The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1884-07-28
THE LONDON OF DICKENS.
Present Aspect of Localities Pictured in
'sBleak House,"

"Bleak House."
London Letter to Old Colony Memorial.
On the other side of the Strand, within tract
bounded nearly by Lincolns Inn Fields and Co
vent Garden, there still remains snarl Of lanes
and alleys which have not yet met the fate of
other sections, and been improved out of ex-
istence, although the march of change is steady
IN their direction, and the route lies directly
through their centers Ground in the heart of
London Is far too valuable to be longer occupied
by these ancient establishments and they must
inevitably go. Turning in at almost any one of
the numerous narrow openings three foot alley
way or archways-o offering frequently off
Drury Lane, finds himself at once in a
section so antiquated quaint and strongly
marked with the peculiarities of other and much
older years, that the impression received is one
OF having been instantaneously removed to some
ancient foundation made and deserted centuries
ago by the classes for whom it was designed.
This impression is altogether correct in all but
the miraculous removal The building stones
are almost black with age, and sometimes their
roughened appearance, from crumbling at the
corners and angles is suggestive that only few
more decades would bring them into the condi-
ton of the old monasteries and castles lying
about; Europe, the ''ivy-mantledp ruins of poesy
and history. The floors of the narrow alleys
are paved with great hagstones, slo-
ping towards a center down which
often run murky streams, issuing from dark
holes, and sometimes from still darker doorways
Story above story the gloomy buildings rise sky
NttTug so CHdG HUSu one looks up UOWdfuS UHelf
caves, the space appears only a great slit in the
obstruction between sun and earth, and the
changing shutters and strange devices built out
from the windows as receptacles, vary the
monotony Of the bare walls, and constantly sug
gests the presence Of humanity. Children liter
ally swarm here, sharp shrewd, coarse, dirty,
filthy; of both sexes and of all conditions except
those decent. Evil-lookings men, and women
still more repugnant to the sensibiities of the
on-looker, fit about or leer unpleasantly
at the strange visitor, for those who have no
sympathy with the better or more favored ele
ments about them, Invariably dislike to
receive callers in their neighborhood from the
outside world, busy with its concerns only
a few feet away, but practically far re-
moved from them as though great gulf was
fixed between.
This locality is called the Thieves Kitchen
and In it had been looking for something
which might have answered for Tom all
A1one's,h when l came to the church
yard and the gateway, and the steps
which Witnessed the closing scene in the
| life of Lady Deadlock A narrow alley, over
which the buildings made square roof at the
| first STORY furnished passageway of per
haps twenty feet in length, up to the steps afore
said and the barred gate was closed and
| locked, the lower half being roughly boarded
over, to guard against the depredations of the
young Arabs around. took hold of the bars,
leaned my head against them, and made such ex-
animation of the churchyard as was possible A
| few fiat grayestones were scattered about,
crumbling with age and exposure, and against
the building walls, opposite the gateway, could
see others in little better condition. notice
| dulY5posted on the wall informed all interested
| that the place was the property of t'St Mary's
lie Strand, noted church in the great thorough
! fare by. which, placed in the middle of the
way, divides the traffic and passing precisely as
does the old State-house in Boston that of State
street ~
| Among the shrubs and flowers Of ST Mary's
| diminutive front yard found the sexton-the
.'caretakerp as such superintendent are labeled
here, though not particularly in connection with
/ churches-who, warmed instantly by silver
| piece touching his hand, agreed to show me over
| the ehurchyard The old gate reached, he pro-
dueed the keys, threw back the combination of
| iron bars and wooden panels, and we mounted
| over the half dozen stone steps upon which Lady
| Dedloek lay prone during the night when Inspect
| or Bucket and Esther Summerson were seeking
| her far and wide.
The old burial place was perhaps 40 by 100
feetin area, completely inclosed by buildings of
| the class above described peculiar to the
| locality, and the back windows Of many tene-
| mentS Of the denizens of Thieves Kitchen
/ looked into its confined space This was evil
dent enough by the aecumulations Of debris and
| filth which were present on every side, having
| been thrown out of windows by the house
keepers, much to the disgust of my guide, who
I swore roundly, in muttering string of INJECT
/ ives, at the dirty beasts" 1T is too cruel"
| he explained; only last Saturday / paid four
! teen shillin' to have this placed cleaned
! up and now look at it!r His Indignation was
| fully justified. subsequently brought an OPP
orator here, and obtained negatives of the steps
and entrance way, the churchyard, ETC., pro-
| ceeding which greatly excited the population of
| the vicinity. Look out for them! shouted the
lively old sexton; don't lay anything down.
They'll steal you, sir, if nobody can see them"
There is no doubt that this is the very spot
chosen by Mr.. Dickens for the scenes above altl
| luded to. have been assured, by persons who
have told me that Mr.. Dickens himself often so
represented the matter to them, that this is the
very place; and, indeed, other situation in
London so exactly fits all descriptions Of the
locality in ..Bleak House