It is a curious circumstance, that on the sites of many religious houses in the city of London and its suburbs, arose theatres for dramatic entertainments, which is peculiarly distinguishable of the structure about to be described. This spot formerly occupied the lands belonging to Priory and Winchester Park. After the dissolution of the Priory, this part of it was occupied by the Globe Theatre, belonging to our immortal bard, Shakespeare, in which he acted the Ghost in his own beautiful tragedy of Hamlet. Pennant informs us that

the gate had been lately standing.

Upon the disuse of the Theatre for dramatic purposes, its site again reverted to the service of religion, and was formed into a Meeting-house for Protestant Dissenters, occupying a space of square feet. The structure was capacious, though built of wood, and it contained galleries.

Its construction as a place of worship probably took place about the year , when Charles II. granted indulgence in favour of religious profession; and this Meeting was opened by the Rev. Mr. Thomas Wadsworth, who had been ejected from the living of St. Lawrence Poultney, in the city of London, by means of the Bartholomew Act. Mr. Wadsworth's successors were, Mr. Andrew Parsons, the famous Mr. Richard Baxter, Mr. James Lambert, Mr. Nathaniel Oldfield, Mr. Durant, Mr. Thomas Kentish, Joshua Oldfield, D. D. Benjamin Grosvenor, D. D. Obadiah Hughes, D. D. Mr. William Bushnell, and Mr. John Ward. Under the ministry of the latter gentleman, who had embraced the opinions of Arius, and afterwards those of Socinus, the congregation at this Meeting-house, which had been hitherto Presbyterian, declined so rapidly, that its dissolution took place about the year .

Having ceased to be a Presbyterian church, it was occupied by a congregation of Dissenters denominated Independents, whose minister was Mr. Mac Kensie. His successor was the late worthy minister, the Rev. Mr. Charles Skelton, who carried on his ministry for several years; but the society having declined for some years previously to his death, he resigned his charge about the year , and this Meeting-house was ultimately shut up from devotional purposes. Mr. Skelton, however, preached only occasionally, at , ; and having finished his ministerial labours, deceased on the , aged years. He was interred in the burial-ground at Deadman's Place, where the monument exhibited in the Plate was placed over him.

It appears that the Rev. Sir Henry Trelawney preached a charity-sermon here in the year .

Having been desecrated as above, it was converted to various secular purposes, and was successively a place for warehousing goods; afterwards a mill was erected here to grind bones; and it is at present appropriated for the purpose of grinding stones, and similar materials.

[*] London, p. 6.