THE MIRROR
OF
LITERATURE, AMUSEMENT, AND INSTRUCTION.
| Vol. XIX. No. 534.] | SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 18, 1832. | [PRICE 2d. |
OUR LADY'S CHAPEL,
ST. SAVIOUR, SOUTHWARK.
The Engraving represents the interior of the Virgin Mary's Chapel,commonly called the Lady Chapel, and appended to the ancient collegiatechurch of St. Saviour, Southwark. The exterior view of the Chapel will befound in No. 456 of The Mirror. About eighteen months since part of thewestern side of the High-street was removed for the approach to the NewLondon Bridge, when this Chapel was opened to view; but its dilapidatedappearance was rather calculated to interest antiquarian than publiccuriosity. The London Bridge Committee recommended the parishioners of St.Saviour to cause the Chapel to be pulled down, and their selfishsuggestion would have been complied with, had not some enlightened andpublic-spirited individuals stepped forth to frustrate the levellers. Theparishioners now became two parties. One contended for the restoration ofthe Chapel, as "one of the most chaste and elegant specimens of earlypointed architecture of the thirteenth century of which this country canboast." The levellers, whose muckworm minds, and love of the arts is onlyshown in that of money-getting—maintained that the demolition of theChapel would be "a pecuniary saving;" but theirs was a penny-wise andpound-foolish spirit; for, by removing the Chapel, a greater expense wouldbe incurred than in its restoration. The folks could not understand plainfigures, and so resolved to take the sense and nonsense of the parish, andthe subject has been decided by a majority of 240 in favour of repairingthe Chapel. The funds for this purpose, it should be understood, were incourse of provision by public subscription, so that the blindness of partyzeal threatened to reject a special advantage—the public would find themoney if they would allow the Chapel to remain—whereas, had thedemolition taken place, the parishioners must themselves have defrayed theconsequent expenses. Historians loudly condemn the royal and noble thieveswho plundered the Coliseum and the Pantheon to build palaces, yet thereare men in our times, who would, if they could, take Dr. Johnson's hint topound St. Paul's Church into atoms, and with it macadamize their roads; orfetch it away by piecemeal to build bridges with its stones, and saw upits marble monuments into chimneypieces.
The church of St. Saviour is built in the form of a cathedral, with a nave,side aisles, transepts, a choir, with its side aisles; and the chapel ofSt. John, which now forms the vestry, and the chapel of the Virgin Mary,or Our Lady. To the east end of the latter there has since been added asmall chapel, called the Bishop's Chapel. Another chapel, (of St. MaryMagdalen,) was also connected with the south aisle of the church. Theparishioners seem to have hitherto neglected the Lady Chapel, and to haveshown their cupidity in ages long past. Through the influence of Dr.Gardiner, Bishop of Winchester, they were allowed to purchase the