er part, comprising
the main body of the house, is constructed of dry timbers so arranged as
to be free from rain, and none of the timbers were near enough to the
ground to be injured by the dampness arising from it. The Anglo-Saxon
houses, which are believed to have been timber-built structures, were
probably not furnished with foundations and dwarf walls of stone or
brick, and for that reason their destruction, by the damp rising from
the ground through the interstices of the timbers, was rapid and
complete.

The use of half-timber work in the construction of London houses
indicates a desire to make the greatest possible use of the space at the
disposal of the builder. The repeated use of over-sailing storey above
over-sailing storey indicates quite clearly that the idea was not to
obtain structural stability so much as additional space.

[Illustration: THE CLOTH FAIR, SMITHFIELD.

_Looking to the south-west, and showing the south side of the street._]

There is no aspect of the ancient city of London more picturesque than
this constant multiplication of projecting storeys, and perhaps there
was no more unwholesome or insanitary plan possible than this, which
effectually excluded daylight and fresh air, keeping the streets damp
and muddy, and rendering the whole atmosphere unsavoury. Indeed, the
constant visitations London received in the form of pestilence is to be
referred to this source alone; and much as every one must regret the
loss of the picturesque old houses, with their projecting storeys, their
irregular gables, and their red roofs, it must be admitted that one of
the greatest blessings London ever received, in the direction of
sanitary improvement, was the Great Fire of 1666, which swept away the
great bulk of the wooden houses in the City.

After the fire, the original arrangement of the streets, as to their
general direction, was restored, but of course they were made wider and
more commodious. Indeed, it is not difficult to make out much of the
course of the ancient wall from an examination of the disposition of the
streets as they now exist. Such well-marked thoroughfares as London
Wall, Wormwood Street, Camomile Street, Bevis Marks, Jewry Street,
Houndsditch, Minories, and others indicate, internally and externally,
the course of the wall, and at some points, particularly Trinity Square,
London Wall, and Newgate, actual fragments are still visible. As has
already been explained, the wall is mainl