Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1892-03-03
LONDON, ENGLAND.
Written By Mrs. f. lMaeK1nn0n.
Part Far.

Part Fair.
Temple Bar, in the early times when
the city of London was fortified, was a
city gate leading towards the village OF
Westminster, and in those days simply
a bar which was placed across the
entrance and named from its immediate
vicinity to the Temple. In time this
was replaced, first by wooden struct-
ure, and later by a splendid triple arch.
The center one, for carriages, was very
wide and high with smaller arch on
either side for pedestrians, all built
of Portland stone by Sir Christopher
Wren. On the top of the middle arch
were iron spikes where the heads of
traitors were put, where they sometimes
remained as long as thirty years until
blown down by the wind, and even
then we read 'that people made a
trade of letting spying-glasses at half
penny look" But within the past
two or three years Temple Bar has
been removed to make room for
handsome buildings which are constant
ly being added year by year. The
Temple which used to stand just inside
the gate is still there and consists of
buildings occupied by barristers and
attorneys. 1t is the joint property of
two Inns of Court, called the Society of
the Inner Temple and Middle Temple,
each of which has the right of calling
persons to the degree Of barrister, a
privilege shared by two other Inns of
Court viz: Grays Inn and Lincoln s
Inn 1t was called the Temple because
the Knight Templars had one Of their
branches in this place in connection
with the law of England Temple
Church, situated within the Temple in
the rear of the south side of Fleet
street, was the church of the Knight
chief house on the site of the old
Southampton House. 1t is one of the
four Circular Churches built in England
after the Templars returned from the
First and Second Crusades. The
architecture is midway between Roman
esque and early English Gothic. The
western entrance was richly sculptured
and deeply recessed within marble
columns, supporting gallery of inter-
laced Norman arches. AS one enters
| this peculiar church attention is at once
arrested by the figures of the Crusaders
which lie upon the pavement, hand
somely soul ptured out of stone, all in
complete mail with surcoats and with
| helmets on their heads. Three of them
wore fattish helmets and one sort of
casque. The attitudes are all different
but they are all recumbent with their
legs crossed and their heads resting on
a pillow. Originally they were placed
upon altar tombs or pedestals but they
now lie fiat upon the pavement. The
| Ground" is the nave or vestibule to the
oblong portion, and here lawyers
receive their clients as merchants on
change. The Temple Church Organ is
particularly grand and the musical
service here is very fine. Every one
who visits London should not fail to
get card of admission to this church
On our journey to England we met a
| gentleman who had been the organist
for this church seventeen years and
was travelling to recover his health, his
eyes having given out entirely from
looking at the complicated scores of
music in the dimly lighted choir so long.
He was particularly entertaining and
related many amusing and interesting
anecdotes of this queer old church,
giving us also card of admission with
a special letter of introduction to the
| head official in charge requesting him
to show us all the curiosities of the
place. In little vestry beneath the
organ gallery is marble tablet to Oliver
Goldsmith, buried in the ground east OF
the Choir Q774. The Choir stalls and
benches are beautifully carved in oak,
and the altar, in the style of Edward I,
contains five canopied panels, gilt and
illuminated. Near here are tombs and
several tablets to eminent lawyers.
The windows, too, are worthy of men
ton, those over the altar being subjects
from the life Of Christ. Those over the
side aisles represent the Knight
Templars, and the one opposite the
organ has figures of angels playing upon
musical instruments.
Leaving the Temple we walked down
the Strand to Charing Cross, one of the
busiest centers, also the site of one of
the largest railway stations in London.
There is a very amusing incident in
''The American Girl in London" a
book recently published which had an
enormous sale last summer in England.
The American girl in London wished to
find Charing Cross and having come
from Chicago, where the streets are
numbered and rectangular was
perfectly lost among the labyrinth OF
streets in London SO she asked a
policeman, the largest, straightest
policeman with the reddest face that
she had ever seen: ''Mr. Officer" she
said, what is Charing Cross? He
smiled very kindly, ''Wy Miss he said
"there's Charing Cross Station, and
thorotc ('bo ~ ,,,r Erorc D,tal md 4horo'r