Dickens' London Part 21

Of all modern cities, London, perhaps more than any other, is justly celebrated for the number and variety of its suburbs.

On the northwest are Hampstead, with its n.o.ble Heath reminiscent of "highwaymen and scoundrels," and its charming variety of landscape scenery; and Harrow, with its famous old school, a.s.sociated with the memory of Byron, Peel, and many other eminent men, to the churchyard of which Byron was a frequent visitor. "There is," he wrote to a friend in after years, "a spot in the churchyard, near the footpath on the brow of the hill looking toward Windsor, and a tomb (bearing the name of Peachey) under a large tree, where I used to sit for hours and hours when a boy."

Nearly northward are Highgate, with its fringe of woods, and its remarkable series of ponds; Finchley, also once celebrated for its highwaymen, but now for its cemeteries; Hornsey, with its ivy-clad church, and its pretty winding New River; and Barnet, with its great annual fair, still an inst.i.tution attended largely by costers and horse-traders. On the northeast are Edmonton, with its tavern, which the readers of "John Gilpin" will of course never forget; Enfield, where the government manufactures rifles on a vast scale; Waltham, notable for its ancient abbey church; and Epping Forest, a boon to picnic parties from the east end of London.

South of the Thames, likewise, there are many pretty spots, quite distinct from those which border upon the river's bank. Wimbledon, with its furze-clad common and picturesque windmill; Mitcham, with its herb gardens; Norwood, a pleasant bit of high ground, from which a view of London from the south can be had; Lewisham and Bromley, surrounded by many pretty bits of scenery; Blackheath, a famous place for golf and other outdoor games; Eltham, where a bit of King John's palace is still left to view; the Crays, a string of picturesque villages on the banks of the River Cray, etc. Dulwich is a village about five miles south of London Bridge. Here Edward Alleyn, or Allen, a distinguished actor in the reign of James I., founded and endowed an hospital or college, called Dulwich College, for the residence and support of poor persons, under certain limitations.

THE END.

A BRIEF CHRONOLOGY OF SOME OF THE MORE IMPORTANT EVENTS IN THE HISTORY OF THE CITY OF LONDON DURING THE LIFETIME OF CHARLES d.i.c.kENS.

1812 Oct. 10. Present Drury Lane Theatre opened.

1814 Nov. 29. The Times newspaper first printed by steam.

1816 Vauxhall Bridge opened.

1817 Waterloo Bridge opened.

1818 Furnival's Inn rebuilt.

1820 Jan. 29. George III. died.

Cabs came in.

1821 Bank of England completed by Sir John Soane.

1824 March 15. First pile of London Bridge driven.

First stone of new Post-office laid.

May 10. National Gallery first opened.

1825 Thames Tunnel commenced.

Toll-house at Hyde Park Corner removed.

1828 St. Katherine Docks opened.

Birdcage Walk made a public way.

1829 King's College in the Strand commenced.

New police service established by Sir Robert Peel.

1830 June 26. George IV. died.

Omnibuses first introduced by Shillibeer; the first ran between Paddington and the Bank.

Covent Garden Market rebuilt.

1831 Hungerford Market commenced.

The Hay Market in Pall Mall removed to Regent's Park.

Exeter Hall opened.

1834 Houses of Parliament burned down.

1835 Duke of York's Column completed.

1837 William IV. died. Accession of Queen Victoria.

Buckingham Palace first occupied.

1838 First Royal Academy Exhibition in Trafalgar Square.

1841 Great Fire at the Tower of London.

1843 Nelson Column placed in Trafalgar Square.

1845 Hungerford Bridge opened.

Lincoln's Inn New Hall opened by Queen Victoria.

1847 Covent Garden Theatre opened as Italian Opera House.

New House of Lords opened.

New Portico and Hall of British Museum opened.

1848 April 10. Great Chartist Demonstration.

1851 Great Exhibition in Hyde Park.

1852 Nov. 18. Duke of Wellington's Funeral.

1855 April 19. Visit of Emperor and Empress of French.

Nov. 30. Visit of King of Sardinia.

1858 Jan. 31. Steamship "Great Eastern" launched.