Part 14

BATTERSEY, a village in Surrey, situated on the river Thames, four miles from London, and at the same distance from Richmond. The gardens about this place are noted for producing the finest asparagus. It gave the title of baron to the late Lord Viscount St. John, who had a seat here, which is a plain old building. Here Sir Walter St. John founded a free school for twenty boys.

BATES _street_, Ratcliff highway.†

BATH _court_, Queen street.

BATH _street_. 1. Cold Bath fields, thus named from the Cold Bath near it. 2. Welbeck street, thus named from the Earl of Bath.

BATTLEBRIDGE. 1. Gray’s inn lane, 2. Mill lane, Tooley street, Southwark; it was so called from Battle’s abbey; it standing over a water-course, which flows out of the Thames, and formerly belonged to that abbey. This bridge was therefore built and repaired by the Abbots of that house. _Stow._

BATTLEBRIDGE _stairs_, near Mill lane, Tooley street.

BATT’S _rents_, Whitechapel Common.†

BAXTER’S _court_, Church street, Hackney.†

BAYNARD’S CASTLE _lane_, Thames street, so called from a castle of that name built there by William Baynard Lord of Dunmow. _Camden._

BAYNING’S ALMSHOUSE, in Gunpowder alley, Crutched Friars, was erected in the year 1631, by Paul Viscount Sudbury, for ten poor housekeepers; but being surrendered to the parish, they have made it their almshouse.

BEACH _lane_, Whitecross street, Cripplegate‡

BEACONSFIELD, a small town in Buckinghamshire, in the road to Oxford, about 23 miles from London. It has several good inns, and is remarkable for being the birth-place of Mr. Waller, the celebrated poet, who had a great estate, and a handsome seat here, which is still in the possession of Edmund Waller, Esq; his descendant. There is a fine monument erected in the church yard, to the memory of Mr. Waller the poet.

BEADLES _court_, Eagle street, Holborn.

BEAK _street_, Swallow street, Piccadilly, so called from most of the houses belonging to Col. Beak.

BEAL’S _wharf_, Mill street, Tooley street.†

BEAR _alley_. 1. Addle hill, Thames street.* 2. Fleet ditch.* 3. London wall.*

BEAR _court_, Butcher row, Ratcliff.*

BEARBINDER _lane_, Swithin’s lane, Cannon street.

BEAR GARDEN, Bank side, Southwark.

BEAR _lane_, Gravel lane, Southwark.†

BEAR KEY, or Bear quay, near the Custom house. There are two streets of this name, Great and Little Bear Key, which lead from Thames street to the water side. On the key opposite to them, are landed vast quantities of corn, and formerly much bear, a small sort of barley, now little used in England; tho’ a great deal of it is brewed into ale and beer in Dublin, and from this grain Bear key undoubtedly took its name.

BEAR _Key stairs_, Bear key.

BEAR’S _court_, Butcher row, Ratcliff cross.

BEAR’S FOOT _alley_, Bank side.

BEAR _street_, Leicester fields.

BEAR _yard_. 1. Fore street, Lambeth.* 2. Long walk, King John’s court.* 3. Silver street.* 4. Vere street, Claremarket.*

BEAR AND HARROW _court_, Butcher row, Temple bar.*

BEAR AND RAGGED STAFF _court_, Drury lane.*

BEAR AND RAGGED STAFF _yard_, Whitecross street, Cripplegate.*

BEARDLEY’S _yard_, Wapping wall.†

BEAUCHAMP _street_, Leather lane, Holborn.†

BEAUFORT’S _buildings_, in the Strand.†

BECK’S _rents_. 1. Ropemaker’s fields, Limehouse.† 2. Rosemary lane, Little Tower hill.†

_Lords of the_ BEDCHAMBER, fourteen officers of great distinction, under the Lord Chamberlain; the first of whom is Groom of the Stole. They are usually persons of the highest quality, and their office is, each in his turn, to wait one week in the King’s bedchamber, and there to lie all night on a pallet bed by the King, and to supply the place of the Groom of the Stole in his absence. They also wait upon the King when he eats in private; for the cupbearers, carvers, and sewers do not then wait. The Groom of the Stole has 2000_l._ a year, and the rest of the Lords of the Bedchamber 1000_l._ a year each. See GROOM OF THE STOLE.

_Grooms of the_ BEDCHAMBER, eight officers of considerable rank under the Lords of the bedchamber, each of whom has a salary of 500_l._ _per annum_.

BEDDINGTON, in Surrey, the seat and manor of the ancient family of the Carews, is a noble edifice; but the wings are too deep for the body of the house; for they should either have been placed at a greater distance, or not have been so long. The court before them is fine, as is the canal in the park, which lies before this court, and has a river running through it. All the flat part of the park is taken up with very fine gardens, which extend in vistas two or three miles. The orangery is said to be the only one in England that is planted in the natural ground, and the trees, which are above an hundred years old, were brought out of Italy by Sir Francis Carew, Bart. They are, however, secured in the winter by moveable covers. The pleasure house, which was also built by Sir Francis, has the famous Spanish Armada painted on the top of it, and under it is a cold bath. The church is a beautiful small Gothic pile, built of stone, in the north and south isles of which are several stalls after the manner of cathedrals: and here is also two charity schools, one for boys, and the other for girls.

BEDFORD _buildings_, near Gray’s inn.

BEDFORDBURY, Chandos street.

BEDFORD _court_. 1. Bedford street, Covent Garden. 2. Red Lion street, Holborn. 3. In the Strand.

BEDFORD HOUSE. See BLOOMSBURY _square_.

BEDFORD _mews_, a street of stables near Grays inn walks.

BEDFORD _passage_, Southampton street.

BEDFORD _row_, near Gray’s inn.

BEDFORD _street_. 1. Covent garden, a handsome broad street. It takes its name from the Duke of Bedford, who is at least ground landlord. 2. Red Lion street, Holborn; a very handsome strait and well built street, inhabited by persons of distinction.

BEDLAM, or BETHLEHEM HOSPITAL. See BETHLEM.

BEDNAL, or BETHNAL GREEN. See BETHNAL GREEN.

BEDNAL, or BETHNAL GREEN road, Mile End.

BEDWARD’S _court_, White street.†

BEEHIVE _alley_, Snow hill.*

BEEHIVE _court_, Little St. Thomas Apostles.*

BEER _lane_, a crooked lane leading from Tower street into Thames street, opposite the Custom house.

BEGGAR’S ALMS _alley_, Rosemary lane.

BEGGAR’S BUSH _yard_, Gravel lane.

BEGGAR’S _hill_, Maid lane, Southwark.

BELL _alley_. 1. Aldersgate street without.* 2. Austin Friars.* 3. Budge row.* 4. Canon street, Walbrook.* 5. Coleman street, Lothbury, where there are two allies of this name.* 6. Dean street, Ratcliff highway.* 7. Dock head.* 8. Fenchurch street.* 9. Golden lane.* 10. Goswell street.* 11. Great Carter lane.* 12. Great Eastcheap.* 13. Green alley, Tooley street.* 14. Kingsland road.* 15. King street, Westminster.* 16. Labour-in-vain hill, Thames street.* 17. Lamb street.* 18. New stairs, Wapping.* 19. Old Bedlam.* 20. Old street.* 21. Saffron hill.* 22. Snow hill.* 23. Spital yard.* 24. Thieving lane.* 25. Tooley street, Southwark.* 26. Turnmill street.* 27. Walbrook.*

BELL _yard_, Bishopsgate street, without.*

BELL AND BEAR _alley_, Great Eastcheap.*

BELL _court_. 1. Gray’s inn lane.* 2. Great Carter lane.* 3. Grub street.* 4. Moorfields.* 5. St. Martin’s le grand.* 6. Thomas street.

BELL _dock_, Wapping.*

BELL _lane_. 1. Lisham green.* 2. By Crispin street, Spitalfields.*

BELL _wharf_. 1. Tooley street. 2. Lower Shadwell.*

BELL _wharf stairs_. 1. Lower Shadwell.* 2. Thames street.*

BELL _inn yard_. 1. St. Margaret’s hill.* 2. In the Strand.*

BELL SAVAGE _inn yard_, Ludgate hill. This inn was so called from its being kept by Isabella Savage, who was called in French _Belle Sauvage_, or lovely Savage. _Fullers Church Hist_.

BELL _yard_. 1. Barnaby street.* 2. Coleman street.* 3. Fleet street.* 4. Fore street, Lambeth.* 5. Gracechurch street.* 6. Great Carter lane.* 7. King’s street, Westminster.* 8. Little St. Martin’s lane, Charing cross.* 9. Long alley, Moorfields.* 10. Mincing lane.* 11. Mount street.* 12. New Fish street hill.* 13. Old Fish street hill.* 14. Rosemary lane.* 15. St. Margaret’s hill, Southwark.* 16. Stony lane.* 17. Vine street.* 18. Whitechapel.* 19. Whitehorse street, Ratcliff.*

BELL’S _alley_, St. Catherine’s lane.†

BELL’S _court_, St. Michael’s lane.

BELL’S _rents_. 1. Barnaby street.† 2. Mint street.†

BELL’S _wharf_, Millbank.†

BELLOWS _yard_. 1. In Fore street.* 2. In the Minories.*

BELSYSE, in Middlesex, is situated on the south west side of Hampstead hill, and was a fine seat belonging to the Lord Wotton, and afterwards to the late Earl of Chesterfield: but in the year 1720, it was converted into a place of polite entertainment, particularly for music, dancing, and play, when it was much frequented on account of its neighbourhood to London: but since that time it has been suffered to run to ruin.

BELVEDERE HOUSE, this belongs to Sampson Gideon, Esq; is situated on the brow of a hill, near Erith in Kent, and commands a vast extent of a fine country many miles beyond the Thames, which is about a mile and half distant. This river and navigation add greatly to the beauty of this scene, which exhibits to the eye of the delighted spectator, as pleasing a landskip of the kind as imagination can form. The innumerable ships employed in the immense trade of London, are beheld continually sailing up and down the river. On the other side are prospects not less beautiful, tho’ of another kind. This gentleman has very judiciously laid out his grounds, and made many beautiful vistas. The house is but small, tho’ an addition has been made of a very noble room; this and two others are finely furnish’d with pictures, of which follows a catalogue. The collection, though not numerous, is very valuable, it containing none but pieces which are originals by the greatest masters, and some of them very capital.

In the Long Parlour.

│ Height.│ Breadth.│Painted by │ Feet Inc.│ Feet Inc.│

View of Venice │ │ │

Ditto, with the Doge│ 2.│ 4 6│_Canaletti._ marrying the sea │ │ │

Its companion │ │ │

Time bringing truth │ 2 5│ 3 0│_Rubens._ to light, a sketch│ │ │

The Alchymist │ 3 1│ 4 2│_Teniers._

Portrait of Sir John│ 3 1│ 2 7│_Holbein._ Gage │ │ │

A landskip │ 2 0│ 2 4│_G. Poussin._

Battle of the │ 1 1│ 1 6│_Rottenhammer._ Amazons │ │ │

The unjust Steward │ 2 7│ 4 6│_Quintin Matsys._

In the Lobby.

Noah’s Ark │ 1 9│ 2 10│_Velvet Brughel._

St. Catherine │ 2 6│ 2 0│_Leonardo da Vinci._

Van Trump │ 2 10│ 2 4│_Francis Hals._

Vulcan, or the │ 4 6│ 5 9│_Bassan._ element of Fire │ │ │

A picture of horses,│ 1 8│ 1 4│_Wouverman._ its companion │ │ │

Two insides of │ 0 0│ 0 0│_De Neef._ churches, small │ │ │

A Dutch woman and │ 1 9│ 1 6│_Sir Ant. More._ her three children│ │ │

Rembrant painting an│ 2 10│ 2 0│_by himself._ old woman │ │ │

A courtezan and her │ 2 4│ 2 4│_Giorgione._ gallant │ │ │

The golden age │ 2 0│ 3 2│_Velvet Brughel._

Snyders with his │ 5 4│ 4 0│_Rubens._ wife and child │ │ │

Rebecca bringing │ 4 6│ 3 2│_De la Hyre._ presents to Laban │ │ │

Boors at cards │ 2 0│ 2 0│_Teniers._

The element of Earth│ 4 6│ 5 9│_Jai. Bassan._

Marriage in Cana of │ 4 0│ 5 0│_P. Veronese._ Gallilee │ │ │

Two landskips │ 2 0│ 3 2│_G. Poussin._

The genealogy of │ 3 0│ 2 3│_Albert Durer._ Christ │ │ │

Beggar boys at cards│ 2 0│ 1 4│_Salvator Rosa._

Herod consulting the│ 1 4│ 2 8│_Rembrant._ wisemen │ │ │

Marriage of St. │ 2 8│ 3 2│_Old Palma._ Catherine │ │ │

two fine bas │ │ │_by Soldani_ relievos in brass,│ │ │ one Bacchus and │ │ │ Ariadne, the other│ │ │ Ceres teaching │ │ │ Triptolemus the │ │ │ use of the plough │ │ │

In the Saloon.

The conception, │ 7 8│ 7 8│_Murillo._ painted for an │ │ │ altar piece │ │ │

The flight into │ │ │_Ditto._ Egypt, its │ │ │ companion │ │ │

Vulcan, Venus, │ 5 6│ 8 4│_Tintoret._ Cupid, and sundry │ │ │

figures, an │ │ │ emblematic subject│ │ │

Mars and Venus │ 5 8│ 4 3│_P. Veronese._

Christ among the │ 5 2│ 6 6│_L. Giordano._ Doctors │ │ │

Duke of Buckingham’s│ 5 8│ 5 6│_by himself._ mistress, her │ │ │

three children, and │ │ │ a son of Rubens │ │ │

A landskip │ 4 10│ 6 2│_Claude._

Leopold’s gallery │ │ │_Teniers._

Teniers, own │ 3 2│ 4 2│_Ditto._ gallery, its │ │ │ companion │ │ │

BEMBRIDGE’S _rents_, Moor lane, Moorfields.†

BEMBRIDGE _street_, St Giles’s pound.†

BEN _court_, Grub street.†

BENJAMIN _street_. 1. Cow cross.† 2. Longditch, Westminster.† 3. Red Lion street, Clerkenwell.† 4. Swallow street.†

_St._ BENNET FINK, was dedicated to St. Benedict, vulgarly called St. Bennet, an Italian saint, the founder of the order of Benedictine monks; and received the additional name of _Fink_ from its rebuilder Robert Fink. It is situated on the south side of Thread-needle-street. The old church being destroyed in the general conflagration in 1666, the present edifice was erected in its room. The body is of an irregular form, enlightened by large arched windows, which reach to the roof; this is incompassed with a balustrade, and crowned with a lantern: a dome rises upon the whole extent of the tower, and on its top rises a turret.

This church is a curacy in the patronage of the Dean and Chapter of Windsor, who generally supply it with one of their own Canons. The Curate receives 100_l._ a year in lieu of tithes.

_St._ BENNET’S _Gracechurch street_, is situated at the south west corner of Fenchurch street. The old church being much damaged by the fire in 1666, was taken down, and the present structure erected in its place, which is built principally of stone, and is a regular, convenient, and neat edifice, without the expence of columns and porticos. It has a handsome balustrade at the top, and a very high spire of the obelisk kind, the base of which is supported by four porticos.

This church is a rectory in the patronage of the Dean and Chapter of St. Paul’s; and the parish of St. Leonard Eastcheap is annexed to it. The Rector receives 140_l._ a year in lieu of tithes.

_St._ BENNET’S _Paul’s Wharf_, is so called from its being consecrated to St. Benedict, and its vicinity to that wharf. It is situated at the south west corner of St. Bennet’s hill, and the old church being destroyed by the fire of London in 1666, this was erected in its place, from a design of Sir Christopher Wren. It is a neat structure; the body is well proportioned: the tower has rustic corners, and its turret and small spire are raised from the crown of a dome.

This church is a rectory, the collation to which is in the Dean and Chapter of St. Paul’s. The parish of St. Peter Paul’s Wharf is united to it, and the Rector receives 100_l._ a year in lieu of tithes.

_St_. BENNET’S _Sherehog_, stood opposite to St. Sythe’s lane, in St. Pancras lane, and in the ward of Cheap. In the year 1323, it went by the name of St. Osyth, from its being dedicated to a queen and martyr of that name; but she was divested of the tutelage of this church, by Benedict Shorne, a fishmonger of London, who was a rebuilder, repairer, or benefactor to it; and Shorne his surname, being corrupted into Shrog, was at last converted into Sherehog. This church sharing the common fate of the general conflagration in 1666, and not being rebuilt, the parish was annexed to that of St. Stephen’s Walbrook. _Newc. Rep. Eccl. Paroch._

BENNET _street_, a short street, westward into Arlington street, Piccadilly.

BENNET’S BRIDGE _lane_, Upper Ground street, Southwark.†

BENNET’S _court_. 1. Beggars hill, Southwark.† 2. Canon row.† 3. Drury lane.† 4. Limehouse causeway.† 5. Long lane, Southwark.† 6. The Strand.† 7. White street.†

BENNET’S _hill_, Thames street, thus named from the church of St. Bennet’s Paul’s Wharf.

BENNET’S _street_. 1. Longditch.† 2. Near the Upper ground, Southwark.† 3. St. James’s street.†

BENNET’S _yard_, near Tufton street.†

BENSON’S _alley_, Shoreditch.†

BENTINCK _street_, Berwick street.

BERKHAMSTED, an ancient town in Hertfordshire, situated 30 miles to the N. W. of London. It was anciently a Roman town, and here some of the Saxon kings kept their court. William the Conqueror here swore to the nobility to preserve the laws made by his predecessors; and here Henry II. kept his court, and granted the town all the laws and liberties it had enjoyed under Edward the Confessor. It was a borough in the reign of Henry III. and James I. to whose children this place was a nursery, made it a corporation, by the name of the Bailiff and Burgesses of Berkhamsted St. Peter; the Burgesses to be twelve, to chuse a Recorder, and Town Clerk, to have a prison, _&c._ but in the next reign it was so impoverished by the civil wars, that the government was dropp’d, and has not been since renewed. Its market is also much decayed. The town, though situated on the south side of a marsh, extends itself far in a broad street, and handsome buildings, and is pleasantly surrounded with high and hard ground, full of pastures, hedgerows, and arable land. What remains of the castle, which is but one third of it, was not long ago the seat of the Careys, and is now the seat of the family of the Ropers. Here is a spacious church dedicated to St. Peter, which has eleven of the Apostles on its pillars, with a sentence of the creed on each, and on the twelfth pillar is St. George killing the dragon. The other public buildings are, a free school, which is a handsome brick structure, well endowed, the King being patron, and the Warden of All Souls College in Oxford, Visitor; and a handsome almshouse, built and endowed by Mr. John Sayer and his wife, who gave 1300_l._ for that purpose.

BERKLEY SQUARE, near Hyde Park road, contains about three acres, and is well built on the north, east and west sides.

The following is an account of the choice and valuable collection of pictures and prints of John Barnard, Esq; at his house in Berkley square.

A holy family, by Parmegiano, well preserved, and the characters very fine. It was out of the Count de Platembourg’s collection at Amsterdam.

A crucifixion, by Paulo Veronese, about three feet high; there is a fine group of figures at bottom, and the figures on the cross are remarkably well drawn.

Christ calling to Zaccheus; and the Angel appearing to St. John in the wilderness; both by Paulo Veronese, in his finest manner and highest colouring.

A præsepe, or nativity, by Jacomo Bassan; the light comes from the child, and has a surprizing effect, being in his highest colouring. These three last are upright narrow pictures, oval at top, and were originally designed for some elegant little chapel.

Christ led to be crucified, by the same master; the colouring is the richest; and the expression is much finer than one often sees of Bassan.

Adam ploughing and Eve spinning, by Domenico Fetti: this picture is finely coloured, and the character of Eve is prettier than can well be expressed; it was in the collection of Monsieur Biberon at Paris, and Monsieur Crozat mentions it in his work, along with two others of the same subject, one of which belongs to the King of France.

A holy family, with a little St. John presenting a cross, by Guido. This picture, which is but fifteen inches high, may be truly said to be in his very finest manner; the characters of the Virgin and St. Joseph are inexpressibly fine, and it is in the best preservation. It was in the Duke de Tallard’s collection.

The martyrdom of a female saint, by Correggio. This picture came out of the same collection as the last, and is much of the same size; it is in his first manner, but yet visibly of his hand; the colouring and some of the characters are fine. The Duke of Tallard had it out of the collection of Monsieur Crozat, where it was always esteemed a true picture of Correggio.

A holy family, with a little St. John presenting a dish of fruit, by Simone da Pesaro, commonly called Cantarini, who was the best disciple of Guido. The figures are half length as big as life. True pictures of this master are very scarce in England, and this is one of his best, and in the highest preservation.

The Virgin with the child in her lap, half length, as big as life, by Vandyck. The character of the Virgin is as sweet, and the colouring as fine, as any thing of this master’s painting. This was out of the collection of Monsieur Biberon, and there is an old print of this picture.

A holy family, by the same master. This is the small picture, but the characters of the Virgin and child, and the sweetness and mellowness of the colouring, are at least equal to the large one. There is a print of this by Bolswert.

A head of St. Peter, with a fish in his hand, by Spagnoletto. The expression and force in this picture are extremely great. There is a mezzotinto print engraved after it by Mr. MacArdell.

Pharoah and his host drowned in the Red sea, about five feet wide, by Valerio Castelli. The character of Moses is very great, and the colouring throughout is remarkably fine.

The conversion of St. Paul, by Luca Jordano, with many figures and horsemen, about six feet wide. This is one of his best, in the free and spirited style, for which he was most famous.

A battle, by the same master, not quite so large. The composition in this picture is better, and the figures seem more alive and in motion, than in almost any battle pieces to be met with.

Tobit burying the dead, by Benedetto Castiglione, in the style of Nicola Poussin, which master (in his latter time) he particularly studied and imitated; and he succeeded therein so well, in this picture, both in the composition and drawing, that was not his name upon it, several of the best judges have declared, they should not only have taken it for a true picture of that master, but also for a very fine one of him.