Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1884-12-24

Many Of our readers remember nsscms
bling, one summers day last year, al West
minister bridge for trip down the river to
the Tower. The slcsmbost which conveyed
tie guests Of the First Commissioner was
crowded with the Elite Of London society.
II was, indeed, eur entity reported that
when Mr.. Bright arrived on the pier be
would go no further, a. the vessel seemed
10 him crowded TO excess. The object
OF the expedition, spsrt from its 80.
cial character. was The inspection OF
the effect Of the .demoIition OF
huge and uns'ghtlv warehouse. built
scue time in the last century. which hid
long blocked out the view Of the White
Tower from The river. To e,ch one OF Mr..
Lefeyre's guests a card was presented con-
tanning two photographs OF the Tower
a. IT appeared twelve months previously Tin
1892 and second OF It's appearances IN
1889. when the warehouse had been tri-
umpbantIy demolished. Although the os-
tensible object OF the expedition was 10 see
the effect OF the above Improvement II was
found that the quests one and all took an
extraordinary interest iu doing" the
tower. Tie indefatigable Prime Minister
insisted on seeing. aud Jaw, everything;
Lord Harrington. with graf gravity, uird
the block, and found IL exactly ftte =
neck, while Mr.. Chamberlain looked vi
with an interested smile.
But this was last year. Could the same
party revisit the Tower now they would
witness not only The improvement caused
by recent demoliti0ns, but also the new
constructions which haye followed. Be.
meath the dtbras OF the warehouse were
found traces OF the foundation Of the famous
Lantborn Tower. This building. which in
ancient time contained the Kings bed
chamber and private closet. dated. in all
Probability from the time o! William Rufus,
for in the reign Of Henry Ill. we are
told that IT was badly in need OF repairs,
and repaired II seems to baye been, ~ in
Sir John Peyton's pictorial chart OF the
Tower, made In Queen El;zabeth's reign,
We have 1t very distinctly portrayed, aud it
was not till l1sS that Ii was finally destroyed
by fire, 10 be replaced by the unsightly
warehouse now happily demolished. The
LanthorE Tower has been rebuilt, and il Is
only few days since the scailoldng has
been removed, and the form OF the build
ing with the wall which connects 1t with
the adjoining tower to the eastward dis
played 10 public view. The new building,
tower and wall included, has cost CJ.400.
and no one who sees the solid and
csTeful way I'm which 1t has been built will
think the price excessive. Mr.. Taylor.
one Of the surveyors OF the Board OF
Works, under whose superintendent the
restoration has been carried out. has EN-.
ployed IN 1t stone from three counties. The
walls are OF "Keniish rag" the battle
ments and the more solid work round the
doors and windows are Of q warm-colorfd
stone from ketton, in Rutlandshire, whicd
il is hoped VIII last longer than the Bath
stone previously employed in tower resior-
alton; and the staircase, &c, is made OF
the best Yorkshire. From the fiat top OF
the Tower Is obtained beautiful view OF
the Tower precinct on the one side and the
river and shipping on the other.
In the interest Of the public az s'ghtseers
1t must be confessed we grIdge this beau
it'll tower. and the walk along the wall
which leads TO IL, TO a few officials OF the
War Department, to whose sole benefit 1t is
TO be devoted, and we wish 1t could be 80
contIiyed that the public might have o free
passage, not only along the pathway which
suImOunts the wal. but also to tie breezy
and delightful quay, the original first frdg-
mcnt Of the Thames emb inkment, made 30
long ago as the reign Of Henry Ill,
which lies between the Tower aud
the river. Some day or other. but
not alas at the hands OF Mr.. Leicvre,
during whose short reign as First Com
missioner. now just concluded, more adj
yantages have been obtained by the public
OF London than under any previous re.
gime,) it is to be hoped that the precinct OF
the Tower may be thrown open far more
literally Than at present as place OF recrea-
ton for East London. II should be re-
membered that il il no longer a serious
iortification. Ii is indeed little more than
museum and an open space, filed with
Observation-Disclosures and subjects ofanti-
quariar interest, but offering at the same
time It's beautiful riyer-;rontage and ITS am.
pie dry N DAT. most suitable for planting.
almost The only available spot OF open
ground for the recreation OF the inhabi-
tanis Of the most crowded portion Of the
metropolis. II only remains to be added
that there is stIll to be clearedaway another
eigbteenth-eentury warehouse and the sham
Gothic horse armory, both already con-
demned; after which attention NAV be di-
recied to the northwest side OF the White
Tower, where it is easy to see that some
Lenefcent demonltion IL also required.