Some Books of the Week
Tin: Great Fire of London was not an unmixed evil, for it Swept away most of the parish churches which, if we may judge from surviving remains, were not of great architectural interest, though it is otherwise, of course, with conventual buildings like St. Bartholomew's, Smithfield, and the Temple Church. To replace the churches came the genius and almost superhuman industry of Wren. An elaborate architectural description by wards of those and of every other historical monument within the City of London, together with their appurtenances in the shape of silver, furniture, panelling, enriched doors and decorated leaden cisterns, is furnished by The City (Stationery Office, 215.), compiled by the Royal Commission on Historical Monuments. Full-page plates and very numerous maps and plans immensely increase the value of this gigantic and important work, which must engage the particular interest of every architect and antiquarian— indeed of all who take pride in the history and architectural development of their town. One specially useful feature is a glossary of technical terms—heraldic, architectural, and ecclesiastic. Fanon, for instance, is defined as a strip of embroidery, probably once a handkerchief, worn on the left wrist by bishops, priests, and deacons. It is interesting to recall that in Hertfordshire the short linen sleeves worn by butchers are (or were till recently) called fannons. To what base uses we may return.
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