| 250 | M A R | |
which a pediment stretches from the
steeple to the end of the church. The
tower rises square to a considerable height,
and is terminated by four plain pinacles
crowned with balls, and a balustrade,
within which rises a very solid spire, ter-
minated by a ball and fane.
The church is a rectory in the gift of
the Lord Mayor, commonalty, and citi-
zens; and the Rector, besides glebe, ca-
sualties, &c. receives 120l. per annum in
lieu of tithes.
St. MARGARET'S street, Cavendish square;
so called in honour of the Lady Oxford.
St. MARGARET'S Westminster. King Ed-
ward the Confessor having resolved to re-
build the conventual church of St. Peter
with great magnificence, imagined that it
would be a dishonour to his new and state-
ly edifice, to have the neighbouring people
assemble in it as usual, for the performance
of religious worship, as well as prove
troublesome and inconvenient to the
monks; therefore about the year 1064,
he caused a church to be erected on the
north side of St. Peter's, for the use of the
neighbouring inhabitants, and dedicated it
to St. Margaret, the virgin and martyr of
Antioch.
This church, which is situated only
thirty feet to the north of the abbey, was
|
| | rebuilt |
|
| M A R | 251 |
rebuilt in the reign of King Edward I.
by the parishioners and merchants of the
staple, except the chancel, which was
erected at the expence of the Abbot of
Westminster. At length, in the year 1735,
this church was not only beautifully re-
paired, but the tower cased, and mostly
rebuilt, at the expence of 3500l. granted
by parliament, on account of its being in
some measure a national church, for the
use of the house of Commons. Stow.
It is a plain, neat, and not inelegant
Gathic structure, well enlightened by a
series of large windows: it has two hand-
some galleries of considerable length,
adorned in the front with carved work;
these are supported by slender pillars which
rise to the roof, and have four small black
pillars running round each of them, adorn-
ed with gilded capitals both at the galle-
ries and at the top, where the flat roof is
neatly ornamented with stucco. The
steeple consists of a tower, which rises to
a considerable height, and is crowned with
a turret at each corner, and a small lan-
thorn, much ornamented with carved
work in the center, from whence rises
a flag staff.
This church in 1758, underwent a
thorough repair, on the inside a new
vault was built through the whole body
|
| | of |
|
HomeVolume IVPage Group 240 - 259
