Star.
London, England, 1831-04-08 00:00:00

THE CHURCH OF ST. MICHAEL, CROOKED-LANE.

The church, which is now being taken down for the ap-
proaches to the new London-bridge, and in which a great
alarm took place on the last performance of divine worship,
has become an object of much curiosity. The following ac-
count of it is taken from Elnies's Topographical Dictionary
of London :
" St. Michael, Crooked-lane, the church of, is situated
on the east side of St. Miles's lane, Great Eastcheap, and is
so called from its dedication and from its immediate vicinity
to Crooked-lane, Old Fish-street. This church is of ancient
foundation, for John de Borham appears to have been rector,
and the church dedicated to St. Michael, before the year
1304. It was then a very small church, and stood amidst
lay-stalls and slaughter-grounds, used by the butchers of
Eastchepe-market. In 1336, John Loveken, four times
Lord Mayor of London, obtained a grant of the ground, and
built a handsome and capacious church thereon, which
received several additions and benefactions from Sir Wil-
liam Walworth, Lord Mayor in 1374, and formerly servant
to Loveken.

" This church having been destroyed by the fire of Lon-
don, was rebuilt in 1687 by Sir Christopher Wren. The
interior, which is 78 feet long, by 46 broad, and 32 high, is
a fine specimen of a metroi olitan parish church, is well
lighted by wide and lofty semicircular headed windows, and
the pews well distributed for seeing and hearing the minis-
ter. The tower is of Portland stone, about 100 feet high,
crowned with a perforated parapet, with vases at its angles,
from the centre of which rites a lofty, well proportioned,
and remarkably picturesque steeple, with a clock, a vane,
and a cross. This handsome church is under sentence of
condemnation for standing in the line of the New London-
bridge, and a bill is now (November, 1830) pending in Par-
liament to take it down.

" The patronage of this church was anciently in the Prior
an 4 Convent of Canterbury, in whom it continued till 1406,
since which time it has been in the archbishops of that see,
and is one of the 13 peculiars within the city, belonging
to that archbishop. Among the ancient monuments pre-
served in this church, is that of Sir W. Wit!worth, who
slew Wat Tyler, in Smithfield ; one to the memory of
Queen Elizabeth ; and the following concise epitaph on the
tomb of a parishioner :
•• • Here lyeth. terapt in clay.
•' The body of William Wray,

' I have do more to say.
" The church is a rectory, in the city of london. in the
province of Canterbury, exempt from aichidiaconal jurisdic-
tion, being a peculiar, and in the patronage of the Arch-
bishop of Canterbury. The present rector is the Rev. W.
W. Dakins, D.D. vicar of Asheldam, who w•as instituted
in 1816."

THE New LON DONT BRIDGE.—The works at this splen-
did structure are rapidly advancing to a state of completion,
but the bridge will not be cpenetl for the public use much
before Christmas mext. The wr rks on the bridge are carried
on with great activity. Three-fourths of the parapet on either
side have been completed, and nearly the same quantity of the
footway is finished. The stairs on the four sides of the bridge
are completed ; on the Surrey sue the water is a?proached by
a descent of about 65 steps, which are of very easy ascent,
owing to their width and slight acclivity. On the City side
there are about 80 steps, the ground being here higher than
on the other side of the river. The roadway upon the bridge
is about 40 feet broad, and the pavement about 9 feet. The
parapets are about 4 feet high, and on looking over them a
fine view is obtained of tha Custom-house and shipping below,
and of St. Paul's and other public buildings above bridge.
The approaches to the bridge on the Southwark side are
nearly completed ; but on the City side a great deal has
yet to be done. It is said that the old bridge will be de-
molished by means of coffer dams to be formed round the
piers.

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