The History and Antiquities of London, Westminster, Southwark, and Parts Adjacent, vol. 4
Allen, Thomas
1827
Arundel House.
stands on the ground formerly occupied by the house of the bishops of Bath and Wells, called also Hampton-place. The episcopal residence was disposed of by Edward VI. to his uncle, | |
347 | lord Thomas Seymour of Sudley, high admiral of England, and was called Seymour-place: in his possession it remained till his attainder, when it was purchased of the crown by the earl of Arundel, together with several other messuages, lands; and tenements in this parish, for Hence it was called Arundel-house. The premises coming into the possession of the Howard family by marriage, it became the residence of the dukes of Norfolk, and was at that time It was afterwards appointed, as already mentioned, for the residence of the duke de Sully, who says that it was of the finest and most commodious of any in London, from its great number of apartments on the same floor. Hollar's Views do not, however, give any advantageous idea of it; for though it covered much ground, the buildings were low and mean: but the views from the gardens were remarkably fine. Here was kept the magnificent collection of statues formed by Henry Howard, earl of Arundel; and howsoever faulty lord Clarendon may have represented him in some respects, his judgment in the fine arts will remain indisputable. Norfolk-house was pulled down in the century; but the family names and titles which lay next to the river; and an act of parliament was obtained for the purpose, but the plan was never executed. It was to Arundel-house that the Royal Society removed from Gresham college after the fire of London, whither they were invited by Henry, duke of Norfolk, where they assembled till , when they returned to the college, when Norfolk-house was ordered to be pulled down. This duke had presented his valuable library to the society. Between and are houses, which are remarkable for the following circumstances: sir Thomas Lyttleton, member in various parliaments for Woodstock, Castle Rising, and Chichester, was, in , elected speaker of the |
348 | house of commons, and lived next door to the father of bishop Burnet, in the parish of St. Clement Danes. It was here that Burnet and sir Thomas spent much of their time: and it was the custom of the latter, whenever he had any great business to bring forward inparliament, to discuss it previously with Burnet, who was to object every argument in his power. Sir Thomas was appointed treasurer of the navy, which he retained till his death in . Burnet's house continued in the family within memory, when it was possessed by a bookseller of the same name, a collateral descendant from the bishop. |
Another noble mansion in this parish was situated at the west end of ; it was called | |
Footnotes: [] Mr. Stratford's Collections. [] This, says Pennant, was one of the scenes of his indecent dalliance with the princess Elizabeth, afterwards queen. At first he certainly was not ill received, notwithstanding he had just espoused the unhappy Catherine Parr. Ambition, not lust, actuated this wretched man; his designs on Elizabeth, and subsequently on the crown, spurred him on. The instrument of his design was Thomas Parrye, cofferer to the princess, to whom he offered, for her grace's accommodation, his house and all the furniture during her grace's stay in London, The queen's death, and her own suspicions on her death-bed, gave just cause of the foulest surmises. His execution, which soon followed, put an end to his projects, and saved Elizabeth and the nation from a tyrant, possibly worse than him from whom they had but a few years before been released. The whole of his infamous conduct respecting the unhappy queen dowager, &c. is fully detailed in Burlegh's State Papers, from p. 95 to 100. [] Pennant. |
