102 FAMILIAR LONDON to see on a Bank Holiday-thronged with men, women, and children. What a boon these parks are, and what a step in the right direction is converting the ancient churchyards into gardens! It seems so terrible that there should be no place anywhere for the children to play except the streets, or for the old women to sit in except the public-houses. Drury Lane, the historic Drury Lane, once the home of Nell Gwynne, has two playgrounds for children. Both are disused burial grounds; one is the burial ground mentioned in Bleak House. But the most picturesque I know is in the King's Road, that which Sir Hans Sloane gave to the parish. Cipriani, the engraver, a foundation member of the Royal Academy, is buried there, and his friend and contemporary, Bartolozzi, erected a monument to his memory. Chelsea Workhouse stands just behind it, and the old men and women inmates now use the burial ground for exercise. The old women look most picturesque through the tall iron railings, dressed in their bright red-and-black check shawls, blue cotton dresses, and white frilled caps. I was very anxious to make a sketch of them wandering about among the tombs; but the Guardians would not give me leave to do so. They said it would make the old |