I hasten to add that I have not tried in the following pages to tell of every interesting place or even of all there is of interest in the places visited,--only enough, I hope, to make people go and see for themselves and have the pleasure of discovering the rest. I am not afraid that if they once go to the Chapter House they will miss any of its beauties: my dread is lest they fail to go there, from the vision of a plethora of things they think they have no time to see. For I want more than anything else to prick the curiosity of the travellers up and down the streets of the city who miss so much pleasure that they might have so easily, because they are not alive to all the interesting and unexpected things that wait for their coming just round the corner. A little further afield there are so many other treasures waiting to be noticed,--Hogarth’s pleasant house in Chiswick, that, like many another London visitor, I am promising myself to see the first time I have a free Monday, Wednesday or Saturday;--Eltham, with its sunk garden surrounding the remains of the old palace of the English kings, where John of Eltham, Edward II.’s son, was born;--Southwark, with its cathedral and the remains of the Marshalsea Prison that not everyone knows how to find;--and Islington, with the Canonbury Tower and the house in Duncan Street, No. 64, where Lamb lived for four years. But these I must leave regretfully for another day. In conclusion, I should like to express my thanks to the _Montreal Gazette_ and to the _Daily Express_ for permission to reprint one or two sketches which originally appeared in their pages, and to all those friends for whose kindly help and encouragement I am much indebted. To SIR SQUIRE SPRIGGE CONTENTS CHAP. PAGE I. CHELSEA 1 The Chelsea of Sir Thomas More--Crosby Hall--Cheyne Walk--Sandford Manor--Chelsea Hospital--Buns--Chelsea Old Church--The Physic Garden--Ranelagh. II. KNIGHTSBRIDGE TO SOHO 24 Tattersall’s--Ely House--London Museum--St. James’s Church--The Haymarket Shoppe--A King in Soho. III. TRAFALGAR SQUARE TO FLEET STREET 38 The Strand--Charing Cross--Water Gates--The Adelphi--St. Clement Danes--Savoy Chapel--Prince Henry’s Room--The Temple. IV. ROUND ABOUT THE TOWER 68 Roman Baths--London Stone--Great Tower Street--All Hallows, Barking--St. Olave’s--Roman Wall--Port of London Authority--Trinity House--The Crooked Billet--The Tower. V. ROUND ABOUT CHEAPSIDE 84 Bow Church--The Old Mansion House--The Old Watling Restaurant--37, Cheapside--Wood Street--The City Companies--The Guildhall. VI. ROUND ABOUT HOLBORN 103