Back Alley EC3

How we love to use figurative terms of description; they form such a distinctive part of our daily life that we would probably experience great difficulty if they were somehow barred from our vocabulary. Nicknames applied to friends (or enemies), relating to some particular feature of their make-up or a habit is an easy method of making reference to certain persons. For generations people have used terms and names of endearment in casual conversation and the necessity for such usage was even more so in times past than it is now.

Back Alley has been here, under the same name, for centuries and was quite simply the back access passage to houses on Aldgate, and because at that time it had no name, it was figuratively referred to as the ‘Back Alley’. It now runs along the rear of the General Accident Insurance Company and, although it is still fairly narrow, its dimensions have been greatly increased over the years. Whereas there would have been many gateways along here in times past, there are now no access doors at all.

There were literally hundreds, if not thousands, of ‘back’s’ in London but nearly all have long since been renamed or demolished and only one other survivor remains in the City: Back Hill, Clerkenwell.

In all parts of the country there are still un-named alleys at the rear of houses and in some areas the term ‘backs’ is in use to this day. Gully, jitty, ginnel, entry, are all terms used to describe a minor thoroughfare without any formal name.

Many of London’s access roads and even some of today’s main roads started out as nothing more than narrow passages leading to back entrances of houses on major highways. As we walk around London, many of these are easily identifiable but others are not nearly so obvious.

Wandering down some of London’s ‘back alleys’ can certainly be a satisfying and fascinating experience but there have always been those alleys where passage without necessity has been avoided like the dreaded plague. During the hours of darkness, narrow alleys behind old houses, where antiquated lamps give off poor lighting, or worst still, illumination is none existent, are all too frequently no-go areas. This situation not only applies to modern times, it has always been like that. Dingy black corners were the ideal lurking grounds for thieves and those intent on having a ‘good time’ at the terrifying expense of their victims. Beware!

Bakers’ Hall Court EC3

Like so many of the alleys and courts in this part of London, Bakers’ Hall Court has seen a great deal of change over the past years. Developers, in their unending effort to create more and more floor space within the City, have raised a jungle of multi-storey buildings and hidden the Court to all but the most penetrating seekers. However, a few yard away, in Harp Street, is the hall of one of the oldest inhabitants, the Bakers’ Company, from whom the Court acquired its name.

Back in 1307 there were two fraternities for those following the trade of bakers; the Company of White Bakers and the Company of Brown Bakers. They were united under a charter granted by Henry VIII in 1509, but during the following years the Brown Bakers increasingly felt that they were the under-dogs and pleaded their case for a separate charter. This was granted in 1622 and the Company split on a sour note, remaining rivals for the next thirty years. As time passed their grievances diminished and they eventually, although perhaps reluctantly, acknowledged that their cause would be better administered under a united Company.

Traditionally, bakers had relied on the assistance of boys from poor families; wage bills were small and the boys had the benefit of learning a worthwhile trade. When the Government passed a Bill in 1779 to open up the trades of bakers and butchers to any Tom, Dick, or Harry it effectively meant that apprenticeships in these trades would become a thing of the past. The Bakers’ Company threw their arms in the air and complained bitterly that the Bill would severely affect the businesses of their tradesmen. Whatever became of that Bill, the Company won the day and apprenticeships remained.

The Bakers’ first Hall, built on this site in 1506, was destroyed in the Great Fire on the 3rd September 1666. Since that day, there have been three successive Halls on the site. The present one, which occupies the ground floor and first floor of a nine storey block, was erected in 1961 and is the first of the Livery Company halls to take on 20th century styling.

Ball Court EC3
UG: Bank
Bus: 8 11 22 23 25 43 76 133
Ball Court is a narrow opening off the north side of Cornhill, about 155 yds from Bank Station and just east of Birchin Lane.
Like almost all of the alleys off Cornhill, Ball Court is partly covered; it is also very quaint and confuses one into the belief that one is not really in the 20th century at all. It makes no difference what your interests are or why you may come to this place; on leaving Cornhill through the narrow entrance your eyes will instantly become fixed on the charming bow windowed frontage of Simpson’s Tavern. Setting aside the narrowness of the passage and its age-old walls, the 18th century tavern is undoubtedly a principal feature of this unspoilt alley. It is a genuine survivor of the old London chop houses, which became popular with City diners during the period.

The building was erected in the late 17th century after the devastation of 1666 when everything around here lay as a heap of ashes. It was originally constructed in the form of two dwelling houses and converted in 1757 when the Tavern was founded. Some alterations were carried out shortly after and an additional two-storey extension was added to the west side. The bow window is of a later date than the shop itself.

In 1808 it was the property of Mr Tom Simpson, retailer of wines and spirits. On his death, his successor, who obviously had an eye for business, opened the restaurant which exists to this day. Simpson’s is not the place to come if your lunch time pleasure is to prop up a bar supping pint upon pint of ale interspersed with chomping on a Mother’s Pride grated cheese sandwich. In the tiny bar filled with antique dark oak you may quaff with the greatest of pleasure, but at this treasure in Ball Court their vocation is to serve you with good old traditional English fare. The dining-rooms are untainted by modern decoration; the time-worn tables are arranged in stalls as was the common layout of chop houses, and the Dickensian top-hat racks are still here for the use of, if you so desire. If the drifting aroma of charcoal-grilled prime cuts of beef do not set your belly rumbling – at least go and have a look.

Just by the Tavern the passage bears to the left and becomes very narrow, emerging into Castle Court near to the George and Vulture tavern, another old house where drinking is ancillary to dining.

Banbury Court WC2
UG: Covent Garden
Bus: Any to Aldwych/Strand/Charing Cross Rd
From Covent Garden Station turn right (south west) into Floral Street and continue along the north side for about 100 yds then turn right.
Until 1700, when Banbury Court was built, a house in the ownership of the Earl of Banbury stood on Long Acre, adjacent to the site of this Court. At the same time, although surviving rather longer than the Earl’s house, was the Duke’s Bagnio, established in 1682 as a bathing and sauna parlour which was sometimes referred to as a sweating house. Such establishments were often visited for their ancillary facilities serviced by a selection of hired prostitutes and as we might imagine, sometimes went under various unrepeatable descriptive names.

Just by the Bagnio was Leg Alley, now demolished, and adjacent to that was the first Mug House to be established in London. These houses were principally taverns where a membership fee was charged, everyone drank ale from personalised mugs and were entertained by the local dead-cart operator-cum-vocalist, and the like. Pipe smoking was a habit enjoyed by most men and through the foggy haze, mugs were raised in toasts to one and all.

Those were the days when character and characters abounded in the tiny alleys of Long Acre. Like at number 542, the entrance to long gone Phoenix Alley where John Taylor, a Thames waterman, known as the ‘Water Poet’, kept a tavern, and where he died in 1653. As for Banbury Court, all these qualities have now departed and left it an uninteresting place – merely a way of cutting between Long Acre and Floral Street.

Barley Mow Passage EC1
UG: Barbican
Bus: 4 56 172 To St Batholomew’s
Off the south side of Long Lane, about 200 yds west of Barbican Station.
Entering from Long Lane, Barley Mow Passage is covered, with Lloyd’s Bank lining the west side. Its name is undoubtedly derived from a predecessor of the Barley Mow public house which stands on the east side at number 56 Long Lane. The first tavern on this site was probably built in the early 17th century but the present house is modern – although in a tasteful style. Whilst only dating back to the early years of this century it retains an atmosphere typically encountered in a hostelry of much more ancient times. The decor is solid – heavy cast-iron tables, real wooden panelling to the walls and Victorian mirrors in the servery.

Almost every corner along the length of Long Lane once sported a tavern. John Stow, on his perambulations down the Lane, summed it up thus: ‘the rest of Smithfield from Long Lane end to the bars is enclosed with inns, brewhouses, and large tenements.’ Of these long departed taverns the Old Dick Whittington was a particular favourite. It stood in Cloth Fair and was reputed to have been the oldest licensed establishment in London. Its doors closed for the final time in 1916. Now, the Barley Mow is one of the few surviving in the vicinity of St Bartholomew’s.
Bartholomew Passage EC1
UG: Barbican
Bus: 4 56 172
Opposite Barbican Station and on the south side of Long Lane walk down Cloth Street and turn right into Middle Street. Cross Kinghorn Street and take the first left into the Passage
Bartholomew Passage is one of a collection of narrow thoroughfares congregated around the precincts of St Bartholomew’s church. It leaves Cloth Fair and runs along the east end of the ancient priory church before opening out into a cobble-stoned square where there are offices belonging to British Telecom. To the left of this building Middlesex Passage twists its way through to Bartholomew Close.

With the single exception of St John in the White Tower (Tower of London), St Bartholomew’s is the oldest church in London. It was founded in the 12th century by Rahere, the favourite jester to Henry I, on his return from a pilgrimage to Rome. This amazing entertainer turned cleric was responsible for the building of the choir and ambulatory, which form the present church, and the Lady Chapel which was rebuilt in 1334 and extensively restored in 1897 by Sir Aston Webb. Prior Thomas of St Osyth, successor to Rahere, added the transepts in 1174, and the nave was completed almost a century later. In about 1160, while work was still in progress, the canons of the Order of St Augustin took up residence, with Rahere as their first prior. The nave occupied the site of the present churchyard and was entered through the west door, now forming the 13th century gateway. Above the gateway is a half-timbered Elizabethan house, revealed in 1915 through Zeppelin bomb damage to the facia tiles concealing its true identity – it was restored in 1932. From this house, it is said that Mary Tudor used to sit in the window watching her victims being burnt at the stake whilst she nibbled on roast chicken washed down with red wine. Kings and princes too have cheered and jeered from this window as they witnessed jousts and tournaments taking place in the courtyard below.

At the dissolution of the monasteries the nave and ancillary buildings were destroyed and the patronage of the church was given by Henry VIII to Sir Richard Rich who later handed it over to Queen Mary. It was inherited by Queen Elizabeth who in turn reinstate it into the Rich family. From that time the church ceased to be used for ecclesiastical purposes and was inhabited by a variety of organisations, businesses and trades. A blacksmith set up his forge in the north transept and the Lady Chapel became a popular venue for meetings. Benjamin Franklin is said to have been employed by a printer who had his press in the Lady Chapel. The sacristy was rented out as a warehouse and for some time a local brewery owner stored his hops there; a carpenter used it for storing his timber. Restoration of the church was begun in 1863 but had to be curtailed due to a lingering fringe maker at that time occupying the Lady Chapel. He was eventually evicted in 1886 and work resumed with Aston Webb as the principal architect.

Today the church is a mere fragment of the great priory begun by Rahere. With the great nave gone, all that remains is the Lady chapel and choir with its apse, demolished in favour of a flat wall in the 15th century but rebuilt by Webb. Of the monuments, the most interesting is that of Rahere himself on the north side of the sanctuary; he lies in his black monastic habit with a kneeling monk on either side and an angel at his feet. In the south aisle is the tomb of Sir Walter Mildmay, Chancellor of the Exchequer in the time of Elizabeth I and founder of Emmanuel College, Cambridge. In the south transept is the 15th century font at which William Hogarth was baptised. The tower, built in 1628, contains five of the oldest bells in London, dating from 1510.

Barlett’s Buildings

Bartlett’s Buildings – also known as Bartlett’s Court – was the name of a street situated off of Holborn Circus, already existing in 1615. It was known for the number of lawyers who had offices there. It was a cul-de-sac but an alley ran from the west side to Fetter Lane that was known as Bartlett’s Passage.

John Strype’s ‘A survey of the Cities of London and Westminster’ in 1720 calls it “a very handsome spacious Place, graced with good Buildings of Brick, with Gardens behind the Houses; and is a Place very well inhabited by Gentry, and Persons of good Repute.”

Bartlett’s Buildings is mentioned in Jane Austen’s novel Sense and Sensibility (1811) as the place where the two Miss Steeles lodge when visiting their cousin.

The street was totally destroyed during a Second World War air raid in 1941 and subsequently replaced by New Fetter Lane.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bartlett%27s_Buildings

Bath Court EC1
UG: Farringdon
Bus: 19 38 171A to Mount Pleasant
63 221 to Ray Street
From Farringdon Station walk north along Farringdon Road for about 300 yds and cross Clerkenwell Road. Cross to the west side of Farringdon Road and continue for about 100 yds. Turn left into Ray Street and at the junction with Back Hill (left) bare right along Warner Street. Bath Court is about 100 yds on the right.
Adjacent to the steps leading up to the Rosebery Avenue Viaduct is this forlorn looking entry. It doesn’t own much character now but it was once a well walked river-side path leading to a money spinning idea of Walter Baynes, a barrister of the Inner Temple. In 1697 he ploughed his surplus cash into the purchase of fields lying along the west bank. With an eye on the property market he estimated that a few years on, the sale of the plot, as building land, would realise a nice little nest egg. One day, while surveying his newly acquired investment, he noticed that, although the days had been dry, the ground he was treading seemed to be waterlogged. Investigating further he came across a jet of water bubbling out from below the surface and, as he stood scratching his head, it came to him that this could be his lucky day. It was, and he made a tidy packet conning the public into the belief that regular bathing in the water was a cure for every ill under the sun.

Bath Court leads northwards from Warner Street, following the same line as it did when the smelly Fleet aromatized these parts, to Coldbath Square, commemorating the site where Mr Baynes built a bath-house over his treasured spring. In the early part of the 17th century the Square was built around the still standing bath-house but in 1892 the construction of Rosebery Avenue resulted in the demolition of its western side.

Bear Alley EC4
UG: Blackfriars
Bus: 4 11 15 26 45 63 172
From Ludgate Circus walk north along Farringdon Street. About 250 yds on the right
Bear Alley is known to have existed prior to the Great Fire of 1666 and probably took its name from the Bear Inn which stood near to here. As a tavern name ‘The Bear’ became popular in the early 16th century when bear bating hovered around the top of the list of popular sports. Sporting tavern keepers, in an effort to poach custom from neighbouring hostelries, were always eager to promote tournaments of one kind or another in their yards and we have no reason to suppose that mine host at the Bear on the banks of the Fleet was any different.

Up until 1874 Bear Alley used to turn in a south-easterly direction to link up with Old Seacoal Lane but the laying of railway lines into the newly constructed Holborn Viaduct Station caused it to be turned into a cul-de-sac. Today it is a dreary place, accessed beneath an eight storey rustic brick building, and houses private parking spaces for Barclays Bank plc.

In the same year as the Alley lost its dignity, Farringdon Street lost its market. In those days Farringdon Street was the widest street in the City and almost opposite to Bear Alley, on the west side, the Farringdon Market had flourished for forty-five years. It replaced a market of much longer standing, known as the Fleet Market, built on the banks of the stinking river in 1737, and cleared away in 1828 through an appalling reputation gained from the unlawful occupants of the dozens of alleys leading from its perimeter. Although the Farringdon Market had endured the inadequate conditions of its sloping site for so many years, market days came to an end when the stalls were transferred to Smithfield.

Bear Gardens SE1
UG: London Bridge
Bus: 21 35 40 133 P3 – or ant to London Bridge station
From London Bridge Station cross to the west side of Borough High Street and continue in a southerly direction. Cross Bedale Street, bear right into Southwark Street and then turn right into Stoney Street. Take the first left into Park Street following it round to the right and then left. Bear Gardens is about 240 yds on the right, just to the west of Southwark Bridge Road.

On the site of Bear Alley there stood one of Southwark’s most popular entertainment attractions – that of bear baiting; the macabre spectacle that drew men and women from miles around. As gory as it might have been, the sport allured droves of spectators from all over London and from all walks of life.

Bear baiting around Bankside began in the 1540’s as an alternative nice little earner to line the pockets of the racketeers who ran the unvirtuous establishments which once graced these parts. It all started when a bill was passed by Parliament to abolish the ‘stewhouses’, or brothels as we know them, and led by Henry VIII the members actually promoted the instigation of bear baiting arenas. Henry was an enthusiastic sports spectator and with his first experience of baiting he became rivetted to the blood-thirsty contest. So enthralled was he with the sport that he ordered his henchman to bring him an assortment of the finest grizzly animals to be had. It happened that the servant returned with specimens that His Majesty would be pleased to show in any circle, and as a result the man was appointed Yeoman of His Majesty’s Bears.

The arena which occupied the site of the Alley was a circular construction surrounded by fencing to protect the spectators who gathered around the perimeter. Against the force of hundreds of bodies it was not unusual for this fencing to give way, leaving the spectators exposed to the vicious beasts, which all too often resulted in tragic consequences. With the entertainment about to begin, the bear was led out and tethered to a stake, already handicapped through the common practice of filing down the teeth. As the tension mounted and the crescendo of shouts from the crowd reached a peak several snarling bloodhounds or mastiffs were set loose from their kennels to snap and tear while the restricted bear could do little in defence other than rear up on its hind legs. Frequently the tether was too weak or the bear was too strong and the real fun started when the wild animal broke loose.

Bear baiting steadily diminished in popularity towards the end of the 17th century and the proprietors found it increasingly more difficult to attract sufficient spectators to support the events. The Bear Gardens closed down in about 1682 but the sport continued in other parts of the City and was not declared illegal until 1835.

The approximate site of the Bear Gardens arena is estimated to have been a few yards north of Park Street, where the Alley opens out into a small square. A little further to the north were the out buildings where the bears were caged, and the gnashing dogs made ready for the bloody fight. Also around the site would have been the houses of those associated with the running of the arena – the promoter and livestock handlers.

On the corner of Park Street is the Shakespeare Globe Museum with its entrance in Bear Gardens. Exhibits on view are models of some of London’s early theatres together with other models depicting Shakespearean history, and upstairs is a functional reproduction of a 17th century playhouse. The Georgian warehouse housing the Museum faces onto a street of attractive cobble stones, but this is the extent of the pleasing picture which is marred by disused buildings boarded up with corrugated iron sheets.

Bedford Court WC2
UG: Charing Cross
Bus: 6 9 11 13 15 23 77A 91 176
From Charing Cross UG Station (Duncannon Street exit) cross Duncannon Street and walk up Adelaid Street (this is the paved way at the east end of St Martin’s church). At the end cross William IV Street into Chandos Place and take the first left into Bedfordbury. The Court is then 50 yds on the right.
If you had taken a stroll down Bedford Court 200 years ago you would have found it a hive of bustling activity. It was said to be ‘a great thoroughfare and a place of trade’. Such was the attraction that had it continued in popularity to this day, the pavements of Oxford Street would have been deserted and the shop-keepers of that renowned shopping precinct would have gone out of business years ago. In Bedford Court you could very well have been visiting your tailor, chosen the material for an elegant ball gown, arranging to have your old three-piece suite recovered; it may have occurred to you that your wig was beginning to look rather tatty and asked the peruke maker here to fit you with a new one. After completing the mornings business you could have handed your provisions list in to the grocer for delivery next day, called in at the pastry shop for a little treat for lunch, and before returning home rest your tired feet in the coffee house next door. About 150 years earlier, Richard Brigham, the King’s coachmaker would have been pleased to welcome you to his premises here and advise on the optional extras for your new poste chase. These were the typical occupants which combined to make up the salubrious address of Bedford Court. In fact to protect the meritorious situation the fifth Earl of Bedford, in 1688, added a clause to the lease agreements wherein it was stipulated that no disreputable business or trade was to be carried on in the Court. It is likely that this stipulation came in the guise of a condition of the Crown; the fourth Earl had been plagued with problems in obtaining building permission until he agreed with the King on the distinguished style of architecture.

Over the years a number of changes have taken place in the Court and one of the most significant is the line of its path. The land leased for building by the fourth Earl of Bedford in 1630 was a plot stretching from Bedford Street to Bedfordbury, with Chandos Place (then Street) as its southern boundary. However, Richard Brigham, coachmaker, to whom the land was leased, thought it appropriate to preserve a section on the west side of his plot for use as a personal storage yard. This meant constructing the Court in an ‘L’ shape with access from Bedford Street and Chandos Place. It remained in this layout until 1878 when Bedfordbury, then in a dilapidated condition, was renovated and widened. A new access road was made between Bedfordbury and Bedford Court and a few years later the original covered way into Chandos Place (between numbers 64 and 65) was filled in.

Belgrave Yard SW1
UG: Victoria
Bus: Any to Victoria Station
Turn left out of Victoria ML Station then left again into Buckingham Palace Road. Take the first right turning into Lower Belgrave Street. Continue for about 100 yds, cross Ebury Street and within about 35 yds turn right.
When the first Earl Grosvenor was made a Viscount in 1784 he chose to be known as Viscount Belgrave after his estate in Cheshire which he had owned since 1758. But the Grosvenor story starts to unfold at the beginning of the 18th century and by 1725 the development of a large slice of the Grosvenor family estate – that part known as Mayfair – was already taking shape. Ten years later some of the wealthiest people in the land had taken up residence. However, that section of the vast estate lying to the south, then called Five Fields, was sodden marsh lane and considered totally unsatisfactory as building land. It was not until almost a century later when Robert, grandson of Thomas Grosvenor and First Marquis of Westminster, inherited the estate that proposals to develop the fields were contemplated.

One of the most enthusiastic building developers around at the time was Thomas Cubitt, a carpenter turned master builder; whilst still in the early years of his career had already shown his capabilities in achievements at Barnsbury and Gordon Square. Grosvenor held the opinion that if any man could provide the solution to the drainage problem then Cubitt was the man to approach. In 1824 Lord Grosvenor invited him to survey the estate and convey his conclusions on the feasibility of transforming the gilt-edged acres into a Mayfair overflow. By consequence, Thomas Telford was at that time finalising plans for the construction of St Katharine’s Dock and Cubitt had heard whispers that he was on the look out for a site to dump the excavated earth.

Cubitt’s idea was to move the earth by barge to Millbank and then over land to Five Fields which he would initially drain and then in-fill with St Katharine’s residue to add stability. To the Marquis it must have all sounded a very risky proposition, but it worked, and the first of the projects – Belgrave Square – was commenced in 1827 with the radiating layout of streets closely following. On completion of the ‘town’ of Belgravia, Mrs Gaskell almost burst a blood vessel, expounding in rapturous praise as she scribbled these words:

‘And who so vast a work achieved?
What name Shall fair Belgravia’s sons transmit to fame?
Who raised a town where once a marsh had been,
And fenced with palaces our noble Queen?
Thine be the praise O Cubitt! Thine the hand
That caused Belgravia from the dust to rise.
A fairer wreath than Wren’s should crown thy brow –
He raised a dome – a town unrivalled thou!’
Belgrave Yard was built in about 1835, a relative late comer to his lordship’s estate. Although there is some doubt that Cubitt was totally responsible for the construction, it does seem that he was the main contractor. It leaves the main street by the side of the Plumbers Arms before turning in a sharp angle to run along the rear side where it leads to garaged private parking. At its entrance a sign declares that this is a ‘private mews’.

The Plumbers Arms was built during the 1820’s to serve a demand from the growing population of in-service employees of the many aristocrats who took up residence in the locality. It is believed to have been named in honour of the multitudes of plumbers who clung to the shirt tails of Cubitt and other major contractors in the hope of gaining work. Hanging above the doorway, the sign board of the tavern depicts the arms of the Company of Plumbers’ which were granted in 1588, prior to their incorporation in 1611. The Plumber Arms, now a one bar pub, formerly consisted of two bars and a jug-and-bottle where wives queued with their vessels.

Bell Inn Yard EC3
UG: Monument
Bus: 15 25 40 47 48
From Monument Station take the underpass to Gracechurch Street/King William Street and walk north along the west side of Gracechurch Street. Cross Lombard Street and continue for about 60 yds. Bell Inn Yard is on the left.
Bell Inn Yard forms one of the passageways in a intricate maze of alleys in the triangle bounded by Cornhill, Lombard Street and Gracechurch Street. It leaves Gracechurch Street via a wide covered opening lined with semi-modern office buildings and leads through to St Michael’s churchyard. Until the end of the last century there was an unbroken row of old houses along the south side of the Yard but they were pulled down when the City became hungry for commercial space. The Bell Inn, which stood at the end of this Yard, dated back to the early 14th century and William Dalby was one of its first tenants who leased it for three years at an annual rent of three pounds. On Monday 3rd September 1666 the flames of the Great Fire feasted on the tinder dry timbers of the Bell, consuming it in seconds – it was never rebuilt.

At one time there were no fewer than a dozen inns and tavern, many of them galleried, lining Gracechurch Street; they were presumably established to attract trade from the market men and visitors to nearby Leadenhall Market. There are still many taverns remaining today in the byways of the main street but Gracechurch Street itself can now boast but one; The New Moon at number 88.

Not only was there a plentiful supply of taverns, but at least two stand-alone breweries; one of them owned by William Roke. Of this brewery it is said that one Thomas Stokes was arrested in 1386 for putting the King’s mark on several barrels of ale and claiming that they were for the Royal household. For this wrongful deed he would have received a prison sentence and a daily appearance in the stocks.

Bell Yard WC2
UG: Temple
Bus: 4 11 15 23 26 76 171A
Bell Yard runs directly along the east side of the Law Courts, from Fleet Street at the southern end to Carey Street at the northern.
Only just inside the City of London, Bell Yard is a thoroughfare where the dimensions are of sufficient width to accommodate the passage of single file vehicles, although as Fleet Street offers no exit its use is for access only. The Yard dates back to the early 15th century when a tavern or inn known as ‘Le Belle’ stood at the southern end. It was pulled down around 1580 and some years later was replaced by another tavern also called the Bell, but that too has long since gone. As might be imagined the dominating theme of Bell Yard is law, and along the eastern side of its length, there are barristers chambers and solicitors offices. Academic and court robe makers Ede and Ravenscroft have their bookshop here and a few doors away are the book publishers, Butterworths who specialise in works of legal interest . At the northern end of the Yard are the gleaming white painted offices of the Law Society. Many of the frontages to the buildings have been renovated and modernised, some have been faced in granite. Behind high railings on the west side the Royal Courts of Justice takes up the entire length of the Yard.

We may, with a high degree of surety, presume that Bell Yard has not always been the agreeable place it is today for in 1736 Alexandra Pope referred to it as ‘a filthy old place’. Joe Frances, breeches maker, had his lucrative shop here in Bell Yard but, as was usually the case in those days, prosperous business men didn’t invest their money wisely. He was a gambler and a heavy drinker, preferring to sit every evening in the Three Herrings tavern a few door away. His sons were both thieves, the eldest following the trade of a pickpocket and the other spent the daylight hours posing as a blind beggar, sitting in the gutter with hands out stretched. His daughter was of no better character; a notable prostitute, regularly seen loitering around the courts and alleys off Fleet Street.

At the north end of Bell Yard in Carey Street is the Seven Stars, local to the Royal Courts of Justice and frequented by its practitioners and associates. It is thought to have been built about 1602 when it was known as the Leg and Seven Stars. To describe this treasured old tavern as basic would perhaps be quite fitting but it is not basic in the sense of unattractive. The house has a most appealing charm and character rivalled by few other London pubs. On the walls of the long and very narrow bar are caricatures of distinctive legal gentlemen, some of them, undoubtedly, clientele of latter years. At lunch time, within the confines of these walls, solicitors, barristers and even judges mingle to munch, sup and discuss the business of the day. Standing is the tradition in the Seven Stars, in fact to stand or to sit is not an option – there are only two tables and there is just not room for any more. From the glass display cabinet on the counter you can choose from a wide selection of well filled rolls and sandwiches. For something more substantial there is a range of hot dish meals including cottage pie and chilli con carne, all personally prepared by the licensee. Highly recommended is the ‘proper’ lamb curry served with pickle and a poppadom, but get there early, the prospect of extra mouths to feed is not catered for. When nature calls, as it invariably will, the uninitiated are in for a touch of mind-boggling surprise – there are no mods and cons adorning the loo of this place. Access is via a door, behind the bar, which leads up a winding staircase to what can only be described as a private, single position room. Fuddled with bewilderment one is driven to wonder ‘have I come to the right place or have I unwarily strayed into the living quarters of the licensee?’ It is all very strange, but the unpretentious convenience at the Seven Stars is quite fitting – and why is that so bizarre?

Only a few yard away from the Seven Stars, in the same street, are two of London’s oldest parish boundary markers. Two stones by the wall at pavement height mark the dividing line between the parishes of St Clement Danes and St Dunstan in the West. The house at number 60 Carey Street is a fine example surviving from the early 18th century, and on the corner of Serle Street there is a memorial to Thomas Moore, Lord Chancellor to Henry VIII.

Bengall Court EC3
UG: Bank
Bus: Any to Bank
From Bank Station walk along the south side of Cornhill for about 150 yds and turn right into Birchin Lane. Pass Castle Court on the left. Bengall Court is then a few yds on the left.
A tiny covered opening leading off Birchin Lane gives access to one of the true antiquities of old London. Burrowing into the narrow passage the Court becomes slightly wider as it enters the middle section, then, once more narrowing down, it connects with George Yard and an enchanting maze of little alleys squeezed in behind Cornhill. Bengall Court still retains the appearance and character of a 17th century alley and there is almost a chance that here you could justifiably expect to come face to face with Dr Johnson or Charles Dickens. Along the north side of the Court there are some tiny 18th century houses and the rear wall of the George and Vulture tavern which has its entrance in Castle Court.

Way back in the 17th century this place was known as Sun Court and by 1720 its name had dramatically been changed to White Lion Alley, although the only White Lion tavern around here was on the north side of Cornhill, near to Gracechurch Street. Just to confuse the issue it was changed to White Lion Court around 1745 and the change to the present name did not occur until some time in the 19th century, although the reason for the change is unclear.

This collection of Cornhill alleys are among the finest in the City and the least touched by modernisation. However, major building developments are currently taking place in the vicinity of Bengall Court and its neighbours, and who knows how long this treasured maze of alleys will remain.

Bennett’s Yard SW1
UG: St James’s Park
Bus: Any to Westminster Abbey. 3 77A 11 24 88 159
From the west entrance to the Westminster Abbey walk through Dean’s Yard to the gate diagonally across, on the south side. Through the gate continue straight ahead along Tufton Street, passing Little Smith Street. On the right, cross Gt Peter Street and Bennett’s Yard is then about 90 yds on the right.
Only sparse records detail the history of this little cut-through which connects Tufton Street to Marsham Street. At some point during the 17th century a Mr Bennett ruled the roost here, but there was probably a built-up pathway following this line long before he appeared on the scene. Of course, Bennet is the name of a herb, but to suggest that there were once allotments on this site devoted to the growing of that strain is perhaps stretching things a trifle too far.

In reality, Bennett’s Yard is not a yard at all; being of equal dimensions throughout its length and having an opening at both ends it would more correctly be termed a passage. A small fenced off piece of derelict ground labelled National Car Park occupies the north side while offices take up the entire length of the south side. This is a fairly narrow ‘road’ although sufficiently wide to allow the passage of single file traffic. Now that all the residential properties have disappeared the main purpose of the Yard is as a cut-through between Marsham Street and Tufton Street.

Bishop’s Court WC2
UG: Chancery Lane
Bus: Any along Fleet St or Holborn (171A)
From Holborn, the Court is about 275 yds on the right side of Chancery Lane. From Fleet Street it is about 255 yds on the left.
Sauntering lazily down Chancery Lane we unexpectedly come upon this narrow opening off the west side, at one time an access road leading to the town house of the Bishop of Chichester but now giving access to Star Yard and Lincoln’s Inn. Where the court leaves Chancery Lane there is presently no name plate, but identification is confirmed by the presence of four telephone kiosks just inside the opening and the deep red brick building of Lincoln’s Inn Works Department.

The history of Bishop’s Court begins way back in 1227 when Henry III secured a plot of land for the use of Ralph Neville, Bishop of Chichester and Lord Chancellor, on which to build his London residence. Until 1340 the office of Lord Chancellor was by right given to the successive Bishops of Chichester who continued to administer their duties from the London house. It is from this origin that the dusty lane, which John Stow tells us was called New Street, was renamed Chancellors Lane and thence corrupted to the present Chancery Lane. At a time of upheaval the Bishops house later passed into the hands of the Earls of Lincoln who had their London residence just to the west of here, now Lincoln’s Inn.

Today, Bishop’s Court is plain, without any outstanding adornments, features of either architectural beauty, or relics of bygone days, but it is pleasant and forms part of a little cluster of quiet byways formed by adjacent Chichester Rents and Star Yard. It provides an escape route by which we can divert from the scurry of Chancery Lane to wander in the unhurried pace of New Square in Lincoln’s Inn.

Bishop’s Court EC4
UG: St Paul’s
Bus: Any to Holborn Viaduct or St Paul’s (8 25 56 501 521)
Just east of Holborn Viaduct Station turn into Old Bailey. Bishop’s Court is about 30 yds on the right.
The history relating to Bishop’s Court is uncertain, but lying in close proximity to St Paul’s Cathedral it is very likely that it had past associations with the Bishop’s of London. It is thought that at some point the name of the Court was unintentionally changed. Belief has it that the name was originally Bishop’s Head Court but when the nameplate was replaced the title was wrongly transcribed and the ‘Head’ was omitted – a common occurrence in times past. Indeed, there was an inn on this site bearing the sign of the a Bishop’s Head, but the question of which came first, the bishop or the inn, is not known.

Gazing mournfully upon this Court we can only muse on imaginative illusions of old times, for this place now has not a shred of characteristic beauty. The buildings are dreary and even the old Magpie and Stump public house has disappeared in modern developments. Its replacement is a contemporary edifice bearing not a shadow of resemblance to the former inn. Talking of this old tavern, George Guthrie, writing in the International Crime Magazine, ‘Criminology’ tells of the last public execution in London. It was of Michael Barret for his unsuccessful attempt to blow up Clerkenwell Jail. He concludes ‘my favourite tavern, the Magpie and Stump, in Old Bailey, did a roaring trade that day’. Indeed, the treasured old tavern with its fine wooden panelling had a complementary character to be savoured along with the excellent food and drink on offer. In the 17th century the Magpie and Stump housed one of the ‘clubs’ known as mughouses, so called because every man had his own mug. These social circles became extremely popular and sprang up in taverns all over London. Nothing but ale was drunk and members were entertained, under the control of a chairman, by singers and instrumentalists. Mughouses later became more politically biased and were mainly frequented by Whigs who met to scheme against the Tories.
Black Swan Yard SE1
UG: London Bridge
Bus: 17 21 22A 35 40 43 47 48 133 501 521 (to Borough Market)
From the south side of London Bridge continue beneath the railway bridge, then cross London Bridge Street and turn left into St Thomas Street (signed Guy’s Hospital). Continue along by side of London Bridge Station for about 1/3 mile and turn right into Bermondsey Street. Black Swan Yard is about 120 yds on the left
Undoubtedly this was the access and delivery area to the Black Swan Inn, which stood on this site throughout the 19th century. Little is known of the Inn other than it was pulled down at the beginning of the 20th century to make way for warehouses and offices.

It is a narrow place, although with a squeeze, just wide enough for commercial vehicular access. The Yard has once again been rebuilt and now serves for the private use of the companies occupying the modern offices here.

Bermondsey Street has many tributaries although most of them are un-named. Crucifix Lane, to the north of Black Swan Yard, is a treasure in itself as it twists in a dark tunnel beneath the railway lines.

Blackfriars Court EC4
UG: Blackfriars
Bus: Any to Blackfriars Station (45 63 172)
A small court on the corner of Queen Victoria Street and New Bridge Street, by the Black Friar pub.
A large part of Blackfriars Court, which used to continue in a northerly direction from Queen Victoria Street, has for a long time now been inaccessible. The court now consists merely of that part which passes directly in front of the Black Friar public house.

The present Black Friar tavern was built in 1905 on part of the site of the 13th century Priory of the Dominican Friars who, through the colour of their habit, were known as the Black Friars. It probably features high in the ranking as London’s most decorative pub with Art Nouveau design literally covering the place. There has been a tavern on this site since about 1600 but the ground beneath can reminisce of the time when it supported the foundations of the friars council chamber where kings and their councils met to change the face of history. But there is one notable meeting that took place on this site which paved the way for a change in British history such as no other has ever done. Across New Bridge Street stood the Palace of Bridewell where Henry VIII lived with his Queen, Catherine of Aragon. In 1528 as the King was pacing the boards of his palace, Cardinal Wolsey and the Papal Legate sat in the friars council chamber debating the future of the King’s marriage to Catherine. Henry could do nothing but await their decision. After the lengthy discussion the only answer that could be conveyed to the King was that the matter would have to be referred to Rome, and the outcome has been told in words contained in thousands of volumes.

Less than fifty years after the dissolution of the monasteries the Priory of the Blackfriars was no more than a heap of rubble and in 1596 the actor James Burbage acquired the site of the council chamber and adjoining land to build the Blackfriars Theatre. William Shakespeare had an interest in the enterprise and in 1612 bought a house in Ireland Yard for the convenience of being nearby. It is well appropriate that the first staging of Shakespeare’s Henry VIII should have been acted on the very site that the momentous event took place only a few years previous.

Blackfriars Court bears no resemblance to an alley or passage, there is no ornate old archway to herald its existence, neither are there any high buildings or blackened walls hiding its path, but only the backdrop of the tavern’s detailed exterior. Appearing as nothing more than a chopped-off corner it is nevertheless a pleasant place laid out with a raised flower bed and four well established trees. Here also is the remaining pedestal of an old drinking fountain.

Blackfriars Passage EC4
UG: Blackfriars
Bus: Any to Blackfriars (45 63 172)
On the east side of New Bridge Street approaching Blackfriars Bridge. By the underground station.
Blackfriars Passage leads under the vast iron girders of Blackfriars railway bridge and passes immediately below the station platforms before emerging into Puddle Dock right opposite the Mermaid Theatre. Alongside a length of the Passage is the Blackfriars Underpass, opened in 1967 to ease the traffic congestion at the junction of Victoria Embankment with New Bridge Street. During excavation for the construction of the underpass the hull of a wooden ship was discovered, thought to have been sunk by the collapse of a wall in Roman times.

The Passage has no association with the Blackfriars Priory (other than in name) which occupied a vast site to the north of Queen Victoria Street. Of this place there is nothing more to be said…

Bleeding Heart Yard EC1
UG: Farringdon
Bus: 63 to Greville Street
8 17 25 45 46 171A 501 521 to Holborn Circus
From Farringdon Station cross Farringdon Road and walk along Greville Street, opposite Cowcross Street. Cross Saffron Hill and Bleeding Heart Yard is about 35 yds on the left, by the New Windsor Grill.
Legend has it that this gruesome sounding, nightmare instigating name comes down to the unvirtuous Lady Elizabeth Hatton. The story goes that she entered into alliance with the prince of darkness. Unfortunately, her faithfulness was lacking, with the consequence that he became increasingly dischuffed with her and on a gloomy night in 1646, while she was walking in the Yard, the Devil took his revenge. The following morning Lady Hatton was nowhere around, but it is said that a stable lad about his morning chores found her heart in the middle of the Yard, still pumping blood over the cobblestones. It is a spooky thought, but they say that to this day her ghost still returns to remove all traces of blood from the shiny cobble.

However, no one has ever sighted the ghost of Lady Hatton and you may, without fear, visit the Bleeding Heart Restaurant and Wine Bar on the west side of the Yard. Two menus are on offer in the restaurant – one of snacks and the other of more substantial fare. The wine list is extensive, including vintages from many countries, and to complement the list there is a fine selection of quality ports.

Bleeding Heart Yard sprang to immediate fame when Dickens stumbled on it one day and installed Mr Plornish in a house at the far end. He was quite evidently enthralled by the place and could not resist the temptation to give Daniel Doyce a workshop here. Dickens described the Yard as ‘A place much changed in feature and in fortune, yet with some relish of ancient greatness about it’. Things have obviously change a great deal since the biography of Little Dorrit was written; ‘the ground had so risen about Bleeding Heart Yard that you got into it down a flight of steps…’. There are no steps here now; the Yard is on a level footing with the surrounding streets, but despite the changes, with a little imagination, you can still savour the Dickensian atmosphere, Latching onto the famous author, the theme of the restaurant has much of a Dickensian flavour. There are panelled walls and a displayed collection of his books and prints… Succulent heart is not a speciality.

Bloomsbury Court WC1
UG: Holborn
Bus: 7 8 19 25 38 55 171 501 521
From Holborn Station cross to the north side of Holborn and walk west crossing Southampton Row and Southampton Place. Bloomsbury Court is about 55 yds on the right just east of the fork in the road formed by High Holborn and New Oxford Street.
The name of Bloomsbury with which this Court is associated comes from way back in the beginning of the 13th century when William Blemunt bought a plot of land about half a mile in width and reaching from High Holborn to St Pancras. On the land he built a large mansion with surrounding gardens and pastures; hence, Blemunts bury or Blemunts dwelling, over the years corrupted to Blomuns-bury and finally Blooms-bury.

Over 300 years later, in the mid 16th century, Lord Southampton acquired the estate for his personal use but his descendant, the 4th Earl, had different ideas and saw the opportunity to increase his wealth. In about 1630 he started to develop the land by first erecting a substantial house, and stretching out along its front aspect he laid out an enclosed area, the plot we now know as Bloomsbury Square. It was the first locality in London to be designated a square and started a trend which continues to this day. The land around the square he let off for private housing development, but His Lordship was no fool. He drew up a contract defining the terms and conditions so as to leave the lessee with no uncertainties relating to his rights – if he had any. The period of lease, he alone determined, and further went on to decree that all building projects were to be fully financed by the lessee himself. For the speculative developer this alone would have been a difficult agreement to swallow but an additional clause stated that at the end of the lease period all properties, without exception, fall to the landlord. In other words, there was only one winner.

Very soon after Bloomsbury Square was complete, Lord Southampton began extending outwards, first to the east then south and west. He then latched onto another money spinning idea through recognition that the residents of the new streets needed the provision of more convenient facilities and began drawing up plans for shops and a market. The ‘little town’, as John Evelyn referred to it, sprang up on the site of Barter Street, at the northern end of Bloomsbury Court. Reflecting the title of its creator, the market was known as Southampton Market, although often referred to as Bloomsbury Market. Until earlier this century the old sign of ‘Bloomsbury Market’ was still to be seen at the end of the Court. Pepys, forever searching the streets of London, records in his diary for 6th December 1668: ‘and so to see Mr Spong, and found him out by Southampton Market, and there carried my wife, and up to his chambers, a byplace, but with a good prospect to the fields.’

Although the market was never a flourishing success it continued until 1846 when the construction of New Oxford Street was commenced. During the first half of the 19th century successive development projects along New Oxford Street have replaced the old buildings and the Street now is relatively modern.

Between the Nationwide Building Society and the TSB, a sign on the edge of the pavement points the way to Bloomsbury Court. Now that the market is gone and the chambers of Mr Spong have long since fallen to dust there is little here to impress the casual stroller. But, perhaps, for those who pulsate with excitement over the simpler aspects of illuminatory features, there is a solitary standard lamp in the centre of the walkway.

Blore Court W1
UG: Piccadilly Circus
Bus: Any to Piccadilly Circus
From Piccadilly Circus walk north east along Shaftsbury Avenue, crossing Gt Windmill Street, and at the next junction turn left into Rupert Street, cross Archer Street and Brewer Street and walk through Walker’s Court, directly opposite. Continue into Berwick Street and Blore Court is a few yds on right.
If Edward Blore, the man who did so much delicate work on Buckingham Palace and Westminster Abbey, had divine knowledge of this specimen to his memorial he would have turned face down in his grave.

Blore Court is a cul-de-sac, dingy, unkept and most of the time obliterated from view by the stalls of Berwick Street market. It has rough brick walls and the paving is uneven. Adjoining, ‘Quaff Records’ have an advertising board just inside the entrance. Definitely worth a look but don’t expect to linger.

Blue Ball Yard SW1
UG: Green Park
Bus: 8 9 14 19 22 25 38
From Green Park Station (Piccadilly south side) walk east towards Piccadilly Circus for about 200 yds, crossing Arlington Street and then turn right into St James’s Street. Walk along the west side for about 200 yds crossing Bennett Street and Park Place. Blue Ball Yard is on the right between numbers 63 and 64.
A covered access from St James’s Street leads into this wide picturesque yard where many of the buildings are adorned with attractive foliage.

Blue Ball Yard has been here since at least 1680 when it partly consisted of a row of small dwellings, probably housing servants of the aristocracy who loved to boast of their royal neighbours at St James’s Palace. At that time it was called Stable Yard being the place where carriage horses of the ‘royal neighbours’ were stabled. Its name was changed, probably in memorium, when the Blue Ball Tavern in St James’s Street was demolished in the late 18th century. Still surviving, on the left of the Yard, are some interesting stables of 1741 and above the stables are flats with a balcony supported on wooden brackets. The cobble stones which once served to prevent the horses slipping are now car parking bays for ‘authorised vehicles’.

To the south of Blue Ball Yard, at number 69 St James’s Street, is the Carlton Club. Founded by the Duke of Wellington in 1832, it became the principal establishment for Conservative Party gatherings. The site was once occupied by Arthur’s Club but the Carlton moved here after their premises on Pall Mall were bombed in World War II.

Bolt Court EC4
UG: Blackfriars
Bus: Any along Fleet Street (4 11 15 23 26 76 171A)
About 220 yds from Ludgate Circus on the north side of Fleet Street.
Curious Bolt Court takes its name from the ‘Bolt in Tun Tavern’ which stood on the opposite side of Fleet Street, on the corner of Bouverie Street. ‘Bolt’, in this peculiar title, is presumably a bolt as fired from a gun or possibly an arrow. A ‘tun’ is a large wine cask with a capacity of 252 gallons.

From the yard of this one-time famous old coaching inn, coaches rumbled out into the density of horse drawn traffic in treacherous Fleet Street en route to places as far afield as Cambridge, Lincoln and Winchester. To add to its fame the ‘Bolt in Tun’ was the scene of tears of sadness and drunken celebration as the final long distance stage to leave London rattled through the gates of its yard. For a long time, after the inn was demolished, the yard continued to house the properties of sundry small businesses and provided space for off-street parking, but the site was built on in 1950 and all trace of the yard has now completely disappeared.
Another derivation of the name suggests that the entrance to the Court had a gate which was bolted at night to keep out thieves. A rather unlikely implication.

That crotchety old genius, Dr Johnson moved from number seven Johnson’s Court to take up residence at number eight Bolt Court in 1776 ‘still keeping to his favourite Fleet Street’. When James Boswell called on his great friend at the doctor’s house in Johnson’s Court on the 15th March you could have knocked him down with a feather when he found out that the man was no longer living there. He recorded the event of the removal in these words: ‘I felt a foolish regret that he had left a court which bore his name; but it was not foolish to be affected with some tenderness of regard for a place in which I had seen him a great deal, from whence I had often issued a better and a happier man than when I went in, and which had often appeared to my imagination, while I trod its pavement in the solemn darkness of the night, to be sacred to wisdom and piety.’ The last time that Boswell saw Johnson was on the 30th June 1784 at the Fleet Street entrance to Bolt Court. As Johnson climbed down from the coach in which they had returned from dining with Sir Joshua Reynolds he called out to his friend ‘Fare you well’ and made off, ‘with a kind of pathetic briskness’, down the dark alley to his house. Two days later Boswell set out on a business trip to his native Scotland and was not to return to London before Johnson’s death on the 13th December 1784. All the old properties have long been demolished but a plaque marks the site of the Doctors house.

The Stationers Company established a school for boys here in 1861. It later moved to Hornsey.

Bond Court EC4
UG: Bank/Cannon Street
Bus: Any to the Bank or Cannon St.
Ref: 8-32 80 B
From the Bank walk across to the Mansion House and on its west side walk down Walbrook, past the church and turn left into the Court
When John Stow tasted the water from the Walbrook stream and declared it ‘a fair brook of sweet water’ it is quite clear that he had been handsomely paid by the local authority. For over 200 years before the event, residents of its banks had been complaining about the stench emitted from its murky shallows. So bad was the problem of pollution that by the mid 1300’s part of the brook had already been relegated to a sewer by arching it over with bricks.

In the course of the on-going grumblings between citizens and council, the Bond family would have been at the heart of the dispute, taking the rough edge of the flack. They had been prominent in the administration of the City for many years and in 1585 George Bond was elected as Alderman for the Walbrook ward, which he continued to represent until 1592.

At the time of his election, George was in residence at Crosby Hall, occupying pride of place in the precincts of St Helen’s, Bishopsgate, which he had purchased from Sir Thomas D’Arcy in 1566. However, at some point during his term of office, he built a house on the east side of the stinking stream which he periodically used as a base – most probably to prove a point. If this was his idea then it quite evidently failed to convince, for before he could step down from office the entire length of the Walbrook was bricked over ‘and paved with stone… that no man may by the eye discern it’.

Bond Court, originally Bond’s Court, is not a homely place any more – if it ever was, but more representative of a large modern yard housing multi-storey office buildings. A traffic barrier at the entrance to the Court prevents unauthorised admittance and all comings and goings are scrutinised by the ever-watchful security guard in his little hut.

Borer’s Passage E1
UG: Liverpool Street
Bus: 5 8 26 35 43 47 48 78 149
On the east side of Bishopsgate, opposite Liverpool Street turn into Devonshire Row which leads to Devonshire Square. Borer’s Passage leads from the east side of the square.
So much development has taken place in these quarters over recent years that some of the latter- day narrow passages are now unrecognisable as their former selves. The division between Devonshire Square and Borer’s Passage is almost indistinguishable as it passes between modern office buildings on the south side, and Cutlers Gardens to the north. Harrow Street, at the end of the Passage, leads into the thick of Petticoat Lane Market (Middlesex Street).

The Passage was originally named Aggate’s Passage after a previous resident. It was later altered to Aggate Passage and then in 1831 it was given its present name – from where I know not.

ã No reproduction, copy or transmission of this publication may be made without the written permission of the author

The Passage has no association with the Blackfriars Priory (other than in name) which occupied a vast site to the north of Queen Victoria Street. Of this place there is nothing more to be said…

The Stationers Company established a school for boys here in 1861. It later moved to Hornsey.

The Passage was originally named Aggate’s Passage after a previous resident. It was later altered to Aggate Passage and then in 1831 it was given its present name – from where I know not.

Botolph Alley EC3
UG: Monument
Bus: 15 25 D1 D11
Turning out of Monument Station into Eastcheap, keep to the south side and cross Pudding Lane and then turn right into Botolph Lane. Botolph Alley is about 40 yds on the left.
All three ‘Botolph’s’ – Alley, Lane and Row – are memorials to St Botolph, Billingsgate which was destroyed by fire in 1666 and never rebuilt. Of the four City churches originally dedicated to St Botolph, three survive to this day; they are at Aldersgate, Aldgate and Bishopsgate. Whilst not occupying a place in the list of ten best known saints, it may be surprising to learn that the dedication of over seventy churches throughout England were inspired by St Botolph. He was a 7th century saint of Saxon parentage who became a mobile Benedictine monk and fulfilled his vocation by travelling around the country, preaching wherever he could draw a crowd. Thus he was thus adopted as the patron saint of travellers which prompted the architects of the time to appropriately site all four churches at ancient gates to the City.

Botolph Lane lies in a particularly ancient area of the City that once sported churches on almost every corner. St Botolph’s, built in the mid 12th century and repaired in 1624, stood at the southern end of Botolph Lane, adjacent to the bridge gate of the first London Bridge. When the Great Fire saw it off, the parish was amalgamated with that of St George’s, a small church rebuilt by Wren which stood opposite to Botolph Alley, on the west side of Botolph Lane. In 1895 the structure of St George’s was reported to be in an unstable condition and it was closed, with demolition following ten years later.

At its western end the Alley begins as a covered passage and runs through to Lovat Lane where it emerges opposite the church of St Mary at Hill. Here, on the corner of the Alley, is a bracketed gas light now converted to electricity, a feature that is repeated at intervals along the Lane. The old cobblestones of Lovat Lane and central drainage channel assist in raising its status to one of the most enchanting lanes in the City, and whilst most of the old buildings have now gone, their replacements are in tasteful keeping with antiquity.

Bow Churchyard EC4
UG: Mansion House
Bus: 8 25 501
Leave Mansion House Station via the Bow Lane/Cannon Street north side exit and continue north along Bow Lane. Cross Watling Street and Bow Churchyard is about 55 yds on the left.
Bushes and a large old tree fill the quadrangle in the centre of the secluded churchyard which is overseen by a bronze statue of Captain John Smith, citizen and cordwainer (died 1631). There have been churches on this site since the 11th century and each one seems to have been plagued with disaster. In 1091 the wooden roof to the church along with its rafters was caught by storm force winds and hurled into the street below, demolishing whole rows of houses. In 1196 a man by the name of William Fitzosbert, a renowned public nuisance, confined himself in the steeple but attempts to evict him failed until someone had a crazy brainstorm to light fires on the floor below and smoke the man out. At a time when parts of the City were being burned down daily it is surprising that this dotty bunch saw no apparent danger in deliberately lighting a fire in a room of tinder-dry wood. Amazingly the event passed off with no major catastrophe but the effects of the fire are thought to have caused a weakness in the structure which led to more than twenty people being killed in 1271 when the tower collapsed. Another incident concerning St Mary’s made front page headlines in 1284 when Lawrence Dubet, a City draper, sought sanctuary in the building after committing a murder. His friends, finding him there, saw to his execution so that it might appear that he had taken his own life. When the true story was revealed by a witness the church was considered unworthy of a place of worship and the doors and windows were bared with thorns, pending reconsecration. On Tuesday the 4th September 1666 Cheapside was ablaze from one end to the other; flames shot from the roof of St Mary’s, fuelled by its rich woodwork, and when the church wardens examined it a day or two later, all they found was a shaky shell. Wren began rebuilding in 1671 and when he completed the work in 1680 the total cost by far exceeded that of any other rebuilt church. During the Second World War the church was gutted, but rebuilding to Wren’s original plan was completed by Lawrence King in 1964.

In the early years, probably prior to the 15th century, the Churchyard of St Mary le Bow was ‘ by mean of incroachment and building of houses’ so much reduced in size as to make it unusable for burials. In the knowledge of this predicament, one John Rotham, tailor of the City of London, came to the rescue with an offer of his garden, on the east side of the church ‘to be a churchyard’. Someone obviously had it in for St Mary’s, for less than one hundred years later that too was built upon ‘and is a private man’s house.’ The present Churchyard exists from post 1666.

Bow Lane EC4
UG: Mansion House
Bus: 8 11 15 17 25 26 76 501
Bow Lane runs north from Mansion House Station (Bow Lane/Cannon Street north side exit)
Prior to the 16th century Bow Lane, in name, did not exist, although there has been a thoroughfare here since at least the 13th century. It was made up from the combination of two old-time lanes going under the descriptive names of Hosier Lane and Cordwainers Street. The first of these, Hosier Lane, began on the south side of Watling Street and extended across the present Cannon Street, taking in the upper part of Garlick Hill. There were not many joys here; row upon row of restrictive hovels lined the street where women worked their fingers to the bone making up underclothes for a meagre pittance that would scarcely buy a crust of bread. On the north side of Watling Street, extending as far as Cheapside was Cordwainers’ Street, where the leather workers turned out beautifully crafted boots and shoes for rather more than the price of a lonely crust.

About the time of the mid-16th century somebody discovered that there had been a church around the corner for the past 500 years and in a flurry of wisdom named the lane after it. But how does the church of St Mary, in Cheapside, come to take on the appendage of ‘le Bow’? It all stems from the time when the surveyors were inspecting the site with proposals to build a new church in the early 11th century. As they wallowed knee deep in mud, the poor chaps must have been totally bewildered that anyone should contemplate building anything on such a sodden piece of land. In Roman times the grounds lying about the area of Bow Lane were notoriously riddled with underground streams erupting in springs all over the place. Well Court, on the east side of the Lane, is surviving evidence of a collection of water holes dug in those early days. As far as building a church was concerned, they devised that the only solution would be to erect the structure on a series of brick arches sunk into the marshy ground. The church which grew above these arches came to be known as St Mary de Arcubus (St Mary of the Arches) which, reflecting the curvature of the brick supports, eventually became ‘of the Bows’.

Hosiery-ware was still being produced in Bow Lane at the beginning of the 20th century although the tiny hovels had long gone and the Lane was transformed into the shape we see to this day. In the old Cordwainers’ Street the shoe-makers had worn out or packed away their lasts and moved to other parts of London. The shop on the north-east corner of Bow Lane and Watling Street, which once echoed with the pounding hammers of leather workers, had been taken over by Hopkins Butchers. Earlier this century it was retrieved by a company of leather workers and is now a retail outlet of Jones and Company, bootmakers since 1857.

Also on the corner of Bow Lane and the oldest street in London, Watling Street, is one of London’s oldest pubs, Ye Old Watling, a superb tavern with a spacious bar and not a single table or chair in sight; it caters primarily for the business fraternity of the City. The Watling was badly damaged in the Great Fire of 1666 and Wren was supposed to have assisted in its rebuilding, presumably in an effort to keep his workers happy whilst they were employed in the construction of St Paul’s Cathedral.

For want of a more appropriate word, Bow Lane is nice. The shops and cafes with their picturesque frontages have all survived the developers boot and the intimate atmosphere which was once a common feature of all London’s narrow byways is retained – at least so far. A few minutes lingering down Bow Lane, with detours into Groveland Court and through Well Court, is a tranquil reward after trekking around the contrasting byways to the north of Cheapside or to the south of Cannon street.

Bowl Court EC2
UG: Liverpool Street
Bus: 5 8 26 35 43 47 48 78 149 243A
From Liverpool Street Station turn onto Bishopsgate and walk north along the west side. Cross Pinder Street and Primrose Street. Continue for about 135 yds and cross Worship Street. In about 75 yds turn left into Plough Yard. Bowl Court is then on the left.
Bowl Court has effectively been turned into a cul-de-sac; the southern access to the Court is now sealed off from Shoreditch High Street by a permanently closed gate. This is not an attractive place but the bleak high railway embankment wall along the length of the western side offers little scope for beautification. However, there are still the fragmented remains of the cobble stoned paving extending from adjoining Plough Yard.

The Court stands on the site of a bowling alley attached to the Plough Inn which used to occupy the site at the end of Plough Yard. It was demolished about the mid-18th century when both sites were built over with houses. Although of somewhat smaller proportions than the old inn, there is still a hostelry nearby under the peculiar combination sign of The Crown and Shuttle. It faces onto the High Street and with its back to the Court.

Brewhouse Yard EC1
UG: Farringdon
Bus: 55 63 243 505
From Farringdon Station walk east along Cowcross Street, cross Turnmill Street and continue for about 150 yds. Turn left into Peter’s Lane and the left into St John’s Lane. Continue to Cross Clerkenwell Road and then cross onto the east side of St John Street. Cross Gt Sutton Street and Brewhouse Yard is about 140 yds on the right.
The brewing industry south of the Thames was already under way by the 16th century. An easily transported supply of hops from Kent and the convenience of water supplies from the Thames made it an ideal location. Another explanation for choosing the area south of London Bridge as the centre for brewing were the numerous inns of Southwark, all putting heavy demands on suppliers of ale. With poor quality roads it was a matter of necessity to have brewery and inn within easy reach. However, north of the Thames, inns and taverns were still brewing their own ale in sheds or outbuildings in their yards. If the supply ran out, they closed until a fresh supply was ready.

Developments in commercial brewing began to take off in 1730 when the landlord of a tavern on this site took on the services of a full time brewer and commenced brewing sufficient ale to satisfy the needs of several taverns in the Clerkenwell area. Before the days of horse-pulled drays the casks were rolled out of the Yard by hefty men, along the streets to their destinations. Since that first day the Yard has always kept an association with the brewing industry, the aroma of malting and mashing has never been too far away. Change as things will, it now seems that with the closing down of the Allied Brewery offices, the last occupier, the end of an era has finally arrived. The building is still there, looking in a very sorry state, its windows broken, its frontage adorned with scaffolding. But what of Brewhouse Yard? It used to be the car park for the last company and now lies forlorn and inaccessible behind sturdy iron gates… There is nothing more to say.

Bride Court EC4
UG: Blackfriars
Bus: Any to Ludgate Circus
From Ludgate Circus walk south on the west side of New Bridge Street for about 30 yds. The covered court is on the right. St Brides church is at the other end
Short but fairly wide, Bride Court is a covered arcade of shops between New Bridge Street and Bride Lane. At the western end on the right, just before emerging into Bride Lane, is the antiquarian book shop of Clarke Hall. Facing this end of the Court is the church of St Bride, Fleet Street, built by Christopher Wren in 1703 to replace a previous building burnt down on the 4th September 1666. The present church is in fact the eighth to be built on the site, the first is believed to have been built here in the 6th century. Its dedication is actually to St Bridget, a 6th century Irish saint who is supposed to have hung her cloak on the tip of a sunbeam and so prevented the sun from setting until she removed it. However, she was unable to prevent lightening causing so much damage to the spire in 1764 that it had to be taken down. This spire was regarded as one of Wren’s most noble achievements; a height of 234 feet which when rebuilt was shortened by eight feet. St Bride’s was burnt out in an air raid in 1940 although the ‘madrigal in stone’ (W E Henley referring to the magnificent spire) was spared. Rebuilding to a design closely following that of Wren’s was completed in 1957.

Britton’s Court EC4
UG: Blackfriars
Bus: 4 11 15 17 23 26 45 59 63 76 172 to Ludgate Circus
From Ludgate Circus proceed along the south side of Fleet Street for about 220 yds and turn into Whitefriars Street. Britton’s Court is about 130 yds on the right (signed George Court).
By rights this obscured cranny should be high on the list of treasures of London; its name should feature in every guide to London, in multifarious languages from English to Swahili. Of course, it never will, at least as long as it remains the forsaken hovel that presently greets us.

Its untapped fame was discovered after many years in oblivion in 1867 but the value of the find was only revealed in 1895 when Mr Hurrell engaged the services of Henry Lumley to sell his property at number 4. The successive generations of Hurrell’s had lived in this house for near on 100 years, apparently without undertaking much in the way of maintenance. During his survey of the property Henry Lumley found himself descending a flight of cobwebby stone steps into what appeared to be a coal storage cellar, which over the years had become the repository for every kind of rubbish under the sun. Closer examination, and no doubt a modicum of research, revealed that this dingy hole was actually the sole surviving relic of the Carmelite Priory which occupied this site between 1241 and its dissolution in 1538.

It appears, from examination of ancient plans and records, that the room was not actually part of the monastic buildings themselves – it is too far south for that to be feasible – but there is a strong possibility that it formed the cellar to the Priors house. The twelve feet square crypt is constructed mainly of chalk blocks with a ribbed stone ceiling rising to a dome which lies a little more than two feet below the paving of the Court. In the west wall there still exists a small doorway, possibly the opening to a secret passage leading to a concealed exit outside the monastery grounds.

At the beginning of this century the proprietors of the News of the World purchased this site and built their offices fronting onto Bouverie Street with the rear overlooking Britton’s Court. It might have been expected that the tiny vault would have been disregarded by a major newspaper company and swallowed up in the development. But quite surprisingly they acted in just the opposite way and restored it. At the same time they inserted stone markers into the marble tiling of their reception hall identifying the position of the wall of the north aisle in the Priory church. Until the Company vacated their Bouverie Street offices in 1986 to take up modern premises in Wapping, they would, by prior arrangement, gladly allow the public the view the old vault. These offices are currently vacant and the future of the room beneath Britton’s Court hangs in the suspense of time – but surely it cannot be left to decay.

The Court first appeared in records in 1720 when it was listed as Britton’s Alley, but 80 years later, at the turn of the century, it had become Britton’s Court. In those days it seems to have been somewhat removed from its ruffian-infested neighbours and we are told that it was a neat alley with newly built houses. Mr Britton, we can assume, must have been either its builder or a resident.

Broad Court WC2
UG: Covent Garden
Bus: 6 9 11 13 15 23 77A 91 176
Ref: 3-30 81 C
From Covent Garden Station walk north east along Long Acre and turn right into Bow Street. Broad Court is on the left just by Bow Street Police Station.

On entering Broad Court it will imediately become apparent that this is not exactly an alley but can, in every sense of the word, only be described as wide. However, the Court as we see it today is a creation of the 20th century and a very much wider thoroughfare than the six or seven feet passage provided in 1747 when the Court was constructed. Nevertheless, it was by the standards of the day, a wide thoroughfare and certainly the broadest in this area.

The present Court, and that of its predecessor were constructed on the site of a previous thoroughfare known as Red Lion Court, dating from about 1600, which originally formed the yard of a tavern. It was a narrow, cramped passage and just prior to the time of the rebuilding in 1747, Red Lion Court was in a pretty shabby state, with rows of tightly packed tumbledown houses.

Today – shabby or tumbledown, it most certainly is not. Broad Court is now a refined place; an avenue of stone flag paving and an assortment of potted bushes set out along the length of the Court. Standing like proud old soldiers on sentry duty are three working gas standard gas lamps from which the glimmer of illumination expands over the Court on dark nights. Completing the scene is the Fielding Hotel, named in honour of the famous novelist (see below), with its frontage draped in foliage and bracketed gas lamp.

In a narrow tributary off the Court, still termed Broad Court, is the Sun Tavern, a pleasant little haunt with tables set out in the passage, just before the passage emerges through an archway into Long Acre.

Bow Street has had a long and famous association with the law and adjacent to Broad Court is Bow Street Police Station and Magistrates Court. It all started when Thomas de Veil, a magistrate for the County of Middlesex, bought a house and set up his administration at number 4 Bow Street. After various modifications to the property and the later purchase of number 3, a single room of the house was used for court proceedings. On the death of Thomas de Veil in 1747 novelist Henry Fielding was appointed as his successor. Irritated by the rising crime rate, Fielding was determined to see the establishment of an effective policing system for the streets of London. His idea was not readily welcomed by the citizens but once he had organised his team of ‘thief takers’, which became known as the Bow Street Runners, respect for the system was assured. Enthusiasm for his noble idea increased when Fielding launched a campaign for the victims of robbery to attend his office with a description, as accurate as possible, of the offenders, items stolen, and the circumstances surrounding the event. About this time Henry Fielding was joined at the magistrates office by his younger step-brother John who succeeded to the position of Principal Magistrate when Henry died in 1753. The formal constabulary was instigated by Sir Robert Peel, whose 1829 Act brought in the establishment of the Metropolitan Police Force and the ‘Peelers’ affectionately known as ‘Bobbies’. Their first station, which immediately proved unsatisfactory, was in the Round House next to St Paul’s church. The cramped conditions and lack of space for the confinement of prisoners resulted in their removal in 1832 to spacious new premises at the southern end of Bow Street. Forty eight years later they were on the move again, this time to their present location – adjacent to Broad Court.

Meanwhile the ever increasing numbers of law breakers brought to court by the newly establish ‘Bobbies’ proved too much for the small room at numbers 3 and 4 and in 1811 an extension was approved to the rear of the house. The Court remained at the same address until it moved to the present site, next to the Police Station, in 1881.

Broad Yard EC1
UG: Farringdon
Bus: 55 63
From Farringdon Station turn onto Cowcross Street and immediately left by the side of the station turn into Turnmill Street. On the right cross Benjamin Street. Broad Yard is about 150 yds from here, on the right.
In pursuit of London, the explorer will come across a number of thoroughfares, by their name designated as ‘broad’. Compared with the main roads of our own time they may appear little more than passages of slightly enlarged proportions, but in their own right and in their heyday they held the distinguished position of being wider than any other in the immediate locality. However, what we now see at Broad Yard is the result of restructuring to serve modern business; it is most definitely wide. Presently serving as a company car park the Yard opens out into what we today would truly conceive as a yard – a large open space.

According to 19th century writers Broad Yard was once a grubby old place; there was scarcely enough room to pass by the piles of rubbish thrown out by local residents. The squalid houses were a disgraceful sight even compared with the standards of the time and the inhabitants with their filthy habits were a fitting bunch for the neighbourhood.

About here would have been the three water mills after which Turnmill Street was named; they stood on the banks of the Fleet River. When the River became so narrow and eventually dried up the bed was used as a footpath and was subsequently made into a road, then called Trimillstrete (see Faulkner’s Alley).

Do not expect to stroll along Broad Yard; it is private and gated.

Brooke’s Court EC1
UG: Chancery Lane
Bus: 8 17 25 45 46 171A 243 501
Ref: 3-31 81 A
Brooke’s Court is on the east side of Grays Inn Road about 130 yds north of Holborn.
Brooke’s Court is one of those places you go to merely because it’s there. It has no historic monuments and, by any stretch of the imagination, it is not charming. Strategically built modern brick council houses, conforming in dimensions to large boxes, make up part of the Court, Discretely tucked away in a recess is the Dorothy Niblett Day Centre of Elderly People. I say that there are no historic monuments, but here at the north eastern end of the Court is a side door to Holborn’s shrine of Anglo Catholicism – the church of St Alban, Holborn.

The church was designed by William Butterfield and completed in 1862 although only the saddle-back tower now remains in its original form. Its nave and chancel were completely destroyed in World War II and were rebuilt to a more modern design. In Victorian times the whole of this area was a scene of squalor and deprivation, muggers and pickpockets were thick on the ground. Above a fish shop, on the site of the church was a cafe commonly known as the Thieves Kitchen, frequented by the scoundrels and law-breakers who roamed the vicinity. St Alban’s too has had something of a chequered past; it was the talk of the town in the late 19th century when its priests were taken to court for declaring their undivided allegiance to Rome. Another of its Parish Priests, Father Mackonochie was subjected to a series of law suits lasting for sixteen years. He was charged with using the Roman rite for celebrating Holy Communion, excessive kneeling during the consecration, using incense, and having a profusion of candles about the altar. Grieved by constant criticisms from the press and rejected by his Bishop he left the presbytery one day, deeply depressed and disheartened, and never returned. He found refuge in his native Scotland and there, while out walking one day he was overcome by drifting snow. Days later a search party found him dead, his dogs still lying by his side. They brought him back to the church he loved, and laid him to rest in a chapel at the west end which was then dedicated to his name.

Brooke Street, near to here, runs through the site of the estate that Lord Brooke purchased in 1618. Brooke’s Court formed an access to the gardens of the estate which occupied the site of Dorrington Street and Beauchamp Street, a few yards to the east. It also provided parking space for carriages belonging to the Lord and his guests.

Brooke Street also has had its fair share of tragedy. One such episode concerns Thomas Chatterton, the poet, who came to London expecting to make his fortune but fell victim to an unsympathetic publisher who rejected his work. Destitute and famished he remained without food for days on end. When a friend offered him a hot dinner his pride would not allow him to accept it. At his wits end he took himself into the attic of number 39 and there ended his life by poisoning.

ã No reproduction, copy or transmission of this publication may be made without the written permission of the author

Do not expect to stroll along Broad Yard; it is private and gated.

Brunswick Court SE1
UG: London Bridge
Bus: 47 P11 or any to London Bridge station
From the south side of London Bridge walk under the railway bridge, passing the approach to London Bridge Station and turn left into St Thomas Street (signed Guy’s Hospital) continue along the side of the station and cross Bermondsey Street into Crucifix Lane. Continue under the railway arch into Druid Street and Brunswick Court is on the right.
Brunswick Court used to be one of the longest Courts in London, running between Druid Street and Tanner Street, but now it is severely truncated. It has a sign at the entrance indicating that it leads nowhere. At its northern end it is the spookiest of places, constructed in the form of a large arch of deeply blackened bricks supporting the railway tracks running into London Bridge Station. There are many arches tunnelling under the railway along here, one or two as roads burrowing into the blackness, but mostly they were workshops, all now boarded up with sturdy old gates. Fifty or so yards into the ‘hole’, if you were allowed to proceed that far, the Court emerges into overwhelming daylight but redevelopment is slowly swallowing up the entire length.

As we view this place in today’s environment it is almost impossible to imagine that there was ever a tavern thriving on this spot, but there were in fact two – or maybe three. Too many years ago to contemplate, the Brunswick served the tanners of the Bermondsey Leather Market in Five Foot Lane, now Tanner Street. At a later date Henry Hepworth, ‘beer retailer’, ruled the roost at his Druids tavern, which inspired the naming of Druid Street.

Don’t come with expectations of swilling back a liquid lunch while leaning on the woodworm-riddled bar and drivelling on about the old times – the nearest pub is now some distance away.

Brydges Place WC2
UG: Charing Cross
Bus: 6 9 11 13 15 23 24 29 77A 91 176
Leaving Charing Cross Underground Station via the exit in Duncannon Street, cross to the east end of St Martin in the Fields and continue along Adelaid Street. At the end cross William IV Street and walk straight ahead into Chandos place. Brydges Place is on the left.
Just on the south side of the Coliseum Theatre is one of the narrowest openings to an alley in the whole of London. However, it is most certainly not one of the prettiest. The passage extends between St Martin’s Lane and the corner of Bedfordbury and Chandos Place, with an outlet half way along to William IV Street. To get the full effect of the narrowness, walk from the east end towards St Martin’s Lane. Towering walls on either side give one a feeling of being squeezed.

The access from St Martin’s Lane would not originally have been built so narrow. Through demolition and rebuilding over the years in an already congested district, available land was at a premium. This meant that every opportunity to snatch a little extra was seized upon, leaving the access to Brydges Place as little more than a crack in the wall. Although the passage has been here since the early 17th century it started life under the name of Dawson’s Alley. At the beginning of the 19th century it appears to have been known as Taylor’s Yard – indicating an area of rather larger proportions – and by 1875 the name had changed to the present Brydges Place. The reference is to George Brydges, Lord Chandos, who was the forces Paymaster and an ancestor of the Duke of Chandos.

Budge Row EC4

‘A street so called of the Budge furre and of skinners dwelling there’. This ‘Budge furre’ to which John Stow referred was a sort of woolly material prepared from lamb’s skin.

About 500 years ago the area surrounding here was closely associated with the clothing trade. If you had walked along Cannon Street in those times you would probably have seen a representation of few other trades than drapers and skin merchants selling their wares. In the adjoining alleys and courts the wives of traders would be busy throughout the day and night making up articles of clothing for the stalls. It was no coincidence, but for local convenience, that the Skinners Company, in 1327, established their Hall in nearby Dowgate Hill and have held their gatherings there ever since.

It might be of interest to note that women of the day were restricted in their choice of clothing according to their status. In 1338, and again twenty years later, the City authorities ordered that women of low standing should not wear clothing made from buge or wool. If the like had bought an old fur coat for a penny or two at the local jumble sale her fate could well have been a prison sentence for wearing it.

Since the years of World War II, Budge Row has seen many changes; it now survives as a pedestrian way, covered at its southern end by a large concrete block of offices. Even the line of its path has changed direction since chess fanatics from the City wide scurried along here to book a table at the Gambit Café. They didn’t come to discus the minutes of last week’s chess club meeting, whilst at the same time satisfying the needs of a grumbling belly – but to play. Every table was equipped with its own chequered board and the gobbling was ancillary to the game – the waiters’ cue was on the call of ‘check mate’.

Most notable of all memories associated with Budge Row is the church with an original dedication to St Anthony but from very early years called St Antholin’s. It stood at the northern end of the Row, on a site previously occupied by three predecessors. The first church was probably founded during the 12th century but complete rebuilding took place about 1400 and again in 1513. On Monday 3rd September 1666, almost as the bells stopped pealing from evensong of the previous day, Mr Farriners Great Fire was lapping at the doors of Watling Street. It took hold of St Mary Aldermary, across the road, and then leapt onto St Antholin’s, reducing it to ashes within minutes and leaving its bells as a pool of molten metal. Christopher Wren completed the rebuilding in 1682, topping his creation with the most slender spire imaginable. In 1874, many years after the death of Wren, and when they thought he would not mind, the diocese declared St Antholin’s redundant and pulled it down. The spire was sold as scrap for five pounds but someone considered it worthy of preservation and erected its upper part in the garden of Roundhill House at Sydenham in Kent.

The Wren church of St Antholin once stood on the corner of Budge Row. It was demolished in 1875 to clear a site for the new Queen Victoria Street. In more recent years considerable redevelopment has taken place and the Row is not as it used to be. Surrounded and covered by a 13 storey modern office block and paved in Tarmac, the name is all that survives of the old alley.

Bull Inn Court WC2
UG: Charing Cross
Bus: 6 9 11 13 15 23 77A 91 176
Off the north side of the Strand, about 300 yds from Charing Cross ML Station, between Bedford Street and Southampton Street.
When horses scuttled along the Strand and market barrow boys trundled their heavy loads the one time popular Black Bull Inn occupied this site. It was here on the Strand in the early 16th century and stood for a good 150 years. Alas, the landlord was finally forced to shut up shop and it was eventually pulled down in about 1685.

Until two or three years ago the walls just inside the passage used to be clad with three old signs made up in glazed tiles. On the left an arrow indicating the direction to the rear entrance of the Adelphi Theatre, and on both sides signs for the Nell Gwynne Tavern. The Nell Gwynne is still here, standing on the west side only a few feet into the Court – it was recently closed for refurbishment and reopened in December 1994. As one of the smallest and oldest pubs in the West End, the Nell Gwynne stands as a monument to charm, with its outside walls heavily draped in greenery. While still relatively unknown to the tourist fraternity it is one of the more cosy drinking establishments of central London.

Bulls Head Passage EC3
UG: Monument
Bus: 8 25 26 35 40 47 48 149
From Monument Station cross to the north side of Eastcheap via the underpass and walk up Gracechurch Street. In about 100 yds cross Fenchurch Street. Bulls Head Passage is about 75 yds on the right.
In the late 17th century a butchers shop occupied the site adjacent to this passage. Only a few years into the next century it seems that the owner had fled and the site was taken over by the Bulls Head tavern. It was quite common practice in those days to advertise ones business by hanging the product outside. The head of a bull or cow over a butchers shop would have been an every day sight. Although many will say that Bull’s Head Passage commemorates the tavern it is quite beyond refute that it is actually a memorial to a butcher.

In absolute contrast to neighbouring Ship Tavern Passage where all the shops have been boarded up, the businesses along here are thriving examples. Wrap’s Bar, a pleasant little cafe is here, and at the Gracechurch Street entrance the shoe shop of Cable and Company. Before these shops were opened Bull’s Head Passage used to be lined with free standing stalls – rather like an annex to nearby Leadenhall Market.

Bury Court EC3
UG: Liverpool Street
Bus: 8 25 26 35 40 47 48
From Liverpool Street Station walk south along the east side of Bishopsgate. At the junction with Camomile Street turn left and in about 130 yds turn right into St Mary Axe. Bury Court is about 50 yds on the left.
‘Then next to one great house, large of rooms, fair courts, and garden plots’. When John Stow wrote this, he had only minutes before left the church which now bears his memorial, and sauntered along St Mary Axe, when, stepping back in amazement, mouth wide open, he was mesmerised by the largest house he had ever seen… It was all play-acting – Stow only lived round the corner and came along this way every day.

He was gazing on the house inherited by the Abbot of Bury St Edmunds for use as his London residence, and on part of which site this Court was built. At the Reformation the house and its grounds became Crown property and later passed into the hands of the Thomas Heneage. Hence Heneage Lane and Heneage Place just east of here.

Bury Court is a mixture of old and semi-modern, although at the time of writing most of the buildings along here are undergoing redevelopment or renovation and scarcely any are presently occupied. At the eastern end the Court descends by two short flights of four steps each beneath a brown and white glazed brick tunnel to emerge into Bury Street.

Capel Court EC2
UG: Bank
Bus: Any to the Bank
On the east side of the Bank of England turn into Bartholomew Lane. Capel Court is off to the east.
Capel Court has little to offer unless, of course, you happen to be involved in the lucrative profession of stockbroking. This short walkway, leading up to the entrance of the Stock Exchange is lined with modern offices; quite a different scene from that viewed by Sir William Capel as he looked out from his drapers shop around the turn of the 15th century. He was elected Lord Mayor in 1509 and during that year financed the building of a chapel adjoining the south side of St Bartholomew-by-the-Exchange. Six years later the members of his Company carried him out of his shop in a coffin and laid him to rest in his chapel.

Exchanging of stocks and shares saw its beginning in 1773 with a gathering of Stock Market brokers who met daily in Jonathon’s Coffee House, Change Alley. When City business men became hooked onto the idea of buying and selling stocks, and Jonathon got tired of his shop being used as an office, the brokers sought permanent premises. They settled for a central site near to St Bartholomew’s church and the first purpose built Stock Exchange opened its doors in 1802. Over 160 years later the old building came to the end of its days and was replaced by a twenty-six storey block, trading floor, and visitors gallery, completed in 1973. Until the time of the ‘Big Bang’ in October 1986 the trading floor of the Stock Exchange could be likened to a market place on a Saturday morning. Now that dealing has been computerised and the procedure of buying and selling brought into line with modern day methods the trading floor is almost deserted.

St Bartholomew’s, originally known as Little St Bartholomew’s to distinguish it from the ‘Great’ at Smithfield, stood on the south east corner of Bartholomew Lane, a few strides from the Court. The date of its original foundation is unknown but the last church on the site was built about 1435 by Alderman Thomas Pike and Nicholas Yoo, a Sheriff of the City. It was demolished in 1840 and the site sold to the Bank of England.

Cardinal Cap Alley SE1
UG: London Bridge
Bus: 344 D1 P11 or any to London Bridge station
From the southern end London Bridge pass under the railway bridge and along Borough High Street, bear right into Southwark Street, under the railway bridge at the junction with Redcross Way, branch right into Thrale Street. At the ‘T’ junction with Southwark Bridge Road turn right and continue for 180 yds. Turn left into Park Street. In about 90 yds turn right into Emerson Street then left into Skin Market Place. Cardinal Cap Alley is at the end on the right.
Until the time of the reformation the Abbot of St Mary Overy, which is now Southwark Cathedral, owned a large part of the area of Southwark, and Cardinal Cap Alley undoubtedly had connections with the Abbey. At some point way back in history, certainly long before 1533, the Abbot built a house on the site of the Alley, which, at the dissolution of the monasteries was seized by the Crown. It is not known whether this house remained standing or a new building was erected but shortly after Henry VIII had rid himself of Papal connections the site was taken over by an inn known as the Cardinal’s Hat. When the wardens of St Saviour’s dined at this inn in 1579 Thomas Mansfield was in occupation of the tenancy and a few years later Thomas Browker was the owner. The Alley may have formed an access to the inn.

Once a maze of Thames-side warehouses, the area around Cardinal Cap Alley has for a number of years now been under redevelopment. The Alley itself still remains, shadowed in the disused Bankside Power Station, and just to the east is the International Shakespeare Globe Centre containing a full size reproduction of the Globe Theatre. A path joining the Thames-side a little to the east of Blackfriars Bridge leads past the power station to link up with Bankside. From here there is a most advantageous view of the north bank and St Paul’s Cathedral. During the building of the Cathedral it is thought that Sir Christopher Wren paced this stretch viewing the progression of his masterpiece. Then it was a forest of spires, now it is a jungle of concrete and glass.

Carter Court EC4
UG: St Paul’s/Blackfriars
Bus: 4 11 15 17 23 26 76 172
Easiest access is from the south west corner of St Paul’s Cathedral. Turn into Dean’s Court, off St Paul’s Churchyard. Turn right into Carter Lane and continue almost to the end. The Court is between Blackfriars Lane and Church Entry.
Carter Court is of such quaint appearance that one would not be unduly taken aback if the bulky figure of Dr Johnson were to suddenly emerge from a doorway, followed hot on his heels by his long suffering biographer, James Boswell. Surrounding the square covered entrance to this ancient alley is an encasement of worn old English oak, painted in black, having the appearance of being in situ when Johnson was a lad. Inside the narrow passage one side is panelled with oak whilst the other is plain, both sides being coated with white wash. Towards the end of the short passage the Court opens out and terminates in a cul-de-sac. The current purpose of the Court is mysterious, for it appears to have not a single access.

Carter Lane EC4
UG: St Paul’s
Bus: 4 11 15 17 23 26 76 172
Ref: 3-31 81 D
Easiest access is from the south west corner of St Paul’s Cathedral. Turn into Dean’s Court, off St Paul’s Churchyard. Carter Lane is at the end of here.
Without any shadow of a doubt, Carter Lane is very old and probably dates from the 12th century, at that time being known as Shoemakers’ Row. Its present name did not appear until the beginning of the 13th century when the Lane was divided into Great and Little Carter Lane. This name probably originated from an old bypass route used by the carriers of the day. With the parallel Ludgate Hill being so congested with cattle and traders, the carters moving their consignments between Fleet Street and the City found it easier to use the more convenient parallel route to the south (Carter Lane). Thus, the name evolved. It is a satisfying place, narrow and not unlike a typical village street with the occasional corner shop. As though isolated and far from the City hustle and bustle, Carter Lane has a tranquil air – just a gentle but purposeful movement to and fro.

More curious than Carter Lane itself are the many adjoining byways of Church Entry, Cobb’s Court, Friar Street, Burgon Street, Wardrobe Place, Addle Hill, and Dean’s Court. On the corner of Dean’s Court is the old St Paul’s Choir School dating from 1875, with its playground on the roof, now in the hands of the Youth Hostel Association. Still almost as fresh as the day it was stencilled is the Latin inscription on the frontage to the building.

Inns and Taverns were at one time plentiful in Carter Lane. There was the Rising Sun, Saracen’s Head, White Horse, the Bell, and others, in fact one on almost every corner. Of these, the Rising Sun was the last to disappear. Occupying the west corner of Burgon Street, it was about the most homely of the Carter Lane set; a tavern where the telephone operators of Faraday House mingled with the printers of Royle’s, next door. Its bar was a treasure of wooden panelling, etched mirrors, and varnished Lincrusta extending part way up the walls. From the upstairs restaurant a small, cosy, informal chop bar, drifted the enticing aroma of simple, home cooking.

Turning to the eastern end of Carter Lane, just past Dean’s Court, is Bell Yard, at one time the alleyway leading to the Bell Inn. It was from this hostelry in 1598 that Richard Quyney sat down with quill in his hand and wrote to his ‘loving good ffrend and contreyman Mr Willm Shackespere’. This is the only known surviving letter written to England’s most famous playwright; it is now preserved at Stratford-on-Avon. The inn has long gone but Bell Yard is still there, complete with its fading painted sign. However, a high wooden gate bars access.

Castle Yard SE1
UG: Blackfriars
Bus: 45 63 149 172 D1 P11
From the south side of Blackfriars Bridge walk south along Blackfriars Road for about 160 yds then turn left into Southwark Street. Pass under the railway bridge and turn left into Hopton Street. In about 150 yds follow the road round to the right, and turn into Holland Street. Castle Yard is then on the right.
A large house situated just north of here came to be known by locals as the Castle because of its turreted walls. Its use is uncertain but it is quite likely that it had associations with the organisers of the various animal fighting spectacles which were popular in the area. Bear and Bull bating, cock and dog fighting all took their turn as top-of-the-bill entertainment.

Preparation for the building of the first Blackfriars Bridge commenced in 1762. Although the house did not obstruct the work, the large area required for the storing of construction material meant that the house needed to be demolished.

The Castle Inn also stood on the site of the Yard in the mid-17th century. At that time it was in the hands of John Eierby who operated one of the Southwark ‘Stewhouses’, more commonly known to us as a brothel. John Stow is quite informative on these establishments and says that ‘These allowed stew-houses had signs on their fronts, towards the Thames, not hanged out, but painted on the walls’. This would seem to indicate that the usual access was by ferry. Running a ‘stew’ was no casual affair; as early as 1162 a list of rigorous rules were laid down by an act of parliament:

‘That no stew-holder or his wife should let or stay any single woman, to go and come freely at all times when they listed.
No stew-holder to keep any woman to board, but she to board abroad at her pleasure.
To take no more for the woman’s chamber in the week than fourteen pence (7p).
Not to keep open his doors upon the holidays.
Not to keep any single woman in his house on the holidays, but the bailiff to see them voided out of the lordship.
No single woman to be kept against her will that would leave her sin.
No stew-holder to receive any woman of religion, or any man’s wife.
No single woman to take money to lie with any man, but she lie with him all night till the morrow.
No man to be drawn or enticed into any stew-house.
The constables, bailiff, and others, every week to search every stew-house.
No stew-holder to keep any woman that hath the perilous infirmity of burning, not to sell bread, ale flesh, fish, wood coal, or any victuals, etc.’
Anyone caught flaunting these rules was severely dealt with by ‘great pain and punishment’.

The Castle went through a series of ownerships and in 1764 Henry Thrale, who the previous year had taken over the Anchor Brewery, purchased the property. By this time a great many buildings had sprung up in the vicinity and the inn had been transformed from a place of ill repute to a plain and simple ale house. What Henry Thrale did with the inn is unclear but six years after his purchase it was reported to be in a ruinous condition and the building was pulled down. The lease of the land was offered to William Allen on the condition that he put it to sober use and erect substantial houses or similar buildings on the site. On the death of Henry Thrale in 1781 the Anchor Brewery and associated buildings, of which the Castle site was part, were sold by auction to David Barclay and his partner John Perkins for £135,000.

Castle Court EC3
UG: Bank
Bus: Any to the Bank
From Bank Station walk along the south side of Cornhill. In about 150 yds turn right into Birchin Lane. Castle Court is about 30 yds on the left.
Tucked away between Cornhill and Lombard Street, this Court is one of an incredible maze of little alleys. It probably gets its name from the Castle Inn, which at one time stood at its entrance in Birchin Lane.

Here, at number 3 Castle Court is the George and Vulture, a fine old inn frequented by city workers and virtually unknown to tourists. The Tavern boasts a history dating back in time to the 12th century. Chaucer is said to have frequented the place and Dick Whittington used to call in for a vessel when he got cheesed off with council meetings. In fact celebrities from all walks of early London life are supposed to have popped in for a swift one, but if we believe the claims of most of the City of London public houses then Johnson was rarely sober and Dickens never had time to go home. However, the George and Vulture can in all honesty claim to have played host to Dickens for he referred to it in ‘Pickwick Papers’ when Mr Pickwick and Sam Weller dined there.

Fixed to a wall inside the tavern are two boundary markers defining the dividing line between the parishes of St Michael’s, Cornhill and St Edmund the King, Lombard Street. They originate from pre-Great fire days when City churches were so close together that there needed to be some physical means of ascertaining the limits of each parish. The boundary of the two parishes runs right through the bar of the George and Vulture.

Originally, the tavern was merely named the George but when the big blaze of 1666 swept through these alleys it devoured everything in its path and left the George as a shell of charred embers. A wine merchant of George Yard, whose sign was a tethered live vulture, lost his home and his livelihood, and after the tavern was rebuilt he negotiated with the landlord for part use of the George. Unhappy with the idea of having a live bird squawking around the door he agreed to change the name of his house to the George and Vulture.

The rear of Simpson’s Tavern is opposite to the George and Vulture on the north side of the Court.

ã No reproduction, copy or transmission of this publication may be made without the written permission of the author

Don’t come with expectations of swilling back a liquid lunch while leaning on the woodworm-riddled bar and drivelling on about the old times – the nearest pub is now some distance away.

The alleyways and courtyards of London

This page is taken from Ivor Hoole’s defunct GeoCities site listing the alleys and courtyards in Central London, last updated in 2004 and now taken offline.
The Underground Map blog lists this information as is, with no claim of copyright.

The alleyways and courtyards of London: B

Back Alley EC3

Bakers’ Hall Court EC3

Budge Row EC4

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