Mansion House, London

Mansion House is the official residence of the Lord Mayor of the City of London.

Related Topics:
Official residence - Lord Mayor of the City of London

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Built between 1739 and 1752, it was designed in the then fashionable Palladian style by the City of London surveyor and architect George Dance the Elder.

Related Topics:
1739 - 1752 - Palladian - Surveyor - Architect - George Dance the Elder

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

In A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court, Mark Twain made up a story about the erection of the building.

Related Topics:
A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court - Mark Twain

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

»It reminded me of something I had read in my youth about the

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

ingenious way in which the aldermen of London raised the money

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

that built the Mansion House. A person who had not taken the

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Sacrament according to the Anglican rite could not stand as a

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

candidate for sheriff of London. Thus Dissenters were ineligible;

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

they could not run if asked, they could not serve if elected.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

The aldermen, who without any question were Yankees in disguise,

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

hit upon this neat device: they passed a by-law imposing a fine

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

of £400 upon any one who should refuse to be a candidate for

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

sheriff, and a fine of £600 upon any person who, after being

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

elected sheriff, refused to serve. Then they went to work and

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

elected a lot of Dissenters, one after another, and kept it up

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

until they had collected £15,000 in fines; and there stands the

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

stately Mansion House to this day, to keep the blushing citizen

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

in mind of a long past and lamented day when a band of Yankees

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

slipped into London and played games of the sort that has given

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

their race a unique and shady reputation among all truly good

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

and holy peoples that be in the earth.«

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~