay in state before its
interment, after having been found cast up on one of the Scilly Islands.
A Spanish Ambassador was among the later residents, and afterwards the
house was for a time an hotel. In the large drawing-room the ceiling was
painted by Angelica Kauffmann. The Duke of Argyll, the Earl of Bradford,
and Speaker Onslow, were among its tenants. This house is now the
offices of Messrs. Crosse and Blackwell. The painted ceiling was
carefully taken down and saved from destruction by one of the heads of
the firm. The chief articles of interest remaining are a handsome
overmantel in one of the private rooms of the firm, and a curious
ceiling. The former is of wood, and is varnished and painted in various
tones of bronze and gold. The carving upon it is very elaborate and
enigmatical. The panelled ceiling has some affinity with it, but has
been modernized, and is not so interesting. The front of the house
remains as it was, and claims to be the only original frontage in the
square.
The centre of the square, when first laid out, was occupied by a
fountain surmounted by a statue of Charles II. in armour, the work of
Colley Cibber. Clinch in "Soho and its Associations" mentions a document
of 1748, still extant, in which are recorded the subscriptions made by
the inhabitants to replace the wooden palisades round the square by iron
railings. This is headed by L300 from the Duke of Portland, and among
the names are those of many titled and influential people, showing that
fashion had not then migrated westward. It was on the doorstep of a
house in the square that De Quincey sank dying of exhaustion and
starvation during his first novitiate of London life, and he was only
saved by his faithful companion Ann.
PART II
PICCADILLY AND ST. JAMES'S SQUARE
Returning from Soho Square to Piccadilly Circus, we find ourselves in
the parish of St. James's, Piccadilly, which takes in all the now
fashionable shopping locality of Regent Street, and is bounded on the
east and south by St. Anne's, Soho, and St. Martin's-in-the-Fields, and
on the west by St. George's, Hanover Square.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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