Westminster | Page 2

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