Page:Notes and Queries - Series 12 - Volume 9.djvu/354

 288 NOTES AND QUERIES. [12 s.ix. OCT. 8,1921. London Bridge London Bridge Tavern Long Room Lovejoy's Bagnio Lower Flask Loyal Lubec's Head On London Bridge. . . . 1711 Punch House, adjoining the 1755 Toll Gate Cannon Street, south side .. 1732 1742 Well Walk, Hampstead. . c.1720 Great Russell Street, Covent 1769 Garden 1771 Flask Walk, Hampstead. . 1745 Spread Eagle Court. . . . 1720 London Street, Greenwich. . 1735 (To be continued.) Daily Courant, Feb. 22. Public Advertiser, May 27. ' Parish Clerks' Remarks of London,' p. 102. Chevallier Correspondence, ' N. & Q,' Mar. 5, 1921, p. 196. Copy of the Court Rolls of the Manor. London Chronicle, Mar. 18-21. Hickey, i. 274. In 1771 frequented by the disorderly Mohawks. Milton and Besant's ' Hampstead,' p. 16. Larwood, p. 387. Daily Courant, Nov. 19. Lane's ' Handy Book,' p. 184. J. PAUL DE CASTRO. No. 6, PALL MALL. The demolition of the shops between the Opera Arcade and Waterloo Place gives occasion to identify No. 6 (premises until recently occupied by Messrs. Graves and Co.) as formerly used and probably erected for the Gothic Hall Exhibition of Military Antiquities. Of the many exhibitions of arms, armour and trophies generally that were so popular in the early nineteenth century, after Wellington's victories, this was the most important and contained the most valuable assemblage of objects illustrating, so the catalogue claims, " English history from the Norman Conquest to the latest periods." The date of its opening,! infer, was 1817. The sixth edition of the catalogue is dated ! 820, and the only handbill in my collection announces its intended closing " on Saturday 12th August " (1820 ?). In the following year the whole collection was catalogued for sale " on the premises by Mr. Christie." The reason for the sale is given : c; The Proprietor of the Gothic Hall near the Opera Colonnade, Pall Mall, retiring from Business." The date was Wednesday, March 21, 1821, and following days. The exceedingly scarce sale cata- logues are both small 4to, the first of 26 pages and the second of 24 pages. The first sale commences with a parcel of cats' eyes, polished agates, mochas, &c., and passes through many curiosities, both natural and artificial, to ancient armour, fire-arms, &c. The highest price appears to have been obtained for a stained -glass window from a design of Benjamin West, although there were some fine complete suits of old armour. The second sale, held under the same circumstances, Wednesday, April 4, 1821, and following day, has an address in which intending purchasers are reminded that " the very liberal prices given by the pro- prietor ... he paid two thousand five hundred pounds for five of the suits alone " was evidence that " the collection was not formed with the idea of ultimately selling it by auctions." The works of art in this sale are of interest, and we note that on the first day a pair of drawings by Westall, illustrating the Church Service, realized more than twice the 30s. at which a "pair of exquisitely highly finished Drawings in Sepia " by Fragonard were sold. There are a number of topographical views by Hogarth and other artists, in- cluding ' View of the Treasury Garden,' ' Garrick's Villa ' and ' Fair Rosamond's Pond.' The highest price was realized by "a complete suit of knight's tilting armour, cap-a-pie, with lance-rest, of the latter part of Elizabeth's time." Presumably the prices realized were considered inade- quate, because there is an endorsement : " The remainder of the articles were with- drawn by the Proprietor." The third and last portion of the sale is announced on the last page of the second catalogue the sale to take place on Friday and Saturday, April 6 and 7, " without reserve." Probably this was not printed. I have never seen the catalogue and except for an exhibition known as the " Royal Armoury," held in the Hay market (" adjoining the theatre ") after the coronation of George IV., there is no trace of the suits of armour it was intended should be sold.
 * London Stone