A Visitor's Guide to London

The Social Season 1890 - 1910

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​"The City and the East End, consisting of that part of London which lies to the E. of the Temple, form the commercial and money-making quarter of the Metropolis. It embraces the Port, the Docks, the Custom House, the Bank, the Exchange, the innumerable counting-houses of merchants, money-changers, brokers, and underwriters, the General Post Office, the printing and publishing offices of The Times, the legal corporation of the Inns of Court and the Cathedral of St. Paul, towering above them all."

"The West End, or that part of the town to the W. of the Temple, is the quarter of London which spends money, makes laws, and regulates the fashions. It contains the Palace of the Queen, the Mansions of the aristocracy, the Clubs, Museums, Picture Galleries, Theatres, Barracks, Government Offices, Houses of Parliament, and Westminster Abbey; and its the special locality for parks, squares, and gardens, for gorgeous equipages and powdered lackeys."

"The City Proper, which strictly speaking forms a county of itself and is not included in Middlesex, is bounded on the W. by the site of Temple Bar and Southampton Buildings, on the N. by Holborn, Smithfield, Barbien, and Finsbury Circus; on the E. by Bishopsgate Without, Petticoat lane, Aldgate, and the Minories; and on the S. by the Thames."

"Westminster, to the W. of the City, bounded on the N. by Bayswater Road and Oxford Street, on the W. by Chelsea, Kensington, and Brompton, and on the S. by the Thames, comprises three of the parliamentary boroughs."

"The remaining parliamentary boroughs are Battersea, Bethnal Green, Camberwell, Chelsea, Deptford, Finsbury, Fulham, Greenwich, Hackney, Hammersmith, Hampstead, Islington, Kensington, Lambeth, Lewisham, Marylebone, Newington, Paddington, St. Pancras, Shoreditch, Southwark, Tower Hamlets, Wandsworth, and Woolwich."

(Baedeker's London and its Environs 1900​, p. 94-96).​

The Strand, London

A Encyclopedia Britannica Map​, 1890

"The Strand, so named from its skirting the bank of the river, which is now concealed by buildings, is a broad street between the City and the West End, and one of the busiest and most important thoroughfares in London. It was unpaved down to 1532, and about this time it was described as 'full of pits and sloughs, very perilous and noisome'. At this period many of the mansions of the nobility and hierarchy stood here, with gardens stretching down to the Thames. The names if several streets and houses still recall these days of bygone magnificence, but the palaces themselves have long since disappeared or been converted to more plebeian uses." (Baedeker's London and its Environs 1900​, p. 181).

The Albert Memorial, Kensington Gardens ​

"In the S. part of Kensington gardens, near the site of the Exhibition of 1851, rises the Albert Memorial, a magnificent monument to Albert, the late Prince Consort, erected by the English nation at a cost of 120,000 pounds, half of which was defrayed by voluntary contributions." (Baedeker's London and its Environs 1900​, p. 181).

Buckingham Palace, Westminster

"Buckingham Palace, the Queen's residence, rises at the W. end of St. James Park. The present palace occupies the site of Buckingham House, erected by John Sheffield, Duke of Buckingham, in 1703, which was purchased by George III in 1761, and occasionally occupied by him. His successor, George IV, caused it to be remodeled by Nash in 1825, but it remained empty until its occupation in 1837 by Queen Victoria, whose town residence it has since continued to be. The eastern and principal facade towards St. James Park, 360 ft. in length, was added by Blore in 1846; and the large ball-room and other apartments were subsequently constructed. The Palace now forms a large quadrangle. The rooms occupied by Her Majesty are on the N. side." (Baedeker's London and its Environs 1900​, p. 329-330)

Finsbury Park, Harringay

According to the Pall Mall Gazette, on August 7, 1869: "Sir John declared the park open to the public, and after a few remarks from Mr. Alderman Cotton, a discharge of forty maroons concluded the ceremony. The park is situated on the northern side of Seven Sisters-road, and bounded on the east by the Enfield-road, and on the west by the Great Northern Railway. It extends over 120 acres, and has cost 94,600 pounds."

Horse Guards, Westminster

"The Horse Guards is the office of the commander-in-chief of the army, an inconsiderable building with a low clock-tower, erected in 1758 on the site of an old Tilt Yard. It derives its name from its original use as a guard-house for the palace of Whitehall. Two mounted Life Guards are posted here as sentinels every day from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., and the operation of relieving guard, which takes place hourly, is interesting. At 11 a.m. the troop of 40 Life Guards on duty is relieved by another troop, when a good opportunity is afforded of seeing a number of these fine soldiers together. The infantry sentries on the other side of the Horse Guards, in 8t. James's Park, are also changed at 11 a.m. A passage, much frequented by pedestrians, leads through the Horse Guards into St. James's Park, but no carriages except those of royalty and of a few privileged persons are permitted to pass. " (Baedeker's London and its Environs 1900​, p. 244)

The London Bridge

"​The present London Bridge, was designed by John Rennie, a Scottish engineer, begun in 1825 under the superintendence of his sons, Sir John and George Rennie, and completed in 1831. [...] The bridge, 928 ft. long and 63 ft. broad (54 ft. until 1903), is borne by five granite arches, of which that in the centre has a span of 152 ft. The lamp-posts on the bridge are cast of the metal of French cannon captured in the Peninsular War. .[..] It is estimated that, in spite of the relief afforded by the Tower Bridge, 22,000 vehicles and about 110,000 pedestrians cross London Bridge daily. (Excerpts from Baedeker's London and its Environs 1900​, p. 154)

The Royal Exchange

​"The Royal Exchange, built in 1842-44 by Tite, is the third building of the kind on the same site. The first Exchange, erected in 1564-70 by Sir Thomas Gresham, was destroyed in the Great Fire (1666), and its successor, by Jarman, was also burned down in 1838. The present building, which cost about 150,000, is preceded by a Corinthian portico, and approached by a broad flight of steps."

"The chief business-hour is from 3.30 to 4.30 p.m., and the most important days are Tuesdays and Fridays. The shops on the outside of the Exchange greatly disfigure the building. Nearly opposite the Exchange is No. 15 Cornhill, occupied by Messrs. Birch, confectioners, and said to be the oldest shop in London." (Excerpts from Baedeker's London and its Environs 1900​, p. 141).

St. Paul's Cathedral, The City

​"The present church, designed by Sir Christopher Wren, and begun in 1675, was opened for divine services on Sun., Dec. 5th, 1697, and completed in 1710. [...]
The church, which resembles St. Peter's at Rome, though much smaller, is in the form of a Latin cross."

"St. Paul's is the fifth largest church in Christendom, being surpassed by St. Peter's at Rome, and the Cathedrals of Milan, Seville, and Florence. It is interesting to note the union of classic details and style with the essentially Gothic structure of St. Paul's." (Excerpts from Baedeker's London and its Environs 1900​, p. 111-112)

The Tower of London

​"The Tower, the ancient fortress and gloomy state-prison of London, and historically the most interesting spot in England, is an irregular mass of buildings erected at various periods, surrounded by a battlemented wall and deep moat, which was drained in 1843. It stands on the bank of the Thames, to the E. of the City, and outside the bounds of the ancient city-walls. The present external appearance of the Tower is very unlike what it originally was, perhaps no fortress of the same age having undergone greater transformations. Though at first a royal palace and stronghold, the Tower is best known in history as a prison. It is now a government arsenal and is still kept in repair as a fortress."

"The Tower is provided with four entrances, viz. the Iron Gate, the Water Gate, and the Traitor's Gate, all on the side next to the Thames; and on the W. the principal entrance, or Lion's Gate, so called from the royal menagerie formerly kept here. (The lions were removed to the Zoological Garden's in Regent's Park in 1834. (Excerpts from Baedeker's London and its Environs 1900​, p. 156-157)

Westminster Abbey

"The .Abbey was entirely rebuilt in the latter half of the 13th cent, by Henry III and his son Edward the Confessor, who left it substantially in its present condition, though important alterations and additions were made in the two succeeding centuries. The Chapel of Henry VII was erected at the beginning of the 16th century, and the towers were added by Wren and Hawkesmore in 1722-40. The facade of the N. transept was restored in 1890 from designs by Sir G. G. Scott and Mr. Pearson ; and the view of the exterior was improved in 1895 by the removal of several houses in Old Palace Yard."

"Westminster Abbey, with its royal burial-vaults and long series of monuments to celebrated men, is not unreasonably regarded by the English as their national Walhalla, or Temple of Fame; and interment within its walls is considered the last and greatest honour which the nation can bestow on the most deserving of her offspring. The honour has often, however, been conferred on persons unworthy of it, and even on children."

(Excerpts from Baedeker's London and its Environs 1900​, p. 247)

Bank of England

"Opposite the Mansion House, and bounded on the S. by Threadneedle Street, [...] stands the Bank of England, an irregular and isolated building of one story. The central nucleus of the building was designed by Mr. George Sampson and opened in 1834, but the edifice as now seen is mainly the work of Sir John Soane, who was architect to the Bank from 1788 to 1827. ... The Bank was founded in 1694 [and] is the only bank in London which has the power of issuing paper money." (Baedeker's London and its Environs 1900​, p. 138-139).

The British Museum, Bloomsbury

In 1823, architect Sir Robert Smirke designed the museum to emulate classical Greek architecture – a style which had become increasingly popular since the 1750s. Completed in 1852, the structure was built using a Portland stone, a cast-iron framework filled in with London stock brick, and concrete floors—all the newest technology at that time.

"The number of visitors to the British Museum in 1899, exclusive of readers and students, was 663,724. The Museum is open free on every week-day from 10 a.m. till 6 p.m., but after 4 p.m. in Jan., Feb., Nov., and Dec., and after 5 p.m. in March, Sept., and Oct. some only of the galleries remain open." (Baedeker's London and its Environs 1900​, p. 299-300).

The Victoria Embankment

"The Victoria Embankment, which leads from Westminster Bridge towards the E. along the N. bank of the Thames as far as Blackfriars Bridge, offers a pleasant approach to the City and the Tower to those who have already explored the Strand and Fleet Street. ... Rows of trees have been planted along the sides of the Embankment , which in a few years will afford a shady promenade." (Baedeker's London and its Environs 1900​, p. 157)

Holborn

An early settlement evolved on the edge of the City beside a ‘hole bourne’ or stream that became known as the River Fleet. Holborn developed as a medieval suburb of the City, with houses that steadily increased in impressiveness over time. In the mid-1860s houses in the eastern part of Holborn were demolished for the construction of Holborn Viaduct, which was opened by Queen Victoria in 1869. 

The Royal Courts of Justice, Westminster

The Royal Courts of Justice, commonly called the Law Courts, is located on the Strand in Westminster and houses the High Court and Court of Appeal of England and Wales. 

The courts were designed by George Edmund Street and took more than eight years to complete throughout the 1870s—mostly due to the fact that the building masons went on strike halfway through the construction process. The courts were finally opened in an official ceremony by Queen Victoria on December 4th, 1882.

Piccadilly Circus, West End

​"Regent Street, one of the finest streets in London, and containing a large number of the best shops, was laid out by Nash in 1813, for the purpose of connecting Carlton House, the residence of the Prince Regent, with Regent's Park. It is 1 M. in length, and extends from Waterloo Place, Pall Mall, across Oxford Street, to Portland Place. To the right (E.), at the corner of Charles Street, stands the Junior United Service Club, and on the same side is the Raleigh Club. Jermyn Street is a little farther on. The street then reaches Regent Circus, Piccadilly (known as Piccadilly Circus) whence Piccadilly leads to the W., Coventry Street to the E., and the wide Shaftesbury Avenue to the N.E. The triangle in the centre of the Circus is occupied by a Memorial Fountain to Lord Shaftesbury (d. 1885), by Alfred Gilbert, A.R.A., unveiled in 1893 and adorned with eight plaques of scenes from the philanthropist's life." (Excerpt from Baedeker's London and its Environs 1900​, p. 286)

Somerset House, West End

​"Farther on, on the S. side of the Strand, rises the stately facade of Somerset Souse, 150 ft. in length. The present large quadrangular building was erected by Sir William Chambers in 1776-86, on the site of a palace which the Protector Somerset began to build in 1649. The Protector, however, was beheaded before it was completed, and the palace fell to the Crown. It was afterwards the residence of Anne of Denmark, consort of James I., of Henrietta Maria, the queen of Charles I., and of Catharine of Braganza, the neglected wife of the second Charles. Inigo Jones died here in 1652."

"The old building was taken down in 1766, and the present edifice, now occupied by various public offices, erected in its stead. The imposing principal facade towards the Thames, 780 ft. in length, rises on a terrace 50 ft. broad and 50 ft. high, and is now separated from the river by the Victoria Embankment."
(Excerpts from Baedeker's London and its Environs 1900​, p. 182-183).

​Tower Bridge, The City

​"Immediately below the Tower the Thames is spanned by the huge Tower Bridge, built by the Corporation in 1886-94. This bridge, designed by Sir Horace Jones and Mr, Wolfe Barry, comprizes a permanent footway, 142 ft. above high-water level, reached by means of stairs in the supporting towers, and a carriage-way, 29 1/2 ft above high-water, the central span of which (200 ft. long is fitted with twin bascules or draw-bridges, which can be raised in 1 1/2 min. for the  passage of large vessels. [...]The annual cost of maintenance is 14,000. An enumeration made in 1897 showed that about 10,000 vehicles and 25,000 pedestrians crossed the Tower Bridge daily." (Excerpts from Baedeker's London and its Environs 1900​, p. 165)

​Trafalgar Square

Trafalgar Square, one of the finest open places in London and a great centre of attraction, is, so to speak, dedicated to Lord Nelson, and commemorates his glorious death at the battle of Trafalgar (22nd Oct., 1805), gained by the English fleet over the combined armaments of France and Spain. By this victory Napoleon's purpose of invading England was frustrated. [...] In the centre of the square rises the massive granite column 145 ft. in height, to the memory of the hero." (Excerpts from Baedeker's London and its Environs 1900​, p. 186)

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