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of the church-yard and its church to the above situation. By that act the churchwardens of St. Saviour's obtained a privilege enjoyed by few other parishes, of being erected into a corporation, with a common seal, and power to purchase certain lands named; and they' also obtained from the King, for a trifling sum, the collegiate church of St. Mary Overy, or St. Saviour's, now the parish-church of the district. The act in question, which passed in the 32nd Hen. VIII. 1540-1, is entitled "An Acte for enlarging St. Margarett's ch'yarde, in Southwerke ;" and after reciting that "forasmuch as divrs and many of the Kinge's most drad sovreign Lords," and others within the borough of Southwark, have increased within the parish of St. Margaret, and the church-yard is situate" in the comon strete, and in the mydell" of the King's highway there, and from lack of space for burials is likely to breed infection, it is enacted, that the wardens of the parish of St. Margaret, and their successors, shall have a common seal for the business of their corporation, and that they may, by the name of wardens, plead and sue, and, by the same name, defend and implead, and be impleaded, and may purchase and enjoy such lands as were lately the property of Arthur Ürmesbye, Esq. deceased, after of Sir John Bourchier, knight, Lord Ferrers, and after that of Thomas Onelye, gent., containing one acre of land or thereabout," &c.

The public spirit of the corporation and care for the preservation of this fabric, in gratitude for the liberal grant of the King, first exhibited itself by their leasing the Lady Chapel, a fair and elegant structure, to a baker, who, according to Stowe, not only used it for the purposes of his trade, but desecrated the spot by using a portion of it for his hog-sties.

The magic of uninterrupted perspective, which the cathedral style of the church originally displayed, was in 1618 destroyed by the organ-screen at the west end of the choir, in place of the ancient rood-loft. In the years 1621 and 1622, the west front from midway upwards, and the north side from the western extremity to the internal quoin of the north transept was coated with brick, and the ancient appearance, not destroyed by this useless and wanton spoliation, was completely ruined by the erection of a wooden building against the west front of the north aisle, now used as the sexton's office; which at the same time had the effect of obscuring the venerable arch leading into Montague Close, the site of the Palace of the Lords Monteagle.

The works in 1624 bore a little of the marks of intelligence and civilization. In this year the Lady Chapel, which, as is just observed, had been let to a baker, was restored and new paved; though at the same time the unwarrantable innovations were continuing in other places.

Probably about the same time the original external doorway into the Magdalen Chapel was closed, and another successful attempt to disfigure the noble pile was made, by substituting for it a new illdesigned entrance, containing in itself an example of all the abuses of the Italian architecture of the period.

For the alterations in 1703 the parish authorities may not, perhaps, have been so much to blame: Corinthian altar-screens, with their blazing fire-pots, and volant cherubim, accompanied by whole-length,

full-dressed portraits of Moses and Aaron; pulpits with soundingboards seeming ready to drop, and thus shut up the preacher as in a tomb, were the taste of the day. The architects of that period had been misled by the example of Wren; who, however great, had neither taste nor ability to approximate the intelligence, and we may say skill, of our early monastic architects. It was at this period that the pewing and other incongruous erections were executed; a large portion of which still remain. The pews, it is to be regretted, caused the destruction of the ancient and more appropriate stalls1, which might have been preserved, even with the object of accommodating an increase of numbers in view.

It is more than probable that at this time the lead roof over the choir was removed, and a leaden flat substituted for it; that the stone gable-end of the south transept was changed into a plaintile-hipped roof, and that the tracery of the window, as well as the embattled parapets of the nave and south aisle, were demolished, inasmuch as they appear in Hollar's views.

Before the late repairs, nearly a century had elapsed since any thing worthy of notice had been undertaken even to preserve the church, as would appear from the date affixed to a part of the building. We apprehend that in the year 1734 considerable repairs were executed, to the nave. It is possible that this may have been the period in which the embattled parapets, above mentioned, which appear in Hollar's engraving, were removed, and the external stonework cased with barbarous brickwork; and probably about the same time the northern front of the north transept was taken down, and a substitute put up as an enclosure to the two bays remaining of timber framework, covered with geometrical tiles. The south transept underwent the same operation as the nave in 1735; when, doubtless, the elegant rose window was destroyed, as well as some of the most beautiful features in the moulded tracery of the six east and west front windows of the time of Edward the Third, or, perhaps, somewhat earlier.

We have omitted to state, that somewhat approaching a respectable repair and restoration of the tower had been effected in 1689, when the pinnacles were rebuilt, but not with strict adherence to the original design, as was ascertained from fragments taken down in 1818, at which time they were again rebuilt; but they were unfortunately discovered too late to enable the architect to avail himself of the information they yielded; though, in the pinnacle at the north-west angle, the data thus afforded were used.

The Lady Chapel, commonly called the Spiritual Court, from its being the bishop's court, and, till lately, used for holding the visitations of the deanery of Southwark, seems latterly to have been left to its fate, and is at the present moment in the most disgusting state of dilapidation. The occurrences within the walls of the church, such as

The stalls are still preserved in Binham Priory, and very many other churches; they form a beautiful feature, and are invaluable to the architect, whenever they occur, as examples of fittings.

the marriage of the Princess of Milan to Edmund Holland, in the reign of Henry the Fifth, and matters more serious connected with the persecutions of Mary, we have not room to notice; we shall, therefore, now turn to the more pleasing, and, to the parish, more creditable subject of the rebuilding of the choir, which has been so ably performed by Mr. George Gwilt, whose antiquarian and enlightened endeavours have been crowned with success amidst the most discordant and disgraceful oppositions that a popular vestry, led by ignorant men, ever produced.

The greater part of this fabric was originally constructed of the free-stone of its county, on which the effects of time and weather seemed to have made a greater impression from, perhaps, its peculiar situation, than on many similar structures; and a large portion of it seemed to have arrived at that degree of dilapidation which indicates to the practical man what will just stand, or rather in what state a building can exist without falling down. The unwilling parishioners were awake to the state of the structure, and a committee was actually appointed to conduct the necessary repairs. This committee slept for years over their delegated task; and it was not until the year 1818, to the honour of the wardenship of Mr. John Crawford, whose name deserves to be recorded, that the resolution was adopted of making a beginning by the repair of the tower; though, as we understand, not then till after much opposition on the part of a wealthy seedsman in the borough, who proposed to do away with its pinnacles altogether! It was under Mr. Crawford's and his successor's auspices that the pinnacles and embattled parapets were rebuilt; several new windows inserted in the bell-loft and belfry; and the tower, split in every direction by the violent vibratory action of the bells, and exhibiting fissures three and four inches in breadth, was secured by encircling it with cast iron ties of three tiers in height, so concealed within the masonry as not to be perceptible, and so contrived as not to injure the work by contraction or expansion.

Soon after these repairs, in May, 1821, the project of restoring the choir was entertained, and even at this period Vandalism began to show its horrid features; for a proposition was then submitted, which had in view the destruction of the old and the building of an entire new church to fit the old tower, but it was rejected by a large majority of the parishioners; and in March, 1822, a contract was entered into for the repairs, we may say rebuilding, of the choir; for it included two-thirds in height of the south side, including the clere story and triforium, and all the vaulting, the internal part being strictly reinstated. As a model for the new work, the east end was taken down to the clere story, and a new triple window, designed by the architect, executed in the more florid style of the thirteenth century, instead of the window of five lights of the time of Henry the Seventh, which existed till the repair. The vaulting was rebuilt with ribs of Bath stone, and the spandrels filled in with the old chalk, whose deficiency was supplied with new. The only deviation from the original which took place was the variation in the thickness of the vaulting from sixteen inches to one foot, which from the clear

height of the choir remaining the same, cannot be discovered by a person standing below; but it was a material improvement from its diminishing the thrust on the walls. Over the whole of the vaulting a new cast-iron roof was erected, and covered with copper. The piers of the flying buttresses on each side were cased with new stone, the arches of them entirely rebuilt, and the pinnacles and finials terminating the abutting piers were added. It is probable these had never before been completed, for it is remarkable that there were originally three on the south side, and only two on the north side.

The Magdalen Chapel, which formed an unsightly excrescence upon the south side of the choir and the east front of the south transept, possessing no interesting feature whatever, was removed, whereby the whole body of the choir has been displayed to very great advantage. The open side of the south aisle of the choir was then enclosed with masonry upon the same model as the ancient north side, with the addition of a new doorway; and the windows in the side aisles were built entirely anew. It is proper to remark, that in all these works, the architect, to his great credit, has adhered as rigidly to the former work as circumstances would permit, not only in the general design, but in the minutest detail, wherever prototypes could be found; and on some occasions it has happened, that a piece of moulding or sculptured ornament discovered in the walls of the old building has served as a model for part of the new work, of which an instance may be noticed in the triple window of the east end, and in the southern doorway, in which a singular and beautiful specimen of what is called the dog's tooth moulding is used.

As the exterior of the choir, from the decay of the material, had no longer left traces of the original design, the architect was under the necessity of forming a new one in the character of the period; and this was also the case with the east end, which, we confidently trust, the street to be formed from the new London Bridge will shortly lay open to the view of the public.

The use of land flints in the external parts of the walls, we confess we do not admire: the contrast between the colour of them and that of the stone is far too violent; but this, if a defect, is one of those minor matters which do not at all detract from the great general merit of the architect. They are, however, far preferable to the whitest brick that could have been adopted, which, we understand, must have been used from economy, if the experiment had not been made.

The present church is about 272 feet in length, and its breadth, including the two aisles, is 61 feet. The north transept is 29, and the south transept 31 feet in length. On the plan it is in the form of a cross; the tower, which is 35 feet square, and nave with the rising over the void left by the intersection of the 150 feet high, transepts. Many of the keystones are ornamented with the arms of the priory, and various devices. The vaulting of the nave is supported by twelve insulated, and four attached pillars, eight on each side; that of the choir, by ten insulated pillars, and four attached pillars, seven on each side. The Lady Chapel, at the east end, is forty-two feet in length. We understand that the whole cost of the repairs, which have been so ably performed by Mr. George Gwilt,

VOL. I.-PART II.

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has not much exceeded £17,000, including the tower, and we hope that no time will be lost by the parish in proceeding with the restoration of the remaining parts of the fabric, since we are informed the corporation is wealthy, and not without funds, or at least the power of raising them for such a praiseworthy purpose.

SOCIETY OF ANTIQUARIES.

"The philosophical spirit of the age, it might have been expected, would have reached our modern antiquaries; but neither profound views, nor eloquent disquisitions, have imparted that value to their confined researches and languid efforts, which the character of the times, and the excellence of our French rivals in their "Academie," so peremptorily required. It is, however, hopeful to hear MR. HALLAM declare, I think our last volumes improve a little, and but a little! a comparison with the Academy of Inscriptions, in its better days, must still inspire us with shame!'"

D'ISRAELI, F.S.A. WE have been induced to commence this article with the above extract, to show that there are at least two Fellows of the Society of Antiquaries sufficiently enlightened to be sensible of the estimation in which it is held by the world; and as they are both distinguished writers, and as one of them is at this moment a VicePresident, their testimony is particularly valuable. Nor is their temerity in thus expressing their sentiments less remarkable, since, as we stated in our last number, a statute exists by which 'any Fellow may be expelled who dares, "by speaking, writing, or printing, publicly to defame it."

Contenting ourselves for the present with proving that our view of the state of the Society is not a solitary one, we must confine this article to a question, which, though perhaps of less general interest, is one of great importance,-the revenues, and the manner in which they are applied.

Its funds are derived from admission fees, annual payments or compositions, the interest of a little stock, and the sale of its publications. The disbursements are for the expenses of the Archæologia and other works; salaries to the Secretaries and Librarian; coals, paper, &c.; and feasting. The following is, we believe, a tolerably accurate account of the receipts and disbursements from March, 1815, to the 22nd March, 1827.

' Mr. D'Israeli's comment on this statute is too just to be omitted. "Some things may be too antique and obsolete even for the Society of Antiquaries! and such is this vile restriction! Should there be a stray wit among them, or a critical observer, are they to compromise the freedom of the republic of letters by the monopolising spirit of excellence this statute necessarily attributes to their works and their gestes?" Curiosities of Literature, Second Series, vol. i. p. 74. When the late Mr. Gough published some well merited strictures upon the Society in the "Gentleman's Magazine" for 1802, vol. LXXII. p. 1181, an F. S. A. was found silly enough to threaten him with the enforcement of this statute!!! Ibid. vol. LXXIII. pp. 103-4.

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