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Evening Post, Issue 98, 2 June 1865, Page 2

Another of the old historical landmarks of London has been swept away in the course of a few hours. Th« building — which was totally destroyed— was that mansion of Sir George Saville which was attaikedai.d gutted by the No Popery mob in the time of the famous Gordon riota of 1780. It has known many chuoges of fortune since

ihe days when Leicester- fields retained some s ight agrarian character, and ' were resorted to by duellists, who encountered one another with sword 9, as Chnlk Fijrm became utterwards the place of similar meetings when pistols had come to be " the weapons of gentlemen." Saville -house was 1 * popularly believed to have been a royal residence in the time of tho Georges. It is impossible to say what the house has not been in later days. For one period Savillehouse whs a salle d'sirmes, where fencing, boxing, wrestling and feats of strength and dexterous swordmanship attracted crowds of cockneys, who never handled a foil or lifted a dum-bell. Billiards have had their day here also ; and suppers, and singing, and music, and gas h tve attracted together many birds of the night. At the time when the fl imes were at their height the Prirce of Wales, Viscount Amberley the Duke of Sutherland, and others arrived, on the ground. His royal highness borrowed a 'fireman's helmet, and thus attired inspected the conflagration from different points of vi<jw. Tbe cause of the fire is stated to be that the cellarman went into the passage with a light in his hand, to search for an escape of gas, and this led to un explosion which forced him into the street.