Shades of Whittington

Evening Post, Volume CXI, Issue 32, 7 February 1931, Page 19

Shades of Whittington

"A garden is to grow in London in thd last place you would suspect; the old Churchyard of St; John's," writes a Londoner. "For a Jong ' time the Corporation has wanted to improve this bleak Old churchyard, and a little while ago announced that it would cover up tho two thousand tombstones which comprise the.uneven pavement. No objection, was raised, but the Corporation is taking care to preserve the old inscriptions'on'the- stones. They are/.all being;.faithfuHy s - written into, a book; even- the/inscription .of a babe of a few weeks -who •' died in 1800. ■ Early in 1931 the. engineer , and the parks superintendent wili finalise their plans, and we hope sobn for n garden plcasaunce instead of the old, neglected yard. "Another old and rather ' gloomy place will blossom into unsuspected glory later1 in, the year—the Mansion House. Architects are planning the renovations now,: arid tho builders, at work scraping bricks and mortar and cleaning mouldings, have come on some odd inscriptions; Inr the fireplace over the hall there =is this inscription, dated 1753: —'Swear not, lie not, neither repeat ■ old grievances.' Whosoever eats or drinks in-this hall: vrith his hat on shall forfeit, sixpence, or ride tho wooden horse..'. If anybody ever sinned and wore his, hat' he 'must haw always :eh6sen to pay the sixpence rather than ride the wooden horse, for it was a 6ft pole, unpleasantly narrow. It is still in existence, and has a cupboard to itself in the servants' hall,- but it is never used. There is an old Boman wall underneath the ; mansion house, and this is to be dug up and appropriately carved. Two fine windows in the hail, which for-generations have admitted neither light nor air because cf two huge mirrors built .into, the sills, are to bo returned to . their-" former grace. When all is done,' Dick Whittington's ghost, and the ghost of his cat, may tread softly up the street and gaze in awe at this time-honoured home, if the Lord' Mayors of London."