| CONTRIBUTIONS TO THE LOCALITY |
 
The Underground Map Added: 8 Dec 2020 00:24 GMT |
Othello takes a bow
On 1 November 1604, William Shakespeare’s tragedy Othello was presented for the first time, at The Palace of Whitehall. The palace was the main residence of the English monarchs in London from 1530 until 1698. Seven years to the day, Shakespeare’s romantic comedy The Tempest was also presented for the first time, and also at the Palace of Whitehall.
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Emma Seif Added: 25 Jan 2022 19:06 GMT |
Birth of the Bluestocking Society
In about 1750, Elizabeth Montagu began hosting literary breakfasts in her home at 23 (now 31) Hill Street. These are considered the first meetings of the Bluestocking society.
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Linda Webb Added: 27 Sep 2021 05:51 GMT |
Hungerford Stairs
In 1794 my ancestor, George Webb, Clay Pipe Maker, lived in Hungerford Stairs, Strand. Source: Wakefields Merchant & Tradesmens General Directory London Westminster 1794
Source: Hungerford Stairs
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Fumblina Added: 21 Feb 2023 11:39 GMT |
Error on 1800 map numbering for John Street
The 1800 map of Whitfield Street (17 zoom) has an error in the numbering shown on the map. The houses are numbered up the right hand side of John Street and Upper John Street to #47 and then are numbered down the left hand side until #81 BUT then continue from 52-61 instead of 82-91.
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TUM Added: 27 Aug 2022 10:22 GMT |
The Underground Map
Michael Faraday successfully demonstrated the first electrical transformer at the Royal Institute, London.
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Roy Batham Added: 7 Jan 2022 07:17 GMT |
Smithy in Longacre
John Burris 1802-1848 Listed 1841 census as Burroughs was a blacksmith, address just given as Longacre.
Source: Batham/Wiseman - Family Tree
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Scott Hatton Added: 11 Sep 2020 19:47 GMT |
Millions Of Rats In Busy London
The Daily Mail on 14 April 1903 reported "MILLIONS OF RATS IN BUSY LONDON"
A rat plague, unprecedented in the annals of London, has broken out on the north side of the Strand. The streets principally infested are Catherine street, Drury lane, Blackmore street, Clare Market and Russell street. Something akin to a reign of terror prevails among the inhabitants after nightfall. Women refuse to pass along Blackmore street and the lower parts of Stanhope street after dusk, for droves of rats perambulate the roadways and pavements, and may be seen running along the window ledges of the empty houses awaiting demolition by the County Council in the Strand to Holborn improvement scheme.
The rats, indeed, have appeared in almost-incredible numbers. "There are millions of them," said one shopkeeper, and his statement was supported by other residents. The unwelcome visitors have been evicted from their old haunts by the County Council housebreakers, and are now busily in search of new homes. The Gaiety Restaurant has been the greatest sufferer. Rats have invaded the premises in such force that the managers have had to close the large dining room on the first floor and the grill rooms on the ground floor and in the basement. Those three spacious halls which have witnessed many as semblages of theatre-goers are now qui:e deserted. Behind the wainscot of the bandstand in the grillroom is a large mound of linen shreds. This represents 1728 serviettes carried theee by the rats.
In the bar the removal of a panel disclosed the astonishing fact that the rats have dragged for a distance of seven or eight yards some thirty or forty beer and wine bottles and stacked them in such a fashion as to make comfortable sleeping places. Mr Williams. the manager of the restaurant, estimates that the rats have destroyed L200 worth of linen. Formerly the Gaiety Restaurant dined 2000 persons daily; no business whatever is now done in this direction.
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Scott Hatton Added: 30 Jan 2023 11:28 GMT |
The Beatles on a London rooftop
The Beatles’ rooftop concert took place on the rooftop of the Apple Corps building in London. It was their final public performance as a band and was unannounced, attracting a crowd of onlookers. The concert lasted for 42 minutes and included nine songs. The concert is remembered as a seminal moment in the history of rock music and remains one of the most famous rock performances of all time.
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Julian Added: 23 Mar 2021 10:11 GMT |
Dennis Potter
Author Dennis Potter lived in Collingwood House in the 1970’s
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Jessie Doring Added: 22 Feb 2021 04:33 GMT |
Tisbury Court Jazz Bar
Jazz Bar opened in Tisbury Court by 2 Australians. Situated in underground basement. Can not remember how long it opened for.
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Robert smitherman Added: 23 Aug 2017 11:01 GMT |
Saunders Street, SE11
I was born in a prefab on Saunders street SE11 in the 60’s, when I lived there, the road consisted of a few prefab houses, the road originally ran from Lollard street all the way thru to Fitzalan street. I went back there to have a look back in the early 90’s but all that is left of the road is about 20m of road and the road sign.
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Richard Roques Added: 21 Jan 2021 16:53 GMT |
Buckingham Street residents
Here in Buckingham Street lived Samuel Pepys the diarist, Charles Dickens and Rudyard Kipling
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Justin Russ Added: 15 Feb 2021 20:25 GMT |
Binney Street, W1K
Binney St was previously named Thomas Street before the 1950’s. Before the 1840’s (approx.) it was named Bird St both above and below Oxford St.
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Jude Allen Added: 29 Jul 2021 07:53 GMT |
Bra top
I jave a jewelled item of clothong worn by a revie girl.
It is red with diamante straps. Inside it jas a label Bermans Revue 16 Orange Street but I cannot find any info online about the revue only that 16 Orange Street used to be a theatre. Does any one know about the revue. I would be intesrested to imagine the wearer of the article and her London life.
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BG Added: 20 Dec 2022 02:58 GMT |
Lancing Street, NW1
LANCING STREET
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| LATEST LONDON-WIDE CONTRIBUTIONS TO THE PROJECT |
Jean Deane Added: 2 Oct 2023 16:43 GMT |
Advertisement for a laundry in Mill Lane, Brixton Hill, SW2 from early 1900’s
The New Imperial Laundry
Source: From a Ladies glance guide for Mistress and Maid
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Sue Added: 24 Sep 2023 19:09 GMT |
Meyrick Rd
My family - Roe - lived in poverty at 158 Meyrick Rd in the 1920s, moving to 18 Lavender Terrace in 1935. They also lived in York Rd at one point. Alf, Nell (Ellen), plus children John, Ellen (Did), Gladys, Joyce & various lodgers. Alf worked for the railway (LMS).
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Michael Added: 20 Sep 2023 21:10 GMT |
Momentous Birth!
I was born in the upstairs front room of 28 Tyrrell Avenue in August 1938. I was a breach birth and quite heavy ( poor Mum!). My parents moved to that end of terrace house from another rental in St Mary Cray where my three year older brother had been born in 1935. The estate was quite new in 1938 and all the properties were rented. My Father was a Postman. I grew up at no 28 all through WWII and later went to Little Dansington School
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Mike Levy Added: 19 Sep 2023 18:10 GMT |
Bombing of Arbour Square in the Blitz
On the night of September 7, 1940. Hyman Lubosky (age 35), his wife Fay (or Fanny)(age 32) and their son Martin (age 17 months) died at 11 Arbour Square. They are buried together in Rainham Jewish Cemetery. Their grave stones read: "Killed by enemy action"
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Lady Townshend Added: 8 Sep 2023 16:02 GMT |
Tenant at Westbourne (1807 - 1811)
I think that the 3rd Marquess Townshend - at that time Lord Chartley - was a tenant living either at Westbourne Manor or at Bridge House. He undertook considerable building work there as well as creating gardens. I am trying to trace which house it was. Any ideas gratefully received
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Alex Britton Added: 30 Aug 2023 10:43 GMT |
Late opening
The tracks through Roding Valley were opened on 1 May 1903 by the Great Eastern Railway (GER) on its Woodford to Ilford line (the Fairlop Loop).
But the station was not opened until 3 February 1936 by the London and North Eastern Railway (LNER, successor to the GER).
Source: Roding Valley tube station - Wikipedia
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Kevin Pont Added: 30 Aug 2023 09:52 GMT |
Shhh....
Roding Valley is the quietest tube station, each year transporting the same number of passengers as Waterloo does in one day.
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Kevin Pont Added: 30 Aug 2023 09:47 GMT |
The connection with Bletchley Park
The code-breaking computer used at Bletchley Park was built in Dollis Hill.
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Admiral Duncan The Admiral Duncan is well-known as one of Soho’s oldest gay pubs. Charing Cross Charing Cross denotes the junction of the Strand, Whitehall and Cockspur Street, just south of Trafalgar Square De Hems De Hems has become a base for London’s Dutch community, serving bitterballen and frikandellen. Leicester Square Leicester Square, while indeed a square, is also the name for a tube station. Nelson’s Column Nelson’s Column is a monument in Trafalgar Square built to commemorate Horatio Nelson’s decisive victory at the Battle of Trafalgar during which he lost his life. Northumberland House Northumberland House was a large Jacobean townhouse in London, which was the London residence of the Percy family, the Dukes of Northumberland. Piccadilly Circus Piccadilly Circus was built in 1819 to connect Regent Street with the major shopping street of Piccadilly. Queen’s Theatre The Queen’s Theatre is located in Shaftesbury Avenue on the corner of Wardour Street. Royal Society The Royal Society is a self-governing Fellowship of many of the world’s most distinguished scientists drawn from all areas of science, engineering and medicine. St James’s St James’s is an exclusive area in the West End of London. Wyld’s Great Globe Wyld’s Great Globe was an attraction situated in Leicester Square between 1851 and 1862. Air Street, SW1Y Air Street was the most westerly street in London when newly built in 1658. Air Street, W1B Air Street’s name is believed to be a corruption of ‘Ayres’, after Thomas Ayre, a local brewer and resident in the 17th century. Albany Courtyard, SW1Y The courtyard is named after Prince Frederick, Duke of York and Albany, who in 1791 purchased Melbourne House which stood on this site. Albany, W1B The Albany is an apartment complex in Piccadilly, established in 1802. Archer Street, W1D Archer Street was Arch Street in 1675, Orchard Street in 1720 and Archer Street by 1746. Banbury Court, WC2E Banbury Court is named for Nicholas Knollys, 3rd Earl of Banbury, who owned a house here called Banbury House. Beak Street, W1B Beak Street runs roughly east-west between Regent Street and Lexington Street. Beak Street, W1F Beak Street is named after Thomas Beake, one of the Queen’s messengers. Bedfordbury, WC2N Bedfordbury is one of the streets of London in the WC2N postal area. Blue Ball Yard, SW1A Blue Ball Yard is first mentioned in 1672 when its site was sold by King Charles II. Brewer Street, W1D Brewer Street runs west to east from Glasshouse Street to Wardour Street. Bridle Lane, W1F Bridle Lane is one of the streets of London in the W1F postal area. Brydges Place, WC2N Brydges Place replaced Taylor’s Buildings in 1904 when the Colloseum was built. Burlington Arcade, SW1Y Burlington Arcade is a covered shopping arcade, 179 metres in length, that runs from Piccadilly to Burlington Gardens. Bury Street, SW1A Bury Street runs north-to-south from Jermyn Street to King Street, crossing Ryder Street. Carlton House Terrace, SW1Y Carlton House Terrace consists of a pair of terraces - white stucco-faced houses on the south side of the street overlooking St James’s Park. Charing Cross Road, WC2H Charing Cross Road is a street running immediately north of St Martin-in-the-Fields to St Giles Circus. Charing Cross, SW1A Charing Cross, long regarded as London’s central point, as an address is an enigma. Church Place, SW1Y Church Place was named after the adjacent St James’s Church, Piccadilly. Cockspur Street, SW1A Cockspur Street is possibly after the cock fighting that formerly occurred here, cocks often having spurs attached to their feet during fights. Coventry Street, W1D Coventry Street is a short street connecting Piccadilly Circus to Leicester Square. On the London Monopoly board, it was named after the politician Henry Coventry, secretary of state to Charles II. Cranbourn Street, WC2H Cranbourne Street was named after local landowner the Earl of Salisbury, Viscount Cranbourn (Cranbourne) after the town in Dorset. Craven Passage, WC2N Craven Passage is named after William Craven, 3rd Baron Craven, who owned the land when the street was built in the 1730s. Craven Street, WC2N Craven Street is named after William Craven, 3rd Baron Craven, who owned the land when the street was built in the 1730s. Dansey Place, W1D Dansey Place is one of the streets of London in the W1D postal area. Duke Street St James’s, SW1Y Duke Street St James’s is named after James II, Duke of York when the street was built and brother to Charles II, king at the time. Garrick Yard, WC2E Garrick Yard, together with the more familiar Garrick Street to the northeast of here, both took their names from the Garrick Club which commemorates the famous 18th century actor, David Garrick. Great Windmill Street, W1F Great Windmill Street has had a long association with music and entertainment, most notably the Windmill Theatre. Greens Court, W1D Greens Court is one of the streets of London in the W1F postal area. Ham Yard, W1D Ham Yard is one of the streets of London in the W1D postal area. Haymarket, SW1Y Haymarket – site of a former market selling hay until the 1830s. Hobhouse Court, WC2H Hobhouse Court is named after Sir John Cam Hobhouse, Victorian MP and arts patron. Kingly Court, W1B Kingly Court is one of the streets of London in the W1B postal area. Linen Hall, W1B Linen Hall is one of the streets of London in the W1B postal area. Litchfield Street, WC2H Litchfield Street is possibly named after Edward Lee, 1st Earl of Lichfield, who was brother-in-law of Henry FitzRoy, 1st Duke of Grafton and son of Charles II. Lower Regent Street, SW1Y Lower Regent Street is the name for the part of Regent Street which lies south of Piccadilly Circus. Masons Yard, SW1Y Mason’s Yard was named for the local 18th century victualler Henry Mason. New Row, WC2E New Row is one of the streets of London in the WC2N postal area. Newport Court, WC2H Newport Court was laid out approximately on the site of the courtyard of Newport House. Newport Place, W1D Newport Place was named after Mountjoy Blount, Earl of Newport (Isle of Wight), who owned a house on Newport Street in the 17th century. Norris Street, SW1Y Norris Street – after Godfrye Norris, local leaseholder in the 17th century. Northumberland Street, WC2N Northumberland Street commemorates the former Northumberland House, built originally in the early 17th century for the earls of Northampton and later acquired by the earls of Northumberland.
Orange Street, WC2H Orange Street gets its name from William III, Prince of Orange - the reigning king when the street was built. Ormond Yard, SW1Y Ormond Yard was named after James Butler, 1st Duke of Ormonde, who owned a house next to this yard in the 17th century. Oxendon Street, W1D Oxendon Street, after Sir Henry Oxendon, husband of Mary Baker, daughter of Robert Baker who built the former Piccadilly House nearby. Pall Mall, SW1Y Pall Mall was laid out as grounds for playing pall mall in the 17th century. Panton Street, SW1Y Panton Street was named after Colonel Thomas Panton, local property dealer of the 17th century. Peter Street, W1F Peter Street is one of the streets of London in the W1F postal area. Piccadilly Arcade, SW1Y Piccadilly Arcade was named after Piccadilly Hall, home of local tailor Robert Baker in the 17th century. Pickering Place, SW1A Thought to be the smallest public open space in London, Pickering Place is perhaps most famous for being the location of the last public duel in England. Princes Arcade, SW1Y Princes Arcade, built 1929–33, was named after the former Prince’s Hotel, which stood here. Regent Place, W1B Regent Place is one of the streets of London in the W1B postal area. Regent Street, W1B Regent Street dates from the 1810s and was named after the Prince Regent, later George IV. Romilly Street, W1D Romilly Street is a small street that runs behind Shaftesbury Avenue and takes its name from lawyer Samuel Romilly. Rose Street, WC2N Rose Street is one of the streets of London in the WC2E postal area. Rupert Court, W1D Rupert Court was named for Prince Rupert of the Rhine, the First Lord of the Admiralty when the court was built in 1676. Rupert Street, W1D Rupert Street – after Prince Rupert of the Rhine, noted 17th century general and son of Elizabeth Stuart, daughter of King James I. Ryder Street, SW1A Ryder Street was named after Richard Rider, Master Carpenter to Charles II. Shaftesbury Avenue, W1D Shaftesbury Avenue is a major street in the West End of London, named after Anthony Ashley Cooper, 7th Earl of Shaftesbury. Smiths Court, W1D Smiths Court is one of the streets of London in the W1D postal area. Spring Gardens, WC2N Spring Gardens derives its name from the Spring Garden, formed in the 16th century. St Albans Street, SW1Y St Albans Street was named after Henry Jermyn, 1st Earl of Saint Albans, 17th century politician and local landowner. St James’s Market, SW1Y St James’s Market was part of the site of St James’s leper hospital in the Middle Ages, named after James, son of Zebedee. St Martins Place, WC2N St Martin’s Place is a short stretch connecting Trafalgar Square to the bottom of Charing Cross Road. Strand, WC2N Strand begins its journey east at Trafalgar Square. Suffolk Place, SW1Y The Earl of Suffolk (Thomas Howard) was the reason for the naming of Suffolk Place. Suffolk Street, SW1Y Suffolk Street was named after Thomas Howard, Earl of Suffolk, who owned a stable yard attached to Northumberland House which lay on this site. Swallow Street, SW1Y Swallow Street honours Thomas Swallow, lessee in 1540 of the pastures on which the road was built. Trafalgar Square, WC2N Trafalgar Square commemorates Horatio Nelson’s 1805 victory at the Battle of Trafalgar. Vine Street, SW1Y Vine Street is a short dead-end street running east from Swallow Street and is parallel to Piccadilly. Walker’s Court, W1D Walker’s Court is one of the many passageways which in past years was known as ’Paved Alley’. Wardour Street, W1D The W1D part of Wardour Street south of Shaftesbury Avenue runs through London’s Chinatown. Warwick House Street, SW1A Warwick House Street formerly approached Warwick House, built in the 17th century for Sir Philip Warwick. Waterloo Place, SW1Y Waterloo Place, an extension of Regent Street, is awash with statues and monuments that honour heroes of the British Empire. Whitcomb Street, WC2H Whitcomb Street - named after William Whitcomb, 17th century brewer and property developer. Whitehall, SW1A Whitehall is recognised as the centre of the government of the United Kingdom. Admiral Duncan The Admiral Duncan is well-known as one of Soho’s oldest gay pubs. De Hems De Hems has become a base for London’s Dutch community, serving bitterballen and frikandellen. Graphic Bar This bar used to be known as the Midas Touch.
St Giles is a district of central London, at the southern tip of the London Borough of Camden.There has been a church at St Giles since Saxon times, located beside a major highway. The hospital of St Giles, recorded c. 1120 as
Hospitali Sancti Egidii extra Londonium was founded, together with a monastery and a chapel, by Queen Matilda, wife of Henry I. St Giles (c. 650 – c. 710) was the patron saint of lepers and the hospital was home to a leper colony, the site chosen for its surrounding fields and marshes separating contagion from nearby London.
A village grew up to cater to the brethren and patients. The crossroads which is now St Giles Circus, where Oxford Street,
Charing Cross Road, Tottenham Court Road and New Oxford St meet, was the site of a gallows until the fifteenth century. Grape Street, in the heart of the St Giles district, runs beside the site of the hospital’s vineyard.
The monastery was dissolved during the Reformation and a parish church created from the chapel. The hospital continued to care for lepers until the mid sixteenth century, when the disease abated and the hospital instead began to care for indigents. The parish was known as St Giles in the Fields and it is recorded in 1563 as Seynt Gyles in the Field.
The first post-Catholic parish church was built in 1631 and from the mid-seventeenth century church wardens note "a great influx of poor people into this parish".
The 1665 Great Plague started in St Giles and the first victims were buried in the St Giles churchyard. By September 1665, 8000 people were dying a week in London. By the end of the plague year there were 3216 listed plague deaths in St Giles parish, which had fewer than 2000 households. After the Restoration, the area was populated by Huguenot refugees who had fled persecution and established themselves as tradesmen and artisans, particularly in weaving and the silk trade.
The southern area of the parish, around present day
Shaftesbury Avenue, was a wasteland named Cock and Pye Fields. Houses were not built there until 1666, after the Great Fire, and not fully developed until 1693, becoming known as Seven Dials. Thomas Neale built much of the area, giving his name to Neal Street and Neal’s Yard. St Giles and Seven Dials became known for their astrologers and alchemists, an association which lasts to this day. The village of St Giles stood on the main road from Holborn to Tyburn, a place of local execution. Convicted criminals were often allowed, in tradition, to stop at St Giles en route to Tyburn for a final drink - a
St Giles Bowl - before hanging.
The ancient parish of St Giles in the Fields formed part of the Ossulstone hundred of Middlesex. The parish of St George Bloomsbury was split off in 1731, but the parishes were combined for civil purposes in 1774 and used for the administration of the Poor Law after the Poor Law Amendment Act 1834.
As London grew in the 18th and 19th centuries, so did the parish’s population, rising to 30 000 by 1831. The Rookery stood between the church and Great Russell Street, and Seven Dials near where Centre Point stands today, now home to the Centrepoint homeless charity. It was of one of the worst slums within Britain, a site of overcrowding and squalor, a semi-derelict warren. From Georgian affluence in the 18th century, the area declined rapidly, as houses were divided up, many families sharing a single room. Irish Catholic immigrants seeking to escape desperate poverty took up residence and the slum was nicknamed ’Little Ireland’ or ’The Holy Land’. The expression "a St Giles cellar" passed into common parlance, describing the worst conditions of poverty. Open sewers often ran through rooms and cesspits were left untended. Residents complained to the Times in 1849 : "We live in muck and filth. We aint got no priviz, no dust bins, no drains, no water-splies, and no drain or suer in the hole place." The rookery was a maze of gin shops, prostitutes’ hovels and secret alleyways that police had little of hope navigating. William Hogarth, Thomas Rowlandson and Gustav Dore, among others, have drawn the area, novelists Henry Fielding and Charles Dickens have written about it extensively. Peter Ackroyd writes "The Rookeries embodied the worst living conditions in all of London’s history; this was the lowest point which human beings could reach".
From the 1830s to the 1870s plans were developed to demolish the slum as part of London wide clearances for improved transport routes, sanitation and the expansion of the railways. New Oxford Street was driven through the area to join the areas of Oxford Street and Holborn. The Rookery dwellers were not re-housed by the authorities. 5000 were evicted and many just moved into near by slums, such Devil’s Acre and Church Lane making those more overcrowded still. The unchanging character of the area, failing investment schemes and inability to sell new properties ensured that plans for wholesale clearance were stymied until the end of the century.
Upon the creation of the Metropolitan Board of Works in 1855 the combined parishes became the St Giles District and were transferred to the County of London in 1889.
The local government of London was reorganised in 1900 and St Giles became part of the Metropolitan Borough of Holborn.
The Central London Railway opened Tottenham Court Tube Station, between the Church of St Giles in the Fields and St Giles Circus on 30 July 1900. Tottenham Court Road underwent improvements in the early 1930s to replace lifts with escalators.
In 2009, Transport for London began a major reconstruction of large parts of the station. Much of the St Giles area alongside St Giles High Street was cleared to make way for the new development including Crossrail expansion.
Since 1965. St Giles has been part of the London Borough of Camden.
St Alban’s House is a block on Haymarket.
