Stranica 228 [228]
206 THE CHURCHES
are to be ascribed to the genius
of Sir Christopher Wren. I
first saw St. Paul’s during the
height of the great Gothic
mania, whose prevalence has led
both in London and in the
country to such widespread de¬
struction of the relics of old
time, under the name of “re¬
storation.” I came _ prejudiced
. in every possible way against it;
I had, as I supposed, a fair idea
from prints—it was in days
before. photographs —of what
impression the church would
make on my mind, but I freely
confess that all my pre-formed
opinions and ideas were swept
away at the first visit. The
" view up Ludgate Hill, with the
short graceful spire of St. Mar¬
tins in the foreground to afford
a measure to the eye, is with¬
out a rival in England. The
widening of the roadway seems to me partly to compensate for the
interruption of the view by the railway bridge. What an opportunity
was lost when this hideous viaduct was made! It would have been
so easy to design something worthy of the view. Another excellent
place from which to enjoy the exterior of St. Paul’s is Paternoster
Kow. Here at the corner of the so-called “Cannon” Alley, the