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building. The principal door opens in
the lower stage of the tower, which rises
with angulated corners from the ground,
forming a kind of base, terminated at the
height of the body of the church. The
second stage, which is plain and lofty, has
two tall windows, one over the other,
properly shaped for the style of the build-
ing; this is terminated with a truly Go-
thic cornice. The third stage is exactly
in the form of the two others, only they
are plain, and this is covered with orna-
ments, the angulated corners are fluted,
and terminated by cherubims heads under
a cornice: the plain face between has
four windows in two series. Above the
cornice, over the uppermost of these win-
dows, runs a battlement on the plain faces
of the tower, and from the corners are car-
ried up four beautiful fluted turrets, cased
a part of their height with Doric turrets;
these terminate in pinacle heads, from
within which rises a spire at each corner
crowned with a fane. The author of the
Critical Review of the public buildings
observes, that this Gothic tower is very
magnificent, and justly deserves to be
esteemed the finest thing of that sort in
London.
The advowson of this church was an-
ciently in the Abbot and Canons of Eve-
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sham; but in 1503 they conveyed it to
the Drapers company, who settled upon
that convent a perpetual annuity of 5l.
6s. 8d. and that company have been its
patrons ever since. The Rector, instead
of uncertain tithes, has by act of Parlia-
ment a settled stipend of 140l. a year.
St. MICHAEL'S CROOKED LANE, on the
east side of St. Michael's lane, in Can-
dlewick ward, receives its additional
epithet from its vicinity to Crooked lane.
A church dedicated to St. Michael stood
in the same place before the year 1304;
but suffering by the fire of London in
1666 was soon after rebuilt.
It is a plain structure built with stone,
and enlightened by a series of large arched
windows. The tower, which is at the
west end, is carried square to a consider-
able height, and the uppermost window
in the center of each face, is ornamented
with a head, and handsome festoons.
From hence, instead of a balustrade, is
a range of open work of the Gothic
kind, with vases at the corners. From
within this part, the tower rises circular,
diminishing in three stages, with an open
buttress rising from each corner of the
square tower, to the top of the first stage;
from this buttress rises a large scroll to the
top of the second, and a smaller to the
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