side are of the
old-fashioned style, dark brick with flat sashed windows.

Furnival Street lies within the City. The street takes its name from
Furnival's Inn, rebuilt in the early part of the nineteenth century.
This stood on the north side of Holborn, and was without the City. There
is, perhaps, less to say about it than about any of the other old Inns.
It was originally the town-house of the Lords Furnival. It was an Inn of
Chancery in Henry IV.'s reign, and was sold to Lincoln's Inn in the
reign of Elizabeth. Its most interesting associations are that Sir
Thomas More was Reader for three years, and that Charles Dickens had
chambers here previous to 1837, while "Pickwick" was running in parts.
It was rebuilt in great part in Charles I.'s reign, and entirely rebuilt
about 1818. With the exception of the hall, it was used as an hotel.
The Prudential Assurance Company's palatial building now completely
covers the site.

In Holborn, opposite to the end of Gray's Inn Road, formerly stood
Middle Row, an island of houses which formed a great obstruction to
traffic. This was removed in 1867.

The next opening on the south side is Dyers' Buildings, with name
reminiscent of some former almshouses of the Dyers' Company. Then a
small entry, with "Mercer's School" above, leads into Barnard's Inn, now
the School of the Mercers' Company. The first court is smaller than that
of Staple Inn, and lacks the whispering planes, yet it is redolent of
old London. On the south side is the little hall, the smallest of all
those of the London Inns; it is now used as a dining-hall. In the
windows is some ancient stained glass, contemporary with the
building--that is to say, about 470 years old.

The exterior of this hall, with its steeply-pitched roof, is a favourite
subject for artists. Beyond it are concrete courts, walls of glazed
white brick, and cleanly substantial buildings, which speak of the
modern appreciation of sanitation. A tablet on the wall records in
admirably concise fashion the history of the Mercers' School and its
various peregrinations until it found a home here in 1894. Before being
bought by the Mercers' Company, the Inn had been let as residential
chambers. It was also an Inn of Chancery, and belonged to Gray's Inn. It
was formerly called Mackworth's Inn, being the property of Dr. John
Mackworth, Dean of Lincoln. It was next occupied by a man named Barnard,
when it was converted into an Inn of Chancery.

The further