Part 5
GROCERS HALL, on the north side of the Poultry, and at the farther end of Grocers alley, is situated on a spot of ground purchased by the Grocers company in the year 1411, of Robert Lord Fitzwalter, for three hundred and twenty marks. The building is well designed for the purpose of a common hall; and is not only a stately edifice, but is so capacious, that for many years it served for the uses of the Bank of England, which was kept in this hall, till the edifice in Thread-needle street was erected for that purpose. The ancient stone and brick building at the north west corner of the garden, inhabited by the beadle of the company, is probably part of the ancient city mansion of the noble family of Fitzwalter, and consequently the oldest building within the city walls. _Maitland._
GROCERS HALL _yard_, Grocers alley.
GROCERS _rents_, East Smithfield.
GROOM PORTER, an officer of the King’s palace under the Lord Chamberlain. It is his duty to see that his Majesty’s lodgings are furnished with tables, chairs, stools and firing; to provide cards, dice, &c. _Chamberlain’s Present State._
GROOM OF THE STOLE, the first Lord of the Bedchamber, who is groom of the long robe or vestment worn by the King on solemn occasions, and called the stole. It is his office to present or put on his Majesty’s shirt every morning, and to order the things of the bedchamber. His salary is 2000_l._ a year.
GROSVENOR’S _gate_, Grosvenor street.†
GROSVENOR’S _mews_, a street of stables near Grosvenor square.†
GROSVENOR’S _passage_, Grosvenor street.†
GROSVENOR _square_, is bounded on the north by Oxford road; on the east by Hanover buildings; on the south by Mayfair; and on the west by Hyde Park, It is however entirely surrounded with buildings, which are very magnificent, though the fronts are far from being uniform, some of them being entirely of stone, others of brick and stone, and others of rubbed brick, with only their quoins, facios, windows and door cases of stone. Some of them are adorned with stone columns of the several orders, while others have only plain fronts. Indeed here is the greatest variety of fine buildings that are any where to be met with in so small a compass, and they are so far uniform, as to be all sashed and to be pretty near of an equal height. The area of this square contains about five acres, and in the middle is a large garden surrounded with palisado pales placed upon a circular dwarf wall. This garden is laid out into walks, and adorned with an equestrian statue of King George I. gilt, which stands upon a pedestal in the center.
This square and the adjacent places are thus named from Sir Thomas Grosvenor.
GROSVENOR _street_, 1. Horse ferry, Westminster.† 2. New Bond street.†
A list of Pictures that are at present hung up in the two first floors of the house of Paul Methuen, Esq; in Grosvenor street.
N. B. In this list, after the description of the pictures, the names of those by whom they are thought to be painted are added, for the information of such as may be great admirers of the art of painting, and lovers of pictures, and yet may not have knowledge or experience enough in that art to distinguish the several hands by which they are done.
But as it is very possible, and even probable, that the owner of them may, for want of sufficient skill, have been mistaken in the naming of the authors of some of them; tho’ at the same time he begs it may be believed, that he has done nothing of that kind, without such reasons for it, as appeared very good to him; nor has been guided in it by partiality to the pictures, or any other consideration, but regard to truth, which he always thought should take place of every thing: so those who are better judges, are at liberty to name the pictures as they please, and restore them to the authors to which they may think they really belong.
On the FIRST FLOOR. In the hall and stair case. Over the chimney.
A naked boy blowing bubbles and treading on a death’s head, representing Vanity, by Elizabetha Sirani.
Near the street door.
A large picture of dogs and foxes, by Peter Sneyders.
Over the door that goes into the first parlour.
A man’s head, by Giuseppe de Ribera, commonly call’d Il Spagnoletto.
On the landing place.
A large picture of David and Abigail, by Sir Peter Paul Rubens.
Over the door.
The adventure of Don Quixote and the barber, by a Spanish painter.
Fronting the landing place at the top.
The portrait of the Duchess of Mantua, grand daughter to the Emperor Charles the Fifth, with her son in her lap, who was the last Duke of Mantua, with some allegorical figures, armour, &c. by Giovanni Benedetto Castiglione.
Under it.
A landscape, and a musical conversation, painted by Sir Peter Lely; being the portraits of himself and his whole family, drawn by the life.
Fronting the windows.
The judgment of Paris, by Gerard Lairest.
Under it.
The judgment of Midas, by the same hand.
Over the looking glass.
A young lad blowing bubbles, said to be painted by Hannibal Caracci.
In the first parlour. Over the chimney.
A Dutch kermis or country fair, painted by Old Pieter Bruegel.
On each side of the chimney.
Next the window, the portrait of a Turk, by Rembrandt van Rijn.
David with the head of Goliath and his sling, by Leonello Spada.
Between the windows.
A man’s head, said to be that of Massaniello the fisherman who caused the great revolution of Naples, by Salvator Rosa.
The portrait of Francisco de Taxis, the first inventor of the posts in Europe, for which reason the direction of them has always remained in one of his family in all the dominions that belongs to the house of Austria, by a hand not certainly known.
Over the doors out of the hall,
The folly of spending our lives in the pursuit of love, wine, music and play, an emblematical picture, by Johannes Schorel.
The Virgin, our Saviour, St. Mary Magdalen, St. Peter, St. John the Baptist, and St. Jerome; by Jacobo Palma, senior, commonly called Old Palma.
Over the marble table.
The birth of our Saviour, and the adoration of the shepherds, by Giac. Bassan.
Under it, in the middle.
St. John the Baptist asleep in the desert, by Andrea del Sarto.
On both sides of it.
Two small sea pieces, a port in the Mediterranean, and a fight with the Turks, by William Vanderveld, junior.
Under them, in the middle.
An emblematical picture, representing a guardian angel pointing out the way to heaven to a soul, under the figure of a young girl, by Carlino Dolce.
On both sides of it.
Two very highly finished landscapes on copper, by Salvator Rosa.
Between the two doors.
The portrait of the Duke of Richmond and Lenox, of the Stuart family, at whole length, with a dog, by Sir Anthony Vandyck.
Over the door to the back parlour.
Vulcan at his forge, with the Cyclops, by Jacob Jordaans of Antwerp.
Over against the windows. In the middle.
The head of our Saviour crown’d with thorns, by Ludovico Caracci.
On both sides of that.
Two fruit pieces, by Michael Angelo Pase, called Michael Angelo del Campidoglio.
Under them, in the middle.
A Bacchanal in two colours, by Rubens.
On both sides of it.
A landscape with a robbery, and a battle, both painted by Giacomo Cortese, commonly called Il Bourgognone.
Under them, in the middle.
A pretty large landscape and figures of Dutch boors, by Adrian Van Ostade.
On both sides of it.
A stag hunting, and another of hern hawking, by Philip Woverman.
Under them.
Two conversations of boors within doors, by Adrian Van Ostade.
In the second parlour. Over the chimney.
Lot and his two daughters, with the city of Sodom on fire, by Lorenzo Lotti, a great imitator of Giorgione and Titian.
Over the closet doors. Next the window.
The great amphitheatre at Rome, and other buildings, by Viviano Cadahorra.
A sea port with buildings and ruins, by Salviouch, and the figures by John Miele.
Over the door to the first parlour.
Omphale the mistress of Hercules, with the lion’s skin and his club by her, by Augustin Caracci.
Over the two other doors.
Two battles in the stile of Bourgognone, but the hands not certainly known.
In the passage room. Over the doors.
A philosopher with a book in his hand, by Pier Francesco Mola.
Mary Magdalen, by Giacinto Brandi.
Our Saviour meditating on the sins of the world, by Giovanni Antonio Regillio, a competitor of Titian’s, and commonly called Il Pordenone.
In the great room. Over the door at which you go in.
The portrait of a young man on wood, by Andrea del Sarto.
Between that door and the window.
The head of St. James the apostle.
The head of St. John the evangelist.
N. B. These two last pictures are by a hand that is not certainly known.
Under them.
A Bacchanal painted on copper, by Cornelius Polembergh.
Between the door and the wall. In the middle.
A pretty large picture of our Saviour and the Samaritan woman, by Giovanni Francesco Barbiori da Cento, commonly called Il Guercino.
On the side towards the door.
The Virgin and Child, by Il Cavalier Giovanni Lanfranchio.
On the side towards the wall.
Venus dressing, and Cupid holding her looking-glass, by Paolo Veronese.
Under them, in the middle.
The Virgin and Child, by Raphael de Urbino.
On the side towards the door.
The Virgin and Child in the clouds, and several angels, by Bartolomeo Murillo.
On the side towards the wall.
The Virgin and our Saviour, by Carlo Cignani.
Next to the door.
The annunciation of the Virgin Mary, by Paolo Veronese.
Next to the wall.
The birth of our Saviour, &c. by Jacapo Robusti, commonly called Tintoretto.
Over the chimney.
Tobit and the angel, by Michael Angelo Amerighi, commonly called Michael Angelo Caravaggio.
Between the wall and the chimney. In the middle.
The portrait of a man, by Antonio Allegri, commonly called Il Correggio.
Towards the wall.
The head of some Spanish general, by Giovanni Giachinette, commonly called Il Bourgognone delle Teste.
Towards the chimney.
The portrait of the famous Hernando Cortes, conqueror of Mexico, by Titiano Vecelli, called Il Titiano.
Under them.
A large battle in an oval, painted by Luca Jordano.
Between the chimney and farthest wall. In the middle.
St. Sebastian, by Guido Reni.
Next the chimney.
The portrait of Sir Anthony Vandyck, painted by himself.
Next to the wall.
The portrait of a young girl, with a little dog asleep in her hands, by Rembrandt van Rijn.
Under them.
A large oval battle, painted by Luca Jordano.
Over the closet door.
The portrait of a man with a book in his hand, said to be the famous satirist Berni, by Giorgio Barbarelli, called Il Giorgione.
Between the door and the wall.
A she saint, with angels, by Pietro Berettini, called Pietro Cortona.
Under it, in the middle.
A small battle, by Bourgognone.
On both sides of it.
Two small pictures, done from the gallery of Archduke Leopold, the one from Paris Bourdon, and the other from young Palma, by David Teniers.
Between the door and the window.
A large picture, representing our Saviour at the Pharisee’s house, and Mary Magdalen anointing his feet, with the portrait of the person for whom it was painted, as a servant waiting at table, by Carlo Dolce.
N.B. This picture is out of the stile of Carlo Dolce’s paintings, who never before attempted so great a subject and composition; and was done by him, after the drawing of Ludovico Cigoli.
Under it, in the middle.
The portraits of three of Henry the Seventh’s children, viz. Prince Arthur, Henry the VIII. and Princess Mary, who was afterwards Queen of France, and Duchess of Brandon, by a hand not certainly known.
On both sides of it.
Two pieces of the history of Judith, the one where she is presented to Holofernes, and the other where she is entertained by him at a feast, by Paolo Veronese.
On the SECOND FLOOR. In the dining room. Over the door as you go into it.
A fortune teller, with several figures consulting him, by Giorgio Barbarelli, called Il Giorgione.
Over the door.
The history of Tancred and Erminia, out of Tasso, by Pietro Berettini, called Pietro de Cortona.
Between the doors.
A large picture, representing the baptism of our Saviour by St. John in the river Jordan, with angels, by Guido Reni.
Between the wall and middle door.
A Bacchanal, with Silenus and satyrs, by Jacob Jordaans of Antwerp.
Under it.
A large landscape, by Claude Gille, commonly called Claude de Lorraine.
Between that door and the wall.
The Virgin and our Saviour, St. John the Baptist and his lamb, St. Peter, and the three cardinal virtues, Faith, Charity, and Hope, by Titiano Vecelli, called Il Titiano.
N.B. This is an emblematical picture, by which the painter meant to represent the several virtues that are necessary to form the character of a good Christian.
Under it, in the middle.
The holy family, by Paolo Veronese; the saint which is represented in armour, being the portrait of Paolo himself.
Next to the door.
A landscape and naked figures, by Cornelius Polembergh.
Next to the wall.
The flight into Egypt, by Filippo Lauri.
Between the wall and chimney.
Scipio and the fair captive at Carthagena, by Pietro de Cortona.
Under that.
A battle, by Giacomo Cortese, called Il Bourgognone.
Between the chimney and the window.
The dead body of our Saviour, with the Virgin Mary, and St. John, by Hannibal Caracci.
Under it.
A landscape, representing a temple of Bacchus, and the sun setting, by Claude Gille, commonly called Claude de Lorraine.
Dressing room. Over the chimney.
The ordination of St. Dennis, patron of France, by Eustache le Sueur.
Between the chimney and the window.
Women at work by candle light, by Giacomo Bassan.
Under it, in the middle.
The annunciation of the blessed Virgin, with God the Father, and several angels in the clouds, by Francesco Albani.
N.B. This picture belonged to Pope Innocent X. as may be seen by his arms on the back side of it; and the frame, which is of silver, was made by the famous statuary Alessandro Algardi.
Under that.
St. Augustine in an ecstasy, contemplating the mystery of the holy Trinity, and the incarnation of our Saviour; a very high finished sketch by Vandyck, of the finest picture he ever painted, which is in the church of St. Augustine at Antwerp.
On both sides, at the top.
A man and a woman smoaking, and a man and woman drinking, by David Teniers.
Underneath, on each side. Next the window.
Cephalus and Procris, by Adam Elsheimer.
Next to the chimney.
The will of Eudadimus the Corinthian, a sketch, by Nicholas Poussin.
Between the chimney and the wall.
The flight into Egypt, by Il Cavalier Giovanni Lanfrancho.
Under it, in the middle.
The portrait of Antonio Caracci, son of Augustino, by Annibal Caracci.
Under that.
A garland of flowers, painted on looking glass, by Old Baptiste.
On both sides at top. Next the chimney.
A satyr squeezing grapes, with a tyger and leopard, by Rubens.
Next the wall.
Cupid shaving his bow, and two other little Cupids, by Parmegiano.
Under them.
Dutch boors in a fury against the Spaniards, by Pieter Bruegel, and a barber surgeon’s shop, with a cat and monkies, by David Teniers.
Over against the windows. In the middle.
St. Francis Xavier dying in an island on the coast of China, by Carlo Maratti.
On both sides of it.
Two sea pieces, by William Vanderveld, jun.
Under them, in the middle.
The Virgin and Child, St. Joseph, St. Anne, and St. Catherine, by John Abeyk, commonly called John of Bruges.
On both sides of it.
Four pieces of the history of Judith and Holofernes, by Paolo Veronese.
Under them, in the middle.
The martyrdom of the Innocents on copper, by Alessandro Turchi.
On both sides of it.
A small battle piece, by Bourgognone.
A march of soldiers, by the same.
Over the door to the dining room.
The portrait of Cosmus the 3_d._ Duke of Florence, when a child, by Giustus Subtermans.
Over the two other doors.
Our Saviour breaking the bread, and blessing the cup, and St. Bruno founder of the order of Carthusians, both of them by Carlo Dolce.
Between the two doors.
The marriage of Jacob, by Ciro Ferri.
Under it.
The Virgin and our Saviour in the clouds, and the several saints, patrons of the city of Bologna, by Guido Reni.
Under that.
The nativity of our Saviour, by young Palma.
Over against the chimney.
A large landscape, with the baptism of Queen Candace’s eunuch by St. Philip, by John Both.
Under it, in the middle.
The inside of a church, by Henry Stenwix, and the figures by Velvet Brughell.
Under each corner of it.
Two little round pictures, one of them being the head of Mary Magdalen, and the other that of our Saviour crown’d with thorns; both of them by Francesco Albani.
Under them.
The shipwreck of St. Paul on the island of Malta, by Adam Elsheimer.
On each side of it.
Two small landscapes on copper, by John Brughell, commonly call’d the Velvet Brughell.
On both sides of them.
The martyrdom of St. Laurence, by Titiano Vecelli, commonly called Il Titiano; and St. Sebastian, and other saints, by Filippo Lauri.
Between the door and the window.
The education of Bacchus, by Simon Vouet.
Under it.
The Virgin and our Saviour, and several saints, by Ludovico Caracci.
Under that.
The judgment of Paris, by Giovanni Rottenhammer, the landscape by Paul Brill.
Between the windows over the glass.
A portrait of a Dominican friar, by Giovanni Lanfrancho.
In the passage room, over the doors.
The portrait of Don Antonio de Leyva, General to Charles the Fifth, who took Francis the First prisoner at the battle of Pavia. By Il Dosso di Ferrara.
The portrait of Charles Lewis, the eldest Prince Palatine, by Vandyke.
The portrait of the Lady Anne Carre, Countess of Bedford, by the same.
Over the chimney.
Our Saviour carried before Pontius Pilate, in water colours, by Lucas of Leyden.
In the bedchamber, over the door.
The portrait of a man in a ruff, by Rubens.
Over the chimney.
A large picture of a curtain, carpet, fruit, &c. by the Maltese, and Mich. Angelo del Campidoglio.
In the closet. Over the chimney.
A copy of Raphael’s picture of the Madonna della Seggiola in the palace of Pitti, at Florence.
Under it.
A small flower piece on copper, by Velvet Brughell.
Over the little closet door.
The portrait of Sir Paul Methuen when a boy.
Over the door next the window.
The picture of a woman, &c. by Albert Durer.
Over the bedchamber door.
A man’s head, by Tintoretto, said to be that of the famous Andrea Vesalio.
GROVE _street_, Hackney.
GRUB _street_, 1. Fore street, Cripplegate. 2. Market street, Westminster.
GRUB’S _rents_, Whitechapel.†
GUBBINS, or GOBIONS, near North Mims in Hertfordshire, had its name from its ancient Lord Sir Richard Gobion. In the reign of Henry VII. it belonged to the family of the Mores, when it was called More Hall; but on the attainder of the great Sir Thomas More, Lord High Chancellor of England, it was forfeited to the Crown, and settled on the Princess, afterwards Queen Elizabeth, who held it till her death. It afterwards came into the possession of several families, and was at length purchased by the late Sir Jeremy Sambroke. The manor house and gardens are very beautiful.
GUILDHALL, at the north end of King street, Cheapside, is the hall for holding the courts, and transacting the business of the city. The old hall in Aldermanbury being fallen to decay, the present structure was begun in the year 1411, upon a larger and more noble plan, and ten years were employed in compleating it. The executors of the famous Richard Whittington, long celebrated in song, gave a Purbeck pavement to the hall, and glazed some of the windows, on every one of which Whittington’s arms are placed; others of the Aldermen glazed different windows, and had also their arms painted on the glass.
The hall being however much damaged by the fire of London in 1666, was repaired and beautified two years after, at the expence of 2500_l._ in so effectual a manner, that it has stood till this time.
The entrance has a stately Gothic frontispiece, with the King’s arms under a cornice, pediment and vase; under which are niches; and in the middle of the front are the following words done in gold:
_Reparata & ornate Thoma Rawlinson, Milit. Majore, An. Dom._ MDCCVI.
That is,
Repaired and adorned in the year 1706, during the Mayoralty of Thomas Rawlinson.
Over the gate is a balcony, above which are placed in niches on each side, the figures of Moses and Aaron; and in niches on each side of the gate below, the four cardinal virtues; also under the balcony are depicted the arms of twenty-four companies.
On entering this Gothic arch, you come into the hall, which is one hundred and fifty-three feet long, forty-eight feet broad, and fifty-five feet high. The roof is flat, and divided into panels; the walls on the north and south sides are adorned with four Gothic demi-pillars, painted white with blue veins, and gilt capitals, upon which are the royal arms, and those of Edward the Confessor.
Nearly fronting the gate, are nine or ten steps, leading to the Lord Mayor’s court, over which is a balcony supported at each end by four iron pillars in the form of palm trees; by these is a small enclosure on each side on the top of the steps, used on some occasions as offices for clerks to write in, each being just sufficient to hold one person. Under these are two prisons called Little Ease, from the lowness of the ceiling, by which prisoners were obliged to sit on the floor; these prisons are intended for city apprentices, who upon complaint and a strict examination into the offence, were sometimes committed thither by the Chamberlain, whose office is at the right hand at the head of the steps. In the front of this balcony is a clock, on the frame of which is carved the four cardinal virtues, with the figure of Time, on the top, and a cock on each side of him. But the most extraordinary figures are yet behind; these are two monstrous giants which stand on the outside of the balcony close to the wall, one on each side: they have black and bushy beards; one holds an halbert, and the other a ball set round with spikes, hanging by a chain to a long staff. These absurd ornaments, which Mr. Strype supposes were designed to represent an ancient Briton and a Saxon, are painted, as if to give them the greater appearance of life, and render them more formidable to children.