Essays on the street re-alignment, reconstruction, and sanitation of central London, and on the re-housing of the poorer classes to which prizes offered by William Westgarth were awarded by the Society of Arts.

Date:
1886
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: Essays on the street re-alignment, reconstruction, and sanitation of central London, and on the re-housing of the poorer classes to which prizes offered by William Westgarth were awarded by the Society of Arts. Source: Wellcome Collection.

Provider: This material has been provided by London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine Library & Archives Service. The original may be consulted at London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine Library & Archives Service.

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    this day, the rebuilding after the devastation caused by the fire, was permitted to be carried out regardless of any systematic plan commensurate with the exigencies of so im- portant a City. It is true that an Act of Parliament was passed for the rebuilding, but it would appear to be easier to pass an Act, than to secure skilful compliance with its intentions. Of course, more regularity existed in the new than in the old line of thoroughfares, and the dwellings were more healthful and commodious ; what was in addition wanted was certainly at hand, but an obtuse authority pooh-poohed, as it would pooh-pooh to-day; Sir Christo- pher Wren's grand scheme was set aside, the foundations of an intricate plan were laid, complication upon complication ensued, and London is now the inconvenient network of thoroughfares which the absence of any adequate con- trolling authority has permitted it to become. It will be interesting to notice here the scheme which Wren had laid down for remodelling London. The plan, which was published in 1724, entitled A Plan of the City of London after the Great Fire in the year of Our Lord 1666 with the Modell of the New City according to the De- sign and Proposal of S. Christopher Wren, K'. &c. for Re- building thereof, embraces an area of about 1,500 yards lineal by 3,500 yards lineal, the former from the banks of the Thames to Clerkenwell (North and South), the latter from Lincoln's Inn Fields to the Tower (East and West), and is explained as follows— From the remaining part of Fleet Street which es- caped the Fire about St. Dunstans Ch : a streight and wide Street crosses the Valley, passing by the S. side of Ludgate, and thence in a direct line through y= whole City terminates at Tower Hill; but before it descends into the Valley where the great Sewer runs, it Opens into a Round Piazza, the Center of Eight-Ways, where at one