THE early histories of most parts of Central London are
already as well-recorded as they are documented. It is odd therefore to find that the history of Berkeley Square and its adjoining streets has been neglected. Mr. Johnson has advanced into the breach, and has dug deep, into unpublished records in the attempt to fill it. He is concerned only with early records, and makes no attempt to write a comprehensive history. One of the characters he brings most vividly to life is Sir Thomas Bond, of Peckham, who ruined himself by building Old Bond Street. It is fascinating to follow this account of the development of the northern part of the Manor of Ebury from the time, early in the seventeenth century, when it was still a pattern of fields, until Berkeley Square was formed shortly before the middle of the eighteenth century. In October, 1772, a lead statue of George III was placed in the centre of the Square. The King was repre- sented on horseback, in the character of Marcus Aurelius, but the horse's legs collapsed in a few years under the weight of the superstructure, and the statue was re- moved amid general ridicule. Mr. Johnson's superstructure is also weighty, but it is in no ' danger of collapsing. The book is well- produced and so brightly written that anyone can browse in it with pleasure. It is no mere source-book for antiquarians. P. M.
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