LONDON’S VANISHING LANDMARKS

Southland Times, Issue 17620, 7 April 1914, Page 7

LONDON’S VANISHING LANDMARKS

(From Our Own Correspondent.) LONDON, Feb. 20. Little by little the landmarks of Fleet street aref disappearing or are changing their faces. The latest piece of what has been called " necessary vandalism ” Is the removal of the front of the Cock Tavern on the south side, just east of Temple Bar. The tavern’s front Is to bo set back some feet and re-built in Tudor style to keep In countenance the neighbouring building which an exploded legend caused to bo known for many years as "King Henry Vill's Palace." Although tlie Cock Tavern on its present site only dates back thirty years, it preserves the continuity of a tavern sign and license which is at least 300 years old. and was certainly famous among London's alehouses at the time of the Great Plague. Its full title then was “ t'ock and Bottle," and it is on record that soon after the plague broke out the then proprietor made the public announcement that he had dismissed his servants and shut up his house on .July Bth, " Intending, God willing, to return at Michaelmas next." The, Cock Tavern in those days stood between Chancery Lane and 801 l Yard, on the present site of the Law Courts branch of the Bank of Kngland. It was acquired for the Bank in 1885 and pulled down, and the business removed to tiie existing premises on the opposite side of Fleet street, •;

Popys records taking Airs Knipe. the actress, to the Cock Tavern, where they ate a lobster, drank and sang, and “were mighty merry almost till midnight." In later years the Cock Tavern was the resort of many literary celebrities. Fdmund Yates records meeting Dickens there, and Tennyson wrote “ Will Waterproof's Lyrical Alonologue " there, beginning with the well-known linos ; O plump head waiter at The Cock,

To which L most resort. How goes the time ? ’Tis five o'clock. Go fetch a pint of port. • lames Spedding writes to Alonekton Milnes in 1837 that—

*' Yesterday 1 dined with Alfred Tennyson at the Cock Tavern. We had two chops, one pickle, two cheeses, and three cigars. When we had finished I bad to take his regrets to the Kembles. He could not go because lie had the influenza."

The same excuse is often made to day :

The sign of the old tavern is by GrinUng Gibbons, carved in wood and since gilt : but this is not the bird which is visible outside the present Cock Tavern. It was formerly outside, but was stolen, and only recovered with difficulty. To-day the .Gibbons cock adorns the doorway of the dining room, and that outside is a replica. The Grinling Gibbons sign was thus lauded by Tennyson— The Cock was of a larger egg Than modern poultry drop. Slept forward on a firmer leg And crammed a plumper crop ; Upon a ampler dunghill trod. Crow's lustier late and early. Sipt wine from silver, praising God. Anri raked in golden barley. The modern Cock Tavern preserves Us fame for old port, and is the resort of many Americans, who come to explore Tennyson's London. A RAPHAEL RECORD. £350 per square inch is a tremendous figure to pay for painted canvas even if tiie paint was applied by a great artist like Raphael. Yet this is Inc price the Philadelphia millionaire Mr P. A. AVidoner has paid for a Raphael painting known us the "Small Covvper Madonna." This art treasure measures only 33 inches hy 17. and for its possession Mr Widener has paid no fewer than £140.000. This same picture was offered some time ago to the National Gallery at half that figure, but was very properly refused hy the Trustees, who felt that £70.000 was muon too big a price to pay for the panel in view of the fact that the National Gallery already contains two Raphael Aladonnas. to wit

" The Ausldei." tin Ssin hy r,Bin canvas, which cost £70.000. and tiie " Garvagh," a tiny 13in by lain painting, which was bought for £9OOO. The Cowpor Madonna, which now goes to America, was acquired by Hie third Earl Cowpor, when he was British Minister at Florence, and to evade the authorities he removed the painting front the city in tiie lining of his carriage. In September. 1786. Sir .losluut Reynolds wrote to a friend : " I saw this morning a very tine picture of a ' Madonna and a Bambino ' which Lord Cowpor brought from Italy, which tie carries back with him again.” At the death of Lady Cowpor it passed to Lady Desborougn. who disposed of the picture to a firm of London dealers. The new owner of tin- Raphael paid £ 100.000 for the Rembrandt. “ Mill." formerly the property of the Marquis of Lansdowne. Air Widener's collection likewise contains the magnificent selfportrait of Rembrandt. 1 650. who once belonged to Lady de Rothschild ; the splendid full length portraits of the " Marchesa Cattaneo" and the " Alarehesa Briquola-Sahi and Her Child" by Vandyke ; as well as pictures by Franz Hals, Sir .loshua Reynolds, Thomas Gainsborough. Romney, and Turner. The £140.000 paid for the Cowpcr

"Madonna" is by far the highest price known to ha.e been paid for a painting. Other-huge figures are Hie £IOO.OOO for " The Fainter and bis Family," by Franz Hals ; £BO.OOO for "Philip IV." by Vala.squez : £73.000 for Holbein's " Duchess of Milan ” : £44,000 for Rembrandt's " Bathsheba." and £41.370 for Romney's “ Anne de La Pole."