Collins' Illustrated Guide to London and Neighbourhood Part 11

The use of the district system is, that if a letter, arriving from the country, has on the outside the _district initials_ as well as the address, it has a fair chance of _earlier delivery_; and if sent from one part of London to another, such chance is the greater. The reason for this is, that much of the sorting is effected at the eight chief district offices, if the initials are given, to the great saving of time. An official list of a vast number of streets, &c., with their district initials, within the London District Post, is published at 1d., and is obtainable at most of the princ.i.p.al receiving-houses.

The portion of each district within about three miles of the General Post-office is called the Town Delivery, and the remainder the Suburban Delivery. Within the town limits there are twelve deliveries daily: the first, or General Post, commencing about 7.30, and mostly over in London about 9; the second commencing about 8.15, and the third at 10.30. The next nine are made hourly. The last delivery begins about 7.45. There are seven despatches daily to the suburban districts. The first, at 6.30 a.m., to all places within the London District limits. A second, at 9.30, to suburbs within about four miles of the General Post-office. The third, at 11.30, takes in almost all the London district. The fourth despatch, at 2.30 p.m., goes to spots within about six miles of the General Post-office. The fifth, at 4.30, comprises the whole of the suburban districts, and, except in the more outlying country spots, letters are delivered same evening. The sixth, at 6 p.m., goes to places under four miles from the General Post-office. The last despatch is at 7 p.m. Letters to go by it should be posted at the town post-offices or pillar-boxes by 6 p.m., or at the _chief_ office of the district to which they are addressed. They will thus probably be delivered the same night, within about six miles of the General Office. The suburban deliveries begin one to two hours after despatch, according to distance.

It is always well to remember, that for any given delivery, a letter may be posted rather later at the chief office than at any of the minor offices of each district; that _letters_ only, not newspapers, book-parcels, ma.n.u.scripts, &c., may be put in pillar-boxes; and that letters posted during the night, (from 9 p.m. to 5 a.m.,) have a chance of earlier delivery than otherwise, seeing that the pillar-boxes are cleared at 5 in the morning, and, as a rule, we believe, earlier than the receiving-houses. Outgoing letters for the evening mails are received at most offices till 5.30, and at the chief office of each district till 6.

By affixing an extra penny stamp, the letter is receivable till 6 at the minor, and till 7 at the chief offices.

Telegraph Offices.-Telegrams may be sent from all Postal Offices within the London district. The charge for 20 words, not including address, is 1s.

READING AND NEWS-ROOMS.

Jerusalem Coffee-house, Cowper's Court, Cornhill, (Indian, China, and Australian newspapers.)

3 Wallbrook.

154 Leadenhall Street, (Deacon's.)

13 Philpot Lane.

Royal Exchange, Lloyds', (Subscribers only.)

King's Head, Fenchurch Street.

26 Fore Street, Cripplegate.

88 Park Street, Camden Town.

83 Lower Thames Street.

177, 178 Fleet Street, (Peele's-files of the _Times_ for many years.)

24 King William Street, (Wild's.)

34 Mount Street, Grosvenor Square, (St. George's.)

22 Paddington Green, (Working Men's.)

Patent Museum Library, Southampton Buildings, Chancery Lane, (free.)

British Museum Library, (apply for ticket; enclosing letter of introduction from respectable householder.)

There are Reading and News Rooms belonging to a large number of learned societies and public inst.i.tutions; but these are for the most part accessible only to members.

CHESS ROOMS.

A chess player may meet with compet.i.tors at any one of the several chess rooms. The best are Simpson's, (Limited Co.,) late Ries's, _Divan_, opposite Exeter Hall, Strand; Kilpack's, Covent Garden, (also an American Bowling Saloon;) and Pursell's, Cornhill. Many Coffee-shops are provided with chess-boards and men, and many dining and chop houses have chess-rooms up-stairs.

THEATRES.

There are at present about thirty-seven London Theatres, but those named below are all that need here be considered.

Adelphi Strand.

Alhambra Leicester Square.

Astley's Amphitheatre 6 Bridge Road, Lambeth.

Royal Amphitheatre Holborn.

Britannia Theatre Hoxton Old Town.

Charing Cross King William Street, Strand.

City of London 36 Norton Folgate.

Covent Garden, (Opera House) Bow Street.

Court Theatre Sloane Square.

Drury Lane Brydges Street.

Gaiety Strand.

Garrick Leman Street, Goodman's Fields.

Globe Strand.

Grecian City Road.

Great Eastern Whitechapel Road.

Haymarket East side of Haymarket.

Holborn Holborn.

King's Cross Liverpool Street, King's Cross.

Her Majesty's, (Opera House) West side of Haymarket.

Lyceum Wellington Street, Strand.

Marylebone New Church Street, Lisson Grove.

Olympic Wych Street, Drury Lane.

Opera Comique Strand.

Pavilion 85 Whitechapel Road.

Philharmonic Islington.

Princess's 73 Oxford Street.

Prince of Wales's 4 and 5 Tottenham Street.

Queen's, (late St. Martin's Hall) Longacre.

Royalty, or Soho 73 Dean Street, Soho.

Sadler's Wells St. John's Street Road.

St. James's 23 King Street, St. James's.

Standard 204 Sh.o.r.editch, High Street.

Strand Between 168 and 169 Strand.

Surrey 124 Blackfriars Road.

Vaudeville Strand.

Victoria 135 Waterloo Road.

CONCERT ROOMS.