Streets of the City of Westminster

This forms part of the “Streets of” series of posts where we have gathered the information from the conservation areas of each London borough, in this case Westminster.

https://www.westminster.gov.uk/conservation-areas


  • Adelphi
  • Bayswater
  • Belgravia
  • Birdcage Walk
  • Covent Garden
  • Fitzrovia
  • Harley Street
  • Haymarket
  • Knightsbridge
  • Leicester Square
  • Lisson Grove
  • Maida Vale
  • Marylebone
  • Mayfair
  • Paddington Green
  • Pimlico
  • Queen’s Park Estate
  • Queensway
  • Regent’s Park
  • Regent Street
  • Royal Parks
  • St James
  • St James’s Park
  • St John’s Wood
  • Savoy
  • Soho
  • Strand
  • Trafalgar Square
  • Victoria
  • Westbourne
  • Westminster
  • Whitehall

 

From the Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Category:Streets_in_the_City_of_Westminster

 

Street name derivations

  • Abbey Orchard Street – after a former orchard here attached to St Peter’s Abbey
    Abingdon Street – after James Bertie, 1st Earl of Abingdon who owned a house on Dean’s Yard in the 17th century
    Ambrosden Avenue – unknown[5]
    Apsley Way – after the adjacent Apsley House, originally built for Henry Bathurst, 2nd Earl Bathurst (Lord Apsley), later the residence of the Dukes of Wellington[6][7]
    Arneway Street – after Thomas Arneway, former benefactor to the local parish’s poor[8][9]
    Artillery Place and Artillery Row – after a former nearby artillery practice ground of the 19th century[8][10]
    Ashley Place – thought to be after Anthony Ashley Cooper, 7th Earl of Shaftesbury, Victorian politician and philanthropist[11]
    Atterbury Street – after Francis Atterbury, Dean of Westminster in 1713[12][13]
    Barton Street – after 18th century actor Barton Booth, who also attended Westminster School[14][15]
    Bennett’s Yard – after Thomas Bennett, 17th century local resident [16]
    Bessborough Gardens – after John Ponsonby, 5th Earl of Bessborough and later Baron Duncannon of Bessborough[17][18]
    Birdcage Walk – after the aviaries that were formerly part of St James’s Park[19][20]
    Bloomburg Street – after Dr Blomberg, Domestic Chaplain to George IV[13]
    Bressenden Place – this street was built in 1962, replacing a small line of shops called Bressenden Row; the origins of the name is unknown [21]
    Brewer’s Green – after William Brewer, 17th century gardener here[22]
    Bridge Street – presumably as it leads to Westminster Bridge[23]
    Broad Sanctuary, Little Sanctuary and The Sanctuary – after the former nearby St Peter’s Sanctuary which offered refuge for those accused of crime[24][25]
    Broadway – self-explanatory; it was formerly Broad Place[24][26]
    Buckingham Gate, Buckingham Mews, Buckingham Place, Buckingham Palace Road, Palace Place and Palace Street – all named by association with Buckingham Palace, originally built for John Sheffield, Duke of Buckingham[27][28]
    Bulinga Street – after Bulinga Fen, formerly here in Saxon times[29][30]
    Butler Place – after Nicholas Butler, who built (now demolished) almshouses here in 1675[31]
    Canon Row – after the canons of St Stephen’s, the chapel in the former Palace of Westminster, founded in the 12th century[32][33]
    Cardinal Walk – presumably by association with the adjacent Westminster Cathedral
    Carey Place – after William Carey, headmaster of Westminster School 1803-14[34][13]
    Carlisle Place – after George William Frederick Howard, 7th Earl of Carlisle, Viscount Morpeth, who was chiefly responsible for local development in the 1850s[34][35]
    Carteret Street – after Sir Edward de Carteret, local 17th century landowner[36][37]
    Castle Lane – after a former inn of this name that stood here[38][39]
    Cathedral Walk – ‘as it leads to Westminster Cathedral
    Catherine Place – unknown[40]
    Causton Street – after Thomas Causton, Canon at Westminster[13]
    Caxton Street – after William Caxton, creator of the first English printing press in 1476[41][42]
    Chadwick Street – after Hannah Chadwick, who left money to local schools in her will[43][42]
    Chapter Street – as the land belonged to the Dean and Chapter of Westminster Abbey[13]
    Charing Cross – after the Eleanor cross at Charing, from the Old English word “cierring”, referring to a bend in the River Thames[44][45]
    Coburg Place –
    Cockpit Steps – after a former cock fighting ring on this site[46][47]
    Constitutional Hill – obtained its name in the 17th century from King Charles II’s habit of taking “constitutional” walks there. In Strype’s Map, 1720, it is marked “Road to Kensington”. In John Smith’s map of 1724, it is called “Constitution Hill”[48][49]
    Cowley Street – after 18th century actor Barton Booth, who also owned land at Cowley in Middlesex[14][15]
    Craig’s Court – after Joseph Craig, who built this Court in the 1600s[50][51]
    Cureton Street – after William Cureton, noted Orientalist and canon of Westminster 1849-64[52][13]
    Dacre Street – after Joan Dacre, 7th Baroness Dacre, who lived in a house on this site in the 15th century[53][54]
    Dartmouth Street – after William Legge, 1st Earl of Dartmouth, Lord Privy Seal in the 1710s and local resident[55][56]
    Dean Bradley Street – after George Granville Bradley, Dean of Westminster 1881-1902[55][13]
    Dean Farrar Street – after Frederick William Farrar, rector of St Margaret’s, Westminster and a canon at Westminster in the late 19th century[55][13]
    Dean Ryle Street – after Sir Herbert Edward Ryle, Dean of Westminster 1911-25[55][13]
    Dean Stanley Street – after Richard Chenevix Trench, Dean of Westminster 1856-64[57][13]
    Dean Trench Street – after Arthur Penrhyn Stanley, Dean of Westminster 1864-81[57][13]
    Dean’s Yard and Little Dean’s Yard – location of the Dean of Westminster’s house[57][13]
    Derby Gate – after William, Lord Derby, who built a mansion on this site in the early 17th century[58][59]
    Douglas Street – after William Douglas, Canon at Westminster[13]
    Downing Street – after Sir George Downing, 1st Baronet, local landowner of the 17th century[60][61]
    Duke of Wellington Place – after the adjacent Apsley House, originally built for Henry Bathurst, 2nd Earl Bathurst (Lord Apsley), later the residence of the Dukes of Wellington[62][7]
    Elizabeth Court –
    Elverton Street – unknown[63]
    Emery Hill Street – after Emery Hill, benefactor to local charities[64][63]
    Erasmus Street – after Dutch scholar Desiderius Erasmus, who moved to London in 1498[65][13]
    Esterbrooke Street – unknown[66]
    Francis Street – after Francis Wilcox, local 19th century landowner; formerly Francis Place[67][68]
    Fynes Street – after Charles John Fynes Clinton, who was educated at Westminster School [13]
    Gayfere Street – after Thomas Gayfere, mason, who worked on Westminster Abbey in the early 19th century[69][13]
    Great College Street, College Mews and Little College Street – after Westminster School, formerly known as St Peter’s College, Westminster[70][71]
    Great George Street and Little George Street – after either George II, reigning king when the street was built in 1750[70] or a former inn here called The George[71]
    Great Peter Street – after St Peter, patron of Westminster Abbey[72][13]
    Great Scotland Yard and Scotland Place – site of a house used by visiting monarchs of Scotland until the 13th century[72]
    Great Smith Street and Little Smith Street – after John Smith, circa 1700 builder of these streets[72][73]
    Greencoat Place and Greencoat Row – after the Green Coat School which formerly stood here, named for the colour of the school’s uniform, demolished 1877[74][75]
    Greycoat Place and Greycoat Street – after the Grey Coat School for Children which moved here in 1701[76][77]
    Hatherley Street – after William Page Wood, 1st Baron Hatherley, Victorian era politician and local resident[78][79]
    Herrick Street – after Robert Herrick, 17th century poet[80][81]
    Hide Place – unknown[81]
    Horseferry Road – after a ferry that carries passengers and their horses over to the Thames near here, prior to the construction of Lambeth Bridge[82][83]
    Horse Guards Avenue and Horse Guards Road – after the quarters of the Horse Guards, established on Whitehall in 1663[82][83]
    Howick Place – thought to be named for Howick Cross, Lancashire [84]
    John Islip Street – after John Islip, Abbot of Westminster in Tudor times[85][13]
    King Charles Street – after Charles II reigning monarch when the street was built in 1682[86]
    King’s Scholars’ Passage – after the King’s Scholars of Westminster School[87][13]
    Lewisham Street – after William Legge, 1st Earl of Dartmouth, Viscount Lewisham, Lord Privy Seal in the 1710s and local resident[55][88]
    Lord North Street – originally just North Street, as led north from Smith Square, however this was altered in 1936 to commemorate Lord North, Prime Minister 1770-82, so as to avoid confusion with similarly name streets [89]
    The Mall – built as a course for playing the game pall mall, fashionable in the 17th century[90][91]
    Marsham Street – after Sir Robert Marsham, who inherited this land from Sir Richard Tufton in the 17th century[92][93]
    Matthew Parker Street – after Matthew Parker, archbishop of Canterbury 1559-75; it was formerly Bennett Street, as Corpus Christi College, Cambridge (nicknamed Bennett College) owned land here [94][95]
    Maunsel Street – after John Maunsel (or Mansell), local 13th century landowner and adviser to King Henry III[94][96]
    Medway Street – after the Medway in the Diocese of Rochester, where the deans of Westminster were bishops from 1663 – 1802[97][13]
    Millbank – derives its name from a watermill owned by Westminster Abbey that once stood at a site close to present day College Green.[98][99][100]
    Monck Street – after Henry Monck, 18th century benefactor to the local parish[101][102]
    Montaigne Close –
    Morpeth Terrace – after George William Frederick Howard, 7th Earl of Carlisle, Viscount Morpeth, who was chiefly responsible for local development in the 1850s[34][35]
    Northumberland Avenue and Northumberland Street – site of the former Northumberland House, built originally in the early 17th century for the earls of Northampton and later acquired by the earls of Northumberland[103][104]
    Old Palace Yard – after the former Old Palace of Westminster, where the Houses of Parliament now stand[105][106]
    Old Pye Street – after Robert Pye, local MP in the mid-17th century[105][106]
    Old Queen Street – as it approaches Queen Anne’s Gate[105], or possibly after Elizabeth I; it was formerly just Queen Street [107]
    Osbert Street – after Osbert of Clare, Suffolk, prior of the abbey of St Peter’s, Westminster in the 1130s[108][13]
    Page Street – after William Page, head of Westminster School 1814-19[109][13]
    Palmer Street – after the Reverend James Palmer, who founded (now demolished) almshouses near here in 1656[110][22]
    Parliament Square and Parliament Street – after the Houses of Parliament[111]
    Perkin’s Rents – after a local landlord by the name of Perkin, recorded in the late 17th century[112][113]
    Petty France – after a small French settlement that existed here in the 16th century[114][115]
    Pine Apple Court – after a former inn here of this name [116]
    Ponsonby Place and Ponsonby Terrace – after John Ponsonby, 5th Earl of Bessborough and later Baron Duncannon of Bessborough[17][18]
    Queen Anne’s Gate – as it leads to the gate of the same name, named for Queen Anne, entering into St James’s Park[117][118]
    Rampayne Street – after Charles Rampayne, benefactor to local poor schools and hospitals, Mr Rampayne[119][120]
    Regency Place and Regency Street – as it was opened by George, Prince Regent (later King George IV) in 1811[121][122]
    Richmond Terrace – after a house owned by the dukes of Richmond which formerly stood on this site in the 17th and 18th centuries[123][124]
    Rochester Row and Rochester Street – after the Diocese of Rochester, where the deans of Westminster were bishops from 1663 – 1802[125][126]
    Romney Street – after Robert, Baron Romney, son of local landowner Sir Robert Marsham[92][93]
    Rutherford Street – after Reverend William Rutherford, Headmaster of Westminster School 1883-1901[127][13]
    St Ann’s Lane and St Ann’s Street – after a former chapel dedicated to St Anne that formerly stood here[128][129]
    St Ermin’s Hill – thought to be a corruption of Hermit Hill, or possibly after St Ermin/Armel, 6th century monk[130]
    St James’ Court –
    St Margaret Street – after the nearby St Margaret’s, Westminster[131]
    St Matthew Street – after St Matthew’s Church, Westminster; it was formerly Duck Lane, as ducks were reared here[132][133]
    St Oswulf Street – as this areas was formerly part of the Ossulstone hundred of Middlesex; Oswulf was Saxon-era chief here [134]
    Seaforth Place – after Seaforth in Scotland, by association with the London Scottish (regiment) formerly bases nearby[135]
    Smith Square – after the local 18th century landowner Sir James Smith[136][73]
    Spenser Street – after the poet Edmund Spenser, who lived nearby[137][13]
    Spring Gardens – after the 17th century pleasure grounds of this name which formerly lay on this site; they were closed in 1660[138][139]
    Spur Road –
    Stafford Place – after Viscount Stafford, who lived in a house adjacent in the 17th century[140][141]
    Stanford Street – unknown[142]
    Stillington Street – after Robert Stillington, Bishop of Bath in the 15th century[143][13]
    Storey’s Gate – after 17th century St James’s Park birdkeeper Edward Storey, who had a house near here[144][145]
    Strutton Ground – corruption of ‘Stourton’, from Stourton House where the local Dacre family lived[146][147]
    Thirleby Road – after Thomas Thirlby, Bishop of Westminster 1540-50[148][13]
    Thorney Street – after Thorney Island, a former eyot in the Thames[148][149]
    Tothill Street – uncertain; the street formerly led to Tothill Fields, thought to be from ‘tote hill’ meaning a look-out hill[150][151]
    Tufton Street – after its 17th century builder Sir Richard Tufton[92][93]
    Udall Street – after Nicholas Udall, 16th century playwright and headmaster of Westminster School[152][13]
    Vandon Passage and Vandon Street – after Cornelius Vandon, 16th century yeoman of the guard who founded almshouses for the poor on adjacent Petty France[152][153]
    Vane Street – after Sir Henry Vane the Younger, prominent ally of Cromwell in the Civil War period; Vane was a pupil at the nearby Westminster School[152][13]
    Vauxhall Bridge Road – as it approaches Vauxhall Bridge[154][155]
    Victoria Embankment – after Queen Victoria, reigning queen at the time of the building of the Thames Embankment
    Victoria Street – after Queen Victoria, reigning monarch when the street was built in 1850-51[156][157]
    Vincent Square and Vincent Street – after William Vincent, Dean of Westminster 1803-15 and headmaster of Westminster School; the square was originally a recreation ground for the school[158][13]
    Walcott Street – after Reverend MEC Walcott, curate of the St Margaret’s, Westminster in the 1840s[159][160]
    Warwick Row – after Henry Wise, local 18th century landowner and gardener to William III, who owned land in Warwickshire[161]
    Whitehall, Whitehall Court, Whitehall Gardens and Whitehall Place – after the former Palace of Whitehall on this site, destroyed by fire in 1698[162][163]
    Wilcox Place – after Francis Wilcox, local 19th century landowner[67]
    Wilfred Street – originally William Street, after Viscount Stafford, who lived in a house adjacent in the 17th century[139]
    Willow Place – after the willow trees that were formerly common here
    Windsor Place – after the Windsor Castle pub formerly located here

     

     

     

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Victoria Street

Victoria Street runs on an east–west axis from Victoria station to Broad Sanctuary at Westminster Abbey. Cardinal Place, across the street from Westminster Cathedral, opened in 2006 and contains a selection of restaurants, banks and shops, including a Marks and Spencer store. Further along the street, there is a large House of Fraser department store (formerly the Army & Navy) opposite Westminster City Hall. At the Broad Sanctuary end is the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy building, the headquarters of Transport for London at Windsor House, and the former New Scotland Yard building (headquarters of the Metropolitan Police Service from 1967 to 2016).

 

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