A Walk from London to Fulham

r's bank

to the Gothic tribe. This house, which has been a pet kind of place of the Strawberry Hill class, is called the Pryor's Bank, and its history can be told in much less than one hundredth part of the space that a mere catalogue of the objects of interest which it has

ured glass, and fitted the interior with grotesque embellishments and theatrical decorations. The entrance hall was called the robber's cave, for it was constructed of material made to look like large projecting rocks, with a winding staircase, and mysterious in-and-out passages. One of the bed-rooms was called, not inaptly, the lion's den. The dining-room represented, on a small sca

me of the many fine specimens of ancient manufacture that had found their way into this country from the Continent, as well as to rescue from destruction relics of Old England. In the monuments and carvings which had been removed from dilapidated churches, and in the furniture which had been turned out of the noble mansions of England-the "Halls

e in existence, it appeared to Mr. Baylis ridiculous to allow a misnomer to attach itself to the spot. After due deliberation, therefore, respecting the situation upon a delightful bank of gravel, and th

e Pryor's Bank have been sung in "the last new ballad on the Fulham regatta"-a je

Hill has p

e must hav

ntiquar

here the P

lorious t

ell as ho

vings old

some mit

te to be

se most sa

glowing pai

beauty ca

eck'd with

ng by

der'd cur

orks of ti

own stairs,

mething gre

ct the c

to rud

e niche o

rarities

icture-'pre

time to d

china-a

own sweet b

kes our ple

lcome and

t say one

Baylis and

s verdant slope by the brimming Thames. Suppose, then, we leave those beautiful climbing plants-they are Chilian creepers that so profusely wanton on the sunny wall-and turning sharply round an angle of the river front, cut at once, by the most direct walk, the parties who in luxurious idleness have assemb

use in Broad Street, in the good city of London, the residence of "the loyal Paulets?" Perhaps not. There is, however, a print of its last appearance in the 'Gentleman's Magazine' for April, 1839, and by which you will at once identify this summer-house as the bay-wind

, in yellow letters, disposed in diagonal stripes; which motto, it is added, "was probably put there by the loyal Marquis of Winchester, in the time of Charles I., b

im to inscribe with the point of his diamond ring the same motto upon the windows of Basing House? Be this as it may, it is gratifying to know that many of the panes of glass which bore that glorious yellow letter motto in Winchester House, at the period when it was doomed to be taken down, are preserved, having been with good taste presented to

monograms, and names, and verses inscribed upon the various lozenge-shaped pa

of "Poor Banquo;" the green-house, with its billiard-table, and even an alcove, the most charming spot in "the

with arras, separated from the inner hall by an oak screen, which was usually guarded upo

tion; and that is a very proper example for you to follow, a

u thin

e the Pryor's

son makes through London who has come up by railroad to see all its wonders in a week. But I cannot allow you to examine so closely that curiously carved oak chimney-piece in the inner hall, although I admit that it may be as early as Henr

ne days." Look, for instance, towards the kitchen window, and you will find that the various cupboards, presses and dressers-even the cooking utensils-correspond; but, although

raised edge; but there were also thin, circular, flat plates of beech-wood in use for the dessert or confection, and they were gilt and painted upon one side, and inscribed with pious, or instructive, or amorous mottoes, suited to the taste of the society in which they were produced. Such circular plates are now well known to antiquaries under the name of "roundels," and were at one time generally supposed by them to have been used as ca

ver thou

e, Northe,

never t

rsse in th

ds ther y

lyttell

fayre th

offten u

nted; indeed, it appears likely that to the love for this species of composition we owe

ce, Majolica, and Fynlina ware, made during the fifteenth century in the North of Italy, and upon the embellishments of which, according to Lamartinière, the pencils of Raffaelle, Giulio Romano, and the Caracci, were employed, had been successfully, although coarsely imitated. And it must be confessed that many of the old Dutch plates, dishes, and bowls, upon the kitchen-shelves of the Pryor's Bank, deserved to be admired for boldness of design, effective combinations of colour, and the manual dexterity displayed in the execution of the patterns. The superior delicacy of the porcelain of China, which about this time began to be imported freely into England from the East caused it to be preferred to the "Dutch ware," and the cons

ugh their gro

ges and b

nk those t

be smash'd

seholder to keep up a certain dinner-set of earthenware, consisting of two soup-tureens and a relative proportion of dishes and vegetable-dishes, with covers, soup-plates, dinner-plates, and dessert-plates, which were all to correspond; and should any accidental breakage of crockery take place, it was a manufacturing trick to make it a matter of extra-proportionate expense and diffic

d to sh

ionately depreciated, and what has been br

ndoubted original picture, dated 1598, three years previous to his being beheaded (Zucchero), and from i

ir age. Could you only patiently listen to a discussion upon the characters of the originals of the portraits that have hung upon these walls, or the volumes that have filled these shelves; you might gain a deeper insight into the workings of the human heart than, perhaps, you would care to be instructed by. There were in the next room-the dining-room-into which we may proceed when you please, for only by a sliding door between the library and dining-room are they separated-such pictures! An unquestionable 'Henry VIII.,' by Holbein; a

ts old French binding, and those exquisitely-wrought silver clasps, and dear old Horace Walpole's books. We must enter the dining-room. Here sit down in this monastic chair, and look around you for five minutes. This chair Mr. Baylis picked up in Lincoln; and the curtains beside it, they came from Strawberry Hill, and are of genuine Spitalfields damask. There is no such damask to be had now. Eighty years ago were these curtains manufactured, and yet they are in most excellent condition. The greater portion o

The sideboard, with its canopy of oak, assimilates with the fitting of the room, and had upon its shelves a glittering display of ancient glass and early plate. Salvers and cups of singular forms and beautiful shapes arose proudly up, one above the other, with dishes of Raffaelle ware beneath them. But I cannot help seeing that the steel-clad knight, who keeps guard in

nd solid well-carved pendents from the chancel of the church of Stratford-on-Avon, which have been removed from their o

that, Mast

ight), and which was brought from Aix-la-Chapelle by the late Sir Herbert Taylor. What may have been its former history I cannot tell you, but i

is lady and oddly-dressed gentleman to pass us on their exit from the gallery, where they have been rehearsing some charming entertainment for the evening, or getting up some piece of fanciful mummery to amuse the idle guests who have congregated around the garden fount

senses are often deceived, from mirrors here and there being so judiciously arranged, that they reflect at happy angles objects which would otherwise escape observation. It is impossible to convey an idea of the whole effect of the Pryor's Bank, made up as it has been of carvings of unrivalled richness, grace,

tly embellished recess, upon the merits of which Mr. Baylis is commenting to another oddly equipped gentleman. There certainly is something going forward in the fancy-dress way.

boys; a genuine piece of Fiamingo's work, cut from solid

extreme. "And those figures?" That nearest the eye is a statue of the Emperor Rudolph of Hapsburgh, admirably carved in oak, the armour is of silver damasked with gold. The other figure, and a corresponding one on the opposite side of the room, represent Gothic queens, whose robes have been restored in the illuminated style of decoration. "And the tapestry in the recess?" Listen to what Mr. Baylis is saying. "Thinking over it," remarked Sir Bulwer Lytton to me, "I have very little doubt

s mer

your angling;

t fish on his

ncy, drew

depends on him for all his classic plots; and he was no less a favourite on the Continent than with us. If you observe the attitude and expression of Cleopatra, for so we will consider her, you will perceive that there is something impressive, as well as smiling, about

fa, brought from the Gradenigo Palace, and is carved and gilt all over,-the back, and seat, and cushions for the arms, being Geno

ts walls all painted over with quaint devices like the pages of a missal. Also a magnificent Gothic chimney-piece (see page 238) of Carrara marble, fitted with brass-work of ormolu and chimney-glass. The chimney was removed from the grand

ly embellished than that of the drawing-room, for the heads of mitred abbots, joll

ura, topaz, agates, etc., one of the finest specimens of the kind ever seen,-

bted one by Janssen, of "Charles II. dancing at the Hague," must not detain us, although it be a duplicate of the celebrated picture in the posses

Exchequer documentary fame, but of Gunpowder Plot notoriety. And there are portraits of Katharine of Aragon and Prince Arthur from Strawberry

gs upon which they bestowed so much time and thought-should be blown into oblivion by the m

rt of the sofa which appears in one, is only the continuation of the same seat in the other. But this must not make you think that the Pryor's Bank is but a miniature affair, or give you a contemptible idea of the size. You should rather take your

III. Those two elaborately-wrought lanterns which depend from the groined ceiling, formerly hung in the Gothic conservatory of Carlton

ely carved and cushioned with rich black velvet worked with gold. It is said to have been the Electoral coronation chair of Saxony; and the date assigned to it in the 'Builder' is 1620. The ar

e is a boudoir, or robing-room-a perfect gem in its way. You have only to touch this spring, and that

that charming Bermudian brain-stone, the wonderful network of which infinitely exceeds the finest lace? Well, I must admit that some philosophy is required to feel satisfied when revelling among the ornaments of palaces, the treasures of monasteries, and the decorations of some of the proudest mansions of antiq

o exalt and refine the national taste, they confer an immortality upon the possessor, and render him a benefactor to his species; when used, also, as accessories to the cultivation of kindly sympathies and the promotion of social enjoy

le feast, will

re there or tho

mory, who was their neighbour, with that of some other friends and acquaintances, who thoroughl

the 26th of December, 1839, notes that he w

oach early, so up to Baylis's, where I was asked to dine. They came here

ed hand, to Mr. Baylis up

y to cum to re-ersal two nite, in ten minnits hif yew wil lett the kal-boy hof yewer theeter bring me wud-if you kant reed

HEE

Bailies

r hof

also Proper ri

est friend's command" that he should dine with him-"because," writes

nday, the 30th of D

eople,-Sir George and Lady Whitmore, Mrs. Stopford, Mrs. Nugent, the Bully's, and various others, to the amount of 150. I acted the 'Great Frost' with cons

d; and among the record of miscellaneous benefactions to this most admirable charity are registered-"Christmas masquers and mummers at the Pryor's Bank, Fulham, the seat

h it was performed, and temporary events. Egomet, an imp, most piquantly personified by Mr.

ho and what he

all ove

chen must be s

oom?-the matchles

eiling, and its

n, by Price's

elling-place? 'T

nged, I said, and

eamboats o'er th

ilroads, and som

r places in t

assau-monstrou

hey think they'l

sh in one per

tals till they

s not what it

days, and we've

one! cut up by

many nothing sh

ile of restl

n has taken u

, on Father T

, and rest my

ass, where once

hroom springs t

! but yesterday

our, carving, pa

m, yet loth

the owner

d by flower-pots filled with bulrushes and sedge, roused by the intended imprecation upon their host, here interrupted Egomet, and entered into a long dialogue

ackguard to

gomet's rema

Oxford shifted

-no longer Tha

g, and making merry, and the wondrous power that a good fire and a cheerful glass have upon

he matt

soon-begone

cebergs float i

after much buffooner

fall of fl

of flour, therewith bepowdering Jolly Christmas, Father Thames, and Egomet, so plenti

d "the Yellow Knight" (Mr. Baylis), each mounted upon hobby-horses, was most fiercely executed. Nor was the Giant Cormoran (fourteen feet in h

which no

and fu

nd as the guests descended the stairs from the gallery, or assembled on the lobby, they beheld their cheer borne in procession from

ith bays an

brawn, and soup, and turkey, and sirloin of beef, and collared brawn, whereof was an abundant supply, and of the most magnificent dimensions. Father Christmas, carving-knife in hand, and belte

head in ha

aylis and Mr. Whitmore; and, that the actors in the masque presented these gentlemen with an ancient charter horn, which had belonged to the Pickard family, and which they were fortunate enough to secure. The height of this horn, which is supp

or's Bank, of the esteem created by their hospitality, suit

doth flow, or

all at Pr

nc-

ior is changed since this was written. The first sale took place on the 3rd May, 1841, and five following days: and there was a subsequent sale o

r. E. T. Smith, of Her Majes

OF P

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NAMES O

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Margravin

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Henry,

Rev. R.

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s, Mos

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Sir Thom

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amily,

ev. Thom

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Hugh

on. Robe

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gh, Lady

m, Jo

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b, Sir J

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hood, M

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r, La

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ll, Dr

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iss,

, Joh

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i, Mada

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Hon. J

n, Mr

ley, Mr

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den, W

ir Franc

ni, 18

ajor Shad

Franci

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r, Pay

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Sir Jo

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Lord Trea

Countess

b, R

Hon. John

n, 130, 156, 162

Crofto

ev. Dr.,

l, Oliv

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Mr., 8

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late Henry

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Sir W.,

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eld, M

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adam

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son, M

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th, Que

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ir Jame

Rev. F.

lt, F.

n, W.

et Eliza

Helen,

bert, M

Rear Ad

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Jesse,

Samue

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IV., 16

d, Mr.

, Captai

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, Juli

Sir Arth

Colon

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, Mrs.

m, Joh

erald, 48,

Madam

zot

adam

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S. C

S. C.,

m, H.

ll, J.

r. Baldw

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am Richa

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e, Fran

s, A.

H.,

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en, La

John Si

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, Sir E

t, Mr

Henr

d, Mr.

W., M.

e, 133, 177,

Sir Ra

J. G

del, Mr

ey, Oz

ns, Jo

3rd Earl of

n, Char

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Mr. Josep

Richa

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, Mr.,

s., 5

A. J.

Mr.,

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James Ho

Sir Tho

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the Mis

("L. E. L."

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us, H

ames Chris

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, Rober

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Mrs.,

ewis, 119

, 104

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on, Meri

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sus, 89,

E. Bulwer, 1

Dr. Jo

ten, Mr

n, Sir Jo

Rev. F

n, Mrs

Signo

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Mr.,

Theodo

Charles

., sen

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Mr., 1

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Thomas,

t, Lord

ir Thom

and,

Leona

Arthur,

, John

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Rev. J

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ski, Mad

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or-General Sir

John,

2nd Earl

s, 4th Ea

ev. Joh

, Dr

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Right Hon

Mr. Oli

Franc

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iss,

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peare,

Granvil

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ir Bartho

Mrs. An

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T., 16

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O.,"

Thoma

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, Sir Jo

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France

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ini, Jo

Madame, 6

, Jame

Willia

al Sir Charl

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, J.

en,

Richa

Countes

s, B

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ll, M

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Micha

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Alfre

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Sir John,

Lady Fra

r Hen

r, Marqui

Sir Jam

r. Oswa

t, -,

dwar

homa

, the Hon.

Edward,

ev. Lutt

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Mr.,

rs.,

Duke o

. D. and

TNO

e pages

ogues of Ro

s Life of A

's Topograph

S. plan, executed for t

hley's Map

' Topograph

4to, publis

vols. 8v

ill be estimated by walking round thro

wards Viscount Melbourne) in 1805. Lady Caroline published three novels, viz., G

o, 2nd e

b]

tween it and "the Pavilion." From the back a

f York and Lancaster, Historical a

pondence, vo

lxxv. Par

d. 1820

vols. 4t

4to, and 2 vo

Gazette,' Nov

Farren, that since his retirement no actor in London

d the sign here

performer, lessee of the Ade1phi Theatre, resided there for many years. Mr. and Mrs. Charles Mathews (Mad

e following, at No. 91, Great Por

I. and II. 1838;

lors and Saints,' 1829; 'Tales of a Tar,

30th Aug

th May, 185

vols. fo

. lxxx.

, stands on the Old Brompton Road, which, as pointed out in the previ

Duke of

ondence, vol

rdered iron gates for it; in one of which were wrought his initials, H. W., and to correspond, M

7th of October, 1823, at Madri

hed at St. Martin's-in-the

h's 'Life of B

MS.

t Lisle, in Flanders, Lewis Lochee, Esq., late lieutenant colonel of the Be

given place to a light iron railing, and

276, vol.

s 'Spenser,

3]

ickerin

tminster, and Southwark, on twenty-four sheets, in 1747; and a map of London and the country ten miles round

troduced into England in 1753,

hat of the juglans nigra than of the

t was seven feet two inches, and now

was taken in 1808 at two feet a

t and a half from

James

ronicles this occurrence, may be found the announcement o

ish books, states that a Sir Michael Whart

nd has been re

] L.

Died

died the

been removed, and a battlemented and Gothic entrance, more in accordance, perhaps

r, 1777, and was burie

n oil in the possession of Ge

to 16th October, 1645, when the place was taken by storm and burned to the ground, "money, jewels, and

the South Ken

nd Cleopatra,

possession of the