"The Tinker and the Tower of London" by John Leighton

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The Tinker and the Tower of London

John Leighton

1847

The Cries of London & Public Edifices, Plate 1

See below for Leighton's text.

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Two-page spread with image and text.

Image capture and formatting by George P. Landow.

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Pots and Kettles to Mend! — Copper or brass to mend!

The Tinker is swinging his fire-pot to make it burn, having placed his soldering-iron in it, and is proceeding to some corner or post, there to repair the saucepan he carries. — We commence with the most interesting edifice in our capital,

Tower of London

The fortress, the palace, and prison, in which so many events, connected with the history of our country, have transpired. The building with four towers in the centre is said to have been erected by William the Conqueror, and is the oldest part of the fortress [Victorian photograph]. The small belltower in the front of our picture is that of the church of St. Peter's, (the tower being a parish itself,) on the Tower Green, erected in the reign of Edward I. Our view is taken from Tower Hill, near which was the scaffold on which so many have fallen. To the left of the picture stood the grand storehouse of William III., destroyed by fire, Nov. 1841.

The Regalia [Victorian photograph] is deposited here, and exhibited to the public, as is also the Horse Armoury. The present constable of the Tower is the Duke of Wellington.

Bibliography

Limner, Luke. The Cries of London & Public Edifices from Sketches on the Spot. London: Grant & Griffith successors to Newberry and Harris. Corner of St Paul's Church Yard, [1847]. Internet Archive version of a copy in the University of Toronto Library. Web. 17 September 2013.

Last modified 17 September 2013