robably built directly
after the demolition of Monmouth House in 1773. Here there are to be
found all the characteristics of an eighteenth-century building,
including a decorative ceiling by Flaxman. In the south-west corner of
the square there is the house in which is now the Hospital for Diseases
of the Heart and Paralysis. This was at one time the headquarters of the
Linnaean Society, before its removal to Burlington House. It contains
some beautiful ceilings and cornices, and one room, now a female ward,
is worthy of special notice. A very lofty arched ceiling of rather
unusual construction is beautifully decorated, and the overmantel and
fireplace are exquisite.

In the opposite or south-east corner of the square is the House of
Charity. This was formerly the residence of Alderman Beckford, twice
Lord Mayor of London in George III.'s reign, who was credited with being
the only man of his day who dared tell the King the truth to his face.
His son was the author of "Vathek." The house is now a house of mercy,
for the assistance of orphans, homeless girls, and all who, through no
fault of their own, find themselves without a roof to shelter them or
work to do. The charity is Church of England, and under the direction of
a Warden and Council. The fine decorative wooden overmantels and
doorways still remain, and the joints and edges of the panels are all
carved, which gives a very handsome appearance to some of the rooms. The
council-room ceiling is a large oval with the figures of four cherubic
boys in relief, carrying respectively flowers, a bird, fire, and water,
to represent the four elements.

One of the former famous houses in the square was Carlisle House. The
walls were of red brick, and the date on the cisterns 1669, the date of
the creation of the earldom of Carlisle. In its later days the house
became notorious from its connection with Mrs. Cornelys, the daughter
of an actor, who was born at Venice in 1723, and who, after a tarnished
career in various Continental towns as a public singer, came to the
King's Theatre, London, to take part in one of Gluck's operas. She took
possession of Carlisle House, and projected a series of society
entertainments, which proved a marvellous success. The square was
blocked with the coaches and chairs of her patrons. In Taylor's "Records
of my Life" it is stated she had as many as 600 persons in her saloon at
one time, at two guineas per head. Foreign Ministers, many of the