Strand, The (London, England); Streets -- England -- London
The font which stands in the vestibule at the west end is a most
excellent piece of work. It was carved from a block of white marble by
Grinling Gibbons, and is about 5 feet in height. The shaft is the tree
of life, round which is twined the serpent, while figures of Adam and
Eve stand on either side. It is well worth going into the church to see
this alone. The font originally possessed a cover, which was stolen in
1800, and is said to have been hung up in a spirit shop. In the church
are many monuments hanging on the walls, and on the pillars. One or two
of these at the east end are very cumbrous, and many are heavily
decorated, but none are worthy of note for any intrinsic beauty they
possess. Walcott notes as the most important those of the eighth Earl of
Huntingdon, 1704, and Count de la Roche Foucault, 1741. James Dodsley,
the well-known bookseller, 1797, was buried here, also Haysman, the
rival of Lely, and Lieutenant-General Sir Colin Campbell, K.C.B., 1847.
Among the entries in the register we have the burials of the two
Vanderveldes, father and son.
In the old graveyard there are stones in abundance, one or two on the
wall of the church, and many alternating with the flagstones over which
the feet of the living carelessly pass.
In Sackville Street, just opposite to the church, Sheridan died.
There are various other public buildings of more or less interest before
we come to Burlington House. No less than three mansions stood here in
the times of the later Stuarts. These belonged to Lord Chancellor
Clarendon and Lords Berkeley and Burlington, of which the latter name
has alone survived.
The third Earl was an architect, and added several embellishments to his
mansion, including a stone frontage and a colonnade taken down in 1868.
Handel was a guest at Burlington House for three years from 1715. After
the death of Lord Burlington in 1753 the title became extinct. Among the
memorable scenes witnessed by the house was a brilliant ball and fete,
given by the members of White's Club to the allied Sovereigns in 1814.
Lord George Cavendish, who bought the house in 1815, considerably
altered the interior of the building, and built the Burlington Arcade in
1819. He was afterwards created Earl of Burlington. In 1854 Government
bought the house and garden. The University of London, now in Burlington
Gardens, temporarily occupied the building, and the societies occupying
Somerset House were offered quarters in Burlington House. In 1866 the
mansion was leased to the Royal Academy, and fundamental changes began.
On the east side of Burlington House are the Geographical and Chemical
Societies, and on the west the Linnaean. In the courtyard, the Royal
Society is in the east wing, and the Royal Astronomical and the Society
of Antiquaries in the western.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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