The Express.
London, England, 1853-06-06 00:00:00

PROPOSED NEW STREETS IN LONDON.

The Builder contains an excellent suggestion for
two new streets. Let any man take up a plan id London,
and look at the present connection between the great arte-
rial thoroughfares. Across the surface of the metropolis
from east to west the ways are almost magnificent—the
thoroughfares of the Strand, Oxford-street, and New-road,
being equally good and commodious ; but not so the streets
leading north and south. Between Gowen-street and
Regent-street there is no one thoroughfare leading from
the northern side of London towards the Thames. Pro-
bably no great city or capital in the world—Vienna al-
ways excepted—is so badly off for leading streets in a main
direction as London. New York, Berlin, St. l'etersburg,
and Paris, are all far richer iu the means of rapid commo-
dious circulation. A correspondent of our brick and mortar
contemporary proposes to cut one new street from
St. Clement Danes to Bedford-row, through Lin-
coln's-inn-fields—thus opening up one of the few
green spaces in the heart of London; and another
from the Iront of Somerset House to the entrance gates of
the British Museum. The last would be a grand improve-
ment, not only as to scenic effect, but also as to social re-
sult. It hardly needs to be told that the locality through
which the proposed street would have to pass is one of toe
worst in all London. Such a cutting would complete the
series of improvements, begun by the dispersion of the
Rookery, the erection of New Oxford-street, the demoli-
tions in Endell-street, and the re-building of Bloomsbury.
The vista so opened, with two of the finest structures at the
ends, would be magnificent—certainly it would be the
finest vista in England.—[Lloyd's Weekly Newspaper.]
We agree with our contemporaries that a street whore two
termini should be Somerset House and the British Museum
would be a grand feature indeed in our metropolitan improve-
ments; and we would very willingly see Lincoln's Inn
Fields opened up to the Strand, and presenting its sylvan
suggestions to toe crowd who circulate along that artery of
stir and tumult. But we deny that the latter improvement
is either necessary for the reasons given—or would in itself
effect the principal object for which it is proposed. In the
first place, a street running from the Theatre to Bedford-
row would not intersect and connect the great
east and west thoroughfares specified, unless it
wt re continued forward to the New-road,—and
in the next place, there is not all that lack of connemon
between the north and the south for which it is suggested
as the remedy. Between Goswell-street and Regent-street,
the extremities named, there are already three such lines.
First, there is Farringdon-street—the long delay of whose
continuation northward is not much to the credit of the
City. Then, • very tine line of communication, parsing
through n system of beautiful squarer', conducts in •
straight line from the New-road to liolborn—and wants
only carrying into the Strand by a more convenient channel
than that of Drury-lane. Lastly, a line of communication,
passes from the New-road up Guwer-street and King-street,
Bloomsbury—and is carried forward (though not in as
straight a course as might be wished) to the Strand by En-
dell-street, Bow-street, tipper Wellington-street, and Wel-
lington-street North. It is Drobable, that the facilities of
communication between Holborn and the Strand will re-
ceive some addition consequent on the new arrangements
which must spring up around the great edifice now build-
ing to hold the public records.—Atheneum.