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��CROSBY HALL,
ITS EARLY HISTORY AND PRESENT RESTORATION.
is one of the most interesting buildings
in the Metropolis, and may be said to be the only
authentic example of Gothic domestic architecture
belonging to that period when the merchant princes
began to take rank with the nobles of the Court. The Great
Hall at Westminster is perhaps the finest existing specimen of
the public buildings of ancient London, (omitting of course
ecclesiastical edifices), and Crosby Hall is the most striking
and splendid of those palatial residences, only a few of which
were erected in the City.
It is remarkable, considering how closely this grand old building
has been identified with the history of the country, that it should
have been permitted to undergo such strange vicissitudes in its
own fortunes, and it is yet more wonderful that notwithstanding
those vicissitudes it should have been spared from the alterations
and adaptations which too often deface and destroy some of the
most beautiful structures of a past age. The truth seems to be
that Crosby Hall was so nobly planned and built as to restrain
by the force of its own beauty the unhallowed hands which might
otherwise have desecrated it; while its history and associations
were in themselves so interesting that they secured its public
recognition, and forbade the destruction of a building that had
been able to defy the touch of Time himself, and seemed only to
have mellowed into a more solemn beauty as the years went by.
Not that the entire edifice, which was originally called Crosby
Place or Crosby House, remains standing. The less important
portion exists no longer, and the building which has for so long
been known as Crosby Hall is in fact the Grand Banqueting
Room, the Council Chamber, the State Reception Room, and
rosby hall
B
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some other apartments belonging to the Palace, Court-yard, and
Garden, which once occupied the site of what is now Crosby
Square.
This splendid mansion of Crosby Place was built in 1466 by
Sir John Crosby, on the ground leased from Dame Alice Ashfield,
Prioress of the Convent of Saint Helene. For this ground, which
had a frontage of no feet in the “King’s Road of Bishopsgate
Streete,” he paid £11 : 6: 8 a-year, no small sum in those days,
and immediately set about the erection of the hall and dwelling
house, which was afterwards described as being “ye highest and
“ fairest in ye Citie.”
Sir John Crosby, Member of Parliament for London, Aiderman,
Warden of the Grocer’s Company, and Mayor of the Staple of
Calais, was the eminent grocer and woolstapler, who with eleven
others received the honour of knighthood in the field for their
gallantry in resisting the attack made by the Bastard Falconbridge
on the City. Sir John Crosby died in 1475, four years after the
completion of the building to which he gave his name, and was
buried in the Church of Saint Helen, where his tomb may still be
seen, bearing upon it the recumbent figures of himself and his
wife. The knight is fully armed, but wears over his armour his
Alderman’s mantle, and round his neck a collar of suns and roses,
the badge of the House of York.
In the following year, 1476, Crosby House became a palace in
name as well as in reputation, in consequence of the widow of
Sir John Crosby parting with it to Richard, Duke of Gloucester,
afterwards Richard the Third. Then Crosby Place, like the less
important Baynard’s Castle, became the scene of those intrigues
by which the wily Richard obtained the Crown, and must
have been peculiarly convenient to him as a residence, both from
its contiguity to the Tower, where first King Henry VI., and
afterwards the Princes were confined, and from its occupying a
prominent place in the City, where he had influential and doubtless
sincere supporters, and where he was anxious to obtain the suffrages
of the people. The choice of Crosby House as a Palace may
indeed be included among those devices by which Richard achieved
success ; for in its magnificent apartments he was able to hold a
sort of regal state, and having, as Sir Thomas More says, “ lodged
“ hymself in Crosbye’s Place, where, by little and little, all folks
“ drew unto, so that the Protector had the Court, and the King was
“ in a manner left desolate;” he began at once to aspire to the
Crown, which in 1483 was offered to him in the Council Chamber
of Crosby Hall by the Mayor, Sir Thomas Billesden, and a
deputation of citizens.
We are most of us familiar with the story of Richard’s treachery
during his residence at this City Palace, and not a few of us have
learnt by heart that most familiar of all the plays of Shakspeare in
which the story is told. Crosby Hall occupies a conspicuous
position in the drama of Richard the Third, and it is evident that
the Poet had ample opportunities for studying the building itself;—
�5
probably the play was written in the immediate vicinity of the
building, or possibly even next door, for we know from the Parish
Assessments that he was a resident in Saint Helen’s in 1598, and
from the amount of the sum levied must have occupied a house of
some importance.
It is in the Third Act of Richard the Third that the allusions to
Crosby Place occur, and in that most enthralling portion of the
play where the Duke is plotting with awful dissimulation to win at
once a queen and a crown, to both of which he had been a traitor.
It was the last achievement of his triumphant falsehood to induce
Anne to await at Crosby Place his return from the funeral of the
King his father-in-law. The wonderful chain of lies winds up with
the words:—
“ And if thy poor devoted servant may
“ But beg one favour at thy gracious hands,
“ Thou dost confirm his happiness for ever.”
Anne (who is already yielding to his serpent’s tongue), says
“ What is it ?”
and he replies
“ That it may please you leave these sad designs
“ To him that hath most cause to be a mourner,
“ And presently repair to Crosby Place.”
In the following scene the action is still laid in reference to
Crosby Place, where the murderers who have been commissioned
to destroy Clarence in the Tower are to meet Richard after they
have accomplished their evil work.
“ Gloucester—Are you now going to despatch this thing ?
“ First Murderer—We are, my lord ; and come to have the warrant,
That we may be admitted where he is.
“ Gloucester—Well thought upon : I have it here about me.
\Gives Warrant^.
When you have done repair to Crosby Place.”
Again, in the Third Act, where, after the meeting of Gloucester
with the Prince of Wales, the Cardinal, and the nobles in a
street in London, and when Buckingham and Richard send Catesby
to tamper with the wretched Hastings, Gloucester says :—
,
“ Shall we hear from you, Catesby, ere we sleep ?”
“ Catesby—You shall, my lord.”
“ Gloucester—At Crosby Place there you shall find us both.”
During the time of Shakspeare’s residence in the parish, Crosby
Hall was in the occupation of Sir John Spencer, a London mer
chant, known by, what to some people would be the enviable name,
of “ the rich ” Spencer. In 1594 he bought the palace for/'256o,
and afterwards held his Mayoralty there in splendid style, the
celebrated Duke of Sully, then French Ambassador to the English
Court, being one of the guests, who were lodged and entertained
�6
in right royal fashion. Sir John Spencer’s daughter was married
to the first Earl of Northampton, and the wealth of the great
London merchant served to increase the revenues of the succeeding
marquises.
Between the time when the Duke of Gloucester became King
Richard the Third and the year in which Shakspeare wrote his noble
drama, Crosby Hall had been in possession of several masters.
The palace seems at once to have been recovered by the then
Lord Mayor of London as the appropriate residence of the chief
magistrate of the Metropolis, and in 1501 Sir Bartholomew Reade
took possession of it, and during his mayoralty entertained and
lodged the ambassadors who came from.Maximilian of Germany.
The famous Banqueting Hall was in full occupation at this time;
and in reference to the distinguished guests received there,. Stowe
himself thinks one feast worthy of record for its great magnificence.
Fifteen years afterwards (in 1516) we find Sir John Rest installed
at Crosby Hall, after one of the most remarkable “ Lord Mayor’s
Shows” on record, in which there appeared, according to the
veracious chronicler, four giants, one unicorn, one dromedary, one
camel, one ass, one dragon, six hobby-horses, and sixteen naked
boys.
What was the symbolical significance of these remarkable
objects we are not informed, but it may be remembered that the
display had very little moral effect on the London ’prentices, for it
was in that very year that the disturbances began which ended in
the tragedy of what has ever since been known as “ The evil May
day,” when the ’prentices and journeymen determined to assault
the foreign artisans and merchants.
The cry of “ down with the Lombards” was heard on the night
of the 30th of April, when the young men were at buckler play in
Chepe, and the mischief began by an attack on a calender of
worsted, a native of Picardy, who lived near Leadenhall. Very
soon 'a general attack was made in several quarters upon the
foreign dealers and workmen, who fled for their lives, leaving their
goods to be destroyed. The gaol of Newgate was broken open,
and some of the assailants who had been imprisoned there were
released ; the work of destruction went on all night, and when
the May-day morning broke there was still a crowd in. the streets,
especially near the church of St. Andrew Undershaft, which
' occupied an open space in Leadenhall Street, where Lime Street
now stands. Here the “ Great Shaft of Cornhill,” the mighty
maypole, which had given the very church its name, was being
set up, its top reaching above the steeple; but there were no
^Iay-day revels that morning, for the shout of the crowd of rioters
was echoed by an answering shout, and an armed force from the
Tower bore down upon the ’prentices and carried them off to
that stronghold to be tried for their lives. Fifteen unhappy
creatures were executed, and the rest went to Westminster Hall,
half naked and tied together with ropes, each with a halter about
his neck. There they besought the mercy of the King, and were
�7
pardoned. But the first of May, 1517, has ever since been known
as the evil May-day, and the Great Shaft was reared nevermore,
but hung on hooks under the pent houses of Shaft Alley for thirtytwo years, until the Reformation, when it was denounced as an
idol by some zealous preacher, whose hearers, as Stow says, “ after
they had well dined to make themselves strong,” sawed it in
pieces and divided the logs amongst them.
Long before that, however, Crosby Hall had passed into
new hands. No less distinguished a person than Sir Thomas
More, Under Treasurer, and afterwards Lord High Chancellor
of England, became its occupant. Here he received the visits
of Henry VIII., and here he doubtless wrote some of those
works which have contributed so much to his fame. Erasmus,
who was his intimate friend and frequent guest, thus speaks
of the domestic life of the author of “Utopia”:—“With him
“ you might imagine yourself in the academy of Plato ; but I
“ should do injustice to his house by comparing it to the academy
“ of Plato, where numbers and geometrical figures, and sometimes
“ moral virtues, were the subjects of discussion ; it would be more
“ just to call it a school and an exercise of the Christian religion.
“ All its inhabitants, male and female, applied their leisure to
“ liberal studies and profitable reading, although piety was their
“ first care. No wrangling, no idle word, was heard in it; every
“ one did his duty with alacrity, and not without a temperate
“ cheerfulness.” Surely these were the palmy days of Crosby
Hall.
On being made Speaker of the House of Commons in 1523, Sir
Thomas More sold Crosby Hall to his “dear friend” Antonio
Bonvici, a merchant of Lucca, to whom the Chancellor sent that
well-known letter from the Tower, written with a piece of charcoal
the night before his execution. After the dissolution of the convent
of Saint Helene, Bonvici purchased the property of the King for
^207 : 18 :4, and so Crosby Hall became a freehold, though not
much to his immediate advantage, for in 1549 he forfeited the
property “by illegally departing the kingdom,” in consequence of
the persecution, and Henry VIII., with his usual indifference to
the rights of others, granted it to Lord Daryce of Chule. This
nobleman, however, was induced, for “ divers good causes,” to
restore it to its proper owner on the accession of Queen Mary in
1553. It remained without any remarkable change until 1560,
when we find it occupied by German Cioll, who had married a
cousin of Sir Thomas Gresham. A weekly bequest of this lady,
Mistress Cycillia Cioll, is still distributed in Saint Helen’s Church.
Again, in 1566, CroSby Hall changed hands, and became the
residence of Aiderman Bond, the inscription on whose tomb in
Saint Helen’s Church describes him as “a Merchant Adventurer,
“ and most famous in his age for his great adventures by both sea
“ and land.”
It was at Crosby Hall that D’Assenleville, the Spanish Ambas
sador, was entertained by this civic Sindbad, and after the Alder
�8
man’s death, when his sons occupied the palace in 1586, the Danish
Ambassador, Ramelius, was made an honoured guest there, and
treated with all the sumptuous hospitality that belonged to the
Elizabethan age. It was during the time of “ the rich Spencer,”
however, that Crosby Hall was probably most distinguished, for
the splendour of that mayoralty is traditional; and we might, in
imagination, repeople the old- hall with the brilliant guests that
came and went; their very names a roll-call of the history of
England during the period of England’s growing fame and honour.
Raleigh, Spencer, Sidney, Grenville, perhaps Drake and Hawkins,
and the rest of those great men, all of whom were in sympathy
with “ merchant adventurers,” in days when Richard Hakluyt was
at Oxford, and Edward Osborne, clothworker and ancestor of the
Dukes of Leeds, had but six years before served his mayoralty,
with Spencer for sheriff, and the mercantile navy of Great Britain
had founded the empire of the sea. It was six years after the
defeat of the Spanish Armada that Sir John Spencer lived at
Crosby Hall. Need one say more in order to conjure up a scene
that may well make the heart heave and the eye brighten ? And
yet four years afterwards a man lived close by whose name is more
potent than that of any in that brilliant assembly; a man who
stands first, not only in the muster-roll of that period of English
history, but who stands in the very foremost rank among the
thinkers of all time,—William Shakspeare. The great dramatist
had at that time become a joint proprietor in the theatre at
Bankside, and doubtless found it convenient to live in this quiet
courtly nook of the city.
In 1603 Shakspeare probably assisted at the entertainment of
the Ambassadors from Holland and Zealand, who lodged at
Crosby Hall at that time, but in 1609 he had gone to live at
Stratford, while his friend, Ben Jonson, was in London, perhaps
waiting on the Dowager Countess of Pembroke, who then occupied
the City Palace. Most of us remember Jonson’s celebrated epitaph
on this distinguished woman :—
“ Underneath this sable hearse
Lies the subject of all verse,
Sidney’s sister, Pembroke’s mother :
Death ! ere thou canst find another,
Good and fair, and wise as she,
Time shall throw a dart at thee.”
Jonson, who survived Shakspeare, was perhaps a guest at
Crosby Hall when, in 1630, it came into possession of Spencer,
Earl of Northampton, who inherited it by the marriage of his
father with the only daughter of the Sir John Spencer already
referred to. This nobleman was killed .fighting by the side of
Charles I. at the battle of Hopton Heath, in 164.2. He had then
leased Crosby Hall to Sir John Langham, Sheriff of London,
and the king’s cause having been defeated the Great Hall was used
as a prison in which royalists were detained for trial. An order of
the House of Commons, dated 7th December, 1642, directs the
�9
removal of ten prisoners from Crosby Place to Gresham College,
and thence, on the 19th, to Lambeth House. The vicissitudes of
this grand old building may be said to have commenced from that
period, though strange to say it escaped the great calamity of the
fire of London ; the house alone being injured, and the hall itself
remaining unscathed.
For the next twelve years there is nothing very remarkable to
record. The “ Merry Monarch” spent his subjects’ money merrily
in the midst of his “ merry Court,” and the City lost its old
influence. All England lost its influence, and public honour and
virtue seemed about to wither under that “ Merry Monarch ” of
misrule. It must be said in Charles’s favour, however, that he
was no persecutor, and there was a leaven in the nation which
did suffice to leaven the whole lump, a leaven associated with
the word patriotism, but which will be also found in the lives
and works of those eminent teachers, preachers, and politicians,
known as the Puritan Divines.
It is in connection with these that we discover Crosby Hall
in 1672 with a floor put into the Great Hall, so that the upper
part of it, from the level of the minstrel’s gallery, might be
used for a Nonconformist meeting, under licence of the indulgence
act. For ninety-seven years it was devoted to this purpose, and
during that time twelve different ministers succeeded each other,
some of them men of high distinction indeed, the first being
Thomas Watson, previously Rector of Saint Stephen’s, Walbrook,
and the author of the tract “ Heaven taken by Storm,” which
is said to have been the means of the conversion of the celebrated
Colonel Gardiner. A numerous and wealthy congregation assem
bled at Crosby Hall, and Thomas Watson was succeeded by
the more celebrated Stephen Charnock.
The ministers who officiated there after Charnock were Samuel
Slater, M.A., John Reynolds, Daniel Alexander, Benjamin Gros
venor, D.D., Samuel Wright, D.D., John Barker, Clerk Oldsworth,
Edmund Calamy, Jun., John Hodge, D.D., and Richard Jones.
Two years after the adaptation of the building to this purpose,
that is to say, in 1674, the dwelling house, which adjoined the
hall, and occupied the present site of Crosby Square, was burnt
down, but the hall remained still uninjured.
For some time afterwards the grand old building remained unas
sociated with any especial public event, although the Mercury of
May 23rd, 1678, advertises a public sale at Crosby Hall, where
“ ye late general post office was kept,” the articles for sale including
“ tapestry hangings, a good chariot, and a black girl about fifteen
“ years of age.” In 1692 the property was purchased by the family
in whose possession it still remains, and the lower part of the hall
was let as a wholesale warehouse ; and in 1700 it seemed about to
take rank again as an important public building, for the Council
Chamber and Throne Room were occupied by those “ Merchant
Adventurers” trading to the East Indies, who afterwards formed the
East India Company, and obtained their privileges by Royal Charter.
�IO
This was probably only during the building of the India House,
however, for we hear little of Crosby Hall until sixty-nine years
afterwards, when it was disused as a meeting house, the last sermon
being preached on the ist of October, 1769, by the Rev. Richard
Jones, the congregation removing to Maze Pond.
There was indeed great fear that this magnificent hall would be
utterly wrecked, for it was let to private individuals whose adapta
tions were likely to do it serious damage. It was greatly owing to
the public spirit of Miss Hackett, a lady who lived beside it, that
this almost unique example of domestic Gothic architecture was
ultimately preserved. In 1831 this lady made strenuous efforts for
its conservation, assisted by a few of the residents, some of whom
still remain in the neighbourhood; and in 1836 it was reinstated
and partially restored by public subscription, after which it was
re-opened by the Lord Mayor, W. T. Copeland, Esq., M.P., a
banquet in the old English style being held on the occasion. In
1842 the entire premises were occupied by a Literary and Scientific
Institute, under the presidency of the Rev. C. Mackenzie, the
hall being let from time to time for Lectures and Concerts ;
but in i860 this society came to an end, and the place was then
taken by Messrs. H. R. Williams & Co., the well-known Wine
Merchants. In Mr. Williams’s hands Crosby Hall underwent
no damaging alteration, and although it was used for purposes
of business due regard was had to its historical reputation and
its intrinsic beauty. It is only just to add that its late occupiers
fully appreciated and carefully preserved it from injury; but we
may be forgiven for saying that there were no conditions under
which it was possible really toz restore it to its original beauty,
except those which included its restoration to its original purpose.
We trust that both these objects have been attained, and that as
the City Banqueting Hall of the present the public will recognise
and admire the Crosby HAll of the past.
�CROSBY HALL
THE RESTORATION OF THE GREAT BANQUETING
ROOM, THE THRONE ROOM, AND THE
COUNCIL CHAMBER.
T is believed that the restoration of this magnificent
building to its original purpose of a Great Banqueting
'
Hall will secure it from decay or demolition, and pre
serve to the City one of the most attractive objects
which have been spared by the necessities of modern
innovation. At the same time by securing Crosby
Hall as a Public Dining Establishment, the Proprietor
is satisfied that he will be able to meet one of the
most pressing and constant requirements of City life,
by enabling employes engaged daily in mercantile pursuits to
obtain their principal meal in comfort and even with elegance,
at a price consistent with the strictest economy.
It has hitherto been almost impossible to provide even for a large
number of customers a dinner which should combine excellence of
quality, prompt and comfortable service, convenient and elegant
appointments, and at the same time should not cost more than the
majority of those who wished to avail themselves of it could afford.
The difficulty has arisen first from the fact that the City Dinner
hour is mostly the middle of the day, and in connection with this,
that it is almost impossible to obtain spacious premises on a
“ground floor” that are suitable for a Dining Hall.
The proprietor of Crosby Hall has overcome these disadvantages
by securing this splendid and spacious building, and he is confident
that long and constant experience will enable him to inaugurate a
new system of City Dinners which may it is to be hoped supersede
the delay and discomfort to which those who frequent many of the
public dining rooms are so often subjected. The reinstatement
and restoration have been completed by Messrs. Wallace, Gordon
& Co., under the superintendence of Messrs. F. & H. Francis, the
eminent Architects. The decorations and stained glass are the
work of Mr. Alexander Gibbs, of Bedford Square.
I
THE LOBBY
is reached by the entrance in Bishopsgate Street, the Wine Office
occupying the niche on the left of the doorway. This entrance
�12
has been entirely refitted in a manner worthy of the building to
which it leads, from designs by the Architects, while the decorations
of the ceiling are considered very fine examples of that particular
branch of art.
THE COUNCIL CHAMBER.
This fine and lofty apartment is entirely devoted to the Great
Luncheon and Refreshment Bar which nearly surrounds it,
and the ample accommodation afforded by this arrangement enables
the proprietor to consult the convenience of the large number of
his customers who dine at home, but require light refreshment in
the middle of the day. The Council Chamber is one of the
handsomest Halls in the City of London; the historical wall
paintings are themselves worth a visit, and from the large space at
disposal the surrounding counters, even when they are fully occupied
by gentlemen at luncheon, leave complete access to
THE GREAT BANQUETING HALL,
A large and lofty building which is in reality “ Crosby Hall.”
This room is unequalled in London for beauty, its noble height
and superb Gothic roof being in perfect accordance with its large
proportions and those beautiful architectural decorations which
Lave been preserved and restored.
As a matter of policy the proprietor might have been induced
to fit this truly grand Hall with a series of “ boxes,” but to use a
common expression he “ could not find it in his heart to do it.”
He believes, however, that he has best consulted the comfort and
the tastes of his customers by furnishing it with dining tables and
chairs of a fashion in accordance with the general design of the
building; and he sincerely hopes that even in the table appoint
ments the same character has been preserved as far as is consistent
with complete convenience.
THE THRONE ROOM,
though of less noble proportions, is in some respects more beautiful
than the Banqueting Hall, and is decorated in the same style
of architecture. Its ancient ornamentation has been carefully pre
served, and as few adaptations as possible have been introduced.
It is devoted to the convenience of those who desire to enjoy select
dinners ;—select, that is to say, not by the superiority of the viands,
for these are of one uniform quality throughout the Establishment;—
but apart from the greater business of the large Hall, and with a
slight superiority in the appointments of the table and the general
luxury of the service.
Both here and. in the great Banqueting Hall there is a large
Grill for supplying Hot Chops and Steaks ; but the capacious
fire-places have been so adapted as to keep out all smell of
cooking from the rooms. -
�X
■
\
amfnrtnblp and lofty apartment,
little abov&.and at the
back of\he Throne Rocm. Here everi^comfort ma^be found.
The table\are supplied wi Chess, Draughts, and thX leading
Periodicals \the attendant spd^s French arf^ German, as^vell as
English ; an
ea, Coffee, or a
at the same pri
as at the Lu
one uniform quality and of guarantee! excellence!
THE LAVATORY AND RETIRING <OOMS
for Gentlemen are near the Smoking Room, and will be found
replete with every accommodation, including clean towels, and all
the usual accessories.
THE LADIES’ BOUDOIR AND RETIRING ROOMS
are in a separate part of the building, and accessible only to Ladies,
by a distinct staircase leading from the lobby in Bishopsgate Street,
The proprietor of Crosby Hall believes that Ladies dining in the
City will appreciate the comfort of other bever&ae in the Throne
a select table will be s
Room or the Banqueting Hall, especially as waitresses and not
heon Bar.
waiters are employed. The Boudoir and Lavatories are ad
mirably contrived, and are furnished with every convenience for
the toilette, under the charge of a special female attendant.
THE KITCHENS AND STORE ROOMS
occupy the upper part of the building, so that the odour of the
preparation of food will not enter the public part of the Establish
ment. The whole of the culinary apparatus has been fitted by
Messrs. Benham & Sons, whose names are a guarantee of efficiency
in this department. With respect to the kitchens the proprietor
desires to say a word to his customers on the subject of a very
prevalent fallacy. It is frequently surmised that the soups, stews,
ragouts, &c., in large dining establishments are helped out with, if
not composed of, the scraps and remainders from the dining tables.
The proprietor believes that this opinion is altogether unfounded
as far as it relates to any of the more respectable dining rooms.
It is true as regards the cheaper Parisian and Viennese Restaurants,
and the use of such ingredients may be possible in the inferior
French cuisine; but it would be quite impossible in the broths,
stews, and soups most in request in England.
The mere mention of this subject involves the announcement
that all the remainders of food at Crosby Hall will be carefully
and cleanly set aside, and since they afford a good and nutritious
material for certain kinds of soup, hash, or stew, arrangements
have been made for their proper distribution to the poor, either
for “ relief kitchens,” or to help to feed hungry children.
The proprietor of Crosby Hall invites his customers to inspect
the kitchens of the Establishment, that they may see for them
selves in what mariner the food is prepared. At any reasonable
�time he will be glad to accompany them all over the Building, and
as Crosby Hall is the state part of one of the most interesting
of our old English Palaces, he will at any time be happy to receive
visitors, quite irrespective of their being also customers.
PROVISIONS.
It has often been asked why the cheap, varied, and well-served
dinners of the great French Restaurants cannot be imitated in
London, and the question is one well worth considering, especially
as so many of us had an opportunity of making experiments during
our visit to the Paris Exhibition.
The proprietor of Crosby Hall has given the subject his most
careful attention, and with considerable knowledge of the great
French and German Establishments, as well as a long experience
of English tastes and habits, has come to the conclusion that
while much may be done in adopting the methods of “ service,”
the variety of choice, and the regard to economy observed in
the best foreign Restaurants, a complete revolution would have
to take place in English tastes before they could accommodate
themselves to an ordinary Parisian dinner, day after day.
During a week’s visit to a foreign Capital where everything,
including the climate, is new and strange, and where that very
newness constitutes the great holiday charm, we may thoroughly
enjoy a series of experimental meals, but it would be quite another
thing to adopt the same way of living at home. Indeed it is quite
certain that the few distinctly French and.German Restaurants
which have been established in London, either depend upon
their native customers, or soon adopt a “ Carte ” including several
of our well-known English dishes.
At Crosby Hall, therefore, there will be a Bill of Fare
containing entrees and viands of a recherche character, but in which
the simplicity of an English dinner will be most obvious. The
employment of first-rate cooks, and the completeness of all the
culinary arrangements, will however ensure the best method of
preparing every article of food, so that the superior quality of our
national materiel will have the advantage that properly belongs to it.
BEVERAGES.
The system, too often adopted, of urging every customer to
partake of wine or ale with his dinner, is so repulsive, that the
proprietor of Crosby Hall wishes it to be thoroughly understood
that nobody will be expected to order anything “ for the good of
the “ house.” Both the Luncheon Bar and the dining tables are
supplied with pure filtered water, and as all the Wines, Spirits, and
Malt Liquors are of the best description, they will recommend
themselves. Tea and coffee are always ready at the Refreshment
Counter, as well as the usual aerated waters.
The Ale and Beer are supplied precisely, as they are furnished by
the best brewers, and will be so drawn as to ensure their being in
fine condition, clear and sparkling.
�i5
With regard to Wii^es it is necessary to say a few words, not in
the way of advertisement, for “good Wine needs no Bush but in
order to call attention to the fact that the proprietor is determined
to give the public the full benefit of the remission of the duty by
selling Light Wine of excellent character and perfect purity at a
price to bring it within the means of all his customers. He has
made arrangements by which a Bordeaux of excellent vintage,
pure, sound, and of admirable quality, can be supplied at fifteen
pence a bottle, or eightpence the hfllf bottle ; a large glass of the same
Wine may be had for twopenc£, and threepence is the charge for a glass
of sound, pure, and wholesome Sherry. The Crosby Hall Wines
are specialities to which reference may be made without undue
praise, since the prices at which they are offered preclude any very
remunerative profit. The proprietor relies on their excellent
quality for obtaining a large demand, and he is confident that they
will be fully appreciated.
First-class vintage Wines will be found in the Wine List, many
of them of rare selection and great maturity; while the Spirits and
Liqueurs are of the most celebrated brands.
It is necessary to mention that the system of giving Standard
measure has been adopted at Crosby Hall. Every ale and beer
glass in the Establishment holds an imperial half-pint. Draught
wines will also be served by Imperial Measure. Bottled wines will
be brought up in the original bottles by the Cellarer, who will not
decant them unless he be requested to do so.
ATTENDANCE.
The system adopted at Crosby Hall being designed to overcome
one of the most serious difficulties of daily occurrence to those who
are engaged in the City, it became necessary to ensure, not only a
good and economical dinner, but such prompt and careful attendance
as should at once save valuable time and secure general comfort.
Careful consideration of this subject resulted in the conviction
that in such a large and at the same time such a compact
establishment an unusual opportunity would arise for the employ
ment of women in one of the very few avocations which remain
open to them in this country.
■ It is obvious that in no occupation can they be more properly
employed than in that kind of domestic attendance which includes
waiting at table, and it was therefore determined to employ
Waitresses instead of Waiters at Crosby Hall.
This is not mentioned as a first experiment, for there are already
establishments where the plan has been partially adopted, and has
been found eminently successful. The proprietor of Crosby Hall
has had considerable opportunities of obtaining the opinions of
gentlemen dining in the City, and they bear almost unanimous
testimony to the civility, quietude, and obliging attention, as well as
to the promptitude of Waitresses wherever they have been employed.
It only remains to say that all the attendants at Crosby Hall
have furnished ample evidence of character and competency; and
�i6
as they will be engaged fully in their daily business no doubt
is entertained that they, will be treated with that respect and
consideration which gentlemen accord to the female attendants
whose duty it may be to wait on them at the houses at which they
may be invited guests.
As every one employed at Crosby Hall receives liberal wages,
fees for attendance are not permitted. A definite charge is made
of a penny for each person in the Banqueting Hall, and of
twopence in the Throne Room, and will be received with the
amount of the bill as the customer leaves the Establishment.
It is requested that any negligence on the part of the attendants
be at once mentioned to the proprietor, who will guard against its
recurrence.
WHOLESALE WINE DEPARTMENT.
As the Wines supplied at Crosby Hall,—and particularly the
light Wines, to which allusion has already been made,—are highly
appreciated by a numerous class of customers, arrangements have
been made for supplying them, either by the single bottle or in any
larger quantity, for home consumption. To suit the requirements
of a large section of the public a single bottle is charged only at
the same rate as at per dozen. Orders given at the Wine Office
in the lobby at the entrance in Bishopsgate Street will receive
immediate and careful attention.
PURVEYING DEPARTMENT.
As the provision for an establishment on the scale of Crosby
Hall is necessarily very considerable, it is intended to give
customers the advantage to be derived from large purchases in the
various Metropolitan Markets, by supplyift^ them, whenever they
please, with meat, poultry, game, and other articles of consumption
for their householdSx^at such a merely nominal addition to the
wholesale cost as wilXcover the expense of packing, &c. Any
gentlemen wishing to secure this advantage have only to give a
week’s notice of what will oe required for the following week, and
they will be punctually and carefully supplied. It is purely unne
cessary to remark that such an arrangement will enable^urchasers
to effect a considerable saving during the year; and though the
proprietor of Crosby Hall has n© desire to interfere with the
legitimate profits of other tradespeople, the present disparity
between the wholesale and retail prices of all description^ of
provisions is ample reason for his givmg his customers thbse
advantages to which they are justly entitled.
In conclusion,
“ When you have done, repair to Crosby Place.”—Shakspeare.
Marchant Singer & Co., Printers, Ingram Court, Fenchurch Street, E.C.
�
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Title
A name given to the resource
Victorian Blogging
Description
An account of the resource
A collection of digitised nineteenth-century pamphlets from Conway Hall Library & Archives. This includes the Conway Tracts, Moncure Conway's personal pamphlet library; the Morris Tracts, donated to the library by Miss Morris in 1904; the National Secular Society's pamphlet library and others. The Conway Tracts were bound with additional ephemera, such as lecture programmes and handwritten notes.<br /><br />Please note that these digitised pamphlets have been edited to maximise the accuracy of the OCR, ensuring they are text searchable. If you would like to view un-edited, full-colour versions of any of our pamphlets, please email librarian@conwayhall.org.uk.<br /><br /><span><img src="http://www.heritagefund.org.uk/sites/default/files/media/attachments/TNLHLF_Colour_Logo_English_RGB_0_0.jpg" width="238" height="91" alt="TNLHLF_Colour_Logo_English_RGB_0_0.jpg" /></span>
Creator
An entity primarily responsible for making the resource
Conway Hall Library & Archives
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
2018
Publisher
An entity responsible for making the resource available
Conway Hall Ethical Society
Text
A resource consisting primarily of words for reading. Examples include books, letters, dissertations, poems, newspapers, articles, archives of mailing lists. Note that facsimiles or images of texts are still of the genre Text.
Original Format
The type of object, such as painting, sculpture, paper, photo, and additional data
Pamphlet
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Title
A name given to the resource
Crosby Hall: the ancient city place and banqueting hall, it's history & restoration
Creator
An entity primarily responsible for making the resource
Frederick Gordon & Company
Description
An account of the resource
Place of publication: [London]
Collation: 16 p. ; 21 cm.
Notes: From the library of Dr Moncure Conway. Printed by Marchant, Singer & Co., London E.C. Annotations in ink; some paragraphs crossed through. Date of publication and author attribution from WorldCat.
Publisher
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[s.l.]
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
[1876?]
Identifier
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G5568
Subject
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History
Architecture
Rights
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<a href="http://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/"><img src="http://i.creativecommons.org/p/mark/1.0/88x31.png" alt="Public Domain Mark" /></a><span> </span><br /><span>This work (Crosby Hall: the ancient city place and banqueting hall, it's history & restoration), identified by </span><a href="https://conwayhallcollections.omeka.net/items/show/www.conwayhall.org.uk"><span>Humanist Library and Archives</span></a><span>, is free of known copyright restrictions.</span>
Format
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application/pdf
Type
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Text
Language
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English
Conway Tracts
Crosby Hall
London