Circuit of London, Volume 6 [London, Being an Accurate History and Description of the British Metropolis and Its Neighborhood, to Thirty Miles Extent, from an Actual Perambulation]

London: James Stratford, 1810. Volume 6 only (of 6). 1810? Contemporary calf and marbled boards. Fair condition. Disbound. Front and rear covers detached. Spine perished. SEE PHOTOS. Frontispiece and final leaf of index present, but separated. Engraved title page is dated 1810. There is no printed title page now, if there ever was one. The text appears to be complete, and is generally clean and free of foxing. Some of the plates have browning, foxing and or damp stain, mostly in the margins. SEE PHOTOS. This is offered as a candidate for rebinding, or as a breaker for the plates (engraved views), of which there are at least 29. (At the time this was catalogued, a Google search revealed that several of these same plates were being offered elsewhere for £25 each). Among the full-page engravings are: Entrance to London at Mile End; Entrance to London at Shoreditch; Bengeo Church, with part of Hertford; Rye House, Herts.; Wormley Bury; Barnet; Column at Hadley, near Barnet; the Obalds, Herts.; Waltham Cross; Tilbury Port; Waltham Abbey; Powder Mills, Waltham Abbey; Chingford; Woodford; Hackney; Entrance to London from Islington; Hornsey; Enfield; Trent Place; Little Stanmore; Harrow; Hampton Court Palace; Pittshanger, Great Ealing; Isleworth; Chiswick; Chiswick Gardens; Fulham; Chelsea Hospital; Military Asylum, Chelsea. The text is also of much interest. For example, here is Hughson's description of Belmont Castle (pages 207-208): "Belmont Castle, most delightfully situated, one mile from Grays, was the property and residence of the late Zachariah Button, Esq. who finished it in a costly style of Gothic architecture. The building contains, besides other convenient apartments, a circular neatly furnished room, called the Round Tower, from whence there are the most delightful prospects of the river Thames, of the shipping, for many miles, and of the rich Kentish inclosures, to the hills beyond the great Dover road. An elegant drawing room, with circular front, highly encircled; a cheerful entrance hall, finished with Gothic mouldings, niches for figures or lamps, and paved with stone, and black marble dots; a spacious eating room, finished with a highly enriched cornice, grey stucco sides, and Gothic mouldings; a beautiful chimney piece, and wainscot floor; the library is oval shaped, and very elegantly fitted up and finished with Gothic book cases and mouldings; from this room a double flight of handsome stone steps descend to the terrace, fronting the great lawn and in full view of the river. The large and very excellent kitchen garden, is encompassed with lofty walls, clothed and planted with a choice selection of the best fruit trees, and a capital hot house. Surrounding the house, are the pleasure grounds, which are beautifully and tastefully disposed, and ornamented with very valuable forest trees, shrubs, and plants, terminating towards the west by a Gothic temple, and towards the east by an orchard and paddock. There are two approaches to the house, the one by the neat brick Gothic lodge, through the great south lawn, from the road between West Thurrock and Grays; and the other from the village of Stifford, by the north lawn.". First Edition. Hardcover. Fair condition. 8vo. 584pp. + viii (index).