Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1892-02-11
south of the Thames, east Of White
chapel, and north of the city

south of the Thames, east OF White
chapel, and north of the city
London grows steadily all the while
Where there was meadow last year,
there is now paved street. Where
there was an orchard there is now q
block of ''model tenements." My
brother, Mr.. Reginald MacKinnon
of New Zealand, said to me one day
while passing by what seemed to me
thousands OF red brick houses all built
after the same pattern, called the
Bedford Park Estate, between London
and Richmond, "Fifteen years ago
when / was here this was all apple
trees" When this century began Lon
don had per cent. of the population
of England, now it has ID per cent. OF
it. twenty-five thousand buildings
have been added to London in a twelfth
month. The pressure of traffic in the
streets is SO enormous that new outlets
and extensions have constantly to be
IIldIiC IO-ti6tN al lOsttiS W io'ilNt, anu
all routes by sea lead London-ward.
The east of London, called the Getty, y
is where all the business is transacted
and where the Bank of England is
situated, besides st. Paul's Cathedral,
The Tower, Royal Exchange, Corn Ex-
change, Ludgate Hill Station Quilt on
the site of the old Fleet Prison men
toned so often by Dickens) and Far
rington Station built on the old Fleet
Ditch, was the original city of London,
and formerly surrounded by a wall of
which Temple Bar was one of the gates
leading towards Westminster. Still
farther east is the Whitechapel district
where exists so much vice and misery
and where SO many mysterious murders
by Jack the Ripper have occurred. St.
Katherine's Docks, and the London
Docks, (really one company where we
spent a very interesting day, and where
we hadluncheonwhich consisted entirely
of fish-several courses-cod, whitehall,
fried soles, eels and turbet served with
plain boiled potatoes and bread and
butter, in tha Billingsgate market.
But | think it would be best to go
back, if | may, to describe the places of
interest to tourist that | have men
toned. Beginning with the Tower which
resembles Rochester Castle in many
points, having been built by the Bishop
of Rochester as a royal residence for
William the Conqueror, although it
formerly, according to old tradition,
was Roman fortress. The oldest part
Of the present fortress is the Keep or
White Tower 50 named from its having
been originally whitewashed. 1t was in
feudal days a powerful stronghold then,
and long after states prison of gloomy
memories, and now Government
storehouse and armory. 1t is an irregu-
lar quadrilateral collection of buildings
covering space Of II or Is acres, and
the whole surrounded by a moat, which
is usually dry but the garrison have the
power of flooding it. Seen from with
out the mOat is bordered within by a
| lofty castellated wall broken by massive
| fanking towers at intervals. Within
| this wall rises a similar construction but
of greater height, within this are the
| barracks, armOmes, etc. and in the
center of all the donjon known as the
! White Tower. Outside towers and
| buildings, the walls and mOat were
added from time to time, being built
around the original White Tower. The
Kings frequently resided here and
from here all the Sovereigns at their
coronatinns went forth in great state
and procession through the Getty" to
Westminster Abbey, the last observance
being at the coronation of Charles II.
Beauchamp Tower, named after
Thomas Beauchamp, Earl of Warwick
and where so many illustrious prisoners
were led forth to the scaffold or died in
| prison. Here aye SO many quaint in
scriptions cut in the stone walls.
noticed the name of "Jane" Lady Jane
Grey, cut on the walls. She was be.
headed beneath the Tower. Also al
elaborate device cut by the Earl O
Warwick, tried and condemned for try
ing TO deprive Queen Mary of the
crown in 1858. He died in this tower
on the walls of which he had carved his
family crest, with his name beneath
surrounded by oak sprigs, roses, geran
iums, and honeysuckles, emblematic 0
! the christian names of his fou
:, brothers; 4, Ambrose, acorn; r, Rob
ert, roses; G, Guilfofd, geraniums, AM
H, Henry, honeysuckles. Another
Thomas Willyngar Goldsmithe,
"My hartes yours till dethe,''
BY the side is bleeding chart"
And figure of 'dethe" and T. W.
Another:
Thomas Rose, within this Tower strong
Kept close by those to whom be did no wrong