Old Bawlit.
Now, instead of the Fields being come-atable with extremely pleasant facility! before you can put your Foot upon a blade of Verdant Grass, (there is Black Grass enough in the Squares), you must drag your Legs through a Grove of Houses of at least two or three Miles in length!
The New Road from Paddington to Islington was, till lately, the Boundary line for limiting the ruinous rage for Building on the North side of the Town.—There is a Ground Plan of the New Road, from Islington to the Edgeware Road, shewing the then state of the Ground, (and the names of the Proprietors thereof) between Oxford Street and the New Road, in the Supplement to the Gentleman’s Magazine for 1755.
A Stop ought to be put to the practice of constructing irregular groups of Houses. “The Act of Parliament for forming the New Road, which was made in 1755, directs that no building be erected within Fifty feet[21] of the New Road.”
“The present mean appearance of the backs of the Houses and Hovels have rendered this approach to the Capital a scene of confusion and deformity, extremely unbecoming the character of a Great and Opulent City.”—Gwynn’s London Improved, 4to. p. 11.
Mr. Gwynn’s remarks apply very aptly to that Quarter of a Mile of the New Road which is between Westgate Turnpike at the crossing of Gower Street North, and the East Entrance to the Regent’s Park.
The Southern and Western avenues to The Regent’s Park are as they ought to be: the Roads are wide, and the space between the Houses and the Road is laid out in Gardens, as the Act directs—very different is the approach from the City along the Eastern Road from the point above mentioned, which is narrow, and is perpetually obstructed by the Waggons, &c. that are unloading at the Timber and Stone Yards, &c.; occupying the ground which the Act of Parliament has ordered shall be used only for Gardens. The intention of this judicious clause was, no doubt, to preserve the Light, Air, and Cheerfulness, so highly necessary to a great leading Thoroughfare—such it has hitherto been, and with increasing respectability, excepting at the one point I am about to mention—many great Improvements have taken place—such as the Regent’s Park and Crescent—The New Pancras Church and Euston Square, &c. &c. With these useful and even splendid works upon the same line of Road, it becomes a matter of Surprise, that the distance between Westgate turnpike, at the crossing of Gower Street North, up to the Regent’s Park, should not only remain without any reformation, but that buildings,—workmen’s huts,—sheds,—smoky chimneys, and all manner of nuisances, should be allowed not only to continue, but to increase daily close to the Road.
In proceeding from the City Westward, a fine line of road, and noble footpaths on each side, are found, until on arriving near Tottenham Court Road both appear to terminate abruptly, and the Road is faced, and its regularity destroyed by the projection of a range of low buildings and hovels, converted, or now converting, into small Houses, close to the Highway, which, strange to say, is much narrowed, at a point where, from the increased traffic caused by the crossing of the Road to Hampstead, a considerable increase of width is doubly requisite.
But here the Houses project about Ten feet, and nearly close up the footpath; and this being one of the stations for the Paddington Coaches to stop at, it becomes a service of no small danger to drive through the very small opening that is left for the public to pass through.
A few yards further, on both sides of the Road, are ranges of Stone Yards, with the incessant music of Sawing, Chipping, and Hacking stone, grinding Chisels, and sharpening of Saws. Cow yards, picturesque stacks of Timber, building materials, and dead walls.