Crossing London-bridge to Southwark, the church of St. Mary Overy, or St. Saviour’s, on the right hand, divides attention with the first glimpse of the noble Hospitals which attest so proudly the charitable munificence of our country. Southwark, as early as any accounts exist of London, was a place of some importance; and on the marching of the Conqueror to the metropolis it had the misfortune to be selected for burning, by way of example to the inhabitants on the London side, who were somewhat disinclined to favour the pretensions of William. The site of the present church was, at an early period, that of the Priory of St. Mary Overy; of this considerable remains still exist, and, indeed, portions of the present building formed a part of it. The priory was twice destroyed by fire, and the present church was most probably (there are no positive records) built in the reign of Henry IV. At the dissolution of monasteries it was surrendered to Henry, purchased from him by the good folks of Southwark, and converted into a parish church. An act of Parliament afterwards united it with that of St. Margaret-at-Hill, and changed its old Saxon name of St. Mary Overy into that of St. Saviour’s, Southwark.
It is a beautiful Gothic pile, built like a cathedral, with nave, side aisles, transepts, and a choir, the last also with side aisles. It has two chapels—that of St. John, and the far-famed specimen of its peculiar style, the chapel of the Virgin Mary—the LADYE CHAPEL. The massy clustered columns which support the roof of the nave are very much like those in the cathedral at Salisbury. There are many monuments-amongst others that of Gower, one of the fathers of English poetry; another to the memory of the pious Launcelot Andrews, Bishop of Winchester, who died in his palace, then close by, in 1626. A third is to the memory of Alderman Humble, and stands near the entrance to the Ladye Chapel. But the monuments are numerous, and the entire building one of the most interesting of the many interesting ones which London boasts. The Ladye Chapel is admitted to be an unique specimen; beautifully correct in all its proportions-admirable in its detail—in fine, a school for the student in Gothic architecture. It is a pure, chaste specimen of the style of the thirteenth century. When the approaches to the present London-bridge were forming, it was proposed to demolish this architectural gem to give room for the improvement. Fortunately, sufficient taste and public regard for the relics of antiquity existed to prevent this outrage, and that which was devoted to destruction, having been repaired by public subscription, forms one of the most striking, and certainly one of the most interesting, objects in the approaches to the new bridge.
The Illustrated London News, London, England, Week Ending October 22, 1842
