Part 14
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.
[Illustration: _S. Wale del._ _ B. Green sculp._ _Belvedere House._]
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.
A landskip, by Claude Lorrain, near four feet wide; the subject is a warm evening; it is in the highest preservation, not in the least turned black, and in his very finest taste and manner of painting: the keeping, and that harmony and tenderness of tints, for which that master was so famous, are remarkably conspicuous in this picture, and the figures, which are but few, are much better than one generally sees in his works.
A præsepe, by Pietro da Cortona: the composition and the harmony of colours in this picture are very fine.
The entombing of Christ, by Federico Barocci: the dead body is rather disagreeable, but some of the characters are very fine. This was out of the Duke D’Auvergne’s collection at Paris.
The adoration of the Magi, by Rubens: this is only a sketch for a large picture, yet it is so finished, that at a proper distance the characters are as expressive, and the colouring as rich as in a finish’d picture.
St. Thomas, who disbelieves putting his finger in the wound in Christ’s side, by Michael Angelo Caravaggio. This is also a sketch, but the dignity in the characters, and the fine large folds of drapery, shew it to be the work of a great master. Mr. Barnard has a print of this picture etch’d by the master himself, which is extremely scarce.
The stoning of St. Stephen, by Filippo Lauri. Though the figures in this picture are rather larger than those which are in his very best manner, yet they are finely drawn, and the gaiety and beauty of the colouring, together with the fine keeping observed in the distant figures, make it a very pleasing and fine picture.
Christ’s agony in the garden, by the same master. The figures in this are smaller than in the preceding; and the fine characters, and correctness of drawing of the figures, joined to the beautiful colouring, have always made this picture, though a very small one, esteemed by the greatest judges as one of his best.
The same subject in a round, about a foot diameter, by Carlo Maratti; the angels heads are fine, and the colouring pleasing. This picture belonged to Mr. Jarvis the painter, who had a companion to it by the same hand, the subject a dead Christ; he valued them very highly.
A holy family, by the same master, about one foot seven inches high; this is painted in his best time and finest colouring.
A Silence, by Nicolo Poussin: the subject a landskip, the evening, in which a little boy is running away with a Satyr’s musical instrument as he lies asleep; other figures are lying and leaning in a reposed manner. Though this picture is only about seventeen inches wide, and the figures but small, yet they are as genteel, and as correctly drawn, as in any of his finest pictures.
The woman taken in adultery, by Sebastian Ricci. The greatness of the design the dignity and propriety of the characters, particularly the woman, and the harmony of the colours, shew him to be (tho’ a modern master) equal to most of the greatest that went before him.
Two misers counting and setting down their money; the same subject, but with some variation as that at Windsor, by Quintin Matsys of Antwerp, who repeated this picture several times.
An old man’s head with a ruff, painted by Rembrant. It is thought to be the portrait of Ephraim Bonus the Physician, as it bears a great resemblance to the print of him engraved by Rembrant himself, but in the picture he is much older. The light and shade in this picture is extremely fine. Mr. Houston, an excellent engraver in mezzotinto, has engraved a very fine print after this picture.
A fine landskip with Tobit and the Angel, near three feet wide, by the same master; the effect of colours in this picture is surprising.
A Magdalene’s head, by Guido.
An historical subject, a woman and three children, _&c._ by Solimene. This is better coloured, and more finished, than one generally sees of this master.
Angels holding a mitre over St. Ambrose, a finished sketch for a large picture, by the same master. The character of St. Ambrose is very fine, and the draperies are in a great style of painting.
Susannah and the Elders, by Le Moine. The colouring of the woman, who is near naked, is very fine, and the composition and the landskip are very agreeable.
A little boy and girl naked in a landskip of a garden, by Albano, in his richest colouring.
A battle, by Bourgognone, about two feet wide; this is clearer and better coloured than most of his pictures usually are.
Two landskips, by Gaspar Poussin, about two feet two inches wide each. They are in his finest green manner, and extremely well preserved.
Another landskip, by the same master, a little larger but upright, and also in his richest and best manner.
A landskip with rocks, and a man lying reading, by Salvator Rosa, about two feet two inches wide. This is one of those pictures that were engraved and published by direction of Mr. Pond some years ago: it belonged then to Mr. Kent.
A landskip, its companion, by Bartolomeo, a disciple of the above master. The figures and water in this picture are remarkably fine.
A landskip, a warm evening, about the same size, by Jean Asselin, commonly called Crabacci, with cattle in the water by Berchem in his finest manner. Mr. Major, an engraver of great merit, has made a very capital print from this picture.
A landskip with cattle and figures, by Cuyp, its companion. The sun-shine, for which this master is so famous, is particularly fine in this picture.
Venus and Adonis with Cupids, by Van Baelen, in a landskip about the same size as the above, by Velvet Brughell, who has introduced dogs, _&c._ painted with the utmost life and spirit. This is as fine a coloured picture as can possibly be met with.
A landskip about the same size, with a flock of sheep, _&c._ by Francesco Mille. The composition is fine, and this is one of his richest pictures.
A piece of ruins, by Viviano, about the same size.
A piece of ruins, by Ghisolfi, with a man sitting by the side of the Tiber.
A sea calm with English yachts, by William Vandevelde. The keeping, the figures, and the water, are uncommonly fine in this picture.
A canal with boats on it, and a bridge at the end, with buildings on each side, by Canaletti. This picture, for the fineness of the water, and the justness of the perspective, is allowed to be one of the very finest of this master.
A landskip with figures, fishing, &c. by Zuccharelli, about 2 feet 9 inches wide. This picture from the fineness of the figures, and the uncommon richness of the colouring, has been always deemed at least equal to any thing this great master ever painted.
A holy family, with a little St. John sitting on a lamb, by Scarcellini de Ferrara, after a design of Augustine Caracci; it is a small picture, but the characters and colouring are remarkably sweet in it.
A very masterly sketch of the miraculous cross of St. Antonio de Padua, by Seb. Ricci. This at a little distance, has all the effect of a finish’d picture.