Irene Preston's Historical Writing
A
HISTORY OF LONDON STREETS
Including extracts from an early 20th century encyclopaedia
PATERNOSTER ROW is in the precinct of St
Paul’s Church where the medieval clergy would recite the Pater Noster,
Our Father, in procession around the small quadrant with many narrow
streets. The makers of Pater Noster beads or rosary beads were called
turners and lived there, it became known as Paternoster Row. There was
also Ave Maria Lane and Amen Corner. Mercers, makers of silk and lace,
also lived there long before the Great Fire of 1666. It was also noted
for text writers and stationers and it became the centre of publishing
and bookselling. During the Second World War the area was devastated and
six million books were destroyed. The northern end of the street was
rebuilt as Paternoster Square.
PETTICOAT LANE in the medieval period was a tree-lined country lane
called Hogs Lane because pigs were kept in the surrounding fields. At
the end of the 16th century the lane was part of a residential area of
small cottages and by 1608 it was called Petticoat Lane, probably due to
the selling of old clothes but it was still a fashionable area. The
Spanish lived there in the reign of James I but in 1655 the plague drove
out the well-to-do residents who were replaced by Huguenot weavers and
Jewish traders. By 1750 it was a market-trading centre.
PALL MALL takes its name from a game like croquet that originated in
Italy. ‘Pallo a Maglio’ meaning, ball to mallet, had become popular in
France in the late 16th century. Mary, Queen of Scots, probably brought
the game to Scotland and her son James I recommended it to his sons. It
was made popular after the Restoration by Charles II, who played it in a
roped-off area of St James’ Park later to be known as Pall Mall.
BETHLEHEM ROYAL HOSPITAL, commonly called Bedlam, was founded in 1274 as
the Priory of St Mary Bethlehem and was known to have had a hospital
attached to it in 1329. In 1377 ‘distracted’ people were taken as
patients but were chained to the wall by leg or ankle. When they were
violent they were ducked in water and whipped. When the priory was
dissolved the Corporation bought it from the King and re-established it
as a lunatic asylum in 1547. It was replaced by a beautiful building
with landscaped gardens in 1675.
CHEAPSIDE was the chief market place of medieval London. Ceap or chepe
is an Old-English word for market. The bakers were in Bread Street,
goldsmiths in Goldsmith Row, Friday Street was where fishmongers sold
their fish and dairymen sold their milk in Milk Street.
FLEET RIVER is an underground river rising in a Hampstead pond and flows
towards the River Thames. The name only refers to the lower part of the
river and is an Anglo-Saxon word meaning a tidal inlet, the word fleet
means moving swiftly, and the higher reaches were known as Hole Bourne
(stream) and became known as Holborn. In the 12th century stones for
building old St Paul’s were brought upstream, tanners and cutlers lived
and worked along its banks up to the 16th century and five bridges had
been built across the river. As a waterway it soon became impassable and
in 1666 the Great Fire burnt all the bridges, houses and wharfs. In 1739
the Stocks Market was moved to make room for the Mansion House, now the
official residence of the Lord Mayor of London and the river was
culverted.
FLEET PRISON, believed to have been built soon after the Norman
Conquest, stood on the east bank of the Fleet River but was not recorded
until 1170. The post of Keeper was hereditary and with it went the
privilege of receiving the customs duty levied on the Fleet and fees
from prisoners for food and lodging. This was a source of great abuse,
asking for payments for larger rooms and better food and a few prisoners
managed to escape. Edward III rebuilt it but it was burned down during
the Peasants’ Revolt in the reign of Richard II. The Fleet was again
rebuilt and held by various members of the Court until it was again
burned down in the Great Fire of 1666. After a third rebuilding it was
finally demolished in 1846.
FLEET STREET, in medieval London, was a main thoroughfare with great
houses belonging to many bishops. A Church of St Bride was established
in the 6th century and St Dunstan in 1185. The street became well known
for bookselling, printing and publishing. The first newspaper was
published about 1702 and has ever since been the home of the English
newspaper industry. Fleet Street leads to Ludgate Hill and St Paul’s
Cathedral.
ST PAUL’S CATHEDRAL stands on Ludgate Hill, where a Roman temple once
stood. Ethelbert, King of Kent, founded the first church in 604 but it
burned down and was later rebuilt in stone between 675 and 685 only to
be destroyed by the Vikings in 961. A later church was once again
destroyed by fire in 1087. What became known as Old St Paul’s had the
tallest spire known at the time but after being struck several times by
lightning it was decided in 1561 not to replace it. One could say that
the old Roman gods did not look with favour upon the new churches as Old
St Paul’s was finally burned down in the Great Fire. But like the
phoenix it rose from the ashes under the guidance of Christopher Wren
and is the most beautifully designed cathedral and well worth a visit.
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