Westminster

PART I. South of Victoria Street.

SOUTH OF VICTORIA STREET.

The word Westminster used in the title does not mean that city which has its boundaries stretching from Oxford Street to the river, from the Broad Walk, Kensington Gardens, to Temple Bar. A city which embraces the parishes of St. George's, Hanover Square; St. James's, Piccadilly; St. Anne's, Soho; St. Paul's, Covent Garden; St. Clement Danes; St. Mary le Strand, etc.; and which claims to be older even than London, dating its first charter from the reign of King Edgar. But, rather, Westminster in its colloquial sense, that part of the city which lies within the parishes of St. Margaret and St. John. When anyone says, 'I am going to Westminster,' or, 'I am staying in Westminster,' it is this district that he means to indicate.

The parishes of St. Margaret and St. John include the land bounded on one side by the river; on another by a line running through the Horse Guards and diagonally across St. James's Park to Buckingham Gate; and on the third by an irregular line which crosses Victoria Street to the west of Carlisle Place, and subsequently cuts across the Vauxhall Bridge Road near Francis Street, and, continuing at a slight angle to the course of the Bridge Road, strikes the river at a spot beyond the gasworks between Pulford Terrace and Bessborough Place. There is also another piece of land belonging to St. Margaret's parish; this lies detached, and includes part of Kensington Gardens and the Round Pond; but it is only mentioned to show it has not been overlooked, for the present account will not deal with it. The triangular space roughly indicated above is sufficient for one ramble.

Within this space stand, and have stood, so many magnificent buildings closely connected with the annals of England that Westminster may well claim to occupy a unique place in the history of the nation. The effects of two such buildings as the Abbey and Palace upon its population were striking and unique.

The right of sanctuary possessed by the Abbey drew thieves, villains, and rogues of all kinds to its precincts. The Court drew to the Palace a crowd of hangers-on, attendants, artificers, work-people, etc. When the Court was migratory this great horde swept over Westminster at intervals like a wave, and made a floating population. In the days of "touching" for "King's evil," when the Court was held at Whitehall, vast crowds of diseased persons gathered to Westminster to be touched. In Charles II.'s time weekly sittings were appointed at which the number of applicants was not to exceed 200. Between 1660-64, 23,601 persons were "touched." Later, when the roads were still too bad to be traversed without danger, many of the members of Parliament lodged in Westminster while the House was sitting. Therefore, from the earliest date, when bands of travellers and merchants came down the great north road, and passed through the marshes of Westminster to the ferry, until the beginning of the present century, there has always been a floating element mingling with the stationary inhabitants of the parishes.

The history of Westminster itself is entwined with these two great foundations, the Abbey and the Palace, which will be found described in detail respectively at pp. 45 and 71.

DESCRIPTIVE ACCOUNT.

The perambulation of Westminster, undertaken street by street, differs from that made at Chelsea or elsewhere by reason of the great buildings aforementioned, which are centres of interest and require particular notice. These will be dealt with as they occur, and so interesting are they that they cause the street associations to sink into a position of secondary importance.

Beginning at the least interesting end of Westminster--that is to say, the west end of Victoria Street--there are not many objects of interest apparent. Victoria Street was in 1852 cut through nests of alleys and dirty courts, including a colony of almshouses, cottages, chapel, and school, known as Palmer's Village. The solid uniform buildings on either side of the street have a very sombre aspect; they are mainly used for offices. There is still some waste ground lying to the south of Victoria Street, in spite of the great Roman Catholic Cathedral, begun in 1895, which covers a vast area. The material is red brick with facings of stone, and the style Byzantine, the model set being the "early Christian basilica in its plenitude." The high campanile tower, which is already seen all over London, is a striking feature in a building quite dissimilar from those to which we in England are accustomed. The great entrance at the west end has an arch of forty feet span, and encloses three doorways, of which the central one is only to be used on solemn occasions by the Archbishop. One feature of the interior decoration will be the mosaic pictures in the marble panels. The building is still incomplete, and not open to the public. It stands on the site of Tothill Fields Prison, which was considered to be one of the finest specimens of brickwork in the country, and cost the nation L200,000, but has now completely vanished. It resembled a fortress; the entrance, which stood in Francis Street, was composed of massive granite blocks, and had a portcullis. The prison took the place of a Bridewell or House of Correction near, built in 1622; but in spite of the vast sum of money spent upon it, it lasted only twenty years (1834-54).

The fire-station and Western District Post-Office also occupy part of the same site. The extension of the Army and Navy Stores stands on the site of the Greencoat School, demolished in 1877. Certain gentlemen founded this school; in Charles I.'s reign it was constituted "a body politic and corporate," and the seal bears date 1636. The lads wore a long green skirt, bound round with a red girdle. In 1874, when the United Westminster Schools were formed from the amalgamation of the various school charities of Westminster, the work was begun here, but three years later the boys were removed to the new buildings in Palace Street. The old school buildings were very picturesque. They stood round a quadrangle, and the Master's house faced the entrance, and was decorated with a bust of King Charles and the royal arms. In the wainscoted board-room hung portraits of King Charles I. by Vandyck, and King Charles II. by Lely.

The name of Artillery Row is connected with the artillery practice at the butts, which stood near here in the reign of Queen Elizabeth. At the end, if we turn to the left, we come into Old Rochester Row, and so to Greycoat Place, in which stands the Greycoat Hospital. This building, one of the few old ones left in the parish, has a red-tiled roof and dormer windows, projecting eaves and heavy window-frames. Two wings enclose a courtyard, which is below the level of the road. Above the central porch, in niches, are the figures of a boy and girl in the old-fashioned Greycoat garb. In the centre are the Royal arms of Queen Anne, and a turret with clock and vane surmounts the roof.

This hospital was founded in 1698 for the education of seventy poor boys and forty poor girls. In 1706, by letters patent of Queen Anne, the trustees were constituted a body 'politic and corporate.' In this year also the school was established in the present quaint building, which had been a workhouse, perhaps that referred to in the vestry reports of 1664 as the "new workhouse in Tuttle ffields."

The boys then wore a long gray skirt and girdle, something similar to the Christ's Hospital uniform, and the girls a dress of gray. The hospital originated in the charity of the parishioners. Various additions have since been made to the building, and class-rooms have been added. The older class-rooms and board-room are wainscoted. In the latter are oil-paintings of Queen Anne, Bishops Compton and Smalridge (of Bristol), and various governors. The corporate seal represents two male figures tending a young sapling, a reference to 1 Cor. vii. 8. An old organ, contemporary with the date of the establishment, and a massive Bible and Prayer-Book, are among the most interesting relics. The latter, dated 1706, contains the "Prayer for the Healing" at the King's touch.

The hospital is a very wealthy foundation, and is able to support the strain of its immense expenses without difficulty. The governors have recently erected a row of red-brick flats to the west of the garden, which will further augment the income. The garden is charming with flower-beds and grass plots, while the vine and the ampelopsis climb over the old building.

Rochester Row owes its name to the connection of the See of Rochester with the Deanery of Westminster, which continued through nine successive incumbencies. The row was considered by the Dean and Chapter as a private thoroughfare until the beginning of the present century, but they had no reason to be proud of it. A filthy ditch caused much complaint; even in 1837 the state of the row was described as "shameful and dangerous." At the north-east end stood the parish pound-house. St. Stephen's Church and Schools are handsome, in a decorated Gothic style, and were built in 1847 by Ferrey, at the cost of the Baroness Burdett-Coutts. The spire rises to a height of 200 feet.

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