THE MIRROR
OF
LITERATURE, AMUSEMENT, AND INSTRUCTION.
| Vol. XIX. No. 529.] | SATURDAY, JANUARY 14, 1832. | [PRICE 2d. |
FISHMONGER'S HALL
FISHMONGERS' HALL.
ARMS OF THE COMPANY.
These Cuts may be welcome illustrations of the oldenmagnificence of the City of London. The first represents the riveror back front of the Hall of the Fishmongers' Company: the secondcut, the arms of the Company, is added by way of an illustrativependent. These insignia are placed over the entrance to the Hall inLower Thames-street; they are sculptured in bold relief, and arenot meanly executed. The Hall, or the greater part of it, has beentaken down to make room for the New London Bridge approaches; theframe-work of the door, and the arms still remain—statportus umbra.
The Hall merits further notice; not so much for itsarchitectural pretensions as for its being the commencement of aplan which it could be wished had been [pg 18] completed. The reader mayprobably remember that after the Great Fire of London, the King(Charles II.) desired WREN, in addition to his designs for St.Paul's, to make an accurate survey and drawing of the whole areaand confines of the waste metropolis; and "day, succeeding day,amidst ashes and ruins, did this indefatigable man labour to fulfilhis task." He prepared his plans for rebuilding the city, and laidthem before the King. That part of Sir Christopher's plan whichrelates to the present subjects, was as follows: "By thewater-side, from the bridge to the Temple, he had planned a longand broad wharf or quay, where he designed to have arranged all thehalls that belong to the several companies of the city, with properwarehouses for merchants between, to vary the edifices, and make itat once one of the most beautiful ranges of structure in theworld." 1 King Charles, however, as Mr.Cunningham observes, "was never obstinate in any thing for hiscountry's good," and the idea was dropped: but Wren erected theabove Hall as a specimen of his intention of ornamenting the banksof the Thames. The original hall was destroyed by the GreatFire.
The ancient importance of the Fishmongers' Company may be thusexplained:—
During the days of papacy in England, fish was an article not ofoptional, but compulsive consumption, and this rendered thebusiness of a fishmonger one of the principal trades of London.Fish Street Hill, and the immediate vicinity, was the great martfor this branch of traffic, from its close connexion with theriver, and here lived many illustrious citizens, particularly SirWilliam Walworth, and Sir Stephen Fisher.
Strong prejudices were however entertained against thefishmongers, and to so great an extent was it car