Described by Horace Walpole as the "wonder of the 18th century and the British Empire," a famous London building has suffered yet another transformation. The Pantheon of Oxford Street, opened in 1772 and dedicated to the "nocturnal revels of the British ' aristocracy," is now a multiple bazaar, A familiar landmark has disappeared. The portico, which jutted out over the pavement, has gone. But the porch and pillars have not been destroyed. They have been preserved intact and will form part of a new house being built near Chichester.
At first the Pantheon lived lup to its dedication. Riotous masquerades, magnificent balls, extravagant feasts were held there in glittering suces-sion. In the course of time people with a reputation to lose found it wiser to stop away. In an attempt to regain respectability the proprietors put on concerts and scientific exhibitions, By 1834 the Pantheon had become a bazaar. Thirty years later it was the head office of wine and spirit merchants. Now it is a bazaar again converts to his cult, Recently he chal-Jenged the master of a City company to perform the feat at a public dinna:
It the habit spreads, the next Show may include a real sensation—a group of City aldermen demonstrating how they keep fi for the next banquet by touching toes. No Londoner then would grumble at the Lord Mayor's Show.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.